An emerging presence in the Australian food scene after clinching the Chef of the Year 2011 title in Beijing and working for one too many Michelin-starred outfits in London, the baby-faced executive chef of Altitude, Shangri-La Sydney, Matthew McCool descended on the capital to cook up a storm.Heavily inspired by the modern European style of cooking with a touch of Asian courtesy his Beijing stint at the famous Aria restaurant, McCool's knack lies in finding rare and fresh produce that not many chefs are working with yet. In Delhi to promote his native cuisine at the Australian food festival, a first-of-its-kind event, hosted by the Shangri-La at its fine dine venue 19 Oriental Avenue, this Sidneysider of Scottish descent is having fun interacting with his guests, and lapping up butter chicken.
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Always brushing 'butter chicken' aside as one of the stereotypes associated with Delhi, I ask McCool about how the dish is perceived in the West. Says he with nonchalance, "It is a global delicacy. In Sidney its more of a takeout food. But I prefer the way it is cooked here." Which led me to my next question about the need to tweak classic Australian recipes to suit the local palate here. With a sigh he says, "Yes, I have had to make several changes to the existing recipes, but it was more to do with the available ingredients and technology." Considering the fact that an entire world of produce and meat cuts are not only alien to our palate, but falls beyond the realm of our food psychology.
Still it was a short and sweet lesson in Australian cooking for us when McCool decided to serve up some Australian favourites his way with jaw-dropping presentation, the kinds you see in a 'Masterchef' kitchen on television. And if nothing else, it was an interesting prelude into a marriage of obscure flavours, textures and techniques. Like most Australians working with food, he too is extremely particular about the sourcing of ingredients and takes personal interest in handpicking fresh produce. For this food festival too he did plenty of sourcing from Australia and China, apart from the neighbourhood INA market.
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His eyes twinkled on learning I was a meat-eater, and I could see his hesitation in serving an all veg course dispel, for what good is a meal to an Australian without the customary chunk of meat (or fish) in it. My starter a Salmon-starer delicacy with horseradish, watercress, Salmon caviar and pancetta soil, was presented so beautifully that I did not want to break the harmony on the plate by digging my fork in. The salmon was cooked to perfection while retaining the crispy golden brown skin on top, and tasted wonderful with the pungent horseradish sauce. The passion with which McCool serves his food takes root in a childhood dream of getting involved in a creative profession. And sooner than he knew he was nursing a burning ambition to work with food and create something new. McCool trained for six years in Australia when he worked for several hatted restaurants including Peter Gilmore's Quay, one of Australia's most awarded restaurants. The maverick creator of 'Snow Egg', McCool remembers Gilmore as a warm person with
amazing technical skills along with a vision, which very few chef-restaurateurs can claim to possess. Another path-breaking experience came his way when he joined Gordon Ramsay's Maze in London. Though McCool believes in taking home little pieces from every kitchen, he had one of his toughest runs in Ramsay's. "No breaks, no sleep, exacting standards and you are supposed to be on your toes all day, and there is no getting away from that. But only by working in a place like that do you mature as a chef," he avers.
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In the interim, I was served my main course which was a rack of lamb with Persian feta, blackberry, ground almonds and crunchy Quinoa. The lamb was medium rare and had soaked up the flavours of the blackberry puree perfectly. It wasn't hard to see McCool's passion for creation from the way the dish was conceived and presented. But if he had to pick between great flavours and beautiful presentation, which one would he go for? And pat comes the reply, "Great flavours! The food has to taste good. But when you are eating at a fine dine restaurant you'd definitely expect great plate up, and on that count the restaurant has to deliver." He lists strong dedication, passion and love for food among the prerequisites for working in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Post his stint at Ramsay's Maze, McCool went onto work with a host of other Michelin-starred outfits in London including Bank Restaurant, Chez Bruce, and Tom Aikens where he trained with some of the industry's greats. But Beijing turned out to be the turning point in his career, winning him the Chef of the Year 2011 title for giving a new lease of life to the Aria restaurant in China World Hotel. After his current posting to Sydney, McCool misses the "strange and wonderful foods of China" most, apart from its culture, people and lifestyle. So, what did he miss about Australia when posted in China? "I missed my family a lot, but I was fortunate to have my wife with me," he reminisces. Matthew McCool is married to an Italian born and bred in Palermo, Sicily, and that naturally makes her a phenomenal cook of Italian dishes. Says he, "Her lasagnes are our perfect homemade Sunday meal, which we enjoy with a large bottle of Italian red wine."
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But McCool at home prefers to cook in solitude without having to share his kitchen space with anyone. "We drive each other crazy if we work together, for I am extremely organised in the kitchen, and she just as messy," he laughs. When on a holiday he loves to eat locally and try out new cuisine to get inspired. Believed to have a sweet tooth, McCool's love of sweets is manifest in the detailing and thought he puts behind each dessert. Like the one sitting in front of me, a deconstructed chocolate brownie, plated up in what is probably the best presentation I have seen on a run-of-the-mill brownie. The blending of the different components, from the cake crumbs, milk chocolate mousse, vanilla ice-cream, to the Ganache, made for a pretty picture, and an even better treat to the taste buds.
Fortunate to have the luxury to experiment and work with great produce and flavours, McCool feels he still has a long way to go as a chef. But being Chef de Cuisine of Altitude, Shangri-La Sydney, has he created his signature dish yet? "I believe signature dishes are created out of popularity, and at the moment it is our Swordfish with corn, coconut and curry," he shares. Despite not getting much of a chance to explore India on his maiden visit, Matthew McCool is not complaining, for he is going back wiser with the knowledge of tandoori cooking, and the usage of different spices from the Indian kitchen
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