The Three Blue Ducks opened their seventh restaurant recently amongst the sand and sun in URBNSURF, Melbourne. In between catching a wave, surfers enjoy sustainable, local produce that also caters for vegans, vegetarians and those that are gluten or dairy intolerant.
“What we’ve decided to do with business is adopt the same attitudes that we have in our household. We eat a lot of wild meats, and I do a lot of hunting and gathering and diving and fishing,” says Mark Labrooy, chef and one of the six owners of the Three Blue Ducks restaurant group.
“We want to consume products and animals that have had the best possible life we can offer them,” he says.
URBNSURF in Melbourne seats 350 patrons. They can expect between 300 to 500 for lunch and the same for the dinner crowd. The all-day menu stretches from midday to 9 or 10 on Friday and Saturday nights.
“It can be quite taxing on the workload of the staff.”
Essential restaurant kitchen equipment for The Three Blue Ducks in URBNSURF, Melbourne
The kitchen was designed so the 20 chefs could operate across such a large surface window. Three sous chefs were placed in charge of specific areas of the multifaceted kitchen. The appliances had to be durable, yet sensitive to produce the quality of menu items they wanted to achieve.
The RATIONAL iVario was the one piece of equipment they couldn’t do without, much to their surprise.
“In the beginning, I thought I could do without it.”
Comcater showed Mark the range of menu items he could produce in one unit. Pan frying steaks, deep frying chips, boiling pasta and cooking sauces can all be cooked to a high quality and consistency in the iVario.
“It’s extremely sensitive. I can do very delicate jobs from braising and poaching.”
Mark makes his own egg noodles in the iVario, something he didn’t think was possible. He cooks a large crepe in the bottom of the pan and then cuts it into strips.
“You could cook a crème brulée in it, and it would be perfect. It’s extremely sensitive.”
The restaurant cooks their own stocks, sauces, braises and reductions in the iVario. Menu items can be slow cooked overnight, and sous vide at precise temperatures.
“That has been a game changer for us. So extremely productive. It’s very quick. It’s very efficient. It’s easy to clean, and it just has it has its own roster. I treat it like a staff member.”
The RATIONAL iCombi oven is another indispensable piece of equipment used at URBNSURF. Mark was well aware of its capabilities from his other restaurants.
“The RATIONAL is a very built tough oven. It’s the best equipment you can get.”
House-made sourdough focaccia and roasted organic half chicken, honey & lemon thyme glaze are some of the winter warmers URBNSURF cook in the iCombi.
Menu items can be preprogramed into the unit and cooked to a consistent temperature, humidity, crispiness and browning. If one of the other Three Blue Duck restaurants in NSW has a popular dish suiting the Melbourne crowd, it can be easily reproduced wirelessly.
Mark decided on two of the 50 litre Frymaster fryers for deep frying. The Frymaster filtration system saves oil and takes the guesswork out of when to change it. Frymaster improves staff safety in a busy kitchen, reducing oil spills and burns.
For the grill, Comcater advised Mark to install the durable Garland range. For a kitchen of their size, he needed a flat top grill. A six burner and another eight burner.
“I’ve got the Garland superior range with larger hobs and the higher gas flow rate.”
Garland directs heat directly to where it’s needed, so energy isn’t wasted heating the kitchen. The cooktop provides the largest usable space in the industry.
If you’re thinking of revamping your restaurant equipment, call Comcater. We can discuss your staffing and guest capacity and what you want to achieve with your menu. Our chefs can guide you through the best appliances for your food.
Call 1300 309 262
