Dishing Up Australia With Al Brown

11 June 2013

Dishing Up Australia With Al Brown

Episode 2 – Tasmania’s Hobart & Bruny Island, June 15 2013

Kiwi chef and personality Al Brown continues his epic culinary tour of Australia this week with a trip to Tasmania.

Al arrives into the beautiful harbour side town of Hobart, an hour’s plane ride from Melbourne.

He heads straight for the Farm Gate market to find a stallholder rumoured to sell fresh wasabi. Al seeks him out and after a taste sensation of the hot kind, meets up with his food hero, world famous chef Tetsuya Wakuda, a “dream come true”.

Over a plate of market food, the pair swap tips and local knowledge, before Tetsuya lets Al in on a closely guarded chef secret, sending him off the beaten track to find his personal artisan knife maker.

Al is overwhelmed by creator John Hounslow-Robinson’s passion and self-taught skill for making “beautiful” knives. He can’t resist taking away one of the beauties, and cutting up some southern trout harbor-side.

Al’s love affair for the region deepens when he gets to board his first ever “Beaver” seaplane, for the fifteen-minute ride to Bruny Island.

This is an Island Al discovers keeps on giving; as he samples tender smoked wallaby, and stumbles upon an island gin distillery.

Al heads out on the water with iconic Tasmanian, Rob Pennicott of Pennicott Wilderness Journeys where he marvels at this spectacular marine wilderness. After helping Rob pull giant crayfish from ‘old school’ pots, Al is dropped back to the shores of Bruny Island where he discovers more treasure. He pulls fresh oysters from the rocks and can’t resist bagging a catch of little blue mussels. “When nature offers you up a feast like this, I can’t resist” smiles Al.

Al is in his element as he lights a fire on the rocks, wraps a crayfish in fresh seaweed and steams up the mussels. “My smile muscles are staring to hurt. It’s all I’ve done for two days,” says Al of his journey.

“Just beautiful Tasmania – come and get it!”

Dishing up Australia with Al Brown screens on TV One this Saturday at 8pm.

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