Pepe Saya Butter, Tempe

Butter makes everything better. Of course it does. Sure you can have a glorious crusty sourdough, but add a good quality butter and life is instantly amazing. I'm talking about butter that's rich, creamy and slightly tangy from culture. It's the kind of butter you can eat with a spoon. Repeatedly.

Today you can't talk butter without mentioning Pepe Saya. This cultured butter is handmade from single origin cream sourced directly from Country Valley grass-fed dairy cows in Picton. What originally started as a one-man operation has expanded into a local success story. Pepa Saya butter is now used or served at Aria, Rockpool Bar and Grill, Arras, Sepia, Black by Ezard, Restaurant Atelier and Bells at Killcare. From 1 March 2012 it will be served to Qantas first class passengers.


Country Valley cream; creme fraiche aged for two weeks; 
whipping the cream into butter; and virgin butter

The man behind Pepa Saya is Pierre Issa, born to a Lebanese dad and Scottish Australian mum. Issa grew up in Lebanon and fondly remembers a simpler life that was more connected to food sources. "I remember when I was a kid you had to go to the lady in the village who owned two cows to buy your milk." Issa says they would make their own cream and their own cheeses.

He's the first person in his family to go into food production and admits his dad was incredulous when he heard about his butter plans. "No one took me seriously at first. My dad said I was an idiot. He said  'Who would pay that much for butter when I can go to the supermarket and buy a block for a few dollars?'"

At his current premises in Tempe, Issa is more than happy to take us around on a tour. He's young, warm and chatty, and his passion for butter is unmistakable. He moved in six months ago after production demands outstripped the constraints of his former lease in St Peters. The factory is tucked down a industrial small cul-de-sac, in the shadow of the newly opened Ikea. He shares the 450 metre square space with Pat and Stick's ice cream and dessert supplier Homemade Fine Foods, creating an inner west oasis of hedonistic pleasure.


Draining and washing the butter

We scrub down, don aprons and shower caps and step through to the commercial production area. Issa takes us through the entire process of butter production, allowing us to taste from the huge vat of fresh Country Valley cream and then allowing us to compare this with the slightly more acidic creme fraiche, aged for two weeks.

The difference between normal butter and cultured butter is the addition of lactic bacteria. It's this bacteria which turns cream into creme fraiche, adding a slight tang from fermentation that is scientifically known as diacetyl. Adding the lactic bacteria changes the pH level of the cream from 7 to 4.2. It's this fermentation which gives cultured butter a greater complexity in flavour and taste.

The creme fraiche is beaten, turning into whipped cream and then a stage called popcorn butter. It looks just like popcorn. The process of butter, Issa explains, is about smashing molecules in the cream. "At Pepe Saya, however, we do it gently."

Virgin butter is the stage just before the butter splits and the buttermilk separates. This type of butter is  popular across Scandinavia - acidic, wet and slightly grainy in texture. It requires skill to catch the virgin butter as only a few seconds stand between this and split butter. Virgin butter is served at Noma in Denmark.


Freshly churned butter

When the butter has split, the buttermilk separates as a cloudy liquid. This is pure buttermilk, unlike the stuff you find at the supermarket, Issa explains, which is usually milk soured with lactic acid. He supplies the buttermilk free to restaurants that order his butter - the acid is brilliant for baking. Once you've made pancakes with real buttermilk, he says, there's no going back.

The buttermilk is drained and then the butter is washed with water. It's important to get rid of all the buttermilk to remove the acidity and sourness. He uses Sydney tap water as it's certified as safe to drink and the mineral breakdown is readily available.


Squeezing the excess water from the butter

The butter is dumped out onto the metal bench and then small handfuls are grabbed and squeezed of excess water. These are then combined into one large mass and then kneaded gently until most of the water has been removed.


Kneading the butter; Olsson's salt;
Bertha the mixer, a recent acquisition from Bird Cow Fish


Salt is added in two stages. In the first stage, Issa adds Olsson's kiln dried fine salt, the same salt used in the salt licks that Country Valley dairy farmers give to their cows. It's a deliberate food chain continuance by Issa.


