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Photos: Marriott International
Diving into the crystal clear waters of Port Phillip Bay opened chef Michael Greenlaw’s eyes to the bounty of beautiful, but little-known seafood surrounding Melbourne.
Greenlaw, who is the executive chef of Atria, a one-hatted contemporary Australian restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne, enthusiastically recounted a list of seafood and fishes that he had encountered during his frequent freediving and spearfishing trips. They include sea urchin from Williamstown, abalone from Altona, and his favourite, grass whiting fish around the bay area.
The Australian says: “Seeing the beautiful but underutilised produce helped me set the restaurant’s philosophy of using unique and unusual products that are caught in sustainable ways that are not large-scale and commercial.”
Michael Greenlaw, executive chef of Atria in Melbourne. (Photo: Marriott International)
Using local, hyper-seasonal ingredients has become the ethos at Atria, which is perched on the 80th storey of a skyscraper in Melbourne’s CBD. Proving his point on provenance, Greenlaw pointed out where various ingredients are sourced from the panoramic view of Melbourne’s city skyline and the sprawling suburbs.
“That’s the Macedon Ranges to the west, where we get our ducks from, and fishes and seafood from Port Phillip Bay, and you can almost see the spot where I go fishing,” he shares with The Peak. Atria’s menu changes every few weeks and about 90 percent of the produce is from Victoria, including Martha mussels from Mornington Peninsula and Blackmore wagyu.
Greenlaw imparted his extensive knowledge of local ingredients to chef Angelo Agilano of one-Michelin-starred contemporary Italian restaurant Tosca di Angelo at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong during a recent four-hands collaboration in Melbourne in October.
Chef Angelo Agilano of one-Michelin-starred contemporary Italian restaurant Tosca di Angelo at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. (Photo: Marriott International)
The dining collaboration is part of the hotels’ parent company, Marriott International Luxury Group’s Dining Series, which is an inaugural dining initiative by the hotel group. The dining series, which kicked off on September 27, comprises a three-month-long epicurean line-up of food and drink collaborations in six countries in APAC. In total, over 55 chefs and mixologists from the group’s 25 hotels and resorts are involved in the programme, which comprises four-hands dinners and bar takeovers.
The luxury sector is a key market for Marriott International’s food and beverage footprint, with about one-quarter of 1,600 restaurants and bars being located in luxury hotels. Through such dining events, the hotel group hopes that its stable of restaurants and bars will be regarded as bona-fide dining destinations.
Oriol Montal, Managing Director of Luxury for Asia Pacific excluding China, Marriott International, says: “With gastronomy having a significant influence on travel decisions, dining has become an essential component of the global tourism landscape.” The hospitality giant also published a Future of Food 2025 trend report in October, which covers trends such as Asia Pacific’s growing influence in the culinary world and the rise of lesser-known regional and hyperlocal cuisines.
Australian ingredients in Italian classics
Agliano’s signature mezzi paccheri pasta features prawns from Australia. (Photo: Kenneth SZ Goh)
For his maiden restaurant pop-up in Melbourne, Agliano consulted Greenlaw on using Australian ingredients in some of his signature dishes at his modern Italian restaurant, Tosca di Angelo in Hong Kong.
Agliano’s signature mezzi paccheri pasta, which has the tube-shaped pasta drenched in prawn bisque and basil pesto sauce, is topped off with juicy Skull Island prawns. Another of his stalwart dishes is Sicilian-style Matalotta fish soup, which is based on his grandmother’s recipe, uses dry-aged Murray cod, instead of red grouper in Hong Kong. He says: “The Murray Cod is a meaty fish with such a delicate taste, without much fishiness, and all of the flavours go into making the stock, which is also made with green olives, oregano, dried tomatoes and tomato paste.”
For the grilled rack of lamb, Agliano used a Tasmanian lamb instead of one from the South-east of France that he typically uses. Despite using a larger and older slab of meat, he was surprised by the lamb’s tender texture and the lack of gaminess.
Chefs from Atria checking out Koo Wee Rup asparagus at Queen Victoria Market. (Photo: Kenneth SZ Goh)
Going on a tour at the iconic Queen Victoria Market led by Atria’s chefs also opened Agilano’s eyes to local produce such as finger lime. The chefs also bought the in-season Koo Wee Rup asparagus and sugar snap peas, which were used in Atria’s dishes. They include a light-tasting trio of Koo Wee Rup asparagus and spring pea pudding, and handpicked mud crab with Timbarra farm’s celeriac, celery and red shan pomelo.
Agilano, who takes part in four-hands collaborations twice a year, believes that these overseas stints help to hone his adaptation skills in the kitchen.
He says: “Some chefs do not like to cook outside of their kitchens as it is like being out of their house. But, I love the spirit of adaptation. I’ve travelled a lot in my life and like challenging myself.” He also brings along his younger team members to expose them to new products and cooking ideas.
Atria’s dry-aged Macedon Ranges duck. (Photo: Kenneth SZ Goh)
Echoing the spirit of learning is Greenlaw, who has done two other cooking collaborations this year. He likens taking part in these cooking collaborations as networking sessions among chefs. He says: “I get to learn about their craft and story from meeting other chefs who share the same passion for cooking.”
He adds that it is also a learning opportunity for his team. He says: “They get to work with overseas chefs, see their techniques and make friends. I am still in touch with chefs whom I had met at such collaborations as an apprentice chef many years ago. It’s such a special memory.”
A dining journey
Madame Fan’s Head Bartender Chew Qing Ting will collaborate with the team from Bar Sathorn at W Bangkok at the Singapore leg of the dining series. (Photo: Marriott International)
The final two collaborations of the regional dining series will be held in Mumbai and Singapore. For the Mumbai leg on November 15 to 17, Spanish Chef Miguel Navarro of one-starred Es Fum at The St. Regis, Mallorca will take over Koishii, a Peruvian-Japanese restaurant at The St. Regis Mumbai. Cocktails from Republic Bar at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, which was ranked No. 57 on this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Bars list, will also be served.
The dining series will feature Chinese flavours at its finale in Singapore on November 29 to December 1. At JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach, Madame Fan’s Executive Chinese Chef Pak Chee Yit will team up with Paul Lau Ping-Lui of the two-starred Tin Lung Heen at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong for a tour-de-force of Cantonese cuisine. Drinks-wise, Madame Fan’s Head Bartender Chew Qing Ting will collaborate with the team from Bar Sathorn at W Bangkok led by award-winning Italian bartender Marco Dognini. These culinary highlights will be complemented by a live Chinese-themed jazz performance at cocktail bar, Cool Cats.
There are plans to continue the dining series next year, with a new line-up of participating cities.
