Salt of the earth
Add exceptional Zeally Bay organic sourdough from nearby Torquay, whipped Warrnambool butter and a very excellent glass of Lethbridge Vin Gris, a white made with pinot noir grapes nearby. And limber up. Because the Australian regional restaurant bar just got lifted.
Aaron Turner, the chef and co-proprietor of Loam, is a post foam/gel kinda modern kitchen man. His food is textural, intricate, rooted to the soil, garden and region, yet hugely innovative. It is also something much of the post-molecular isn’t: really delicious.
Another pinot (By Farr Saignee), another course. Golden, caramelised chicken stock nurtures zucchini fl owers steamed with a sand crab filling and a warm nori mayonnaise, with large tapioca pearls, sea lettuce and a disc of compressed cucumber adding texture. The intensity and balance of the fl avours is quite remarkable.
Next, local snapper – cooked sous vide, then panfried – is served with caulifl ower variations: a sublime puree smoked over Loam’s own olive pits; a crunchy, toasted “couscous”; and beerpickled florets, with pickled shallot wafers, daikon “noodle” (a long, meandering strand) and tiny, violet-coloured, savoury flowers. It’s a “wow” moment. It’s a “how long has this been going on?” moment.