ON OUR MENU
with Michael Olivier

Michael Olivier visits Voyager Estate
and tells us about his fascinating wine and food experience in Margaret River, in Western Australia.

In 1996 Maddy and I went to Australia for the first of what turned out to be a series of visits for me over the last few years consulting on a project on Voyager, a wine Estate near the town of Margaret River, south of Perth in Western Australia. Margaret River is, in my view, the heart of the quality wine producing area of Western Australia. Voyager Estate, previously known as Freycinet, the name of a French ship’s captain whose ship foundered on the western coast of Australia, is owned by Michael Wright, a Perth entrepreneur, who bought it in 1990. 

Interestingly, most of the wrecks on the Western coast of Australia are either Dutch or French and those along the South Coast are British.

My history with the estate is a little more recent. It began in 1984 when I was working at Boschendal and was asked to look after a Perth architect, Geoffrey Summerhayes who had studied Cape Dutch Architecture in the United States after graduating from Kirton University in Perth. I spent a cheerful day with him showing him the great houses of the Cape, all of which he knew intimately from his studies. He was particularly fascinated by the plasterwork on the old cellar at Meerlust, which he later reproduced on a flight of stairs on Voyager House. That evening when he went off into the setting sun, I knew it was likely that I would not see him again. I was quite wrong.

Geoffrey accompanied Michael Wright to South Africa in 1991. Michael had decided that he wanted Cape Dutch Architecture on his estate as the indigenous style of Western Australia is either corrugated or rammed earth which he felt were not lasting. He quite rightly argued that if the houses on the Cape wine farms had stood firm for 200 years, that was good enough for him. They spent two nights with us. And off they went into the setting sun and I knew that surely, I would not see them again. I was wrong.

In 1995 when we heard that Michael was to be in Cape Town for an International Wine Conference, we invited him to dinner with us at Parks Restaurant, which Madeleine and I used to run in Wynberg, Cape Town. He told us that he had decided to build what we would call a Manor House [T shaped] to include a restaurant and that would offer cellar sales and wine tasting. He invited Madeleine and me to Perth to help him. It was to be the beginning of a Trans-IndianOcean commute for a number of Capetonians and things ‘indigenous’ to South Africa.

While we were in Australia in a meeting with Michael and his architect, Michael asked what we were going to do about the interior of the restaurant. Somewhat non-plussed but delighted at being handed another new portfolio, Madeleine and I immediately thought of interior designer Jay Smith who has been responsible for some exciting projects in South Africa and abroad. Michael Wright had seen her work at The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel in Constantia when he had stayed there. The assignment half way across the world didn’t phase Jay one bit. She arrived in Perth and got the ball rolling and the restaurant, a 50-seater serving teas and a la carte lunches, opened shortly thereafter.

It was not to be the only South African stamp on the estate.  Cobblestones from Smart Stone in Ottery in the Cape were shipped in for the pathways and walkways, as it was cheaper to buy them and ship them across rather than to buy them locally in Eastern Australia! (They were unavailable in Western Australia.)

The restaurant took off like a rocket and eventually, on some days in peak season, was entertaining over 100 people a day. It wasn’t long before the success demanded further expansion and Michael commissioned Geoffrey Summerhayes to design a back wing, which turned the building into an H-shape.  Jay and I made another trip to Perth and designed, she the fabulous interior and me the kitchen and service areas. The main building was already up to roof height, the kitchen plans were drawn up and while we were there they started building the interior of the kitchen and the gables were complete by the time we left a week later.

Fabrics from The Jay Smith Collection were used for the curtains and upholstered furniture. A furniture maker in Stellenbosch made some reproduction Cape pieces for us, armoires, gate leg tables – even a Cape Dutch-styled waiters’ station in yellowwood and stinkwood and 50 split-splat backed chairs! The wing was completed, the interior installed by Jay and opened in August 2002 unadvertised to 85 people!