Keading in the salt flakes

Murray River salt flakes are the last thing to be added. "All our butter is handmade. It's our point of difference," says Issa. It's this small batch approach that allows Pepe Saya to custom make butters for individual clients. Rockpool, for example, is made to a set recipe with specific salt levels. Other restaurants request a log shape or blocks. When Michael McEnearney from Kitchen by Mike came around, they worked together to create a rustic twine-wrapped butter pat that could be left on the chopping board for customers to help themselves.


Moulding the butter into paper and wrapping it with twine


Grating French truffles onto butter

We're in for a special treat today when Issa brings out some French truffles from the store room. He uses a ratio of 5% truffles for his truffle butter, made exclusively for Duncan Garvey from Perigord Truffles.


Truffle mania

The sight of the generous truffle blanket is enough to make you weak at the knees. We sample the truffle butter later on fresh Alley Break sourdough and it takes me straight to my happy place. Forget truffle oils or salts. The brittle flakes of truffle in creamy waves of butter is where it's at.


Mixing the truffle butter and packing it into individual portions

The batch of butter we'd seen made today is only small. Usually production takes place in 160kg batches. Each week they go through 5,000 litres of cream. It takes 4 litres of cream to make one kilo of butter.

In addition to being handmade, Pepe Saya butter is not homogenised. Homogenisation means that water is suspended evenly through fat. The Pepe Saya butter has little bits of water through it - all part of the handmade charm.

Issa says that although there are many amazing French butters for sale on our shelves, he's proud of the fact that "my butter has never been frozen. It's still alive. But everyone has different tastes."


Merna Taouk of Homemade Fine Foods stamping the mini truffle butters into discs

And where does the name Pepe Saya come from? Issa says that Pepe was his childhood nickname, although there are two theories about its origin. One is his Scottish grandmother couldn't pronounce Pierre and called him Pepe instead. The other is that his father called him Pepe because he looked like a pelican waddling when he was in nappies. Issa laughs and says he thinks it's the latter. As for the Saya, he explains he had a vivid dream when someone was calling him Pepa Saya and when he woke up, he instantly knew he had the name for his business.


Pepa Saya cultured butter $7.50 for 225 grams


Butter time!

We move back into the retail area for tastings of butter, bread, cheeses and dessert. Issa slathers on the butter like it's cream cheese. "If you can't see your teeth marks after one bite then you haven't put enough on!" The butter is creamy and sweet with a slight tang.


Cheese sampling including the three year vintage cheddar from South Coast Cheese
and Homemade Fine Foods vanilla and raspberry pannacotta $3

Merna Taouk from Homemade Fine Foods plies us with desserts. We start with the vanilla and raspberry pannacotta, made with Country Valley cream and topped with Cuttaway Creek raspberries. Taouk establishes clear connections with her suppliers, and is determined to let the quality of the ingredients speak for themselves.

Issa holds up a raspberry and looks at it with pride. "I mean, look at this. Good food doesn't need to be messed with. It's all about this beautiful raspberry." His eyes shine.


Sticky date pudding $3.50 small 

Sticky date pudding is usually the last thing I'd order on a dessert menu. Too often it's a factory-made mass-produced cake that's sickly sweet and drenched in syrup. Taouk's version will restore your faith in this classic. It's moist and squidgy and sweet from dates, not sugar. The butterscotch sauce will make your toes curl.


Bread and butter pudding $3.50 small 

The humble bread and butter pudding is lifted to new levels of decadence here, using brioche, Country Valley cream, vanilla beans, sugar, nutmeg and raisins. No milk or eggs are used. It's ridiculously rich but oh so good.


Mixed berry crumble pudding $6.50 large
Vanilla pouring custard $6.50

Pepe Saya vanilla pouring custard is drizzled generously over all the desserts, including the mixed berry crumble fresh from the oven, tart with fresh fruit and covered with crumble and whole toasted almonds. The custard is made using Country Valley cream, free range eggs and vanilla beans. I was tempted to drink it straight from the bottle.


