INTERNATIONAL chef Simon Arkless brings a fresh approach to relaxed dining at Thousand Pound Wine Bar & Store in Rutherglen.
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The head chef at hatted restaurant The Terrace at All Saints Estate since 2012, Arkless puts together an enticing menu of bar snacks, share plates and hero main dishes for the Main Street eatery.
“We pretty much let good quality produce speak for itself,” he said.
“We offer four different cuts of beef – either grass or grain-fed – grilled over charcoal and simply garnished.”
Born in north-east England, Arkless began cooking in 1984 in restaurants throughout northern England.
He worked in Mccoy restaurant in North Yorkshire (1987-1989) and Bibendum restaurant in London (1990-1992).
“We added a kitchen to Thousand Pound in the last six to eight months to bring relaxed dining to the wine store,” Arkless said,
Thousand Pound and The Terrace received Glass-Rated status in Gourmet Traveller Wine Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards 2016.
All Saints Estate winemaker Nick Brown put together Thousand Pound’s extensive wine list with family and friends in mind. The list features mostly “family-owned” wineries.
What's your favourite dish?
I don’t really have one; they change all the time.
What are the staples in your pantry?
Good quality dried pasta, capers, anchovies, mustard and there’s always a bottle of wine in the fridge.
What's the biggest product discovery you have made in cooking?
Different cuts. Hanger steak has only been popular the past 10-15 years. People are discovering cheaper cuts. Lamb shoulder used to be cheap and now that it’s popular it can cost more than a leg of lamb.
What's your secret vice?
Heinz label Baked Beans
What is your most unforgettable meal and where?
For my 25th birthday my wife and I went to L’Arpege in Paris for the weekend (I was working in London). It’s a three Michelin star restaurant; outrageously expensive but amazing.
What's your favourite cooking utensil?
Black steel heavy-bottom frying pan.
What's in your kitchen toolkit?
Sharpening stones. I have about five different grades of stone.
What did you have for dinner last night?
Baked barramundi
What are you drinking?
Furphy Ale
Details:
Thousand Pound Wine Bar & Store,
82 Main Street, Rutherglen
Phone: (02) 6032 8179
Open Fri-Sat, 5pm-11pm.