Vlado Gregurek - Vlados

February 1997

The very first thing that Vlado Gregurek says and he says it with some urgency and insistence: "I would like to point out that I am not a chef, I am just a red meat specialist".

From being "just a red meat specialist" Vlado has created, developed and maintained Melbourne's most consistent, most reliable, most successful, food business over the past 33 years.

Vlado's charcoal grill started in Smith Street Collingwood, then moved to larger and more comfortable premises in Bridge Road, Richmond. It had begun life as a BYO, became a fully licensed restaurant and has not missed a beat, still packing in customers, turning over tables and expanding its operation to Japan.

What is the secret? No need to agonize about that, simply go and try the meat. I've never been a huge meat eater but have relished and ravished the generous steaks which have been served to me. My visits have been rare (as I request the meat to be) due to other committments. But now, at leisure, intend to return and bring visitors for this, a unique Melbourne experience.

The setting is simple, there is nothing lavish. The choices are very limited. A plate of grilled peppers and mixed meat appetizers (sausage, a small piece of fillet and sometimes some offal) comes automatically as does a bowl of salad, bread, butter and basic condiments. The wine list is small and reasonably priced. The real point of the meal and the only point at which you get any choice is between the cuts of meat (fillet, porterhouse and rump) and the degree of cooking.

It is here that Vlado the specialist excells. The quality comes from the carcasses he has selected, aged and cared for. The precision of the cooking comes from the perfect charcoal fire which has been prepared over many hours each morning.

We visited one day just as the fire had reached the stage of final assembly. The fire is started at dawn and takes about four hours to burn down sufficiently. The coals are then raked vigorously, the flames mount to the top of the canopy, the coals are then packed down, the grates brushed with stiff wire brushes and then piled back over the glowing coals. This is all done every day by Steve, dressed in a blue protective coat with face guard and heavy gloves. He has worked with Vlado since first coming from Croatia as a young man.

Michael, in charge of the dining rooms, has also worked with Vlado for many years, starting as a youngster. It is a family. There is a rhythm, a pattern to the working days which alters little. There is also a sense of pride and of well being in doing a job really well. This reaches you as soon as you come through the door. It is unlike any other restaurant in that, no matter who you are and what your mood is, you will receive the same experience as everyone else there. No customer can alter the business at Vlado's, it goes on regardless. Vlado however insists that he will only do what the customer wants. It is up to them, how they want the meat and what seasoning. He sees his role as the guardian of the meat and the instrument of the customers wishes. So much care has gone into the selection of the meat and the preparation of the fire to cook it with that the customers' wishes are but the last detail.

For me to ask where our meat came from is an irrelevant question to Vlado. All he is concerned about is the actual quality of the meat.

"Yes," he explains " the meat you had for dinner was grass-fed, Victorian beef, grass-fed but I would not be able to tell you from which part of Victoria or which breed. It's not important, the most important is that the animal is in its prime when slaughtered. The animal must not be run down, and must be slaughtered in the right conditions. If it is brought up in good conditions and slaughtered properly, without any excitement, then the meat is settled. It is very important, sometimes you see dark meat and the reason is probably that the animal has been disturbed whilst slaughtered".

"Then it is a very important part after the animal is slaughtered, before we start to use this material. It must be kept at the right temperature. Now this is very important, (it) should not be damaged throughout this period".

"I'm very different from the majority of people who are using steaks because I am buying in a bigger way and I age some of it here, most of it here in my premises. With grass- fed you can use it after about two weeks, the better the material the less you need to age it. But it must be kept at zero degrees, it is very important that the meat does not touch each other, because the air must circulate around".

"So when the meat comes in I look at it, I always look at it, to see if it is what is our arrangement (with the supplier). If it is not material the way it is supposed to be or I am not sure it will be an excellent product after ageing then you just don't take it. You send it back," says Vlado with some relish.

Do you use cryvac beef?

"I sometimes use cryvac but it must be excellent material. In my experience, the meat is incredible, if you use it before four weeks of ageing, the cells would not be broken enough, it would not be tender enough, no matter how excellent the material. But from, four weeks up, that is grain-fed in the cryvac, grass-fed as well in the cryvac always needs more than fresh. But always at the right temperature and conditions, zero degrees, with enough moisture in, not opening the doors hundred times, all the day. You should not be opening this chamber."

We looked at Vlado's coolrooms. There is a vast stock of carcasses in varying stages of maturity. There are some peppers for Vlado's special grilled peppers, cabbages for the salads, butter - little else. Trips to the cool room are rare. In a normal restaurant kitchen with the variety of produce stored in the coolroom and all the different sections needing to get things out at different times of the day and night, with constant movement in and out, the proper 'Vlado way' of ageing of beef could not be done. Zero degrees is too cold for some things and in normal restaurant conditions, chefs, apprentices, waiters and kitchen hands are in and out of the cool room all day.

Asking more about the origin of his meat does not yield much helpful information. He will not name his suppliers nor where they are located.

"There are people with whom I have been dealing a very long time, but if tomorrow somebody came who has started to produce grain-fed beef and if they have it old enough, so it has the best material, I would definitely buy it".

What is old enough?

"For the grass-fed for our purpose, talking only about steers - it's 30 months. By this time it's big enough and has enough flavour, it's mature. With younger stuff you may have tender material but you haven't got the flavour".

Grain-fed?

