Griffith NSW is flourishing with rich terrains and farmland surrounds, making it an ideal location for restaurants to utilise the region’s fresh produce in true farm to table style. Working closely with farmers and creating food that is extremely special is why Executive Chef Anthony Fullerton jumped at the opportunity to join the team at the Gem Hotel and open the now successful steakhouse Bull & Bell. While Anthony and his team of chefs are using techniques and sourcing produce like nowhere else in the region, we’re told Griffith is only getting better.

We sat down to speak with Anthony about the story behind how he came to live in the small country town from the busy streets of Brisbane, and how he has made Bull & Bell a success with locals and travellers alike.

What’s the best thing about living in Griffith?

The community and people, everyone’s very welcoming and like family. We all help each other and work together to flourish with our businesses. That’s the Griffith way. Ever since we opened, the locals have been really supportive, we’ve already got people who come in every week and have regular tables. I think the reason they’ve embraced us is because there is nothing else like this here and we’re giving them that busy city experience in a rural setting.

How did you get the opportunity to start Bull & Bell?

I’d been looking around for the right project for probably about four or five years. When I found out about the opportunity with Gem Hotel it was a Sunday, I rang up on a Monday, I was interviewed on a Tuesday, I was down here on a Friday and did a handshake deal on the Sunday. It all happened within a week, and it was all meant to be.

This project is really interesting because it gives me an opportunity to go back to some of my roots with cooking and working with farmers and produce. In the city, the whole concept of hospitality has changed, it’s all about return of investment, so the reason I took this job is because it’s about creating a product, creating a destination and creating something special.

The Riverina is known for its rich food produce, can you tell us about the work you do with your producers?

Before I came down, I did some research and approached some of the producers in the area, then in the first couple of weeks that I was here, I actually visited all the farms and had a look at their process and production work. We ended up having a massive list and had to cull items from the menu, but now that just means I still have ideas for new dishes that we can serve in the future.

We’re very lucky with some of the suppliers that we have, we try to get everything within a 300km radius and work with all the local producers in the region, and I think that’s why we have been so successful. I view this as a community restaurant, they support us, and we support them.

For example, we work with Margra Australian White Lamb and use all the main cuts for the restaurant and all the secondary cuts we make into salami and sausages. It’s same with Aquna Murray Cod, we’ve got whole fish on the menu, tortellini, a fillet and smoked cod on our breakfast menu. We use all parts of the fish, so nothing gets wasted.

We are true farm to table. There are a lot of restaurants out there that go on that “paddock to plate” trend, but they don’t follow through. Whereas we can honestly say, this is what we do. We can track all our food back and know exactly where it came from. It’s all sustainable farming practices.

Tell us about your dry aging process?

I think we probably do the best steak in Australia. We have a dry ageing room downstairs, we’re serving dry aged steaks that are 150 to 170 days old and it’s a big commitment to do that. There’s a lot of love that goes into getting that product on the plate, and it’s all about having only three or four ingredients and letting the food speak for itself.

What other products do you make in-house?

We do lots of different things. We make everything from fresh pasta, wagyu bresaola, salami, cured Murray cod and we also do all our own butchering. There’s a whole multitude of things going on in our kitchen.

Do you have a favourite food item on the menu?

That is a really hard one. My favourite at the moment is probably the Murray cod tortellini. Steak wise, it has to be our dry aged T-bone or Bistecca.

Is there anything that locals and travellers can look forward to from Bull & Bell in the future?

In addition to operating dinner service five days a week we’re now open for breakfast and lunch Thursday to Sunday We’re also looking at opening a retail store next door in the coming year, to sell some of our products and dry aged meats. Look out for menu developments in February and March as we continue to develop new menu dishes and work with more local producers.

 

Experience the culinary delights of Bull & Bell and a luxury stay at the Gem Hotel with a visit to the friendly town of Griffith https://gemhotel.com.au/