Mark Briggs

Mark's interest in local produce, seasonality and sustainability is the driving inspiration for his approach to food. The eponymous sardine becomes a hero ingredient in his hands.

'We're right on the water and that plays a big part in how we use our menu and think about what we do. When we first came to the area, we went to the fish buyer and said, “I want whatever you catch as long as it’s fresh”. And he said, “Nobody’s ever asked me that before.”’

'It's very cliched to say, "Use what's in season," but actually getting the produce when it's at its best – there's nothing better.'

While other chefs were interested in salmon, snapper or tuna, Mark was driven through his passion for sustainability to go in the opposite direction – to use the little fish that are so often overlooked. 'We sell 20, 30 kilos of sardines a week and that's so important to us to use those smaller, amazing fish. In Europe that's the staple.'

T

he story of Melbourne coffee walks alongside the history of the city. In the 1830s the temperance movement needed to attract patrons away from the pubs. Ornate ‘coffee palaces’ offered the hotel experience, sans  alcohol. Today’s Hotel Windsor served as the 400-room Grand Coffee Palace between 1886 and 1897. On the streets outside, coffee stalls began servicing the city’s on-the-move workers.

But our real caffeine kick came with the immigration boom of World War II. Craving a taste of home, Italians brought espresso coffee, and with it, a cafe culture of cosmopolitan cool. 

Mid-century, Melbourne coffee shops became the hangouts of bohemians, artists, musicians and free thinkers. This influential scene ensured our daily drop would forever come with a sense of pride and sit alongside our city’s renowned art, entertainment, creativity and style.

He decided to take his skills to Gippsland to create Sardine. 'We just wanted to do something different but bring all the years of knowledge, all the background, and celebrate the amazing produce in our style, which is something a little bit different.'

Again, it all comes back to the ingredients. 'I truly believe food should be honest and the ingredients should be celebrated […] If it's an amazing cauliflower, showcase it, make that the star.'

Learning of the local abundance offered by Gippsland's producers, he describes it as ‘a wow moment’. Farm fresh Forge Creek eggs, Mrs Beazer’s lemons, Raymond Island honey, smoked black garlic and beach herbs all play a role in the menu at Sardine.

'All these tiny little ingredients that play such a big part [in] our restaurant, and it's right on your doorstep. So we've sort of followed the produce to its home. It's life-changing.'

Mark talks about letting the ingredients tell their own story. 'I'm proud as a chef to be able to cook with these amazing ingredients and put [them] on a plate.'

'It's about celebrating the food that’s here. We're so lucky with the produce we have on our doorstep.'

The inspiration for the day's menu often comes with an early-morning call from Lakes Entrance fisherman Harry, letting Mark know what has been caught overnight.

'That first phone call at 5am, you know what you've got coming through the door. You know it's just been caught, you know it's fresh. That really sets you up. The brain starts ticking, you can't go back to sleep. You just want to get in the kitchen and use what you've caught that day.'

After Mark collects the fresh fish from the dock, it's on the trip back to the restaurant where the magic starts to happen.

'That's when you get to think about what you're going to do and how you're going to use this amazing ingredient. It might be mackerel; it might be Australian salmon. There's always something new, always something exciting […] That drive home, your mind is just racing: how can you celebrate this, what can you do [with the ingredients],' he explains.

In the late 1980s, when the pull of the suburbs threatened to turn the CBD into a nine-to-five corporate wasteland, urban activists led the city council and state government to reinvigorate the city and improve the walkability of Melbourne laneways. 

The impact was nothing short of transformative. Our laneways are a major draw today; visitors and locals are spoilt for places to meet, reconnect, breathe in the atmosphere, and drink coffee. The gentrification of the 1990s and early 2000s delivered the final pieces of the puzzle – disposable income and the time to spend weekend mornings at the right brunch spots with friends.