Ski hospitality veterans Paul and Teresa Cavagna of Mount Hotham’s Last Run Bar have this season been plating up a well-designed dining menu featuring a selection of modern-Australian and south-east Asian dishes crafted by the quietly impressive twin-chef team of Leigh Irish (Donovan’s, Rundles Alpine Lodge) and well-travelled Cobungra local Richie Adams who has been at the bar since 2001.
Essentials was delighted to drop in for a tasting at a venue that, while well supported by mountain locals, has flown very much under the radar in terms of outsider knowledge.
Paul and Teresa came to the mountain in 1983 so they are now into their 34th year at the top. They planned to stay ‘just one year at the snow’ but were soon hooked and began their alpine careers in lift ticketing and lift attendant services. In 1989 the pair took ownership of Hotham’s Fountain’s Booking Service, rebranding it SkiCom Mt Hotham, well before online bookings and the dot com boom arrived. Roads were unsealed, there was no mains power and many lodges used generators and gas lanterns and were heated by wood and oil fires or bottled gas. People brought their own linen and carried their own luggage to the lodges. There weren’t many soft options; it was a commitment just getting there.
‘Back then, people booked well in advance, sometimes in February for a ski holiday,’ says Teresa. ‘Guests booked by phoning us and asking if we could describe the lodge interiors and amenities. Payment was posted in by cheque or money order. Nobody paid via EFT, nobody owned a mobile phone and our weekly mail would often consist of over 150 payments. Only later did we install a fax machine – internet bookings came much, much later.’
In 1993 Paul and Teresa purchased Restaurant Ambrosius, the mountain’s only Austrian fondue and raclette cheese restaurant, but they soon renamed it The Last Run Bar, modernised the space and offered a family-friendly Modern Australian menu. This was a particular busy time with the booking service packaging all-in-one deals including accommodation, breakfast and dinner at Last Run Bar, lift ticket and daily lesson plus ski hire. These White Weeks, as they were known, became hugely successful mid-winter celebrations during the last week of July between 1995 and 1998. Essentials can imagine the scene: the oldies enjoying a crisp but sweet Brown Brothers Crouchen Riesling, or Smirnoff vodka mixer, while the kids snuggled in their lodges watching new releases Babe, Happy Gilmore or Titanic on VHS and old-school CRT TV sets.
Twenty years on, The Last Run retains its 90s warm interior appeal featuring polished alpine ash and spotted gum interior wall panels reflecting the mountain country scenery. The bar/restaurant features three distinct dining areas, including bar room tables, a more private dining room and a lower-level area featuring table-height to ceiling windows with a view. Here, from the first floor, diners enjoy 180-degree snowscapes between the lime-green and brown-streaked snowgum trunks. The gum canopies are dressed with drippings of fresh icicles and the snow on the ground turns a soft pinky-purple as the sun begins to set.
This is the right time to tuck into a hand-rolled duck spring roll with nauc cham dipping sauce. Tender shredded duck pieces with bean shoots, carrot, cabbage and coriander leaf fill these aromatic authentic spring rolls. The meat, braised in duck stock, is tender; the sweet and sour nauc cham’s subtle touch of chilli is refreshing and cleanses the palate. We pair this with The Stiletto 2014 Pinot Gris, an Adelaide Hills wine under the Riposte label of third-generation winemaker Tim Knappstein. It’s complex and spice-driven with notes of nashi pear and mango; the supple round palate with slight acidic lift and tropical aromas makes it a great match for the spring rolls.
Last Run Bar has a trick up its sleeve in the form of New Zealand scampi, prepared with a salt and pepper crust and served with a house-made garlic and lemon aioli. It is magnificent. Expertly cooked, the sweet flavour and tender, juicy flesh offers a decadence not often found in the alps. Paul Cavagna serves the crustaceans with a methode traditionelle Grant Burge NV sparkling pinot chardonnay that shows some aged characters including caramel and yeast/bready notes – surprising for a non-vintage wine.
The well-presented Angus eye fillet with fondant potato, black pudding and chimichurri butter and jus is an umami-bomb protein boost designed to replenish energy reserves after the exertions of skiing or snowboarding. The thick-cut steak is tender, as expected, but gains most of its flavour from the fresh fragrant herbs within the chimichurri verde. The combination of the sweetly-spiced black pudding, potato and jus makes this an extremely rich and filling choice. We recommend you match the steak with a silky-textured Mt Pilot Estate 2013 Cabernet. Together they’re a showcase of flavour designed to please.
The wine list at Last Run Bar, picking the best from down under, is a cracker. The Mt Pilot Estate is a good example of how small, family-owned boutique vineyard selections feature. Other selections include wines by Jim Barry (Clare Valley), Yering Station, Punt Road and Train Trak (all Yarra Valley), Vasse Felix (Margaret River) and North East Victorians Silent Range and Chrismont. On balance, the list represents the best-of-the-best in terms of wine quality to price-point. (Paul protests that he’s no wine expert but we feel his cellar is one to be proud of.)
The go-to dish has to be the red duck dumpling soup. The basis of this is a red Thai curry laksa containing a long list of fresh and dried spice ingredients including a wonderful punch of star anise. Last Run’s laksa adds hand-folded dumplings, crunchy water chestnuts, fresh bean shoots, kaffir lime leaves, fresh Vietnamese mint and shallots to that flavour and fragrance. Topped with tender slices of duck breast braised in a red Thai broth then seared to order, this dish excites both visually and in taste. Leigh and Richie have excelled here, showing a clear understanding of how to perfect south-east Asian tastes. We decided to pair this with a crisp Sapporo beer from Japan – a choice that we assume chef Leigh Irish agrees with as he chooses to work part of the year at Hotham and then switches season to the ski village of Nozawa Onsen, Japan.
Both Leigh and Richie are fans of travel and it’s apparent that food research is often high on the agenda. For this, the Last Run Bar can be truly thankful, as plate after plate of astonishing wow-factor options kept flying up from the downstairs kitchen, from the fish of the day, a deep fried sweet and sour whole snapper, to the honey and goat’s cheese cake with walnut crumble, vanilla and poached quince. Both represent ultra-hip culinary glamour with an edgy authenticity that matches the work of several Melbourne big-gun chefs.
A coconut marshmallow with poached rhubarb, pepita praline and mango pearls is a skilfully presented, light and refreshing dessert that finishes the night on a beautiful note. The rhubarb is delightfully sharp with fresh acidity and the gelified mango puree build on the tropical flavour and vibrant colour. In technique and appearance it’s a two-Michelin star dessert; it really is that good.
Situated within the Lawlers apartment complex just metres away from the day carpark in the heart of Hotham Central, Last Run Bar has hitherto escaped the notice of gourmet travellers and food reviewers. We are truly thankful for the tip-off that led us there.
Open for dinner 5.30-9pm Tuesday to Sunday
Tel 03 5759 3796
www.lastrunbar.com.au
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