Fig and ginger pudding $3.50 small 

We sample one of Taouk's newest products, a fig and ginger pudding that's in the final stages of recipe testing. Determining the right level of ginger has been a quandary, but as ginger fans we say, the more the better!

I ask Issa about future plans for Pepe Saya butter and he reveals he'll be launching a range of flavoured butters for seafood in conjunction with John Susman of fisheads and Kinkawooka Mussels. Of the butter flavours he mentions, I'm most interested in the sea urchin butter he has planned. Delicious!

Issa admits that it's been a long road. He almost threw in the towel several times. Coming up with new products can be difficult but "food is more than just money. You just have to make the best you can and set a price and hope it sells. If it doesn't, you move on." He's not willing to compromise on quality.

"I'm all about small batch and high quality. It's about good taste. We've taken the road less traveled and now it's paying off for us."

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WHOLESALE FACTORY PRICES
(correct as at February 2012)

Pepe Saya
Salted and unsalted Butter 225gm $7.50
Vanilla pouring custard $6.50
Mascarpone 1kg $12.00
Creme Fraiche 1kg $12.00
Basil pesto 250gm $7.50
Tarama Paste 250gm $7.50
Yoghurt cloth-strained (very thick - probiotic) 1kg $12.00
Truffle Butter - Seasonal Winter Months - Price tba
Butter milk available to buy through Ester from Country Valley Dairy at the Eveleigh Markets

Pat and Stick's 
Ice Cream Sandwich $4.00
Ice Cream Tubs $8.00

Booza Ice Cream Petit Fours (Tedy Altree)
Pack of Six $8.00
Pack of Twelve $12.00

Homemade Fine Foods (Chef Merna Taouk)
Vanilla and raspberry pannacotta small tub $3.00
Rice pudding small tub $3.50
Chocolate mousse small tub $3.00
Apple crumble and mixed berry crumble small $3.50 large $6.50
Bread and butter pudding, sticky date pudding, fig and ginger pudding small $3.50 large $6.50
Stewed rhubarb 1kg $19.00
Allspice stewed apples 1kg $12.00

The Stock Merchant (Ben Dutton)
Crab stock, beef stock, vegetable stock, chicken stock and chicken gravy
500ml $7.50-$12.00




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Pepe Saya
Unit 4, 3 Wood Street, Tempe, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9519 2793

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 9am-5pm
Saturdays by appointment or if they happen to be working (call ahead to check)

Yum cha at East Ocean, Haymarket, Chinatown

Hello. I'll be on your radio. Tonight! You'll be able to hear me on ABC Radio* with Dominic Knight talking live about one of his favourite things - yum cha! Because really, who doesn't love yum cha? Delicate dumplings, fried whitebait, silky rice noodles, quivering coconut jelly and glossy egg tarts... What's not to love?

Yum cha always makes me feel like a kid again. It was probably my first introduction to eating out, accompanying my parents and siblings on the train for a weekend treat in the city.

My experience of yum cha has always been about noise. The clink of chopsticks. The constant chatter. The squeak of yum cha trolleys, and of course, the plaintive call of the trolley ladies hawking their wares as they trundle around the room. Siiiiiuuuuu maiiiiiiiiiiii. Haaaaaaaar goooooooooowww.You could always spot the lady lumped with the hard-to-shift spring rolls, the desperation in her voice apparent as she made yet another futile circuit.

* Check the end of this post for the live broadcast details!


A-la-carte yum cha

At East Ocean in Sydney's Chinatown, they've done something drastic. They've gotten rid of the yum cha trolleys. In its place are a-la-carte menus where diners use a pencil to mark their selections. I chatted with staff two years ago for the Food Lovers Guide to Chinatown, and they admitted there was an initial drop in business when the change was first made. People were used to seeing the dishes before their eyes before they ordered it.

Why make the change? The restaurant says that diners can be guaranteed that all dishes are delivered fresh to your table from the kitchen. The dining room is quieter and less crowded, and there's much less food wastage at the end of the day.

Making the ordering process easy for diners was an ongoing challenge. Now it's been refined to a fold-out paper order form accompanied by a corresponding menu with photos of every dish. Child's play!


