OLYMPIAN APPETITES AUSSIE ATTITUDE FREE FROM TRADITION, CHEFS DOWN UNDER HAVE FUSED WORLDWIDE INFLUENCES TO CREATE A FRESH CULINARY STYLE.

Byline: William Rice Chicago Tribune

SYDNEY - It's not unusual to be told a person has succeeded by being in the right place at the right time. But how often can this be said of a nation or, for that matter, a continent?

And yet, so it is with Australia when it comes to food and wine. Located many time zones from the constraints of Old World tradition, and having belatedly welcomed people, products and methods of food preparation from other Pacific nations, Australians now revel in flavors that have brought their country to the forefront in food and wine innovation.

Americans going to the Olympics (which start on Friday) will appreciate the innovation and freshness of Australian cooking.

Forget the cliches - steak on the barbecue, tank-sized cans of beer - or at least push them into the background. A recent visit to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and wine regions near these cities offered not so much a breath of fresh air as sniffs of stimulating spice blends and tastes of bold yet compatible flavor and texture combinations.

As in this country, Aussie restaurant chefs are in the spotlight. A generation of young chefs, many of them well traveled and trained in Europe, is cooking inventively with pristine indigenous ingredients and Asian seasonings to create food that truly stands apart.

``These days, an Australian chef is far more likely to look to Bangkok or Marrakesh for ideas than to Paris or London,'' writes Alan Saunders in a handsome, up-to-the-minute book called ``Australian Food: In Celebration of the New Australian Cuisine'' (Ten Speed Press paperback). And Sydney chef and restaurateur Neil Perry, a menu consultant for Quantas Airlines quoted in the book, adds, ``Our food came alive with the Asian overlay. You cook Western food differently once you have learnt Eastern food. You are never the same again.''

This is no fringe movement. About half the restaurants listed (169 by my count) in the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide 2000 are described as ``Modern Australian.''

And it is growing stronger.

Of whom is Christine Manfield thinking, in her stark, streamlined Sydney restaurant, Paramount, when she combines East and West, hot and cold in a great combination of highly spiced Peking duck, sensual scallop coins, asparagus, eggplant, peppery arugula and sherry vinaigrette?

What inspires Japanese-born Tetsuya Wakunda, Sydney's most celebrated chef, to combine kingfish with grapefruit and julienned shiso (Japanese basil) leaves, or barely cooked tuna with grated apple and sesame seeds at his restaurant, Tetsuya?

Why does Chris Jackman, a daring young chef who is trying to light the fire of new culinary concepts in reluctant Hobart, capital of Tasmania, offer a sea urchin shell filled with chopped eggplant, asparagus, egg, herbs and sea urchin roe on the same menu with tea-smoked quail with bok choy, noodles, quick-fried pork, soy and chili sauces?

These chefs and others are expressing themselves without restraint because no one in Australia is saying they shouldn't. Instead there is encouragement from chefs, critics and consumers.

The momentum is there, and it reaches the grass roots.

That's why ordinary folks crowd the stalls and shops of the weekly market in Hobart's Salamanca Square each Saturday.

Adelaide is the capital of South Australia, the center of the country's wine trade. Ten important vineyard regions, including the Barossa and Clare Valleys and Coonawarra, are nearby. The Universal Wine Bar, a spacious two-level room with an art deco feel, is mecca to the wine trade and perpetually abuzz with conversation.

Another popular dining choice is The Grange restaurant in the Hilton Adelaide Hotel. Consultant Cheong Liew, a chef credited with launching the fusion cooking movement in Australia, provides original creations (including his signature ``The Four Dances,'' a seafood and pasta creation with 21 elements), while executive chef Bethany Finn, the first woman to run a major hotel kitchen here, deals with the rest of the menu.

``I favor a fusion menu,'' she said, ``but I do not like to do fusion on a single plate. I prefer each dish be true to a single cuisine.''

Even in Melbourne, people are ``besotted with food and wine,'' said Sylvia Johnson. She is director of the 8-year-old Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, which drew 350,000 to more than 100 events last year. The city will host a brand-new National Wine Festival in November.

She whisks a visitor to the Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder in a Wicker Park-like area of town. It is the creation of Stephanie Alexander, who, for Australians, is Julia Child and Alice Waters in a single person. Here boutique food products, most notably superb cheeses aged on premise, show up on the menu, which includes old-fashioned macaroni cheese with ham, Provencal beef daube, a spicy chickpea and coriander soup, and a few ``sweet things.''

``We're slowly but surely developing a cheese culture,'' said Sophie Heath, who oversees the humidity-controlled cheese aging room. ``There are about 30 specialty cheesemakers now who are really dedicated to their work.''

