I reach Millstone, a delightful patisserie in Malvern, Melbourne on a Sunday morning. Sunshine streams in through large windows and the place buzzes with activity, as the young staff prepare for the day ahead. Just as the sweet aroma of freshly baked croissants, cupcakes and tarts wafts in, celebrity chef Matt Preston enters with a beaming smile. He is clad casually in a deep blue shirt teamed with a mustard brown vest and a pink scarf; the flamboyant colours echo his warm personality. One can’t help but like him instantly.Millstone is one of the best places for breakfast, according to Matt. He introduces me to Alice Wright, the owner and creator of the artisanal cakes and pastries. Trained in Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, her work reflects in each of the displays. Matt helps choose the menu as we sit down for a leisurely breakfast: house-made macadamia; a colourful plate of cranberry and pistachio granola, which comes with vanilla bean natural yoghurt, julienne apple, strawberry and edible flowers; cauliflower fritters served with beetroot leaves and pumpkin seed dukkah; a toasted brioche roll with fried egg, crispy bacon, chipotle mayonnaise and baby spinach; smashed avocado, served with breakfast radish, Meredith goat’s cheese, toasted maple, chilli, sunflower and pepita seeds; and finally, the showstoppers: croissants and jam doughnuts. Can a master chef’s choice go wrong? We dig into the spread with gusto. “People here are loyal to their eating places. That’s why you won’t find Starbucks here. Melbournians love their own coffee.
Celebrity chef Matt Preston chats with VIJAYA PRATAP on his culinary travels and his love for Indian food over an elaborate breakfast
Suppose there are nine cafes, people prefer some places for coffee, some for breakfast, etc.,” he says fondly, looking around.
Matt, who has just returned from a trip spanning four continents, talks about his travels. “You can still enjoy traditional food in India, Italy and Turkey — wherever the grandmother plays a major role in the family scene. The maximum experimentation in food, however, is happening in Spain.”
When he talks about India, he discusses what he likes, what he’s learnt and what he finds most challenging to make. He makes rotis not by patting the dough with his hands, but instead, with a rolling pin. He says he learnt Moghlai cuisine from Hyderabad’s Mumtaz Pasha Khan and recipes like butter chicken, saag-paneer and smoking fish from Sanjeev Kapoor. He rues that he couldn’t carry back the flat stone used to make Pathar ka gosht, gifted to him by Taj Krishna’s head chef, because it was too heavy. But he brightly adds that when he came back from India, he made khus-khus cauliflower for his family.
“I love to cook and love to eat if it’s good. Sometimes I cook for my kids; though they love their mother’s food, they also enjoy my risotto, pizza and my favourite reshmi kebab.” With many Indian dishes figuring in his ‘favourites’ list, I realise he is really fond of Indian food.The biggest challenge, he says, is making the ginger-garlic paste. “I don’t undertake anything that takes too long to make. I like minimum labour-maximum flavour. I never tried making biryani, but I use a lot of Indian spices like kalonji, coriander seeds, cardamom, cloves, that magical spice called nutmeg and yoghurt in some of my cooking. I am impressed with the concept of tempering that lends a final touch to any dish. I like chutneys, Mangalorean and Kerala cuisines. I love paani puri, qubani ka meetha and, while in Mumbai, the pomfret,” he smiles.
After a hearty breakfast and two coffees, both recommended by Matt (he says coffee is like a drug in Melbourne), we set out in his car, to Malvern Primary School, where he is to judge a cupcake competition.
An internationally famous master chef to judge juvenile culinary talents? He laughs heartily. His children study in that school, so he has consented to be a judge there. Matt warmly greets everyone, obliges mothers with selfies and poses with kids. I marvel at his childlike enthusiasm and simplicity. He stops at a stall, buys his preferred “red capsicum relish” and presents it to me to take back home. Along with it, I carry home fond memories of my breakfast meeting with one of the topmost rock stars in culinary show biz — a man with a warm smile and a warmer heart.
Keywords: Matt Preston, chef, Masterchef Australia
Vijaya Pratap is a freelance journalist and a documentary filmmaker, based in Hyderabad. She specialises in the study of art, culture and wildlife.
Meet the Author – Vijayapratap