Deep fried calamari with spicy salt $9.80


The dilemma of ordering from a menu is trying to work out exactly how much you think your table will eat. The paper form allows two rounds of ordering -- although I'm sure they wouldn't stop you from ordering a third -- but when you're eating with a group of nine, things definitely get a little tricky.

We plow on regardless, trying to take in dietary requirements, palate preferences and personal favourites. The order form is handed to a waiter who returns with a register receipt listing all your requests. It's worth checking your order has been punched in correctly - we found an error and had to get it corrected.


Har gow king prawn dumplings $6.80

If there's one universal barometer to the quality of a yum cha house surely it's the har gow test. Every table has at least one bamboo steamer of these king prawn dumplings. I know one family where each kid gets their own bamboo steamer to scoff on their own!

What makes a good prawn dumpling? It's about the skin - thin and translucent so you can see the blush of prawns inside, but strong enough to hold the filling without bursting. The prawns should be fat and sweet and generously portioned, and the entire pleated parcel should be steamed until just cooked, without going soggy in the process. These passed with flying colours.


Pai gwut pork ribs with black bean sauce $4.80

Pai gwut, or pork ribs, is another favourite dish of mine. There a few things more satisfying than gnawing at fatty chunks of meat still attached to the bone. These are steamed gently so the meat is tender, pepped up with salted black beans, slivers of chilli and a gentle splash of soy.


Fung jao chicken claws with blackbean sauce $4.80

Fung jao, or chicken feet, are often looked at with horror, but seriously this dish is all about the sauce. It's a sticky braise of garlic, black bean and chilli that soaks into the chicken feet, a textural playground of squidgy skin and crunchy tendons. Invest a little patience into sucking every scrap of flash, and soon you'll have a little pile of bones stripped clean to show for your efforts.


Gao choy gow garlic chive and seafood dumplings $6.80

Gao choy gow garlic chive dumplings are another example of master craftmanship, filled with a huddle of peppery garlic chives and pleated with intricate precision.


Gai lan Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce $9.80

So every Chinese mother tuts with dismay over the mark-up on a bunch of blanched gai lan or Chinese broccoli, but at yum cha it's always done so well. The stalks are crunchy and vibrant green, and the leaves are almost velvety in softness. A dousing of oyster sauce makes everything better.


Ha cheung steamed flour rolls with king prawns $7.80

Prawns feature heavily at yum cha. I have a friend with a prawn allergy who takes an antihistamine before any yum cha outing because they make their appearance in so many dishes.

Ha cheung, or rice noodle rolls with prawns is one of our family essentials. Fat prawns hide in silky sheets of freshly steamed rice noodles. It's a contrast of slippery noodle against the resistance of steamed prawns, all bathed in a sweet soy dressing.


Ja leung steamed flour rolls with dough fritter $4.80

Ja leung is a rice noodle variation that's worth pursuing. These involve a deep fried dough fritter -- an airy baton of crunch -- wrapped up in a sleeping bag of rice noodles. These are often hard to track down in yum cha house, requiring speed in frying the fritters, wrapping them in noodles and then delivering them to tables before the fritters become soggy. Because they're served fresh from the kitchen here, everything works brilliantly.


Boiled prawn dumplings $12.80

We're on a prawn frenzy, and ordering both the boiled and deep-fried prawn dumplings. The boiled ones are far worthier, wrapped in wonton skins and served with a side of greens.


Deep-fried prawn dumplings $6.80

Pan-fried flour rolls with shrimp $5.80

Pan-fried rice noodles are all about the caramelised crunch from the pan. These aren't particularly golden but sesame seeds and peanut hoisin sauce make some amends.


Lo bak goh panfried turnip cakes $5.80

There's a little more caramelisation on the lo bak goh panfried turnip cakes. These are made by grating daikon, or white radish, and steaming it with a rice flour batter dotted with diced lap cheong Chinese sausage and shiitake mushrooms. I know this because I made this one day, over several hours, and realised why it really is worth savouring this dish at yum cha for so much less effort.


Siu mai pork dumplings with crab roe $6.80

Dumplings ahoy! Siu mai pork dumplings are dotted with crab roe here, not the masquerading grated carrot you sometimes see elsewhere.


