Craig Macindoe is head chef and owner of MuMu Grill in Crows Nest. MuMu has a strong focus on sustainable produce, and specialises in grass-fed beef. You can keep up with Craig in MuMuLand, or by following him on Twitter.
I decided to focus on local producers… in the beginning as a way to differentiate our business from others. I wanted also to create a future based business, something that would be relevant for the near, to medium future. But it has since grown into a personal passion.
Originally, I looked into grass fed beef led by Vicki Poulter (a friend and Weston Price devotee). I thought I would try grass fed beef and see what she was talking about. After tasting the beef I was sold, this was going to be our point of difference – 100% grass fed beef. All the rest of the menu has evolved around that.
While devoting our menu to sustainability I learnt more about the “Facts”:
Fact 1. Ruminants that live of grass are healthier and they produce far healthier beef. High omega 3 fatty acids, high concentrations of CLAs, high concentration of good fats.
Fact 2. Sustainable farming produces better flavoured animals.
Fact 3. Sustainable farming keeps boutique farmers and farm families alive.
It has been an interesting road talking to the farmers and getting to know the difficulties they face as well as sharing in their passion for the food they produce.
When we first opened the restaurant we were getting the vast majority of our product from distributors but over time we have managed to deal directly with the producers. It has meant we have had to change things we do but it is worth it to get the quality and the affordability we require.
Our food is different because we don’t muck around with it too much. We focus on simple food, sourced from producers who practise sustainable farming.
Our food is different because… we don’t muck around with it too much. We buy top quality product and we treat it simply. We focus on simple food, sourced from producers who practise sustainable farming. We serve a lot of slow cooked meals, allowing the food to maintain nutritional integrity and also have magic flavour.
Also our food is by nature healthier for the customer.
Demand in the current economic climate is… soft. I would say that we are trading well under what I would have expected for our 2nd year. We are growing, so that is a positive, but the overall demand is soft. I am not complaining – we just have to work harder for our clients. I would say that having sustainability as our point of difference has kept our business growing in these difficult times.
The most satisfying thing about sourcing, preparing and serving local food is… the interaction with the producers. I love speaking to the people at the fruit and veg markets about their farms or hearing about what’s going on down at Arcadia salt bush lamb.
The biggest frustration about the restaurant business is… staff who sometimes don’t share your passion. But having said that, staff are also some of the best things about the restaurant business.
The best meal I’ve eaten this year was… at Meadowbank winery in Tasmania. We ate the entire menu. On the menu all the food has food miles which is a great idea. It may have had something to do with all their wine we consumed, or how friendly the staff were. It was truly a memorable experience.
My most treasured food/wine memory is… eating in “Signore” on the banks of the Largo De Garda in Italy in the town of Sirmione. This was on my honeymoon so perhaps I feel a natural love of this meal… Jamon Iberico de Bellota every where in Spain… A 7 course meal I ate in a great restaurant in Parma… The first time we ate at Café de Stasio… 1969 Bollinger RD at my mate’s 21st… Cheese eaten from the back of the car at Portsea when we had just bought it in Millawa… Scallop pies in Tasmania… Lobster spaghetti in Mondelo… There are so many treasured food and wine memories!
Slow Foodies should check out… www.themeatrix.com
The most important thing about the sustainable food movement is… that it generates and releases information to combat the lies that are told about the food most people eat. Most of the world’s problems would be solved if people spent time creating food from scratch, with love: Less obesity, more focus on family, less exposure to processed foods, less illness.
Most of the world’s problems would be solved if people spent time creating food from scratch, with love.
If Slow Food members could do one thing to make food and wine in Sydney better, cleaner and fairer, it would be to… support the businesses that are sending out the ideals of Slow Food.
IN THE not-too-distant future, I hope we’ll look back on the current fad for grain-fed beef and wonder what all the fuss was about. I suspect we’ll also feel a little ashamed about the resources squandered to produce it when grass-fed beef offers more flavour.
Mumu Grill has already come to that conclusion. Chef Craig Macindoe’s menu is a proclamation of sustainable farming practices. If you vote Green but eat meat, here’s a place to salve your conscience.
The beef is grass-fed. The lamb is raised on a diet of old man saltbush, a native shrub that’s drought resistant and helps with salinity. The chicken is organic.
Remember Bangalow Sweet Pork (it helped reignite an interest in pork before the ‘‘next big thing’’ distracted many chefs)? You’ll find it here, in the 15-hour slow-roasted shoulder. A manifesto of the restaurant’s principles hangs by the front door.
