Australian chef and cookbook author Tracey Lister opened Brunswick Kitchen after a decade long stint living in Hanoi and running a successful cooking school.
She’s all about connecting with the local community back in OZ – creating a welcoming space for those who want to roll up their sleeves and knead dough, or kick back and enjoy the wine and conversation instead.
“Opening up a kitchen where people would come together, learn cooking techniques
and styles, chat and have a glass of wine seemed like the perfect vehicle for not only sharing my own skills and experiences, but inviting and collaborating with other chefs to do the same,” explains Tracey Lister.
“My dream was to create a relaxed comfortable space where chefs, home cooks and happy eaters can all be in the same space and share their culinary and travel stories,” she says.
“I have had tremendous support from the local community and feel that people leave not only with some new skills but having enjoyed some delicious food, wine and conversations too,” says Lister.
Tracey Lister talks to The Write Drop for our At The Bar series – from her favourite East Brunswick local she drops in for a regular drink to a Hanoi bar favourite.
MY CITY
I like living in Melbourne, but I love living in Brunswick. In Brunswick, you can be whatever you want to be and dress however you want. You can pick up something from Mediterranean Wholesalers in your pyjamas with no problems. There are fabulous Middle Eastern shops in Brunswick, selling the freshest spices, legumes and pastries. Brunswick also has great cafes, bars and a range of micro-breweries, which are all within walking distance from my house. If I am feeling like being outdoors, there are parks, bike paths and Merri Creek to explore. Why leave? Except for Hanoi, of course.
FAVOURITE FOOD MEMORY
On my first night in Vietnam, way back in the 1990s, I had the freshest boiled quail eggs
at a footpath eatery, which I peeled and dipped into a salt and pepper mixture and
washed down with the local 333 beer. It was hot, humid and crowded. This is when I knew I had found my happy place.
FAVOURITE BAR
Bahama Gold on Lygon St, East Brunswick. It offers a great selection of wines by the glass. I let the bar staff decide for me. They are incredibly knowledgeable and friendly to boot and it’s one less decision to make. I always ask for something to pair with one of the bar snacks, like pickled mussels and chorizo. Bahama Gold is also a very comfortable place to go as a woman alone or with a group of friends.
DRINK THAT DESCRIBES YOU
A classic cocktail like a martini or negroni, but it’s probably a Chardonnay. I keep going in and out of fashion.
BEST HANGOVER CURE
The breakfast pasta at the Small Axe Kitchen in Brunswick is the best hangover cure
– macaroni, guanciale, peas, mint, salted ricotta and a slow-poached egg. It fixes anything, carbohydrates, protein, dairy, and pork meat. A total flavour hit. Oh, and a couple of lattes.
BEST OVERSEAS BAR
You won’t find any signage to lead you to this wonderful bar, located down a small lane of Tran Phu Street in Hanoi. What you will see is a door slightly ajar with flickering lights leading up to the second floor. Open up the door to enter Rabbit Habit. The gorgeous, French-inspired tiles lead you to a well-stocked bar with a great range of gin and whiskey. Plenty of classic cocktails like martinis or whisky sour are on offer, however, I prefer something with a more local flavour, like a cocktail scented with jasmine or kaffir lime. My favourite cocktail is made with areca flower (betel nut flower), which imparts the gin with peppery, medicinal tones.
FAVOURITE WINE
My favourite wine is the 2005 Cuveé Franka made by K and P Pohl Winery in Eibelstadt, Northern Bavaria, made by my German father-in-law and winemaker for the birth of our daughter.
FAVOURITE WINERY
Cannibal Creek Winery in Gippsland. Go for a case of their Reserve Pinot Noir.
But what the hell, stay for their Feed Me menu and enjoy a delicious meal made with
local ingredients and wine in a beautiful rural setting. Or go by public transport, or train to Tynong, and have the Wine Experience, eight tasting wines matched with small tastes from the menu.
NEXT DESTINATION
My next destination is Northern Vietnam, where I will be travelling for my Food and Fabric Tours in May 2025. Together with Future Traditions’ Owner and Designer Cynthia Mann, we will be running an eight-day food and fabric tour of Northern Vietnam. We get to share our love of Vietnam and its rich culinary traditions with a small group of keen travellers.
TELL US ABOUT THE INSPIRATION TO OPEN BRUNSWICK KITCHEN
Having returned to Melbourne after almost a decade living in Hanoi and running a cooking school there, I was keen to connect with the local community.
Opening up a kitchen where people would come together, learn cooking techniques
and styles, chat and have a glass of wine seemed like the perfect vehicle for not only sharing my own skills and experiences, but inviting and collaborating with other chefs to do the same.
Brunswick Kitchen is a welcoming space where people of all skill levels feel comfortable attending a class. If you want to roll up your sleeves and knead that dough it’s possible, but if you would rather kick back and enjoy the wine and conversation that is also possible.
My dream was to create a relaxed comfortable space where chefs, home cooks and happy eaters can all be in the same space and share their culinary and travel stories. I have had tremendous support from the local community and feel that people leave not only with some new skills but having enjoyed some delicious food, wine and conversations.
Photography by Brian Doherty.