Xiao long bao Shanghai-style pork dumplings $6.80

The xiao long bao Shanghai dumplings hit a few hurdles, mostly trying to pick up the dumpling from the basket without tearing the skin. The treasure of the Shanghai dumpling is the pocket of soup inside, best enjoyed by biting a little hole and the side of the dumpling and slurping it immediately. The broth should be a balance of salty and sweet, and fragrant with the flavour of pork.


Ham soi gok deep-fried crescents with pork and seafood $5.80

I've saved my personal favourite for last - ham soi gok. Often described as combination dumplings, they're listed here as 'deep-fried crescents with pork and seafood'. In our family we call them footballs. There's not a lot of filling in these -- just a teaspoonful of pork mince and dried shrimps -- but the joy of these is the shell, a thin crisp exterior that gives way to a starchy sticky glutinous dough that is faintly sweet.



The only slightly stressful thing we found about a-la-carte was having to check that everything we ordered did arrive, but we did notice the difference in having everything piping hot and fresh from the kitchen.

We were relieved to see a few trolleys and trays still circulating the room with special dishes. But thankfully, for the trolley pushers, there wasn't a spare spring roll to be seen.



East Ocean
421-429 Sussex Street, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney
(entrance also on Dixon Street)
Tel: +61 (02) 9212 4198

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 10am-2am
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 9am-2pm

Yum cha 
Monday to Friday 10am-2pm
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 9am-2pm

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FOOD LOVERS' GUIDE TO CHINATOWN & HAYMARKET

Speaking of Chinatown, you may have noticed copies of the updated Food Lovers' Guide to Chinatown and Haymarket for 2012. I was again approached to provide reviews for this handy little booklet, promoting the diversity of Sydney's Chinatown to tourists and locals alike. The latest edition has also been translated into Chinese which is rather cool.

You'll find copies at tourist information booths, selected hotels and at most of the businesses featured in the guide.



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BEST AUSTRALIAN FOOD BLOGS

I was also pleased to discover that Grab Your Fork was named as one of the best Australian food blogs by Kate Gibbs on JamieOliver.com. Kate estimates the number of public blogs worldwide at more than 175 million with food blogs "taking [the] lead as the most popular of them all".

Kate's list of best Australian food blogs included Grab Your Fork, What Katie Ate, Lemonpi, Abstract Gourmet and Noodlies. To read the entire article, click here or view online.





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LISTEN TO GRAB YOUR FORK TALK YUM CHA ON ABC RADIO

And finally you can listen to me talk all things yum cha with Dominic Knight (writer for The Chaser) on his Evenings show on ABC Radio tonight.

Date: Thursday 23 February 2012
Time: 9.15pm onwards
Tune into: AM 702 Sydney, AM 1233 Newcastle, AM 666 Canberra or listen online.

Kitchen by Mike, Rosebery

Furniture and salads? The incongruous pairing makes perfect sense when you arrive at Kitchen by Mike, hosted within the Koskela design showroom in Rosebery.

A casual passerby on the street would be unlikely to know this huge slate grey warehouse holds such vibrancy and colour inside. High ceilings, skylights and windows let in plenty of warm natural light. The showroom is spacious, showcasing a range of Koskela and partner products, all of them Australian-made.


Koskela showroom

There's much to like here, from the outback-inspired four-poster bed to the cuddly koalas chewing gum leaves at the kids table.


All Australian-made products and furnishings in the Koskela showroom

Kitchen by Mike feels like a natural complement to the Australian-made theme, with an underlying focus on local seasonal produce. Headed by Michael McEnearney, a former head chef at Rockpool, the menu at this canteen-style cafe changes daily depending on what he finds that morning at the markets.


Kitchen by Mike

It's a casual style set-up here, with an assortment of wooden tables that encourage communal dining. Large tomato tins are repurposed as cutlery containers, resting on neat stacks of recycled paper serviettes and jars containing sugar cubes.


Woodfire stove and Koskela enamel tabelware at Kitchen by Mike


Outdoor dining area

There's an outdoor dining area - a little exposed on a hot day like today - but around the corner are stools are tables on the covered balcony.


