By Hollie Harris
“I love to eat! As far back as I remember when I was a child the first thing I asked mum was ‘what’s for dinner’.”
Chef Hugh McDonogh loves his job. He’s one of the very few who genuinely found his calling in life and if you’ve tasted some of his fare coming out of the kitchen at the Cooroy RSL lately, you would’ve tasted the ‘happy’ in his food.
Hugh has worked in over 60 professional kitchens throughout his career and although he thrives in the RSL’s fast paced environment, he takes a calm approach to everything.
Working throughout Australia, Canada, South Korea has honed Hugh’s craft and it all comes together on the plate.
His whole seared hot mustard roast bolar blade is cooked to perfection for five hours with star anise. Why rush things?
The Cooroy RSL is known for great value roasts of the day, but there’s so much more to it than that.
“We spend a lot of time and effort to ensure the roast is 100 per cent perfect every day, from seared mustard, beef blade slow cooked, to perfect pork crackling, it’s a process,” Hugh said.
Time and time again the kitchen turns out tender, juicy beef. Taking the time to cook each meal to perfection is an art-form in a busy kitchen. They seal the whole blade with salt and pepper on a hot grill until a dark sear is reached – the darker the better, chef says. Then into deep cooking tray with red wine, star anise, bay leaf, onion, celery. Then it’s slow cooked in stock and hot English mustard for five hours. After all that, the beef takes a well-earned two-hour rest before serving. No short-cuts here.
The RSL make what the community requests. Over time seasonal dishes come and go but they love change and frequently change the menu to suit the constantly evolving food scene.
Being winter now, the menu is geared to more hearty dishes, such as the 350g yearling beef schnitzel with homemade sourkraut and mushroom jus.
So what makes the Cooroy RSL home for veteran chef Hugh McDonogh?
“I love the fast-paced environment, making the customers happy and meeting all the good people.”