"About one year old, the grain, they grow it up by order, by demand of the countries and its price is different."

Flavour comparison?

"They are two different products.When I talk about grass-fed and grain-fed I am talking excellent material, I am talking only about steers. Because only steers, the castrated animals, wouldn't care about anything else, just food and rest". Vlado laughs as the idea appeals to him.

He continues: "So if it is brought up in good conditions and slaughtered in good conditions, without any excitement so the meat is settled. It is very important, sometimes you see dark meat and the reason probably is that the animal has been disturbed whilst slaughtered."

Vlado is a great advocate of the quality of Australian meat. "Now we have beautiful meat in this country. There is a lot of improvement with the growers in the last decade. Every day, some better material is coming out because that's how the market demands it and how the younger people want it".

"Producers like to produce better material and are more competitive for the market and they are very proud of that. But there is now better material coming up. Local consumption for this excellent material, for the prime ox is not so big so most of the material is going overseas, talking grain-fed in particular. They get more money overseas, the market is definitely more lucrative outside than here."

Size of steaks?

"The smaller size would be about 250-300 grams and the normal size, man-size would be 400-500 grams, one pound. But fillet would be 350 grams, because with the other steaks you have some fat. But we cut any size steak and any way people want them, that's a part of this philosophy - excellent material, excellent fire and the desire of the client, he's going to tell you what we must do with this material. I am just the instrument in this operation, trying to satisy the client's desire perfectly. And as I repeat, I am not a chef, I am just a red meat specialist".

How did you become a red meat specialist?

"I never really knew anything about steaks until I came to Paris from Croatia. My mother was an excellent cook without any professional training, just by instinct, and I always loved food, though this did not mean that I always had the chance to enjoy excellent food. I was a refugee in Paris and had a job with an insurance company as an audit clerk but during the weekends I used to go to the Latin Quarter and wash the dishes. I saw over there some small Middle Eastern eating places that were cooking the steaks on charcoal. I saw how it was used, very modest, very poor material and in many cases, in a very neglected way. But this gave me the idea that I would like to do something with the best material and with care. I was lucky to realise that".

Melbourne is very lucky that Vlado chose to come here in 1959 and that he received help and backing from Melbourne society's favourite band leader of that time, Dennis Farrington. Dennis' faith allowed Vlado to get started and soon to fulfil his dream. Vlado recalls "He just gave me 700 bucks, just like that, without a receipt and said to me -- just give it back when you are ready".

We continue talking, there is a roar in the background as the fire flames up. It has been burning since 6.30am. Vlado explains: "The fire must mature by itself, must not stop breathing, it must keep breathing and when you switch off the fan, it comes up again. It must be all levelled out and then the ashes are piled on, this procedure has to be done very carefully, because if you push too much then it will stop breathing. You see many of these little things, people who are not involved with the perfect fire. People probably think, ah, stupid idiot what is that, but you see, every little nuance of getting this fire is important. Because this fire we have to cook all day on it and all night without putting anything on anymore".

"And you have to be completely in control of it. If you are not in control of it and there are coming so many people at once, you can sit down and cry, apart from producing bad heat, not controlled heat".

"If you start too low, as you see this heat is direct, through these grills, its only two inches from the meat. And you actually eat very rich meat and I prefer to have meat with marble. The reason is very simple, there is better quality, I am not talking what some suggest, for health reasons. But the meat with marble is better quality of meat. When you put on the open fire, a lot of this fat is going to run out and it is going into the red coal box, a lot of fat is going to be lost already. It won't work like that if you do it on a hot plate".

"But the material must be perfect, the fire must be perfect, and then we can do the job. You see, now this fire is not breathing any more, is breathing in a very controlled way. Now you see, there is no such thing that you can push, does not mean that the charcoal burns a hundred percent. You can't push, you can't force your steak to cook fast".

What sort of wood do you use?

"The charcoal comes from different supplies but I do favour the Mallee root. I use charcoal because that's what I understand. Charcoal gives a dry heat, its a heat, actually I call this wet heat that I am producing, it doesn't dry out the meat. Charcoal definitely does have advantages if it is properly done. That's why you can never start to do a job unless the charcoal is completely burnt up, no smoke should be noticeable and none unburnt - only red coal. But this red coal has to be controlled".

Do many others use it?

"People avoid it, because it's dirty, it's trouble, Who is going to do that, you have to have a special reason and philosophy to prepare your fire. Because otherwise they change their little button and everything is OK.

"One thing is very important is that it is clean all the time. You can't put a piece of meat if something has been on before because the meat will stick. I use ordinary beef fat to wipe the grill".

"Oh, brushes, a set of three different brushes to clean the grill. You must clean the grill, it has to be clean before you put anything on. Then you brush with the fat so then the meat doesn't stick on the grill, You brush all the fat."

"No chemicals, no salt no pepper - just meat".

"You never put anything on the meat except if it is the special desire of the client which is always most respected because the meat in itself has to be of sufficient quality. You operate with excellent material that needs heat and you do it the way he wants. You see how simple it is".

Vlado is too modest. He continually insists that what he does is 'simple' and that he does not qualify as a 'chef'. But despite his modesty he is truly the 'chef' of his domain. In French the word 'chef' is not only used in the kitchen. The 'chef' is the head of an organisation and Vlado Gregurek is not only the head, but the heart and soul of an extraordinary Melbourne business. Long may he continue.