Where I Ate Last with Tony Astle: Gion

This week, Tony Astle ate at Gion. 

Named after an ancient district in Kyoto, Gion Japanese Restaurant gives an ambience of the old Japan. Chef Akira Kugue describes his food as simple, heart-warming, and traditional, and his goal is to bring the original taste and visual experience of Kyoto to his customers. 

Tony sampled the Gyu Tataki, the Sashimi, the Chawan Mushi, and the Vegetable and Prawn Tempura, all of which he gives four ticks, and three ticks for the Yusu Rice Cake. 

The Gyu Tataki.

LISTEN ABOVE 

 

Recipe of the Week: Coq au Vin

Tony is serving up a recipe for Coq au Vin, a delicious French chicken stew.

 

Ingredients: 

6 chicken drumsticks  

6 bone in chicken thighs 

200 g thick bacon or smoked ham, cubed  

12 pickling onions 

12 button mushrooms  

1 large onion finely diced 

1 medium carrot grated  

3 cloves garlic, crushed 

3 fresh thyme sprigs (or 2 tsp dried)  

4 bay leaves 

75 g butter  

60 g flour 

300ml chicken stock, heated  

375 ml red wine 

3 Tbsp tomato paste  

salt and fresh ground pepper  

 

Method: 

 

1.Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saute pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. 

2.Brown the seasoned chicken on all sides. Remove and place in a large casserole dish. Set aside, 

3.In the saute pan, add the onions, bacon or ham, and brown evenly. Add to the chicken in the casserole. 

4.In the saute pan, brown the mushrooms, then add them to the casserole dish. 

5.Add 25g butter to the saute pan, melt, then add the chopped onion and grated carrot. 

6.Cook that mixture for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Then, add the flour. 

7.Whisk in the heated chicken stock, then the red wine, garlic, tomato paste, bay leaves and thyme. 

8.Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. If the sauce mixture is too thick, add more stock and/or red wine. Add to the ingredients in the casserole dish. 

9.Cover and cook in a preheated 170 deg C oven for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. 

10.Skim off any fat or impurities rising to the surface. 

 

Note: 

This dish is best cooked the day before you need it. This allows the flavours to develop. Simply, reheat when needed. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Finding the hidden gyms at the hospitality scene where I
ate last with Tony Astell on Kerry Woodham Mornings.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Tony Astell, good morning, hello stranger.

Speaker 1 (00:10):
How are you nice to see you again? Tell me
where have you been eating?

Speaker 2 (00:14):
I've been eating at quite a lot of places. It's
starting to look like a little little tubet.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
You might have to just add a little walk into
the day.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
I'd better start walking here. Quite a good idea, you think.
There we go?

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Hey, tell me about Geon Restaurant.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
And paral Gion's. Actually it's one of my favorite Japanese restaurants,
and it's the chef has been he's the owner, and
then his wife actually works in the front as well,
so it's actually very family. But it's the food there.
I mean, you don't ever seen many people reviewing it
that I've been because Antoine was down the road a
little bit more up the road further and we I

(00:50):
used to go there for lunch a lot because I
have a reasonable price to lunch and so anyway, so
I decided to go and have a look. Because I've
been to so many Japanese restaurants, but I still think
this one is probably one of the better ones. In Auckland,
and some of the others get huge raves, but I
just find this one that look at so fresh and
it's everything that I love because I love raw stuff anyway.

(01:12):
But the fish was so fresh, it was unbelievable. And
I got five different fishes, if you know, if that's
what you say, I mean three, So I had the
sashimi and I sort of just added a few few
more to it, as you do, and it was I mean,
the tuna was beautiful. The the I've actually written done
what I had all these. We had trevali, we had tuna.

