It was a rather gargantuan challenge for Aussie Chef Harry Callinan to take on the task of cooking this year’s first gran diner amicals of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, the international Paris-based Gourmet club that devotes itself to the upliftment of cuisine and all matters of the table.

It was a major production to cook for new industries and seasoned members who seem to find a great portion of their lives seeking the pleasures of the table.

Right before dinner, a Piper Heidseck champagne and mojitos were served with a well chosen trio of three items for cocktails namely, some pulled kangaroo loin on toast with some wild bushberry confit and some baby potatoes with gratin of crab.

At the bar, a man was shucking some very fresh oysters that supposedly came from Palawan but were of some French breed.

The meat was sparkling, clean and fragrantly briny, smelling fresh and cucumber like. The flesh, as you pressed between the palate, was not milky at all and just worked well with the acidity of the champagne.

I would have opted just to stay and have the oysters (not even minding, the red wine migrionette, and the fresh salsa but just a drop of lemon on every oyster was enough to be cradled on a mermaids lap…) but we had to be called to the dining room for the induction.

Dinner started with an appetizer of Tartlet of pan fried Morten bay bug tails, artichokes puree, Arugula, and tomato tarragon dressing. The Morten bay bug had a lot of sweetness and the artichoke puree was a challenging pairing that would put red killing sweetness in many wines.

This was why the pairing had to be a Freixenet Cava Elyssia, a non vintage sparkling wine that was elegantly fruity with ripe apples with a custard nose and good acidity. This blend of Macabeo and Parillada grapes in a slightly oxidated style had some dried orange traces on the palate and wood spices.

Though the herbed short crust was just a way too large, the wine pulled the dish together uniting the acidity, the artichokes, arugula and crawfish.

A favorite wine for the night was the Astrolabe Voyage Pinot Gris 2008 which was paired with another wine killer that was cauliflower cream soup. Chef Harry served a cauliflower soup during the tasting spree because it was a hearty Aussie character rounded out by streaks of macadamia nut crumbs and pruffle.

This wine was chosen to pull off the pairing because like artichoke and broccolli, the cauliflower can render sweetness and the acidic Pinot Gris bursting with tropical fruit, good acidity with pineapple, caramel, jam and grassy aromas was softened by the soup while the acidity was controlled also by the dryness of the macadamia and roundness of the light truffle aroma.

The main course was a simple bone in veal chop that represented Marriott’s newest Steakhouse outlet. This grilled rib steak, sauced with wild mushrooms, was served with roughly mashed potatoes and an asparagus bundle wrapped with bacon.

A plummy, red with forward black fruit with lots of spice, pepper and new cedar from Montes Alpha called Carmenere 2007, was paired with the dish.

For the cheese plate, a curious melted cheese of gorgonzola, sandwiched between  two pieces of crisp lavosh bread and served with chopped grilled pear and Muscat jelly, was well partnered with a Michele Chiarlo Moscato d’ Asti Nivole 2008. A lusciously sweet but not cloying dessert wine that had a lot of fleshy stone fruit rolling on one’s palate just went well with the creamy, salty and rich character of the cheese.

Finally, during the ‘Australian part” of the dinner, we were served a Seppeltsfield Para Port which was partnered with Chocolate Pavlova, wild berries, passion fruit, and wattle seed cream. The wattle made into a meringue was spicy, a little woody, and mushroomy.

But I believed Moscato should have been continued with such luscious fresh strawberries, blackberries and blueberries on the dessert plate. And I did just that by requesting another glass with having the port that was redolent of toasted cashews and cooked fruit as my final drink instead of the Gran Marnier that was served.