If Rockpool Bar and Grill is the Ferrari of steakhouses, Mumu Grill is the family station wagon. It’s relaxed and child-friendly, right down to plastic cow-print cups and a decent under-12s menu. Grown-ups can amuse themselves with tapas. The menu – in a tacky plastic sleeve folder like a school-leaver’s resume (the spelling just as poor) – kicks off with small bar snacks, including three types of jamon.
There are a lot of brown proteins. This isn’t tofu town. Even the enjoyable baby spinach and pine nut salad ($12.90) with a sweet lime dressing is laced with dried prosciutto. Sometimes the food tries to do too much, masking the quality of the produce but, for the most part, it’s easygoing, generous and enjoyable. However, if I’m going to spend $25 on streaky slices of jamon iberico de bellota, the king of hams from acorn-fed black pigs roaming Spain’s oak forests, then I don’t want its fabled flavour cloaked in olive oil.
Curls of mild, sichuan-pepper coated king prawns with a pickled chilli and soy dressing ($12) are easy to scoff and, despite a slightly heavy batter, a pair of zucchini flowers ($7.90) stuffed with herbed ricotta and cabra – a Spanish goat’s milk cheese – are an appealing mix of salty and creamy, with the acidity and sweetness of tomato sauce completing the picture.
Mumu Grill occupies the former Red Centre pizzeria site. It’s a comely yet plain room of sassafras veneer panelling hosting a mural of cartoonish cows, pigs and red hearts. At the other end, a 10-metre long bar hosts the cocktail crowd. There’s a large outdoor dining area.
The wine advice doesn’t get much more sophisticated than “it’s nice” but our waitress scurries away to check the name of one she liked. It’s the Bowen Estate ’07 cabernet ($69). Good taste, Miss. The service is good-natured, if occasionally under-staffed.
Most of the steaks are tampered with in some way – a crust of this or wrapped in that. They arrive with squeaky green beans, mash or chips.
A 400-gram sirloin ($39.50) crusted with PNG coffee and sichuan pepper is a good idea in theory but it reminds me of licking grinds from a coffee pot. The beef is lovely and perfectly cooked to medium-rare but the coffee renders it relentlessly gritty.
The most fun is found in the slow-cooked foods. Anyone who loves finger-lickin’ flesh will delight in the ribs. The combo ($35) delivers beef short ribs and baby back pork ribs coated in a fruity, house-made barbecue sauce that favours pork more. It’s a joy pulling soft, flaky and sticky meat from the bones.
Flavourful saltbush lamb cooked two ways ($32) delivers lovely, pink, grilled back strap on a minty pea puree and slow-roasted shoulder on a plinth of cheesy cauliflower gratin, with a whole roast tomato separating the two contestants. It’s comforting and homely.
The mixed dessert plate ($28), a heaving mass of sugar rush in three parts, won’t win a beauty contest but should sate any lingering gluttony. You can try each dessert separately but why not have it all? Brown-sugar pavlova is a wonderful mix of textures and balanced sweetness, even if the accompanying pineapple is almost as tart as the passionfruit. Wattleseed ice-cream with a chocolate and raspberry square is a little icy, however it’s overlooked for the reassuring gingerbread and mascarpone sandwich.
Mumu Grill is perfect for a fun family outing or a catch-up with mates. It’s a bit spartan for a date but then it’s probably best you don’t eat ribs in front of a potential partner if you want a sustainable relationship.
This year we are trying the age old method of bribery to get people to book functions. In addition to our very reasonably priced menus and our fantastic sustainable fair.
we are offering a gift boxed bottle of veuve to the person who books any function that chooses beverage package 2 from our function packaeg $39 per person ( chandon NV, Mr Riggs And Cape Mentelle Sem Sauv Blanc). Not ionly are the wines a good deal but you also get to walk home with a bottle of french. Or you could simply add it to the parties festivities. Download function packages Here
P.S we also have a Private dining room which takes up to 24 people for those special functions or private functions. the private dining room has its own stereo, waiter, and bar. perfect for a special birthday, or corporate event.
A great night was had by all last night.
The challenge for this night was feeding all the people who booked, no matter how many, from a limited amount of beef (220kg whole weight).Kraig as Rod and the team from Krinkle wood had decided to call the beast was a pure bred limousin. Rod has chosen the limousin probably for its hardy nature.
The animal was killed September 10th, then hung for six weeks at Kirbys gourmet meats. Peter, one of the older butchers at Kirby’s, luckily had dealt with meat, that had been tenderstretch hung. Tenderstretch hanging, as far as I am aware, is hanging a carcase fom the hip and not from the more common acchilies tendon. this makes the meat more tender. however it is more difficult to cut for the buthcers and therefore did not take off.
