A Rooster One Day...

FIVE weeks ago everything seemed to be coming up roses for Sydney chef Tony Bilson-often referred to as the 'Godfather of Australian cuisine".

Ita Buttrose,Margaret Fulton & Bilson at his book launch.

At the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide launch and awards his Bilson's Restaurant at the Radisson Hotel in the heart of the city was awarded a prestigious Three Hats, the top award shared by just a few other establishments. Quay, a rival to Bilson's is regularly included in the world's top ten restaurants.

A week ago the 'godmother' of Australian cooking Margaret Fulton launched Tony's new book Insatiable-My Life In The Kitchen at the Radisson. First reports say the book has been flying off the shelves.

But on Friday the shutters came down on Bilson's as it was announced the top restaurant had gone into administration with debts of over a million dollars. Tony announced that he had failed to secure a promised rescue  packaged that may have saved his Circular Quay bar that closed it's doors a month ago and the Radisson Hotel restaurant.

The Radisson

Eighteen staff have been laid off while Tony tries to find them alternate positions with chefs like Tetsuya Wakuda. Bilson, who regularly hosted noted foodies like A.A Gill, Rick Stein, Jamie Oliver and Anthony Boudain when in town is said to be distraught. He's had his financial problems before but always triumphed and re-surfaced. Hopefully he will re-emerge in better located premises possibly in the Eastern Suburbs. While the Radisson is a beautiful old colonial sandstone building, it's location in the centre of the financial district may have been fine for daytime trade but evenings were desperately quiet.
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Fabulous Understatements #1

David Patrick Columbia writing about New York restaurant Michael's on his New York Social Diary : " The Hockneys and the Lichtensteins and Stellas do something in the room. I love sitting there and just looking at them while waiting."

Bill's Star Keeps Rising

Next month Bill Granger's new London restaurant opens in trendy Notting Hill Gate to join the 6 other establishments he owns-3 in Sydney and 3 in Japan.

The Brits  have taken Granger to their hearts. His Bill's Food TV cooking show received a healthy audience on the BBC and was shown in 22 countries although he his still finds time to clock on to Richard Glover's ABC 702 afternoon radio show every fortnight.

Now Bill's cookbook Bill's Everyday Asian has been included in The Independent newspaper's Top 50 Cookbooks along with  foodie heavyweights like Rick Stein, Jamie Oliver and Michel Roux and the legendary Elizabeth David and Delia Smith.

The Shuttle has breakfast 2 or 3 times a week at Bills in Surry Hills and this morning we heard an interesting piece of news from a very reliable source.

Both the Independent and the Evening Standard newspapers in  the UK are owned by the Russian 'oligarch' Alexander Lebedev, an entrepreneur who was once pretty high up in the KGB, a spy for the USSR in London and who is financing the political comeback of Michael Gorbochev.

A year ago Lebedev launched the lightweight daily I Newspaper that appeals to commuters and sells for around 22cents. It's a better version of the Murdoch freebie Mx that is handed out at Sydney and Melbourne rail stations.

Alexander Lebedev

Our source says Lebedev has had a small team working the Sydney and Melbourne markets to calculate if they could handle an Oz version of I Newspaper. Which would surely be a welcome addition to either city dominated as they are by Fairfax Newspapers and News Ltd.

There is a story doing the rounds that an angry James Murdoch summonsed Lebedev's son Evgeny who runs the UK newspapers, to the Wapping compound with a demand The Independent lay off reporting on the hacking scandal when it was in it's infancy.

An annoyed Murdoch received no joy from Evengy and a spokesman is reputed to have said later- "Alexander Lebedev faced some formidable opponents in the KGB-the Murdoch's don't frighten him."

Here's a reminder of how Alexander Lebedev deals with those who annoy him :

Come On Down Alex !..Australia needs you.

Tony & Margaret

# Sadly the Australian matriarch of cooking, Margaret Fulton was not included in The Independent's 50 Best Cookbooks but we feel sure it was oversight.

Kate Gibbs with chefs Tetsuya & Lucio

When her Margaret Fulton Cookbook was launched in 1968 it sold an unprecedented one and half million copies and her 12 books since have sold more cookbooks than any other chef on the planet. Not that the diminutive 87 year old Scot is deterred.