The Cape influence on Voyager didn’t stop there. Michael had used a Perth landscape designer but realised that he needed a Cape expert in landscape design to complement the traditional Cape exteriors. Jay and I took with us Edinburgh University trained Ian Ford, tragically murdered in his Cape Town home at the end of 2002, who had become a highly respected Cape Town landscape architect. He had done exceptional work at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town and also at Vergelegen in Somerset West, amongst others. Being an architect, he had a sympathetic feel for the Cape Dutch style, the proportions, vistas, walkways, ring walls and the tight tree plantings, which meant lots of green against white walls. His master plan is still in the process of being actioned by his business partner Deon Bronkhorst and a team of caring horticulturists at Voyager. 

Utilising the empty space in the front wing where the restaurant used to be, is now an upmarket gift shop originally filled with merchandise, much of it made in Cape Town, and created by Jay, myself and Patricia Fraser, a Graphic Designer who had helped with designs and items for the gift shop that I had set up at Boschendal in the early 1980’s. We created some wonderful picnic rugs, handbags, clothing range, labels for chutneys, jellies, jams, pickles all made and bottled there. Margie Philips of Headpeace in Cape Town produced a variety of her specialities such as rose embroidered T-shirts, hand towels and sun hats.

PESTO MINI LOAF

This is a great way to start a meal in the Voyager Restaurant – hot little loaves topped with pesto and grated Parmesan cheese.  Perfect to dip into olive oil and balsamic vinegar and enjoy with a glass of wine while waiting for the delights from the kitchen to appear.

You’ll need: For the bread - 1 kg cake flour, 20 g salt, 15 g sugar, 20 g instant dried yeast, 600 ml warm water, 600 ml sunflower oil. For the topping – 1 egg, 1 tbsp basil pesto, finely grated Parmesan cheese.

Method: Sift the flour and the salt into a mixing bowl, add the sugar and yeast.  Slowly add the water and oil mixture and knead to a soft dough, knead lightly for about 8 minutes to release the gluten from the flour. Set aside in a lightly greased bowl covered with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise and double in size. Punch down and divide into 12 portions.  

Roll into balls and place in greased muffin tins or onto a greased baking tray.  Snip the tops twice with a pair of scissors and allow to rise again.  Set the oven at 180ºC.  Brush the tops with the egg and pesto wash and sprinkle lightly with finely grated Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 10 – 15 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly and serve with some salt flakes, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

SPICY CALAMARI CAKES

Madeleine and I on our first visit to Perth ate at a restaurant on the south bank of the Swan River called The Plantation House.  We enjoyed their squid cakes and really had a battle recreating them when we got home.  This is as close as we got after a call or two to the chef at the time, Damien.

You'll need: 1 medium onion - very finely chopped, 3 x 50 c sized slices fresh ginger - very finely chopped, 1 red chili - seeded & very finely chopped, 1 tbsp green coriander - finely chopped, 500 g cleaned calamari – chopped, sea salt and freshly milled black pepper.

Method: Sweat the onion, ginger and chili (and the chili seeds and veins if you want a little extra heat) in a little oil, until the onion is transparent in appearance.  Allow to cool.  Add coriander.  In a blender, quickly blend the onion mixture with the calamari. Season with sea salt and freshly milled black pepper and fry off a small amount to check for flavour, reseason if necessary. 

Using a piping bag with a round nozzle, pipe into a thick sausage shape onto clingfilm, roll up tight and tie the ends off. In a pot of simmering water poach the calamari "sausages" until firm for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool, slice into "cakes" and coat with chick pea and beer batter before deep-frying.

CHICKPEA & BEER BATTER for Calamari

You’ll need: 4 tbsp chickpea flour, 4 tsp corn flour, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, ½ tsp sea salt, ½ tsp freshly milled black pepper, 1 tsp ground coriander, 90 ml egg white, 185 ml beer

Method: Mix together well the dry ingredients.  Add the egg whites and beer.  Mix well until a smooth batter is formed.  Use as a batter to deep-fry the calamari cakes.

Serves 10 with Spicy Dipping Sauce.

See other features by Michael Olivier ON THE TABLE
www.showcook.com