We started the night at the bar with the Krinklewood Blanc De Blanc Sparkling. Accompanied by Poached tounge with nepalese spices.
We poached the tounge chilled it down, sliced finely and sprinkled with a spice mix of cardamon, corriander, chilli, and cloves.
I was sceptical of whether people would eat the tounge. But to my supprise, the tounge was devoured by our guests quickly.
Maybe I should have had more offal in this dinner? I was going to do an offal empanada utlising the heart, cheek & liver. But I didn’t. I have been trying Calves liver from our organic wagyu, on the daily specials, but it is not taking off. I cannot even give it away at happy hour for free.
1st Course matched with 2009 Semillon
Carpaccio of Biodynamic Limousin with Shaved Fennel, Parmesan, Lemon Balm and Jalepeno Salt.
I shaved baby fennel on the finest setting that my mandolin had, picked lemon balm from some, live lemon balm micro herb pots, saved the herb part from the top of the fennel. That was mixed into a salad with a light rosemary aioli and shaved parmesan.
The jalepeno salt I made weeks ago. Finely dice cellery and jalepeno, add to mortar and pestle with rock salt and grind until even. then leave out on a metal tray in the oven with the pilot light on over night or until it is totally dry
I Really liked this dish. the creaminess of the ailoi and parmesan gave reverence to the original carpaccio recipe from Harry’s bar in Venice. while the fennel lemon balm and cleanliness of the meat allowed all flavours to be tasted while not having any one single flavour be to overpowering . Something you need to be very careful of in carpaccio. The Semillon is a perfect match for this dish, the clean finish and the light acid picks up on the citrus in the dish. I know i am blowing my own trumpet a bit but this is how i saw it. the comment section at the end is there for you to comment if you wish.
2nd Course Matched with Krinklewood Wild Red
Biodynamic Sausages, Red Cabbage, Puy Lentils, Carrot, Mint & Mustard Dressing
We made the sausages in the morning utlising the chuck. the sausages were seasoned, and had chopped parsley nothing else. they had a light clean flavour with a lingering mounth feel.
Recipe
cook puy lentils, mix with olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, roasted garlic, and parsley. lay on base of plate.
shred red cabbage, carrot and pick 2 bunches of mint mix this salad with seasoning and olive oil place on top of puy lentils.
cook and slice sausages, lay on top of salad. serve to share.
3rd Course Matched with 2004 Shiraz
Brisket braised in MUMU BBQ Sauce, Celeriac Mash, Beans
Recipe
Braise Brisket on the bone in a mixture of MUMU BBQ sauce, corriander, garlic, chilli, biodynamic beef stock.Braise for 2.5 hours in oven covered.
Cool cut off the bone and portion. to serve reheat in sauce from braising and place on mash.
Roast celeriac untill golden on the outside and soft in the middle. mash with parsley, salt, pepper, and little lemon juice.
saute beans in butter sea salt and pepper. I used butter beans and green beans to add colour.
4th Course matched with 2006 Shiraz
Slow Roast Hind Quarter, Asparagus, Feild Mushroom and Biodynamic Jus .
Here is a photo of the sirloin after 4 hours cooking at 80 degrees. we put the meat in a bath of stock (about 2 inches). only after it has acheived room tempreture then into the oven for 4 hours checking every 30 mins to see if we need to change the tempreture. it is essential when cooking like this that you use a meat thermometre to tell when it is medium rare. do not take it out to early as the meat will be mushy and unapealing to eat. The tissue must be allowed to break down then re”set” so you get good mouth feel and an apealing meal.
Served with Biodynamic Jus Asparagus and field mushrooms, you couldn’t get a more healthy meal for yourself.
It was a very enjoyable meal and i hope the begining of not only a great relationship between Krinklewood and MUMU but the first of many whole carcase dinners that we will do.
In order to get ready for the biodynamics. I have ordered anside of Organic wagyu from my friend Rob Lennon from Gundooee Organics. It arrived with all Offal which was an added bonus Heart, liver, cheek, tounge, kidneys and tail. Which I must say was a bit of a supprise, the offal is usually kept by the abbatoir.
The liver was an amazing flavour and we couldn’t help but serve it up with the traditional onion jam, mash and some crisp prosciutto. The heart, cheek, tail and tounge were a little bit more problematic. Given, what does one do with one wagyu cheek? It’s not really enough to put on the menu by itself. In the end I braised all seperate bits, diced them and made some extremely flavour packed empanadas.
