- ‘Where I Eat’ is a series of stories profiling where Orange’s best chefs like to dine out. This is the sixth one ...
From owning a fine dining restaurant to pumping out brunch in one of the city’s busiest cafes, Scott Want has tasted success through a variety of venues in Orange.
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With high-end and casual cuisine both well within his realm, the head chef at Groundstone cafe said he looks for something he doesn’t cook when he dines out – which is what makes Mr Lim Korean and Chinese Diner a favourite.
“The cuisine is not something I’ve done a lot of and it gives me a little inspiration to try something different. It’s a nice little stepping stone to get your head around how Korean food is done,” he said.
Doing Korean food the way it was intended, the Want family order a variety of dishes to share when they sit down to Sunday lunch at Mr Lim’s every six weeks or so.
He said the steam pork buns, miso soup and Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) are all family favourites, which he’ll wash down with Tsingtao Beer, a Philip Shaw chardonnay or something from Heifer Station if it’s on the list.
“It’s always fresh and we like it because there’s bit of variety,” he said. “We all tuck in and have a laugh.”
The cuisine is not something I’ve done a lot of and it gives me a little inspiration to try something different. It’s a nice little stepping stone to get your head around how Korean food is done
- Scott Want
While early mornings are now his domain, before he took on the task of getting the Groundstone kitchen off the ground for Katie and Beau Baddock in 2016, Mr Want did his time working late nights in Orange doing dinner service.
Under the guidance of revered chef Michael Manners, Mr Want completed his apprenticeship in the kitchen which then belonged to Selkirk’s Restaurant, became Bistro Ceelo’s and is now part of Sweet Sour Salt.
After running Bistro Ceelo for several years with his wife Melanie Winters, Mr Want stepped out of the Anson Street restaurant role and got breakfast and lunch on the go at Groundstone, which has a reputation for consistently good grub and buying local as often as possible.
He said while there are parts of him which miss the fine dining aspect of his past positions, it’s a worthy trade off for leaving behind the late nights which came with the job.
“The hours weren’t super friendly,” he said. “Your busy time is everyone else’s good time.”
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