From Malaysia to Melbourne, Executive Chef Ian Ho overlooks three restaurants including Spanish themed Añada, Arcadia Café on Gertrude Street, and The Rochey Hotel in Fitzroy.
A special lunch on Sunday 20th July is taking place at Añada Restaurant and Bar in Fitzroy where Ho crafts a truffle lunch menu that includes nine-dishes and pairing options for guests. It’s the perfect way to experience Spanish cuisine while celebrating the best of the Victorian black truffle season.
The menu is packed with goodies – think smoked potato croqueta, almond romesco and shaved truffle, baked scallop in truffle butter, salt cod brandada, shaved truffle and scampi caviar, plus squid ink canelones, duck and offal ragu, swiss chard and truffle sauce to name a few.
Ian Ho spoke to The Write Drop for our At The Bar series.
MY CITY
I moved from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne in 2005, and I’ve been here ever since. There have been so many changes in that time, but there’s always been a diversity and character to the city and suburbs. When it comes to food and drink, it’s all available – from cheap eats to fine dining, Asia to South America, authentic to experimental, we really are lucky here.
FAVOURITE FOOD MEMORY
I would say Kagurazaka Ishikawa in Tokyo in my early 20s. I took a year off work to backpack around Asia with a mate and my two head chefs gave me an envelope with a reservation to this restaurant with a wad of cash (the restaurant only accepted cash back then). Everything was absolutely top notch, but the simplest dish of a grilled sea perch with spring cabbage really stuck with me. It was an eight-seater bar directly in front of the chef who noticed that we weren’t his usual clientele. He really made us feel welcome, a couple of backpacking kids in our first-ever Michelin star venue, sharing his sake while showing off his knife collection and antique art pieces. It was such an experience.
FAVOURITE BAR
You can’t go wrong with a pint of Carlton draught at the Marquis of Lorne – they have a really cozy bar area, and the food is good. I also really enjoy a drink at Green Man’s Arms. The cocktails have such great flavours, the pub has a great vibe and all food and drink is plant based, yet appeals to everyone.
DRINK THAT DESCRIBES YOU
Amaro. Varying degrees of bitter, sweet and herbal depending on a person’s taste.
BEST HANGOVER CURE
Haejangguk – a Korean stew made from the back bones of an ox, Chinese cabbage and fermented soy beans. The name literally means hangover soup. I was introduced to when I was visiting a friend in Korea. It was pretty much our breakfast everyday.
BEST INTERSTATE BAR
Leigh Street Luggage and its speakeasy sister, Nevermind in Adelaide. Shohin Chegini, a bartender I worked with in Melbourne, opened it a few years ago and it has a wide variety of Amaro. I had the best time there trying out everything he was slinging my way. And the grungier speakeasy which it is connected to was an absolute vibe.
OVERSEAS BAR
Skybar at Traders hotel in Kuala Lumpur, such a cool space and you get an awesome view of the Petronas Twin Towers.
FAVOURITE WINE
The MMAD Chenin Blanc is a firm favourite. Fresh, minerally, savoury. We’ve definitely shared a few of these with friends and family. Such easy pairing with food or on its own.
FAVOURITE WINERY
Rockford in Tanunda, SA. Such good wines and we had a really knowledgeable guide as well.
NEXT DESTINATION
Hong Kong.