I hung the beast for 2 weeks whole. during that time the biodynamic beast arrived, hung using the tenderstretch Method which has had the butchers a little perplexed. The tenderstrtatch method, as far as I understand it, id hung through the hip rather than the usual achilies tendon this causes the primals to set in different shapes. This will make the drying and breaking up of this carcase a bit more of a challenge.
After 2 weeks of hanging we broke up the organic carcase iuto primals and trim. The butcher Daren (Best buitcher shop onthe north shore ” business awards) and I talked through what to do with each piece.
There are only 2 major pieces which we will hang for another 4 weeks. The prime rib area including all the ribs and the t bone leading into the rump. The topside we made into Steak sandwiches for the restaurtant and the new Organic market.
As president of the Crows Nest Chamber of Commmerce We have been able to start a small organic market on Thursday from 12-6pm every week.
Wagyu Sausages
In breaking up the body we had 35kg of sausages made. the Sausages are made using only the meat salt pepper, parsley and a small amount of egg for binding.
Some of which get sold at the oganic market some of which get made intomeatballs here at the restaurant with some chicken mince and green olives.
Wagyu Aging
The Primals will hang for another 3 weeks. next week we will break up the Biodynamic beast. “Kraig” is a pure bread Limosin and the butcher is very impressed with the quality of the meat.
We have got all the Wagyu bones cooking today to make an organic wagyu stock this should be probably the healthiest thing since sliced bread. can’t wait for the flavour.
Rob lennon who grows our organic wagyu has changed the property he lives on to be amodel of rotational pasture raising allowing his farm to regenerate infact, grow greener and lusher just by the way he manages his cattle. We should all be sitting up and taking a leaf out of robs book.
Robs Property which used to be a dustbowl
I am busy working away on trying to piece together a Byodynamic dinner. We are using the whole cow, who is called “Craig”. I’m not sure how I feel about that. nevermind, the exercise has been very interesting having to work out with 240kg of dead weight how I can do a 4 course meal for 80-100 people.
A very interesting challenge. how many chefs know the weight of fillet, or any other cut for that matter from one 250kg carcase???
Lucky Rob Lennon from Gundooee organics has done up a chart, detailing the brerakdownby cut in percentage and Kgs, which has helped.
Names of cuts % of Indicative
carcass weight-kg
1 Rump 5.6 12.3
2 Knuckle 3.3 7.3
3 Topside 6.2 13.6
4 Tenderloin 1.5 3.3
5 Butt tenderloin 0.8 1.8
6 Striploin 1 rib 3.1 6.8
7 Striploin 2 rib 3.5 7.7
8 Shortloin 1 rib 5.5 12.1
9 Shortloin 2 rib 6.4 14.1
10 Outside 5.7 12.5
11 Heel muscle 1.3 2.9
12 Cube roll 7 rib 2.5 5.5
13 Cube roll 8 rib 2.8 6.2
14 Blade 5.5 12.1
15 Chuck tender 0.8 1.8
16 Chuck 4 rib 6.8 15.0
17 Brisket 11 rib 6.6 14.5
18 Flank steak 0.5 1.1
19 External flank plate 0.7 1.5
20 Internal flank plate 0.7 1.5
21 Intercostals 1.3 2.9
22 Shin-shank 3.6 7.9
23 Rib blade meat 0.8 1.8
24 Unusable trim 24.5 53.9
TOTALS 100 220.0
% KG
The Cow will be butchered ion the 14th of September shipped down in quarters and Darren my local butcher, will hang it for 5-7 weeks. We will then break down the beast together and make up our menu.
The menu will be roughly.
Menu $120
Carpacccio Of “Craig” (The Cow) with Jalapeño, Fennel, Parmesan & Lemon Balm.
2009 BLANC DE BLANC or 2009 SEMILLON
Biodynamic Sausage, Carrot & Stinging Nettle Salad with Fetta & White Balsamic Dressing.
2005 WILD RED
Mini Braised Brisket & Mushroom Empanadas With BBQ Sauce
2004 SHIRAZ
Slow Roast Forequarter with Bone Marrow Sauce. Served with roasted field mushrooms and Steamed Asparagus.
2006 SHIRAZ
Selection of Hunter Valley Cheeses
2008 LUCIA DESSERT WINE
Petersons and Piggs Peake Swine Off
September 16th 6.45pm for 7pm
Piggs Peake is one of Australia’s leading boutique wineries. Over the last few years both their Cabernet and their Zinfandel have been written up as the best in Australia, while their Shiraz is known as one of the biggest on the planet.