At Ezard at Melbourne's Adelphi hotel, 32-year-old chef Teage Ezard dazzles a mixed audience of young and mature diners with such fusion creations as tangy Japanese oyster ``shooters'' bathed in mirin, tamari and wasabi, and sensuous creme brulee flavored with roasted Jerusalem artichoke and truffle oil.

``With my own place, I'm trying to make a separate statement,'' he told me. ``I intend to incorporate global spices into my food and not only do more vegetable dessert combinations but to create some dessert appetizers.''

Connecticut-born Kevin Donovan has fashioned an airy, charming restaurant from a 1928 bathers' pavilion beside the water in the hip suburb of St. Kilda. Called Donovan's, it specializes in seafood prepared with an Italian accent. ``I really believe I couldn't do this as well in the States,'' he said. ``The ingredients and wines are so good here and people are very supportive.''

Home cooks do not lack resources, either.

There are good markets in Sydney. Early risers can catch a great piece of theater by heading to the Sydney Fish Markets at 5 a.m. weekdays for the exciting, lightning-fast auction of fresh fish, a good many of which will be on airplanes within hours destined for Tokyo, Los Angeles, London and other gastronomic capitals.

Scattered about town are boutique food markets bearing the name ``Simon Johnson,'' which offer luxury foods at luxury prices.

Johnson also is involved in a remarkable super food fair in the GPO (former General Post Office) in the heart of the business section. Operatic in scale, boldly clothed in glass and stainless steel, it offers theatrical displays of vegetables, meats and fish, prepared foods, a steak restaurant and bars dedicated to sushi, wine, shellfish and coffee.

In sum, Sydney is a restaurant town. The sun shines brightly these days on young chefs such as Manfield, Luke Mangan (Salt), fusion guru Neil Perry (Rockpool and Wockpool) and exotic settings (MG Garage, the Bathers' Pavilion, bel mondo). On a simpler yet sensational plane are a pair of informal spots called Bill's that prepare remarkably airy, buttery, never-to-be-forgotten scrambled eggs as well as luscious ricotta hot cakes.

Mangan, a driven, no-nonsense chef who wears a plain apron free of signature or monogram and has cooked in England and Japan, says finding ingredients of the quality he demands is not difficult. ``If you have a passion for it, you can cook very well here,'' he says, ``but you have to have passion.''

There is, said Genevieve Harris, chef-owner of Nediz Tu restaurant in Adelaide, a ``relaxedness'' toward food and wine in Australia today, ``a willingness to support experimentation.''

LUKE MANGAN'S CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH TRUFFLE OIL

1 onion, finely sliced

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium cauliflower, core removed and cut into florets

2 cups milk

2 tablespoon half-and-half (light cream)

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1 tablespoon truffle oil

4 teaspoons freshly chopped chives 

In a heavy-bottomed pan, cook onion in butter over low heat, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, increase heat to medium and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add milk and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until cauliflower is soft, about 25 minutes.

Puree soup in a blender or food processor, then pour through a fine sieve. (Soup will have a thick puree texture.)

When ready to serve, heat soup with half-and-half in a clean saucepan. Season to taste with salt and pepper and spoon into 4 soup plates or bowls. Drizzle with truffle oil and sprinkle chives over the surface. Serve immediately with an Australian Riesling. Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from ``Australian Food,'' by Alan Saunders

TANDOORI LOBSTER SALAD WITH YOGURT-DILL DRESSING

1/2 pound lobster meat OR lobster tail, cooked

Juice of 1 lemon

1 to 2 tablespoons tandoori spice

1/2 cup plain (unsweetened) yogurt

Salt to taste

3 ounces baby mixed greens, washed

1/2 cucumber, peeled and julienned

1/2 tomato, seeded and diced

1/2 bunch fresh dill

Pepper to taste

Marinate lobster with 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice, tandoori spice, 1 teaspoon yogurt and salt to taste. Chill 1 hour.

Combine greens with cucumber and tomato. For dressing, mix remining yogurt, remaining lemon juice, dill and salt and pepper to taste. Toss greens and dressing. Place on serving plate.

Cut lobster into bite-sized pieces and place on top of salad greens. (OR place whole lobster tail on top of greens.) Garnish with chives and any fresh herbs as desired.

SEARED CALAMARI WITH GREENS, CHILI SALT AND LIME DRESSING

Adapted from a recipe by Teage Ezard of Ezard restaurant, who uses palm sugar, also known as jaggery, in the dressing. Look for it in Indian and Asian markets. Light brown sugar can be substituted.

