In The Press this month, we’re delighted to feature Brisbane chef, Ryan Carlson from The French Exit. We loved chatting with Ryan and learning his recipe for Barbajuans, served throughout the French Riviera. Ryan has worked for many years now with the Any Day restaurant group. He was head chef at the group’s, Agnes restaurant and has now moved over to helm their recently opened venue - The French Exit. Ryan’s cooking is shaped by an apprenticeship in Melbourne, two formative years at St John in London, and a deep respect for whole-animal cookery.
At The French Exit, that philosophy shines in dishes like his Tête De Cochon Croustillan - a textural celebration of pig’s head - and in his Barbajuans, filled with braised greens and Mount Zero olives. A long-time devotee of Mount Zero’s Frantoio olive oil, Ryan goes through 15 litres a week in the restaurant, and keeps a bottle close at home, too.
Q: Could you describe your cooking style in three words?
A: Thoughtful, grounded, restrained.
Q: Where was the last place you dined out and what did you order?
A: I’ve just returned from a few days in the Adelaide Hills helping some wine-maker friends; we dined at Thelma for Sunday lunch and ordered basically the whole menu. Tom Campbell is one of the most talented chefs in the country right now in my opinion, I try to go every year, and it keeps getting better and better.
Q: If you owned a restaurant that cooked only one dish, what would it be?
A: Sandwiches. I feel like “sandwich” is such a loose term so you could really get away with anything. That, and honestly, I love sandwiches.
Q: What ingredient could you not live without?
A: Pork. I love cooking and eating pork and have for years. Such a versatile beast - roasted racks, heads picked down into fromage de tête, trotters used to give an unctuous body to sauces.
Q: What do you think is the most underrated ingredient in a kitchen?
A: Animal fats. At The French Exit we do our best to reserve any fats from our butchery and render them down to use in other areas. Sweating shallots and garlic down for a sauce au poivre using beef fat just makes sense to me and really reinforces the relationship between the sauce and the protein.
Q: What’s your favourite dish on the menu currently?
A: It would have to be the Tête De Cochon Croustillante. It’s a kind of cromesquis of whole brined pig’s heads whipped with plenty of sage and mustard, breaded and fried with sauce gribiche. The textural journey of a pig’s head is something so special to me and it hits all the right notes, it’s one of our best sellers for a reason.
Q: Tell us about the recipe you’ve chosen to share for us.
A: The natural choice for me is our Barbajuans, basically southern France’s ode to a gnoccho frito. We make a simple olive oil pastry and roll it thin, filling it with braised greens and chopped Mt Zero olives, before frying and serving with Jambon de noix. The filling itself is so versatile so if you don’t have a pasta roller at home you can serve it with roast chicken and it absolutely hits.
Q: What is your favourite Mount Zero product/s?
A: It has to be the Frantoio olive oil, we go through upwards of 15 litres a week at the restaurant and I always have a bottle at home. It’s been a constant in almost all the kitchens I’ve worked in in Australia, throughout my career.
Q: What do you cook when you’re exhausted after a big shift?
A: Ramen noodles with a soft-boiled egg, a few greens and plenty of spring onion. So simple and filling, I’m unashamedly a sucker for instant ramen.
Q: Who's your biggest culinary influence?
A: I’ve been extremely lucky to have some incredible mentors throughout my career, starting with Tom Sarafian back in 2015 when I was an apprentice in Melbourne. Tom’s intense passion and romanticism for cooking was infectious and that mindset has stuck with me to this day. Tom was also kind enough to set up a two-week stage for me at Fergus Henderson’s St John in London, where I ended up staying for two years and finished my tenure as sous chef.
Q: How do you and the team prepare before service, eg, do you play music, talk much, keep things quiet?
A: We try to keep the mood as light as possible, while still keeping things professional. We hold a team briefing before every service to ensure everyone stays aligned and in the loop. The team at The French Exit is pretty close-knit with the same common goal: to cook good food for good people with good friends.
