Southgate restaurants welcome exciting new chefs
Southgate has welcomed the crème de la crème of culinary talent to its iconic Melbourne location, with four exciting new chefs about to start cooking up a storm by the Yarra.
Joining the team is The Age Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year, Mark Briggs, at Waterfront Southgate, Japanese master chef Yosuke Furukawa at Miyako, Italian Young Chef of the Year finalist Nicola Romano at ARTUSI and Michelin-starred chef David Hall at Pure South Dining.
The Weekly Review caught up with Mark and Yosuke to discuss how they’ll bring the tastes and tricks of their extensive culinary backgrounds to the new roles.
Hailing from Croston in the north-west of England, Mark established his career working in Michelin-starred restaurants across the United Kingdom, and has worked alongside renowned chefs including Tom Kitchin, Pierre Koffman, Shannon Bennett and Jamie Oliver.
“Jamie is a really nice guy. He’s probably the most passionate chef I’ve ever worked for in my life,” says Mark.
Mark is now executive chef at Waterfront Southgate and says diners at the prestigious seafood bar and grill can expect beautiful, fresh seafood with a great location.
His style of cooking is quite simple and all about the ingredients. “I love the idea of sharing food. I think that’s very important. It’s got to be visually impressive and very tasty as well.”
Mark’s signature dish is vodka cured ocean trout. “It’s quite good,” he says, laughing.
Yosuke brings with him more than 20 years’ experience in Japan and Australia, including five years as head chef at Melbourne’s award-winning restaurant Izakaya Den.
As head chef at Miyako, Yosuke has designed a unique Japanese menu with some innovative additions.
“I am trying to find ways to combine Australian and Japanese style,” he says.
When it comes to their culinary ambitions, Mark and Yosuke simply hope to share their craft with others. Yosuke would like to work with chefs from around the world and teach them the traditional Japanese way of cooking.
Mark hopes to one day have a small restaurant out in the country: “Somewhere very relaxed, where I could teach people. Pass on the things I’ve learnt.”
As for their favourite part of being a chef? “The fact that you never stand still,” says Mark. “There’s a new curveball every day – something to challenge you.”
Most of all, Yosuke enjoys finding new flavours and creating exciting dishes for his customers. “If the customer is happy I’m happy,” he says.
Located in the heart of the city, just down from heritage-listed Flinders Street Station, Southgate offers a diverse mix of restaurants that cater to all food lovers, as well as a range of boutique retailers.
Source: The Weekly Review, Maddison McSwain, 22nd October 2015
Originally published as: Southgate restaurants welcome exciting new chefs