Petersons Wines have been producing quality wines for wine lovers since 1981. Not much has changed since then – except we now produce a larger range of award winning wines.
Come and join us for the great wine off between these 2 legends of the Hunter Valley
Menu $95
18 Month Old Jamon W Olives
Petersons Sparkling 2005 Mudgee Malbec ———Piggs Peake 2008 Super Tusker Sangiovese
Slow Roast Shoulder of Bangalow Sweet Pork
W Kumato Chutney, Poached Corella Pear & Crackling
Petersons 2007 Mudgee Durif ——2008 Pear Tree Merlot
Slow Roast Aged Cape Grim Sirloin Roast W Bearnaise & Duck Fat Potatoes
Served with Sautéed greens
Petersons 2004 Barossa Shiraz ——–Piggs Peake 2008 House of Bricks Shiraz
Hunter Valley Cheeses
Petersons 2007 Mudgee Petit Verdot ——Piggs Peake 2008 House of Bricks Cabernet
Coffee, Tea and Treats
Petersons Reserve Muscat ——Little Pig Verdelho (fortified)
Slow Food Dinner
Mon 31st of August 6.45pm for 7pm start
We all know that quality takes time. You would not treasure a piece of jewellery that you could whip up in 5 mins. The Slow Food movement was founded by Carlo Petrini in 1989 Italy to combat fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.
Join us for an evening of slow food and discussions of Slow food, with Grahame Strong from Arcadia Salt bush Lamb, Joe Marchet from Bangalow Sweet pork. Bruce Ward From Sustainable Farming and Slow food Representatives who will be discussing the future of Slow food and Terra Madre
Menu $55
Bangalow Sweet Pork Proscuitto with Buffalo Mozzarella and Dried Kumato.
Slow Roast Arcadia Lamb Shoulder roasted for 13 hours
Aged Cape Grim Sirloin Roast
Winter Vegetables
Bread Pudding with Brandy Caramel Sauce
Absolute madness
On a weekend in June we head off to Tasmaina. leaving at 6.15 am at first seems like absolute madness, no sleep, hardly awake, hair a mess. Getting down to tassy at 8 am though has definite advantages. we arrive at the Hotel drop off our bags and head out to the Salamanca markets, why don’t we have markets like this in Sydney?? The answer to that is probably the immediate proximity to the farms that Tasmania seems to enjoy. The market is thriving with gourmet food producers, wineries and other handicrafts, which all seem to catch my wife’s fancy. Mark and I head straight for the warm mead, followed by some award winning bratwurst, alcoholic Guilespies ginger beer and of course the Famous Scallop Pie (400 scallops and a light mornay sauce, pure pleasure). What a great start to the day.
We decide to take a breather and head to Smolt for some lunch. Named after the infantile stage of the Salmon it is located and I suspect probably co funded by the Tassal Salmon showroom. Here we hook into some fantastic Pacific Bruny Island oysters, who’s aroma and flavour, make you feel like you are transported into the clean crisp ocean. Speaking of ocean. The jumbo Oysters cooked with orange vinaigrette were so big you could quite easily have paddled the shell back to the mainland. we finished the meal off with some lovely pinot gris. I love that medium weight oiliness of Pinot Gris a good one can be thouroughly enjoyed by itself while still having the balls to go extremely well with all types of food. we finish lunch off with a mushroom and talegio pizza, some salmon pancetta and a lovely small dish of beef shin with white bean puree. At this stage we are all feeling good and ready for a nanna nap.
But we have organised to meet with sue Dyson and Roger Mcshane Food Tourist, who I met through Twitter. After some espresso and chit chat our group decided to head out to Moorilla Estate for a quiet afternoon tasting. Now , I have always loved the Moorilla estate Pinot which I stocked at the tasting room (when I owned it).
This was a lesson in how to do it. Daniel who took us through our tasting knowledge on the product was incredible. He did have some, pretty exceptional products to show though. In all classes of wines as well as the beer. My favourite was the dark ale, a cocoa stouty flavour with a clean finish, a real connoisseur’s beer. Needless to say, when they complete the changeover to distributing their own stuff we will be stocking more than the MOO Brew which we currently stock.
the whole Moorilla estate experience gets me thinking on how important it is to control everything about the experience that you can.
Also that it is good to be controversial. Oscar Wilde once said “there is only one thing worse than being talked about and that is not being talked about”. The controversy comes about from their labeling which reflects sex and death, very controversial. We need to do things that are different to get the people debating and discussing all the issues we are passionate about.
Wine tasting at Meadowbank
