The Game Season

March 1998

Alan and Barbara Rundell are veterans of the game business. They started farming deer in 1978 and have been at Oak Tree Farm, Cardinia since 1986. Four years ago they decided to go into game birds in direct response to requests from their restaurant clients for better quality, fresh pheasant and guinea fowl. They also decided to try and breed partridge but these birds are notoriously difficult to develop and it is only this season, after an investment of some $60,000, that they have been successful.

Victoria's other major producer of game birds over the last decade is Ian Milburn of Glenloth Game who is famous in Australia and internationally for his squab. But most of Milburn's production goes to Sydney. "It is only in the last six months that Melbourne restaurants are starting to catch up with the numbers taken by Sydney restaurants."

And why this increased interest here in game birds? Alan Rundell sees the push coming from chefs such as Steve Szabo (Jimmy Watson's) and Donovan Cooke (est est est), British chefs who were taught "how to cook game, who appreciate the flavours and textures of the birds."

But even though these chefs know how to age and cook the birds and how to make the classic sauces to go with them, are they really game? Strictly speaking it is only hare and kangaroo that could be called game here. Rundell explained how our laws don't allow the pleasures of true game - that "caught or shot in the chase" and even now in the open duck season, it is illegal to serve shot ducks in restaurants. The problem lies in not having licensed game dealers as there are in the U.K. "Even given a restricted season, if shooters could take their birds to a registered dealer, give them their license number and that the dealer could then sell them on to restaurants. And out of shooting season, most European chefs would prefer to use game birds which were processed with gut in but the authorities won't allow this. There should be a way of doing this legally, keeping it properly controlled and giving our chefs better products."

So who are the great game cooks of Melbourne? Jeremy Strode at Pomme (37 Toorak Road South Yarra, 9820 9606) has really laid out the challenge to his fellow British chefs with a complete little "Game Menu" of partridge, venison, pheasant and hare at Pomme. Donovan Cooke, est est est (440 Clarendon St. South Melbourne, 9682 5688) is using hare, rabbit, partridge, quail and venison. On the current menu he has Roasted Loin of Hare with carrot puree and Sauce Poivrade and offers Baby Partridge which is roasted pink and served with a ravioli of cepes and Perigord truffle and a Sauce Perigourdine as a special. He is amazed at how keen Melburnians are to try the new bird, "we sell out every night." He will be putting on Pheasant en cocotte with Sauce Forestiere when the pine mushrooms and slippery jacks become plentiful.

At Georges Brasserie(182 Collins St. 9292 9911), another British chef, Paul Wilson, has partridge on special. Wilson cooks the bird with truffles and celeriac puree one week and the next will be offering it with sauerkraut and black pudding. He is finally content at finding an "excellent quality pudding, very soft and with lots of flavour" which is made by a Spanish butcher. Wilson is also very keen on the squab from Glenloth which he roasts pink and serves with spiced eggplant and cous cous, a very un-British treatment, but people really like it, "we're selling about 60 a week."

Other restaurants where you can expect to find at least one form of game from Gamekeepers or Glenloth (be it hare, partridge, pheasant, squab, venison or white rabbit) for the next few months include Blake's, Chateau Yering, Chez Bob, Circa, Di Stasio, Florentino's, France Soir, Greville Bar, Grossi, Jacques Reymond, La Madrague, Le Restaurant, Melbourne Wine Room, Morgans, O'Connells, One Eleven Spring St., Paris Go, Simply French. And for those travelling to the Mornington Peninsula they can enjoy game at Arthurs,Bittern Cottage, Delganey and Poffs .

Then, of course, there are many Asian restaurants who cook heaps of quail, squab and some venison. In fact it is the Chinese restaurants here who take most squab. Ian Milburn estimates that 75% of the squab in Australia is used by the Chinese community.

But it's at Jimmy Watson's (333 Lygon St, Carlton 9347 3985) where you'll find the gamiest chef of them all. Steve Szabo is really passionate about spreading the game message. "It's so important to be able to cook these dishes and to do them with fresh produce at the right time of year." So on the menu there you'll find Haunch of Fallow Deer with braised celery and pearl barley galette, Baby Partridge boned and stuffed with brioche crumbs and truffles, next month Quail boned and stuffed with sweetbreads and also, occasionally, Loin of Hare with bitter chocolate sauce and White Rabbit Rillettes with loin cutlets. If Steve had his way, we'd all now be celebrating game season with "plucking concerts" and the like!

I recommend you let one of the expert chefs listed do the work for you but if you want to be game, you can buy Gamekeepers birds at the Queen Victoria Market from Nifra (9329 6861) or from George and Beryl at Chicken Pantry (9329 6417). Chefs can order from Gamekeepers, 59998 8218.