Paul Wilson at Georges
January 1998
The bar for the cafe at the new Georges
Paul Wilson was getting very impatient just before Christmas. He is anxious to get his staff and the stoves fired up in the kitchens of the new Georges. But the builders went on holidays on December 19 and started back only yesterday.
Paul came to Melbourne three months ago to take up the position of Executive Chef in charge of The Brasserie, The Cafe and The Canteen. He was recruited by Martin Webb, Director of Food and Restaurants for the project. He had worked for Martin for five years in London as Executive Chef of Quaglino's upon which The Brasserie at Georges is modelled very closely. Martin designed the kitchens there but the process here in Melbourne has been much much easier. "Starting Quaglino's was horrendous," he told me. "I worked on that for 6 months and was beseiged by all of London." Here I've been on and off the job for the past 18 months which has allowed me time to get organised."
There's not only been time to organise at Georges but there's also a lot more space, particularly in the kitchens. The space allowed and the amount of equipment is a cook's dream.
As Paul explained, "the Quag's kitchen was very functional, not a cosmetic kitchen, it used to feed a 1000 people a day and it used to look the same in the morning as it did at night. It really took a hammering. Nothing broke down, it was a really good design. And Martin's done the same here. It looks a bit like a tank really. But it's hard wearing, built to last. There's been $2 million spent on the kitchen alone here."
The actual space is huge and long, it's certainly not a space where a few cooks can work in. It needs a minimum of 12 to work the sections with Paul, as executive chef, standing out front at the pass supervising all the trays (each able to carry four main courses and four side dishes) which the runners (the kitchen gophers) will take out to the waiters' stations. It's a very strictly controlled system. The orders are taken out in the dining room by one of the eight station waiters directly onto an electronic pad which prints out into the kitchen with copies going to all the chefs. then the food is cooked, checked by Paul and out it goes. "In London we were averaging about three tables every two minutes, it won't be as fast here, but it will be quick." It will certainly be organised, "the runners at the pass, all in a line like soldiers, it will be very regimented," explained Paul.
But he believes that the working environment in the Georges kitchens will be a lot less hostile than that in London. "No shouting or screaming. In London it was hostile, not because we were bullies but by its nature. We had half the space, twice the amount of staff and twice the volume of covers. But here we've got twice the space, much less staff (they'll be 16 as opposed to 85 in London), a hundred less covers, more equipment. We learnt a lot of lessons from doing Quaglino's."
The Brasserie will seat 250 people on a mixture of tables, black laminated rectangles along the central grey green banquettes opposite mushroom coloured chairs; then a row of large round tables which will be covered in white cloths; then along one side are a series of alcoves with banquette seating (covered in a brick red suede like cloth) each for four and on the other raised side will be two "salons privees) one for 40 which will also act as a wine cellar and do wine tastings and the other for 20. both of the salons may also be used as overflow for the main dining section if they are not booked privately. In the middle at the end of the room is the crustacea bar with a chef working there to open oysters, slice smoked salmon and assemble the platters of fruits de mer which are the Quaglino's trademark. Paul is still a bit anxious about how he is going to find the product for this. Since his arrival he has been travelling around the country trying to source produce but finds "It's hard to get much live seafood here, so I'm hoping perhaps to buy co-operatively interstate with some former London colleagues working at other restaurants in Melbourne".
After the builders hand over the keys on January 19, the chefs will move in and it's hoped that the Cafe and Canteen will be open before the end of January. First visitors may be The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival who will launch their program there on January 27. The Brasserie will not open until the department store is ready to go, at this stage scheduled for February 19 with a grand opening by the Premier.
The Canteen is in The Loft, on the top floor where a new glass ceiling has been put in. It overlooks Collins Street and will be open store hours only. There will be long communal eating tables with an Asian menu, average price $10. And it's here that the lucky staff of Georges will be able to eat, not in uniform, and at a discount price.
The Cafe is on the ground floor, right on Collins Street and will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days. Shoppers, sightseers and all the Melburnians keen to see what is going on will pour through here next month. Pity the waiters who will be carrying food up two flights of stairs from the kitchen below, then across the retail and restaurant foyer- a nightmare for traffic control.
Then, the vision splendid, which you might just be able to see through the crowds from Collins Street will be the elegant entrance to the Brasserie. The old stairs. which once led down to the menswear are now the place to stop and be seen from the Brasserie below with its clear seating lines, clever deep colours, classy pillars and eccentric alcoves. In fact the staricase is the only entrance, the lifts will not normally be used at Brasserie level (though there is a special disabled access). This sort of grand entrance is a constant element in the Conran design repertore style and features now in all of London's grand eateries. Prices will not be as grand as London's, Paul is "looking at an average spend for lunch of $25-30, at dinner about $50-65 and a prix fixe menu for pre-theatre for the theatres on Collins St. at $19.50 for 3 courses.
Whilst the chefs are keen to get to work, Melbourne can't wait either. The doors are closed and the blinds firmly down at the Georges entrance at the moment but whenever the door opens for even a moment, some passer by will be there anxiously looking to see what is going on. "Everyone in Melbourne seems to have a Georges story, and fond memories, we are lucky to be part of such an institution."
The full opening next month will certainly be a celebration for all of Melbourne, particularly for Collins Street.
Update 2000
Georges closed its doors in 2000. The ground floor is still to let in late 2001.
Mietta O'Donnell
This first appeared in the Herald Sun on 6th January, 1998.
©Mietta's 1998.