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Brotherly trio shining a light on edible plants at their Beaconsfield restaurant O.My
IT HAS been said there are thousands of edible plants in the world but humans eat just a small fraction of them.
Bertoncello brothers Blayne, 25, Chayse, 21, and Tyson, 28, from O. My in Beaconsfield want to change that.
Their restaurant, the latest hot new destination for foodies, uses plants almost unheard of in Australia until just recently.
The brothers order seeds from all over the world and grow the plants in their six gardens.
Unusual offerings include warrigal greens, salt bush, ice plant and red sorrel and some would cost as much as $40 a punnet to buy in shops.
Fine dining is rarely associated with vegetarian dishes but the kitchen is dedicated to making vegetables shine so much so that Blayne, who lists his influences as René Redzepi (Noma) and Peter Gilmore (Quay), names the pumpkin pasta dish and the potato artichoke dish as two of his best creations.
“Our goal is to be 100 per cent sustainable.” Blayne Bertoncello.
“We use the whole pumpkin; the off cuts of pumpkin were used to make a pasta, we turned them into flour (by dehydrating them).
“We used the skin and we made an ash out of that, we made the seeds into a praline, we toasted them and made all kinds of different things.
“Fine dining has changed in terms of ... everyone’s trying to make the most out of what’s considered the cheaper cuts and the cheaper cuts are often better if you can use them in the right way.
“The other thing is, in terms of extenuating the vegetable and making it into its best form so there is more of a story behind it then it’s better than the (traditional fine dining fare) lobster … which is completely overrated.”
The brothers have picked up a number of awards, including most recently taking out the Hot Talent category of the Timeout Melbourne Food Awards, and a nomination for best new talent at the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards on August 19.
The idea to start a restaurant came about when Tyson and Blayne were having lunch with friends. Both chefs who learned in cafes in Berwick and Beaconsfield, they were sick of working to other people’s visions.
Seating just 30 people, diners get a lot of attention from staff and the room is decorated with some of the produce used in the menu as well as some of Tyson’s artwork.
“We can decide what we want to put on the plate rather than worry about what vision the owner wants.
“We put a plate upside down and had the food on the bottom because we thought it looked cool on the table,” he said.
Chayse, who is making his own wine from pinot noir and cab franc grapes (apparently it could taste like roast capsicum) said the brothers wanted everyone who came to O. My to be as comfortable there as they were at their local cafe.
“We are trying to make sure everyone’s really relaxed so they do not feel like they are in a stuffy restaurant,” he said.
“We want people to come out here and feel like they are in a friend’s house where they’ll have drinks and be fed all night.”
Details: omyrestaurant.com.au
Source: Berwick Leader, Megan Bailey, 20th August 2015
Originally published as: Brotherly trio shining a light on edible plants at their Beaconsfield restaurant O.My
