Crystyl Mo horks down lots of Aussie beasties (plus roots, nuts, berries...)

I’m sorry, maybe it’s a mental thing, but to me it tastes… furry... like a large mouse. I had the large bouncing animal for the first time at Kakadu, Shanghai’s new Aussie restaurant, a few weeks ago. (Read my Dish column about it [here] (http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/shanghai/articles/mag-sh/dish/wonders-oz))

The kangaroo was part of a trio of appetizers (all of Aussie meats) which were the only challenging tastes for me in a stunningly delicious meal. I cannot fault Chef Paul Sing’s cooking—because I watched the adorable 22-year-old chef (he might be shy but he’s a charmer) myself in the kitchen as he expertly slapped the dark red “steaks” on the grill, turning them when they had lovely black marks, yet still had juices visibly rushing to the surface when he squeezed them with his tongs.

Paul told me he loves kangaroo because it’s "so tender"… well, to my taste it wasn’t tough but it wasn’t melty tender like a fatty beef ribeye either. It’s too gamey for me, but I think someone who does like gamey things, like wild duck, or strongly-“sheepy” lamb meat, would enjoy it.

As for the emu: it was more tender than the ‘roo but lacked a rich meaty flavor, (I guess it is a bird, after all, even if it’s the same height as I am…) it tasted a bit like a mix between poultry and beef.

Now, crocodile: this was my favorite out of this group of outback animals. It tastes like a hybrid of chicken and fish, there’s a lightness, a chewiness that goes very well with the citrus and fragrant lemon myrtle sauce that Paul coats it in. If I had to pick only amongst these Aussie beasts, I would choose crocodile.

But if I could pick anything on Paul’s wide-ranging menu, it would be the barramundi or the lamb chop. They may sound more tame, but lordy when he puts them together with all those desert spice goodies, they just sing out: come back and eat me again! (And that’s just what I did, I’ve already had the barramundi three times!)

Kakadu owner (and Paul’s uncle) James Sing told me that the Aussie drought has made indigenous species more affordable to raise. “We have no water, so all the animals that rely more heavily on water have now become more expensive. And animals that don’t need as much water like kangaroo are now cheaper than beef. At the same time, aboriginal food is becoming more popular.”

And if you are curious about just what aboriginal food really is, you’ve got to check out one of the major suppliers of Kakadu’s wild spices, herbs, roots and fruits, a rather wild guy himself named Vic Cherikoff who I researched online. Cherikoff has apparently been fervently promoting aboriginal ingredients for decades, he's often in the news (he’s even launched a line of sauces on US supermarket shelves recently), and has his own exuberant and humorous website where he preaches the gourmet gospel on the foods and flavors of wild Australia, and you can even order his spices and cookbooks there.

Check out my other recent blog entries:

Musings on Caesar salad options in Shanghai--where's your favorite Caesar fix?

My full interview with the CEO of China's biggest restaurant review website--the man himself reveals his favorite Shanghai restaurants!