Fresh produce for sale

Kitchen by Mike also has a small selection of fresh produce for sale, all set out casually like a farmers market. In the chiller cabinet you'll find products like Flying Pig bacon (pasture-raised, double cured and chemical-free), meat from Feather and Bone (all sourced within NSW using sustainable practices and 'humane' farming, transport and butchering methods) and Pepe Saya cultured butter (made from Country Valley Dairy cream).


The canteen-style set-up at Kitchen by Mike

The food is served by staff behind the counter, all set out in enamel trays or terracotta dishes, with prices and descriptions marked on little place cards. Mike is usually on the service line, patiently waiting for customers to make up their mind on what to order. The plates are then shuffled down the line to a staff member dedicated to working the cash register.


Roast pork belly with mustard fruits $12 per piece

The food isn't cheap but what price on quality and provenance? The salads are especially inventive and enticing, with bright bursts of colour and interesting combinations.


Peach, radicchio and parsley salad $7 per scoop


Cabbage, hazelnut, orange and radish salad $3.50 per scoop


Caponata, fetta and peas shoot tartine $9 

The open kitchen provides a birds-eye look of all the action that normally takes place behind-the-scenes. One moment we're watching the chef knead a batch of pizza dough. In the next minute a giant wooden paddle is brought out and a fresh margherita pizza assembled for cooking in the woodfire oven.


Pizza on a giant paddle ready to go in the oven


Margherita pizza $8.50 per slice


Spicy sausage pizza $8.50 per slice


Tarragon roast chicken $12 per piece

The tarragon roast chicken is succulent but at $12 per piece - yes, that's $12 for a chicken leg - you'd want it to be. It's cooked with onions, carrot and pinenuts and served with a splodge of silky garlic aioli.


Stewed eggplant and okra with cardamom $7
Peach, radicchio and parsley salad $7 

The $7 scoops of salad are quite modest in size too, but you can't fault them on flavour. Stewed eggplant and okra are soft and comforting in a thick tomato sauce. Meanwhile bitter radicchio leaves make a terrific pairing with blushing sweet peaches and parsley leaves.


Roast pork belly with mustard fruit $14
Fennel, walnut and grape salad $7

And of course you know I went for the pork belly, cooked to a mouthwatering tenderness and topped with a blistered tile of golden crackling. I opt for the fennel salad that provides a fresh counterbalance to the richness of the pork, particularly with the inclusion of walnuts and tiny little grapes that burst with sweetness.


2011 The Consequence natural wine $7.50
Natural Selection Theory cider $7

For drinks we test out The Consequence natural wine. "It's still alive! Everyday it tastes a little different," explains the man behind the counter. It's a reasonably dry red wine, and not quite as rough around the edges as the Natural Selection Theory cider which is described on the menu as "deliciously feral". The cider has a cloudy mustiness to it, without the crisp sweetness found in most commercially produced ciders.


Brutti ma buoni biscuits $2 each
Apricot and almond jam tarts $6.50 each


Rosewater and pistachio meringues $3 each


Brutti ma buoni biscuits $2; Rosewater and pistachio meringue $3
Flourless chocolate cake $7

A trio of desserts provides a tasty conclusion. The flourless chocolate cake is an elaborate construction of mousse on top of an airy sponge-like cake. Brutti ma buoni means "ugly but good" in Italian. These almond biscuits possess the kind of crunchiness that's perfect for dunking in a cup of coffee or tea.

The rosewater and pistachio meringue is a cloud of sugar dusted lightly with pistachio crumbs. Crisp meringue shell is the only armour that protects a fluffy centre of rosewater-flavoured marshmallow.


Flat white $3.50

There's a kid-friendly vibe to the friendly, and yet the space is still quiet and peaceful enough for couples seeking a low-key weekend. Having said that, business seems to be booming in only in its second weekend of trade, with waves of people arriving even mid-afternoon. Get in while you can.




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Kitchen by Mike
85 Dunning Avenue, Rosebery, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9045 0910

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 7am-6pm
Sunday 8am-5pm