LEANNE CLANCEY

In June 2015 I flew to LA and met with chef Curtis Stone and a handful of other notable Aussies doing good things in the LA food world. 

Photographer Peter Tarasiuk and I dined at Stone's Beverly Hills restaurant, Maude and swiftly set aside all preconceptions we had about the guy. He was a thorough gentleman and the food was incredible. And yes ladies, he's a total dreamboat too.

The feature appeared in The Age Epicure in June 2015.

Read full article here.

Image: Peter Tarasiuk.

So this was a highlight! My travel feature on the best of eating and drinking in Melbourne appeared in the September 2018 issue of National Geographic Traveller Food (UK).

Read full article here.

Image: Nat Geo Traveller.

Gotta say it was a massive career buzz to score an interview with one of my favourite TV chefs, Anthony Bourdain recently. We've met a few times in the past (heck, I've even lunched with the guy) but getting one-on-one time with him for an interview was something else altogether.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON BROADSHEET

In March 2014, world renowned UK chef Heston Blumenthal announced plans to close his flagship restaurant The Fat Duck in Bray, England and relocate it to Melbourne for six months.

In September 2014,  Heston returned to Melbourne, and once again I was invited to sit down with the superstar chef for an exclusive one-on-one interview for Broadsheet.

Read full interview here.

Images: Eugene Hyland.

I’ve been an avid fan and reader of Monocle magazine since, well.. forever. So when their books editor reached out to me in late 2017 to ask if I might be up for the role of Food and Drinks Editor for their upcoming travel guide to Melbourne there was only one answer: “Hell yes.”

The process meant narrowing down a digestible selection of the city’s favourites – from cafes and brunch spots to wine bars, restaurants and beloved institutions. The resulting food and drink chapter is something that makes me very proud – both to be a part of this city and for the opportunity it gave me to showcase the magic of Melbourne’s hospitality scene to an international audience.

Purchase here.

Image: Monocle.

I visited Danny Bowien's Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco on the job a couple of years back and was blown away by the no-rules inventiveness of his approach to cooking - full of aggressive, fun, flavour explosions. The skanky/punky DIY feel of the place also held plenty of appeal (they were belting out The Cramps in the dining room for chrissakes).

Naturally, I jumped at the chance to interview Danny ahead of his 2016 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival appearance (with Lucky Peach's Chris Ying). The feature appeared on Broadsheet. 

Read full article here.

I recently had the great pleasure of realising a dream when I spent a day at Tamsin's Table, a self-sufficient farm, creative retreat and foodie's paradise located in the lush green hills of west Gippsland.

Every weekend, owner Tamsin Carvan opens the doors of her beautiful hilltop farmhouse to a handful of visitors who come for a range of hands-on workshops and seasonal lunches. I wrote about my day at Tamsin's Table for Australian Traveller magazine.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE.

Depending on the time of year you might spend the day baking bread, learning the art of floral arrangement, bottling the summer harvest, or just enjoying a languid lunch at Tamsin’s shared table (cooked by Tamsin with produce straight from her garden).

In 2014 I spent a month discovering some of California's best Asian food neighbourhoods for SBS Feast magazine. On what was an epic and unforgettable road-trip, photographer Peter Tarasiuk and I covered LA's Koreatown, San Francisco's Chinatown, and the super friendly Little Manila in San Diego. 

The feature appeared in the February 2015 issue of SBS Feast magazine.

Read full article here.

Images: Peter Tarasiuk. 

In March 2015 I discovered the music of young Texan singer songwriter, Leon Bridges and like a lot of people I totally fell in love with his whole vibe. In October 2015 I got to interview Leon over the phone on the Dallas leg of his sold out US tour.

Since that time, the Fort Worth native has been nominated for a Grammy, appeared on SNL and played his first (sold-out) tour of Australia. The guy is hugely talented and on the cusp of being a massive star, yet he still has the nicest manners of probably any star I've met on the job. He's a bit of a charmer too.

My interview with Leon Bridges appeared on Broadsheet in December 2015. 

Read full article here.

Images: Rambo. 

Sometimes in my job I really have to pinch myself. Sure, I get meet lots of cool people and go to  lots of cool places, but sometimes you just stop and say "Wow. this is ridiculous". A recent trip to a private island off the coast of southern Tasmania was one such experience.

I visited Satellite Island for Broadsheet, thanks to Tourism Tasmania. 

FULL STORY HERE.

IMAGES: Peter Tarasiuk

In 2013 I was commissioned by UK publisher Herb Lester Associates to curate and write a bespoke pocket guide to the best of Melbourne's bars, coffee and dining. The project combined my words and recommendations with the very handsome design work of talented US designer, Ross Bruggink.

The guide, An Appetite for Melbourne was released in February 2014 and is now for sale online and in bookshops worldwide.

Want to buy a copy? Click here to visit Herb Lester's online store.

As a child, I was obsessed with riding horses and would beg my dad to drive me out to Johnny Lee's pony farm in Bushfield (not far from where I grew up in Warrnambool) every chance I got. Dad had a connection with horses too, so I think he was happy to let me go.

When my editor at Australian Traveller emailed to ask if I was into horses, I was like "Are you kidding me??". A few weeks later, I gathered up my trusty photographer pal, Pete Tarasiuk and we hit the road for a 3-day adventure up to the Victorian High Country.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Touring Australia in late 2015 to promote his new book The Nordic Cook Book (Phaidon Press), Swedish uber chef, Magnus Nilsson sat down with me to talk through his process for approaching the hefty, 1000+ page tome. Along the way I learnt that there’s way more to Nordic cuisine than fermented shark, NOMA and IKEA meatballs.

Read full article here.

Image: Phaidon Press

Known for their quirkiness, QT Hotels seem befitting of a city like Sydney (where you’ll find the flagship), but I wasn’t convinced that their cheeky, OTT brashness would translate here in Melbourne.

So when the new QT Melbourne hotel opened in September, I went and checked out for Australian Traveller magazine to find out once and for all.

READ FULL STORY HERE.

In February 2015 I visited newcomer, Minamishima in Richmond and was duly blown away by the entire experience. Sure, there are plenty of cheaper places to eat Japanese food in Melbourne, but the opportunity to experience sushi at this level (without an airfare) is another thing altogether. And it’s not just the sushi; it’s the humble devotion to an age-old art. It’s the attention to detail, evident at every turn. This is where the magic happens.

Read full article here.

Image: Peter Tarasiuk.