John Lethlean
The Australian
Melbourne, FL, United States
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Past articles by John:
Tedesca Osteria, Red Hill, Mornington Peninsula review: a rustic charmer
And so we arrive at Tedesca a nickname Brigitte Hafner picked up as an apprentice many years back in a noted Italian kitchen with preconceived ideas. Its something I try to avoid. → Read More
George Calombaris empire collapse: Golden goose cooked or a raw-prawn deal?
For Melbourne chef-cum-restaurant entrepreneur George Calombaris, its been a case of the harder they come, the harder they fall. George and his backers at MAdE Establishment have been in rapid expansion mode for the past five years, a lot of it allied to the unlikely celebrity of a minor shareholder, a loveable Greek kid who has grown up on our television screens to become almost omnipresent… → Read More
Esperienza Ferrari is highly recommended
It seemed an innocent question: Any chance youll be in Italy this year → Read More
Europe knows how to do train station food
There are few sadder places than Melbournes Flinders Street station. Yes, it has an iconic frontage, but the reality is an institution that reflects little civic pride or character as expressed through something important to some of us: food. → Read More
Pasta perfect: Joel Valvasori
Down a quiet pedestrian lane in genteel Subiaco, Joel Valvasori is making a noise. The chef — and now restaurateur — went out on a limb last year to open his first own place and hes not going to die wondering if Perth has an appetite for pasta. Not spaghetti marinara, or fettuccine with mushrooms or penne with creamy carbonara. No, were talking tagliolini made with pigs blood and a sauce of… → Read More
The native chefs using local bush tucker
He moves across the unforgiving, rocky coastal headland with a kind of animal grace, a man in his element. Down there, between the rocks, says Josh Whiteland, thats where the seeds settle. Thats where the sea celery grows best. → Read More
Food critic by day, Deliveroo driver by night
Burgers. Somebody in Elwood has ordered burgers, plus fries, and now its my job to pick it all up from the grill joint and get them to the customer, calmly, quickly. → Read More
Quick bite: Papa Bo Min, Sydney
The restaurant complaint: how do you handle it How does the restaurant handle it For me, its not something to think about too hard. I have a satisfying way of reporting issues via the medium of Newsprint and its very important first cousin Online. But occasionally → Read More
Health foods: Dad’s Oats, Africola, Saigon Sally, Karma Cola
Health foods: Dad’s Oats, Africola, Saigon Sally, Karma Cola Dad's Oats: Porridge perfection, regardless of season. We are deadset converts to the Church of Freshly and Divinely Rolled Oats here at The Australian. This is the path to next-level porridge, not to mention bircher muesli. And to roll an oat at home, a la minute, so to speak, you must find yourself a groat. Or hulled whole oat.… → Read More
Worst dishes of 2016: tripe, sushi and mucoid gloop
I reviewed some very ordinary restaurants this year, most of them scoring low for their toxic mix of inadequacies rather than specifically for bad food. → Read More
Guillaume Brahimi closing his Paddington restaurant
Another of Australia’s high end restaurants has called it a day. → Read More
Aaron Ward wins Appetite for Excellence Young Chef of the Year
A 27-year-old chef who began his cooking career 10 years ago peeling potatoes in the kitchens of the Manning River Hotel, Taree, on the northern NSW coast, was tonight named Australia’s young chef of the year. → Read More
David Thompson’s Long Chim heads to Crown
David Thompson, the world-famous Australian chef and Thai specialist, is heading to Melbourne and another casino precinct. → Read More
Osteria Francescana tops world’s best 50, Attica drops to 33rd
A restaurant in Modena, Italy, was this morning named at the top of the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list, an event often described as the Oscars of the food world. → Read More
World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards to be held in Melbourne
Tourism Australia has surprised the food world by announcing that The Worlds 50 Best Restaurants awards will be held in Melbourne next year. → Read More
Porridge, oats — the winter warmer with banana and maple syrup
Theres really only one good thing to be said for the sudden and not entirely unexpected arrival of winter in the southern states: porridge. It gets cold outside, and something goes off in your head with the alarm, and its saying: Your body needs warm gruel. → Read More
Aussie chefs travel to New York for World’s Best Restaurant Awards announcement
Wondering where all Australia’s big name chefs are? → Read More
MoVida to close Surry Hills, Sydney restaurant
The MoVida experiment in Sydney is over. For now anyway. → Read More
Bridge St Rockpool to close, says Neil Perry; chef Phil Wood to stay
Australias most recognisable chef, Neil Perry, is pulling the pin on possibly Australias most famous restaurant. Rockpool will close at the end of next month. → Read More
Vanitas, Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast review
Where do you go these days when you want massive tables, damask, crystal candlesticks, a single yellow rose in a sparkly vase? When you need a restaurant with dress code (“Smart evening wear. Gentlemen please wear long trousers, open shoes are not allowed”) to keep the riffraff from storming the gates? → Read More