Moonmachines at Cara & Co

 

You may have already read my post about my afternoon of MB&F Machine Madness. Well this is the second part of my MB&F Marathon Friday, otherwise known as 'Max Büsser eats half of Australia’s coat of arms'.

But more about that later.

I, along with half a dozen others, had been fortunate to have been invited by Purist friend Sidneyc to join Max for a private dinner held at Cara&Co, a restaurant situated at the back of a boutique which sells everything from clothing and accessories to books and cameras.

We were in the middle of Sydney in a Russian owned restaurant eating from a menu devised by a Belgium based chef to meet a Swiss who had just collaborated with a Finn on a watch.

Having not seen the latest MB&F collaboration with the wonderful Stepan Sarpaneva when I met Max a few hours ealier, I was looking forward to seeing whether my initial uncertain response to the Moonmachine in photographs would be maintained. My problem is that I am a Sarpaneva purist of a number of years standing, and I adore his moon in its natural habitat.Would I like it in a HM3 Frog?

But I digress. First up, the food.

An amuse bouche to start : goats cheese (very mild) and mandarin lollipop

Plus some warm fresh bread rolls (which were constantly replenished) with some salted butter. Quite addictive bread and butter.

Max’s entrée of choice was ‘chicken oyster’.

Chicken Oyster - Chimay beer, potato, hazelnut, foie gras, coffee

What is ‘chicken oyster’?

They are the hidden-away sections of meat tucked under the chicken’s backbone. In this case, served in an oxtail jus with Chimay beer, topped with potato foam and, oddly, macadamia nuts with gold leaf.

My entrée was beef tartare, which was served with a 20 degree quail egg and a rather unexpected addition of some Avruga caviar. An unconventional tartare, but I really liked the saltiness of the caviar with the beef, and if beef tartare purists are aghast I’m sorry, but I really enjoyed this iteration.

Veal cheeks - Mustard, aioli, egg yolk, lettuce

For mains, Max had his first taste of national emblem, which I also ordered.

The kangaroo came two ways, including a cube of tartare with a parmesan marshmallow atop, black lentils, and artichoke cooked three ways - puree, baked and crisp. The meat looks rare but it wasn’t; and it was tender, yielding easily to my knife. I’d feared having a red meat overload, but this didn’t turn out to be the case.

Other mains were :

Rock Flathead with quinoa, cauliflower, silvered peanuts, peanut foam and gerkin juice

Australian wagyu rump with eggplant, miso, anchovy, baby carrot

Yellowfin tuna with tomato, cinnamon, white beans, watermelon

Accompanying side dishes were some random watches, including these :

Finally, time for some Moonmachines. The reconfigured HM3 Frog now comes with Sarpaneva’s poignant moonphase seen through a Korona shaped opening, with the winding rotor actually a blued 22k gold disc with a laser-pierced northern constellation.

They are available in three limited editions of 18 pieces each: titanium case with white gold moon faces in a light blue sky, black titanium case with white gold moon faces in a dark blue sky and red gold case with red gold moon faces in an anthracite sky.

What did we think? That they were quite different in the metal. Far more appealing. Even someone who has held the thought that Stepan Sarpaneva’s moon is “too depressing” found himself drawn to the titanium version. 

Below is the titanium on my wrist. For a size comparison, see my previous post with my wristshots with other MB&F Machines.

During the evening we learnt not just about the Moonmachines, his friendship with Stepan, thoughts about the watch industry and his career trajectory, but also about his childhood, his family, his passion for car racing (we should take him out to a racetrack on his next visit), and even his foray into learning to play a guitar.

I know that I sound like an old record (and I realise that I am dating myself by even saying that) when I say that meeting independent watchmakers is an honour, but it is. They are the best people to communicate about their own watches, and it really is only by hearing them in such a small intimate setting that you properly understand what they are about, and why people are so drawn not just to the watch, but also to the watchmaker.

 Max finally gets to try Vegemite (photo credit : RJW)

Many thanks to sidneyc for his kind invitation to this wonderful evening.

In closing, two final photos for the road.

During the week prior to the Sydney dinner, the following happened to Gaz :

"So I get a call from a fellow Hong Kong watch collector. "Are you in Hong Kong and are you wearing your Sarpaneva? You have to come to dinner tonight with your Sarpaneva". So off I go to dinner with my Sarpaneva...

 ... only to find that I was hanging out with Max. Stepan was there in spirit and well represented by his merry men on the moon. Gaz"

[AP]

Café Vue CBD

Café Vue
430 Little Collins St
Melbourne
VIC 3000
Ph : (03) 9691 3888

The Vue empire consists of not one, but four Café Vues; Little Collins Street, St Kilda Rd, Heide, and the airport. It was to the first of these that I was headed, with just one thing as my goal – French onion soup.

