Dom Gattermayr is in the business of making people feel at home – preferably with a great coffee, something delicious to eat and a beautiful room to sit in. As chef and co-owner of Melbourne favourites Florian and Juniper, plus homewares store Florian Home, he and business partner Rose Richards have created spaces that locals return to time and time again. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, as glass of wine or just an excuse to linger a little longer, their venues are known for simple seasonal food, thoughtful design and hospitality that never tries too hard.
10 ingredients you always have in your fridge…
Fennel, miso, butter, a hard cheese (parmesan, Comté, Manchego), milk, Kefi, Rough Rice hot sauce, parsley, wine, and a chicken or chicken bones for stock.
What is your most memorable dining experience? 
So many, but I recently went to an Omakase restaurant called Sushi Takezo in Footscray, Melbourne. It's a six-seat Japanese style Omakase where chef Takezo prepares and explains each of the dishes he makes before you eat them. It's a proper dining experience as over the course of a couple of hours you are constantly having to engage with small bites of new flavours, all handpicked by the chef for this moment.
What influenced your love of food?  
I grew up in cafes and restaurants. My Mum is a chef, and my Dad is front of house, so food and hospitality were the fabric of my upbringing. Travelling, eating and working have really cemented my love of food. It's the best way to get to know somewhere, something, someone.
Who is the best cook you know? 
Rosheen Kaul. I ate her food a lot when she was the head chef at Etta in Brunswick East and I now have both her cookbooks, which I cook from a lot. She knows how to make something you might already know more interesting, or a new take on a dish you'd not considered. I think they are really important books, and she is an incredible chef we are lucky to have in Melbourne.
Who is on your dream dinner party table?
Always friends and family, but I wouldn't mind sharing a meal with Olivia Laing, Rick Stein, Nigella Lawson and Tamar Adler.
Share the menu of your last supper… 
I've always thought it would be a really good roast chicken with all the trimmings. Stuffing, gravy, roasted potatoes, corn and well-dressed salad leaves. And a bottle of Gruner Veltliner.
What is your favourite vegetable? 
Celeriac. I love its imperfect look and then how versatile it is. It makes the best soups, crumbed and fried or in a remoulade.
Top five favourite places to dine?
Bar Olo/Scopri, Julie, Torisong, Zareh and Minamishima.
Dom Gattermayr's recipe for Butterflied Garfish with caper butter and a side of Puntarella alla Romana
I cooked this dish one Friday night at Florian, marking the start of the warmer weather last year. People loved it. I think for its simplicity but also, its zingy flavours that leave your palette refreshed and clean. It's easy to make and works with other fish – or chicory if puntarelle isn't available.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 4 garfish, butterflied
- 100g-150g butter
- 2 tbsp capers
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 8 anchovy fillets
- 1 lemon
- 75ml Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch of puntarelle
- parmesan
Method
- Butterfly your garfish, choosing to keep the heads on or off as you wish. Sometimes the garfish already come butterflied but if not use a small knife or scissors. Set aside while you make your dressing.
- For the dressing, combine two cloves of garlic and eight anchovy fillets in a mortar and pestle. Work this until it makes a paste and the garlic is a palatable size. Add in the juice of a lemon and 75ml extra virgin olive oil and continue to mix until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Prepare one bunch of puntarelle by stripping the leaves away from the core. There is a special piece of equipment that can shred the strands of puntarelle, but I just use a sharp knife and cut fine strands around 10-15cm long. Plunge them into a bowl of ice-cold water as you go, and over time the strands will curl up but remain crispy and fresh.
- Drain your puntarelle and add the dressing. I also add in shavings of parmesan, but this is optional. Leave to sit and absorb while you cook the fish.
- Get a pan hot on the stove and add in two knobs of butter. When melted add your capers and fry for a few seconds before adding your fish. The fish doesn't take long to cook so keep an eye on it and baste with butter from the pan onto the top of the fish to cook evenly. Once cooked finish it off with a squeeze of lemon and some salt and pepper.
- Serve with the caper butter from the pan and some salad on the side.
