Victoria Lennard is the head pastry chef at renowned fine diner Restaurant Botanic. Part of her job is keeping her finger on the pulse of all things sweet – in the name of research.
Lennard joined the Restaurant Botanic team after a stint as head pastry chef at Melbourne’s Attica and Sydney’s Restaurant Martin Benn. Before that she staged at Michelin-starred restaurants Quintonil in Mexico City and Glasgow’s Cail Bruich.
We asked Lennard where her go-to date night and hangover spots are, as well as which international restaurant is one she can’t wait to visit.
Ideal place for a date?
Latteria. You can bet I’ll be having the pink pavlova with sherbet and Chantilly, which is a cute little number to share on a date.
What’s your bucket list restaurant around the world?
There are too many! As a pastry chef, I would love to go to Pléntitude in Paris to experience Maxime Frédéric’s desserts. I am heading over in May, so I am very excited.
If you’re after something sweet, where are you heading and what are you getting?
I am at Saudade too many times a week – more than I’d like to admit. (I’m actually here right now as I write this, eating one of their Portuguese tarts and watching them fill the pastry with custard as I sip my coffee.) Carla the owner is originally from Portugal and she has shipped ovens to Australia especially for the tarts. She started baking at home, she does one thing and she does it well. I’m always thinking about them. My tip? Opt in for the cinnamon.
Is there a hidden gem you think is great?
I don’t know if it’s hidden but Prove Patisserie is definitely a gem. I have a big appreciation for the dough lamination there as I used to work in a patisserie!
What’s your favourite dish to cook at Restaurant Botanic and why?
There are a few dishes I love to make. Roasted paperbark ice-cream with fermented honey and strawberry gum eucalyptus from the northern tablelands of NSW is one. Paperbark is one of my favourite ingredients and the smell is nostalgic; when I return from travelling, burnt paperbark reminds me I’m home!
The second is the desert lime sorbet with lemon geranium buttermilk. I really enjoy the plating, it feels very feminine and showcases the garden surrounding the restaurant. Lastly, the little Kakadu plum pâté de fruit. It’s more of a savoury take on the classic sweet, dressed with gulbanyi tea sherbet from the Northern Territory and black tyrant ants from NSW. I’m a little obsessed with the sherbet.
What, if anything, do you cook at home for a late-night meal?
After service I always crave something comforting, so I like to make a noodle soup. I lived in China for seven months and I have a thing for Chinese cuisine. I always have some stock I’ve made that I can prepare with lots of aromatics like poached chicken and noodles. It’s a nice little slow moment in the early morning.
What’s your go-to hangover meal?
A croque monsieur all the way! Accompanied with any dessert that includes chocolate. (I’ve gotta have my daily fix.)
What’s a local producer or supplier that you can’t stop thinking about?
Andrew Fielke at Creative Native is a pioneer for native foods. We had the opportunity to visit him recently and heard a few stories of his time travelling around Australia.