I’d had an incredibly good one half a year ago but none in between, so given the good reputation of all the Vues, the anticipation was great.

Café Vue consists of a compact inside area with a nicely designed bench section that has privacy partitions every two seats, and a large covered outside seating area, which is where we sat.

French onion soup with gruyère croutons ($9)

Perhaps the anticipation was too great. I’d have enjoyed it more if there’d been a richer broth, more gratinee…ah well.

To go with the soup was the smoked trout brioche roll ($8.50), a delightful summery combination of a great little brioche and nice amount of wonderfully fresh smoked trout. In a way it seemed as though it was an extension of the lobster roll I’d had at Golden Fields the previous night – the same enjoyable brioche and seafood combination. Why don’t we eat it more often? I’d order this again.

My Melbournian lunch companion had the warm coconut chicken wrap with potato crisps ($10), presented on the inevitable cutting board. The in-house made crisps made seemed more decorative than anything. Reports were positive about the coconut chicken.

Café Vue, staffed by friendly professional folks, is clearly a very popular CBD location. Although I was a bit disappointed by the soup, the brioche's quality, plus the other interesting items listed on the menu, are enough to tempt me to re-visit if I am in Melbourne again.

[AP]

IWC watchmaking workshop & lunch at Becasse

Steady hand, sharp eye-sight…the invitation to attend a IWC Watchmaking Master Class seemed a tad beyond my capabilities, as those who know me can affirm.

(umm...'loupe', heh)

Never let it be said that I am not prepared to give watchmaking it a shot. Even if it’s just for a few hours.

The location of the class was the Sky Venue, Sydney Tower. The weather, perfect.

I arrived to find tables set up with branded boxes of watchmaking tools that I immediately wanted to open and investigate, but I had to be patient.

There was plenty to look at before everyone arrived - display cabinets filled with goodies from all of IWC’s current collections, although they did not include the Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia, alas.

The media masterclass was hosted by Edwin de Vries (Brand Manager of IWC) and Edwin Jesus (master watchmaker from Richemont Australia), and involved us taking apart and re-assembling IWC’s Cal. 98200 pocket watch movement.

After introductory drinks and canapes, Edwin de Vries gave a presentation about the history and product lines of IWC, after which watchmaker Edwin, with the aid of a powerpoint presentation and many trips around the table, guided us in taking apart much of the movement – bridges, wheels (no springs), and then re-assembling it.

Tools ready

Taking the movement apart.

Time to put it back together again.

 Brett was a natural

We were valiant in our efforts, and only a few nascent watchmakers lost a screw. I err ‘misplaced’ one of my screws for a couple of minutes, and required Edwin the watchmaker’s patient help on a number of occasions due to having (well that’s my story anyway, and I’m sticking to it) one or two issues with the wheels, but in the end, I managed to to re-assemble it, and have it ticking away once more.

Look, it's working!

Respect for watchmakers increased a thousand-fold.

Every year, IWC’s watchmaking school receives some 300 applications. Four graduate.

After the hours of hard work as wannabe watchmakers, we moved downstairs to the private room at Becasse for lunch.

 Entrance to Becasse - four seasons

An intimate space (seating a maximum of 12) with subdued lighting, it was easy to forget that it was the middle of the day. I had been wanting to try Becasse at its new location. The service and the food – superb.

Ready...

 Amuse bouche no.1

 Bread selection - made by their dedicated bakery

 Amuse bouche no.2

First course :

 Bespoke spring vegetable garden

 Petuna ocean trout, king prawn, local radishes and Vietnamese dressing

 Forgotten vegetables, smoked pork jowl, scampi tails and aromas of cedar

Second course :

 Darling Downs wagyu, Jerusalem artichoke, burnt butter and porter ale

 Hapuku cooked in wasabi leaf, cuttlefish, grilled oyster and cucumber

 Third course :

68% Alto Beni Zokoko chocolate cadeu and salted black cumin caramel 
(with chocoate mousse)

Silken lemongrass and blood orange caramel, strawberry crunch with vanilla yoghurt sorbet

The food - what can I say? The dishes that I ate (spring vegetable garden, Darling Downs wagyu, lemongrass and blood orange) were an absolute delight; the garden could convert even the most ardent carnivore, the wagyu melted to the touch, and the dessert's combinations of flavours totally spot on.

As for the watches - which is my favourite IWC? I have been enamoured of the Vintage Collection Aquatimer for a while (the Vintage collection is my favourite of their ‘families’), and the Portugueses are probably the most popular of the brand’s lines amongst my watch friends.

Many thanks to Brett and IWC for an immensely enjoyable (and educational) time. 

[AP]