Show Turns Up The Heat

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Show Turns Up The Heat

Illawarra Mercury

Wednesday October 8, 2008

KILMENY ADIE

Reality television visits the South Coast next week when two Shellharbour restaurants on the same street vie for a big cash prize on The Chopping Block, writes KILMENY ADIE.

Two Shellharbour restaurants will put themselves on the chopping block next week.

Hosted by chef Matt Moran, WIN TV's The Chopping Block sees two restaurants pitted against each other for the chance to win a $20,000 prize.

In July, Moran and The Chopping Block film crew created a stir in Shellharbour Village when they descended to film the second series of the reality television show.

The two restaurants involved were Angelina's, a pizza and Italian restaurant, and Indian eatery Tandoori Junction.

The winner of the episode will be revealed when the second series of the show airs on WIN next Tuesday.

As well as hosting the show, Moran helps each of the restaurants overhaul the decor and menu to given them the best chance of winning the $20,000.

Moran has years of experience in the industry and runs Sydney's award-winning restaurant Aria so he knows what he's talking about when he offers advice to competing chefs.

"Every restaurant I walk into, my mission is to try and make it better," Moran says.

"Not fight with them, not argue with them but to try and better them in any way I possibly can."

Of course, reality television would not have the same appeal without excitement, ego and the potential for a temper tantrum.

As every chef is different, Moran says so is the response to his advice and suggestions.

"It's really hard. How chefs take me is always very different," Moran says.

"(At some restaurants) it's all ego and they're thinking 'I don't want him showing me how to do it better in my restaurant, even though it's failing and I'm losing money'.

"I don't, for example, claim to be an amazing Indian chef. I know some basics and I know if he can add something fresher than what he's doing or cook it on the bone to get better flavour ... well, I just want him to be better at what he's doing."

But it's not just the chefs on the TV show that get better. Moran says the rise of cooking-related shows like The Chopping Block has helped improve the public's knowledge of food.

"People's basic knowledge on food in the last 15 years, 10 years, five years or even two years has come so far," he says.

"People can identify so much more with what the critics are saying.

"Through cooking shows, print and eating out, people are a lot more familiar with what they expect when they go out.

"I think 10 years ago people went out just for the food aspect. Whereas now, it's more about entertaining and people want a bit of everything. They want service, they want comfort, they want ambience and they want good food. They want the whole package."

Moran well knows this and it's something he practices at Aria, where he added an architecturally designed kitchen table to break down the walls between the public and those preparing their meals.

At this table, diners can watch the hustle and bustle of a fine dining kitchen while they eat.

"We all know Aria is a very upmarket, expensive restaurant but what (the table) does is it shows people first hand what it's like in the kitchen," Moran says.

"It gives them an insight into what it takes to put food on the plate. What product we use. These shows educate people more about food, service and how hard it is for us to make a dollar."

Ultimately Moran says that when the spotlight of The Chopping Block has gone and the day-to-day hard work of service has resumed at the restaurants, it will be the public who decides whether the food is good.

"People are aware these days. They know," Moran says.

"People automatically think that because I'm a chef, and a high-profile chef, that I go to restaurants to criticise the shit out of them.

"But I want to go to restaurants and have a good time because of what restaurants are there for: to socialise, have a good dinner and just be normal people, eat normal food and not wash up."

The restaurants taking the challenge

ANGELINA'S

1/9 Addison St

Shellharbour

Pizza and traditional Italian restaurant

Owner/part-time chef: Brendan Mooney

Head chef: William Casson

TANDOORI JUNCTION

3/13 Addison St

Shellharbour

Indian

Owner: Melita Cennison