What’s For Lunch - Chef Matt Dillow of The Deck, Lovedale

11 March 2019

Name:

Matt Dillow

Winery:

Gartelmann Wines

What is your favourite part of being involved with the Lovedale Long Lunch?

I love the excitement of being able to successfully organise the execution of 4000 main meals and 3000 desserts but what makes it even more fun is that my family always come up to the Hunter and help out with the event. I love having them up here, they are extremely helpful just like the rest of my awesome staff.

What factors do you take into account when creating a menu for an audience of this size?

I do food that won't over cook easy, fast to serve, easy for customers to eat as they may be standing while eating and most of all, super tasty!

What dish are you most excited about this year and what was your inspiration when creating it?

I'm excited about the wood smoked salmon on arancini with tomato, fennel, olive and caper salsa; The salsa has everything I love in it, the salmon is so delicate and the arancini, well I love Italian cooking and I'm sure everyone with love my arancini, cooked to perfection.

If you could take credit for one great classic recipe, which would it be?

The other dish I am doing is Spanish pulled pork and I'm serving it on a chorizo white bean cassoulet. The chorizo white bean cassoulet has a curry style flavour but with the help of chipotle peppers, gives a nice hit of chilli. The cassoulet is the same one we serve for breakfast at The Deck Cafe with fetta and poached eggs and its one of our biggest sellers so that's probably one of my many favourite dishes.

Who in history would you most like to have prepared a meal for?

Captain Cook, I would cook him an Australia bush food inspired dish! 

Plug your restaurant! Tell us your opening times and what item on your menu you recommend for first time diners.

The Deck Cafe Lovedale is open 7 days for Breakfast and Lunch serving a very thoughtfully designed and extensive breakfast menu, great salads, fresh seafoods including house cured salmon which we use on our Eggs Benedict and most importantly - our hollandaise sauce is house made!! We pride ourselves on exceptional food, coffee and service, matched with Gartelmann's fantastic wines.