Last week she was out on the town launching Tony Bilson's new book and she has a new website that will be up and running shortly and she has an Iphone app. In fact the entire Fulton family are at it with daughter Suzanne Gibbs a respected food writer and Margaret's 2 grand-daughters taking up the mantle.

Lousie Fulton Gibbs has just launched a children's cookbook- My Grandma's Kitchen while Kate Gibbs is a contributor to the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide.

The Original Masterchef

Simon Eckersley at Tony Bilson's book launch

Ita Buttrose,Tony Bilson, Margaret Fulton

 He's always referred to as the 'Godfather of Australian cuisine' or the 'original Masterchef' and chef Tony Bilson undoubtedly deserves the titles. From small beginnings with his Tony's Bon Gout  that opened near the railway line at Central Station, Bilson was undoubtedly the first to introduce nouvelle cuisine in the 1970s and all others have followed since.

His next venture Berowa Waters Inn became a legend. Only accessible by sea-plane and nestled over the calm Berowa Waters it was packed every night with a 3 month waiting list for a table. His 'apprentice' there-Tetsuya Wakuda has gone in similar fashion with his city restaurant having an even longer wait time for tables and Tetsuya the biggest food star in Japan.

Another Bilson successful chef is the Dancing With The Stars champion Manu Feildel. And that's par for the course with Bilson whose first cook book Fine Family Food published 15 years ago is still used to inspire and instruct competitors in 'Masterchef Australia'

Tetsuya and Lucio

John Bell

In 2006 Tony was inducted into the Restaurant & Catering Hall of Fame and the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide honoured him with a special award for his contribution to the industry.

Murdoch Books and Matt Hanbury, Tony Bilson's publisher hosted a party at the Radisson Hotel where Tony's current venture  Bilson's is located, to launch Bilson's new book.
                                                                                          Insatiable-My Life In The Kitchen is a must read in which the bon vivant  recounts wild nights and wild appetites with an extraordinary cast of artists, painters, writers and politicians. It's a Who’s Who of Australian cultural life from the late 1960s to the present-day.

Stars may head towards Bilsons when they touch down in Sydney (Leo DiCaprio three times now) but the proof of Bilson's pulling power is the number of foodies that flock there whenever in town. In the past 3 months he has fed Rick Stein, Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey, Paul Bocuse, Anthony Bourdain and A.A.Gill.

Those sipping Moet & Chandon at the launch included Ashley Dawson Damer, Ray Hughes, Margaret Fulton, Tetsuya Wakuda, Ita Buttrose, actors John Bell and Graeme Blundell and Lucio Galletto.

Buy Tony Bilson's Insatiable here

So Sudden-A Sad Passing.

Blair Milan 1982-2011

Just 2 months ago the Shuttle wrote of the plans of one of Sydney's bright young men about town-Blair Milan the charming 29 year old son of celebrity chef Lyndey Milan and TV executive Nigel Milan.

 In recent weeks Blair had been suppressing feelings of being unwell. He thought it was due to complications from recent dentistry work. On Wednesday Blair was immediately admitted to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for blood tests after a visit to his GP.

Early yesterday morning Blair Milan passed away after slipping into a coma after it was discovered he was suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia.



Lyndey Milan with Margaret Fulton

Testimony to how much Blair was loved by his pals was that over 30 of them along with Lyndey and his dad Nigel packed his hospital room to be with him. Outside dozens  more friends filled the hospital waiting room. At the local pub next door many of Blair's school pals from Barker College had already began to drown their sorrows.

The Shuttle had watched Blair grow from a cheeky school lad who first appeared on the stage at the age of 14 into a well mannered, charming and gifted actor. He appeared on the Foxtel Go channel and big things were being lined up for him.

At the launch of the Lavazzi calender in February where Blair- who like so many in the uncertain theatre world, doubled up as a maître d' for Stedman's Catering told us of his plans to start his own catering staff firm and of the 13 part TV food series -Lyndey & Blair's Taste of Greece, he had completed with his Mum . It is due to be screened on SBS TV this year.

We joked about how Lydney, the vivacious and hugely popular TV chef had been one of the few to tame Gordan Ramsey whenever he was in town and of how chefs Rick Stein and Jamie Oliver had sent messages of encouragement to both Blair and Lyndey wishing them success for their Greek food show.

Blair Milan is survived by his sister Lucy who is travelling back from London and his mother Lyndey Milan and father Nigel Milan.