Mr Cedran says that Australians have adapted a lot of cuisines into their food. Though the aborigines have their own style of cooking, mainly vegetarian dishes, much of their cuisine has not been adopted into mainline restaurants. Some tandoori grills or dimsums, tempura are common on menus, with a great emphasis on sea food. Mr Cerdan flies in fresh sea food from Kochi three days a week to keep his variety large and fresh. ``Cooking is very technical. I try to focus on precision as much as possible,'' says Mr Cerdan, which is why he flew to Kochi as soon as he joined The Oberoi's to make sure the supply of his favourite seafood is good and in plenty.

The first dish that he served at the luncheon for foodies was a tandoori prawn, but with distinctly Australian marination. The prawns had been marinated and deep fried with a lot of masala, but was not chilly-hot. It was served with a yogurt chutney that had chopped tomatoes, cucumber, pineapple and kiwi. It was finished off with grated, deep fired spring onions. The prawns were served with Hardys, Nottage Hill Chardonnay, 1999 vintage.

The second course was a filet of barramundi (an Australian estuary fish) that was sesame crusted and served with a delicate corn sauce. It went with a red Lindeman's Cawarra Cabernet Shiraz.

The dessert was a mango mille-feuille (thin layers of pastry) served with a light pistachio cream and a mango sauce. The Australian festival has a fixed price of Rs 1,650 (taxes included) and you may choose any three courses from the menu. The wine has to bought by the bottle, for which you can consult Mr Philippe Saunier, the maitre D'hotel.

-Vidya Deshpande