(01:34):
We had John Dorri, teri ki and hamachi and that's
that's called Japanese amber jack. But you just there was
no smell to it. It was just it was just unbelievable.
And of course the beef to taki, which is surloins
and it's just said on the outside and then it's
totally raw, because I mean, my little feet were going

(01:54):
under the table like I just love all that sort
of stuff. And then they came and said, oh, they
all call me mister mister Antoine or whatever it is.
But and then they said, oh what about your chawan mushi?
You a oh god, got to have that too, So
and that's actually steamed egg custard and it's got chicken
and prawn, but it.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
Was just steamed egg custard, so it's.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Like it's a savory, yes, and it just it just
wobbles's almost like a pannicotta, but it's warm. It was unbelievable,
I mean, and it's an art to actually get it
so it doesn't split because it's got sow and it's
got mirror and you've just got to get to that
right custard otherwise it breaks up and it's horrible. And
that's and I'd forgotten that's that's got my name all

(02:37):
over it. So of course they said, oh you've got
to Oh, okay, we'll have that, and then I had
another five dishes, of course, as you do.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
I just think it's so delightful now that everyone's going
to know that when you come to the restaurant, they're
going to be looking under the table, see if the
little feet your feet are going.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
If you excite way, my wife used to say, God sake,
put the weight on your feet. For God. I just
go and if I get excited, they go talk to
I just can't help myself so it's so they know
if my feta going there, they keep doing a good
job exactly. The actually if they're stable and not moving
books today, to go give me something.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Else, exactly, tell me what else did you try?

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Well? And because I then had the vegetable and prawn
to I wanted the vegetable because they're the tempora is
just so light and it's as if you've just got
lace on the outside, but crunchy. It's not a better yes, yes,
And the vegetables were just so fresh. I mean the
pump that had pumpkin, they had kumra, they had carrot,
which was you sort of think, well, and the aubergine

(03:35):
was amazing. No, the whole thing it was just crunch
And then I thought, on I'm in a bit of
a player, I have to have the proms as well,
so I had a couple of those on that It
was just like eating lace, but crunchy lace. It was
absolutely beautiful. I mean, I've got to give I've just
got to give them four ticks and nearly every damn
thing that I had, which is you know, four texs

(03:56):
five's the top. But this is so consistent and it's
and the place quite interestingly enough, though, which shows you
how many people are in New Zealand now that you
know are foreign Kiwis. There's only two of us that
were I know what you know, Kiwi Kiwi's if you
know what I mean. But the rest of them, tell
you what. When you walk into a restaurant and their

(04:17):
own people are there, you know, it's good, you know,
and it's just one of those things. But I looked
in the kitchen. They work like Trojans. It's unbelievable. Plus
the staff, you know, and of course this is being
very sexist. I was so thrilled only to have women
serving me. It was actually quite amazing, and they were
just so good, and they knew exactly what you wanted.
And I must admit they noticed that I quite like psaki,

(04:39):
and I noticed that kept getting topped up, so I
waddled out of there, I to assure you, And it
was not a good looker.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
It's interesting that you just talk about the freshness of
the food, and I wonder if we underestimate helpot that
is to a great meal, it is as opposed to
a good meal.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
I mean, when you eat fish, there's nothing worse if
you can smell it. Before you eat it. I just
you know, it just doesn't work. But in the Japanese restaurant,
if they don't have fresh fish, you're just it's a
it's a disaster, you know. But I even see that.
I saw the table next to me had a snap
ahead and the eye was glistening, So I mean, you
know it's fresh. You know it's but they're very very

(05:19):
it's very important for Japanese people to have fresh food.
I mean when I go to Japan, I mean it's
it's crawling around almost when you're eating it.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
So it sounds like this. This food got a consistent
four ticks across the board, which is pretty impressive. And
you've got a recipe for us, which we will put
on our website so you'll be able to access that
at Newstalk, ZB, dot co, dot and Z. But maybe
just very briefly tell us a little bit about the
recipe you've chosen for us today.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
Well, it's a very old fashioned French recipe and it's
cock of art. So but while I'm going to try
and tell everybody, go and look at the recipe, and
please don't say haven't given the recipe, because the whole
damn thing is on there. Yes, go and look at
the right place. However, I've only used drumsticks and fire.
I don't use the breast because that can be too
dry in because it's a long slow cook. And follow

(06:05):
the recipe because it's worth doing it and me with
the lardons and everything. It's just and make it a
couple of days before because when it's reheated it's just
so much better.

Speaker 1 (06:14):
Tony Astell, lovely to see you. Thank you very much
for popping in. That was weird. I ate last with
Tony Astell Gigon Restaurant, Parnal Road and Auckland