1 tablespoon coarse sea salt OR kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon EACH dried red chili flakes, Chinese five-spice powder, onion powder and garlic powder

2 1/2 cups mixed baby greens (mesclun)

1 small bunch watercress 

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, stemmed and chopped

1 small cucumber, peeled and diced

1/2 medium red onion, quartered and finely sliced

3 tablespoons EACH lemon juice and lime juice

2 tablespoons jaggery OR light brown sugar

1/3 cup olive oil

2 pounds fresh squid (calamari) cleaned, tentacles removed, sliced into bite-size pieces and refrigerated

1 tablespoon peanut oil

Combine salt, chili flakes and five-spice, onion and garlic powders in small bowl; set aside. Combine mesclun, watercress, cilantro, mint, cucumber and red onion in large bowl.

Combine lemon and lime juices and jaggery sugar in small bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Pour over greens.

Add chili salt to squid; toss. Heat wok or large skillet over high heat; add peanut oil. Add squid to wok in batches; stir-fry until tender, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add to greens. Gently toss; serve while squid is warm. Makes 6 servings.

TEAGE EZARD'S JAPANESE-INSPIRED OYSTER SHOOTERS

1/2 cup sake (Japanese rice wine)

1 cup mirin (also Japanese rice wine)

1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi powder

1 1/2 tablespoons Japanese rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons light soy sauce (shoyu)

24 chilled oysters, freshly shucked preferred

Combine sake and mirin in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Use caution as you ignite mixture, either by tilting it toward the flame or using a long match, to burn off alcohol. When flames die, allow mixture to cool to room temperature.

Add wasabi, vinegar and soy sauce to mirin mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Decant mixture slowly to leave behind wasabi sediment.

Pour 1 tablespoon mixture into a 2-ounce shot glass or another small glass. Add a chilled oyster. Serve immediately. Slurp - do not sip. Repeat as needed. Makes 24.

An Aussie food glossary

--Balmain bug. A small lobsterlike crustacean, named for the Sydney neighborhood where trawlers used to dock.

--Barramundi. A sweet-flesh fish caught in the tropical waters of northern Australia.

--Billy. A metal can for boiling water over a campfire, hence ``billy tea.''

--Chook. Chicken.

--Chunder. What happens when chook upsets the stomach.

--Cut lunch. Sandwiches.

--Damper. Unleavened bread baked in ashes.

--Dead horse. Sauce, especially tomato sauce, as they call ketchup.

--Flat white. Coffee with cream - part of an extensive coffeehouse lingo worthy of Italy.

--Goog. Egg.

--Macadamia nuts. One of the few well-known foods indigenous to the continent. Not cultivated commercially until Hawaii got ahold of them.

--Pie floater. A meat pie served in a puddle of soggy peas -- the Varsity chili dog of Sydney. A specialty of Harry's Cafe de Wheels, a beloved food wagon on Woolloomooloo Bay.

--Prawn. Aussies never toss a shrimp on the barbie.

--Stubbie. Bottle of beer.

--Tinnie. Can of beer.

--Vegemite. Dark, salty yeast extract that Australians use as a spread like peanut butter. One jar, the old joke goes, can last generations.

--Witchetty grubs. Large white larvae that grow in the root systems of gum trees. Long eaten by Aborigines.

--Yabbies. Freshwater crawfish, larger than Louisiana crawfish.

- Jim Auchmutey

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Australian food on the Web

-- www.sbs.com.au/foodlovers

Diverse recipes from Autralia's top chefs.

-- www.kangaroo-industry.asn.au/recipes/recipeframe.htm.

Yes, they really do eat kangaroo in Australia. Visit the industries Web site to learn all about it.

-- www.bushtucker.com.au

-- www.arts.unimelb.edu.au/amu/ucr/student/1997/silva

-- homepages.go.com/[broken (vertical) bar]edutech/0005.html.

Aboriginal foods are coming into mainstream kitchens as chefs discover and incorporate the unique flavors into their menus. Visit any of these sites to get some ideas.

-- www.allrecipes.com/directory/744.asp

Classic Australian recipes and everyday fare, with descriptions and origins of each dish.

-- www.eatyabbies.com

-- www.aussiecatalog.com

Visit these sites to stock upon various Autralian food items, such as yabbies (a freshwater crawfish), barramundi (a tasty tropical fish), Vegemite, Tim Tam biscuits (cookies) and musk Lifesavers and a Vegemite cookbook.

- Betty Parham

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, map, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Tandoori Lobsters Salad with Yogurt-Dill Dressing (recipe at right)

(2 -- 3 -- color) ABOVE: ``Out food came alive with the Asian overlay,'' says Sydney chef and restaurateur Neil Perry. LEFT: Chef Luke Mangan at Salt in Sydney.

Knight Ridder-Tribune

(4 -- color) ABOVE: Teage Ezard's Japanese-Inspired Oyster Shooter floats in a broth of rice wine and wasabi.

Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune

(5 -- color) Seared Calamari with Greens, Chili Salt and Lime Dressing.

Bob Fila/Chicago Tribune

Box: (1) An Aussie food glossary (see text)

(2) Australian food on the Web (see text)

Map: Australia