KEY POINTS:
Matt McConnell's star is on the rise in Melbourne. The young chef runs the stylishly casual Bar Lourinha with partners Jo Gamvros and Simon Benjamin.
Modern moreish morsels influenced by age-old European traditions create a winning combination that has allowed the younger brother of chef of the year Andrew McConnell to shine in his own right.
What do you like about your job?
Working with great produce and with a really tight team is awesome. Seeing a full bar of people sharing food, talking and laughing gives me a great sense of achievement.
What was the first thing you remember eating?
Probably sucking on mangoes as a young kid. We lived in Townsville and had our own tree. Mum and dad would sit us under the tree in our undies, give us a mango to suck on and then hose us down.
What was the first thing you cooked?
A crown roast of lamb. I had seen a photo of one in one of mum's many cook books. I was 11 or 12 at the time.
What is your all-time favourite meal?
My partner's heritage is half Greek and half Italian. I have always loved dinner on Christmas Eve at Jo's Italian Nona Lidia's house. It is a traditional meal of white food to symbolise purity. The highlight is her baccala with green olives, chickpea cakes, cauliflower with chilli and home-made gnochetti with anchovy oil. I also love that many traditions like these have been brought to Australia and are being kept alive.
What are your favourite eating spots in Melbourne?
Definitely Longrain for its convenient location close to Bar Lourinha, and for Marty Boetz's modern take on Thai curries and fragrant salads. Also Abla's for her delicious home style of Lebanese food that you can't stop eating and MoVida for Frank Camora's blend of modern and traditional Spanish food.
What is the best meal you've eaten overseas?
It would have to be the humble dining room in the town of Murcia in the south of Spain. Two generations of men serving generous portions of quality market seafood, are a comic routine beyond belief. The plate of live clams sitting on the bar counter wave their tongues around before being placed into a pan of sizzling garlic and white wine.
What do you eat at home (and who cooks it)?
If the weather is right it's normally home-made sausages and some pork ribs on the barbecue. If it's cold then Jo's divine Greek chicken soup with egg and lemon is unbeatable for keeping the cold at bay.
What is your idea of the perfect meal and why?
The perfect meal is when everything fits perfectly. The company, food, good wine and a memory that you will cherish.
What do you want people to say about your cooking?
Just "Yum". I hope that people can walk away having eaten and drunk well and feel it's comfortable to call their local. What's your next aim? I like the idea of one day having a summer beachside seafood grill in the Greek islands, with a few rooms and a cooking school. It's only a dream but one day - you never know.
