By Leigh O’Connor.
Balancing texture and flavour is the catalyst to delicious Pan-Asian cuisine, according to Ally Chow Chef Trent Scarr.
Born in Hobart and spending a lot of his time on the Gold Coast, Trent entered the culinary world as an apprentice at Georges Paragon seafood restaurant in Sanctuary Cove, falling into the industry from a desire to surf in the morning and work at night.
Guiding Nobby Beach locals through the dark alleys of dining choices, Ally Chow on Gold Coast Highway embraces a moodily-lit interior, Oriental cushions, bamboo plants and pendent bulbs; while the alfresco laneway space dominated by a vibrant wall mural depicting river life beckons on warm GC nights.
After stints at Rae’s on Watego and Marine at Kingscliff, Trent opened new restaurant The Pearl in Broome and then Franklin Manor in Strahan, Tasmania.
Returning to the Gold Coast, he won his first Chef Hat at Songbirds in Mt Tamborine in 2012, going on to open his own first restaurant in Robina called Honeyeater, which was nominated as runner-up for the best new Modern Australian restaurant in the Australian Restaurant and Catering Awards in 2016.
"I then opened my second restaurant Ally Chow, focused more on Pan-Asian cuisines, which I absolutely love!” he tells AGFG. "I love the colours, smells and all the people who fly up from the southern states and travel down from Brisbane to enjoy what we offer – and of course the loyal locals.”
While the restaurant’s signature dish is tuna tataki, housemade XO and smoked avocado, it is his street food recipe for pork katsu bao buns he shares with us. At Ally Chow, the bao buns are handmade, but Trent says it is fine to use pre-made bao.
The pork is braised in master stock for 12 hours and then cut into rectangles to fit in the bao and coated with Japanese breadcrumbs; accompanied by a fennel, apple, carrot and red onion slaw, dressed with Kewpie mayo and lime juice to taste.
If you’ve never had chicarron before, this is your chance to make it at home – these perfectly fried pork skins make a great appetiser as well as accompaniment to this dish – simply dehydrate for 10 hours and then deep fry until crispy.
Serve these morsels with Korean BBQ dipping sauce ssamjang with a mildly spicy, salty and nutty flavour, which goes particularly well with pork belly.
