Five Minutes with Mr and Mrs Pallister, Le Brooks Cafe - Sandwich, Soup & Coffee Bar

Who are Karen Pallister and Glenn Pallister?

Karen- Born and raised in Wagga, then moved to Sydney, where I did makeup artistry and promotional work. I had two boys and decided to move back to Wagga for a tree change. And now we are running a cafe.

Glenn- I was born in Sydney and lived there nearly all my life. I started working for Channel Nine at the age of 17, where I was the cameraman on the Midday Show with Ray Martin for about ten years. Afterwards, I got into producing with MTV, ran the Footy Show became the head of entertainment at Channel Nine. I left Channel Nine and went over to Sony Music for a few years, then went back to Channel Nine to run the Shane Warne Show and the Footy Show again for another five years and left in 2017. I did some freelance things afterwards, and we decided to come down here (Wagga). It is my first time living outside of Sydney or the Central Coast. It’s a massive move, and I’ve been loving it.

Best recent dining experience:

Karen- We are massive fans of the RSL Chinese (Pearl City Chinese Restaurant).
Glenn- Anytime at The Riv (The Riverina Hotel) and the Sporties (Sportsmen Club Hotel). We love those two pubs—great food and service at both of them. We love the RSL Chinese and took Paul Harragon the Chief (Australian rugby league footballer) there the other night. The big Chief couldn’t get enough. He loved it. We’ve had some great dining experiences down in those three places. They’re absolute regulars for us. We’ve never had a bad meal in any of those places.

Favourite cuisine:

Karen- Thai.
Glenn- Italian and Chinese.

Most embarrassing pantry item:

Karen- The only thing I can say is probably tinned spaghetti.
Glenn- She’s the one that doesn’t like to eat pasta, but she’ll go for a tin spaghetti.

What ingredient can I not live without?

Karen- I would say chilli and coriander.
Glenn- Garlic.

Best coffee spot in Wagga:

Karen- Meccanico. That’s where our other go-to is, but we do like to try different coffee places.
Glenn- If we weren’t to drink our own, we would be down at Meccanico.

Next big thing in the Wagga food scene:

Glenn- The next big thing in Wagga would be food trucks.
Karen- That’s what I was going to say. I think that’s where there is some growth area, and we’ve been talking about it.
Glenn- Look out for the Le Brooks food truck. I think a smart move would be to collectively get half a dozen of us (restaurant and cafe owners) together, find a good space and do something like what they’ve got in Braddon (Canberra). They’ve got a little area where you walk in and it has half a dozen food trucks in an open courtyard with lights at night. There’s a few of those in Sydney now… that are all pumping. They’ve become a social hub. If the council wants to get together with some of us and talk about it…put together four or five different cuisines. It can be from existing restaurants around the place that want to have a little pop-up.

A must-try on our menu:

Karen- Our lamb wraps.
Glenn- The Reuben sandwich…we had a lot of people tell us it’s the best they’ve ever had. It’s a popular must-try one. And our soups which are all house-made.

My biggest culinary influence:

Karen- I like to take influence from everyone. I take a little bit from everybody and pick out the bits that I know I can do or it’s something I’m interested in.
Glenn- BBQ Pit Boys for me.

Favourite cookbook:

Karen- Basics to Brilliance by Donna Hay. I’m obsessed with cookbooks, and I call it the women’s pornography. I’m pretty obsessed with Donna Hay. I think I’ve probably got every single one of her books. I’ve met her a couple of times, and she’s just lovely.

Glenn- I get everything online, and my kids keep buying me cookbooks, and I don’t use them.

Who I admire in the Wagga food and wine scene:

Glenn- Richard Moffatt does a great job with Meccanico and Pastorale. Really like his presentation, not only of his food and venues but his staff and his going-get attitude. I admire the way he does his business.

Karen- I think he’s (Richard Moffatt) someone that knows exactly what he’s doing and does it well.

What are this week’s specials at Le Brooks?

Karen- We’ve just put bacon and egg rolls on Turkish on our menu. And our Turkish Italian toasties are very popular.
Glenn- The toastie has salami, ham, onion, olive, sundried tomatoes, baby spinach, Swiss cheese…
Karen- Don’t give the recipe away!
Glenn- It’s on the wall… it’s hardly a recipe.

Death row meal:

Karen- Definitely seafood. And incorporate chilli and coriander into it like garlic chilli prawns and nice champagne. And I would feast for days.
Glenn- I’d actually die eating. They wouldn’t have to get me to the chair. I would have baby back pork ribs, slaw and chips. I’d also have spaghetti bolognese from Beppi’s Italian Restaurant in Sydney. I’ve had spaghetti bolognese there at two in the morning, and it is sensational. And a really good hamburger and a couple of bottles of Jack Daniel’s.
Karen- That’s a lot of food!
Glenn- It’s the last meal. I’m not rushing the process. It’s not going to end well. It’s not a good promise at the end of the meal…got to delay the inevitable. And I’ll have Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones sitting with me, helping me drink the Jack.
Karen- I don’t think he’s going to be there.
Glenn- Keith is going to be around after the apocalypse.

My least favourite food:

Karen- Anything from the inside. No offal.
Glenn- Corriander and Brussels sprouts.

My COVID-19 response:

Glenn- From a business point of view, it’s an extreme hurdle. There needs to be a measured ongoing response to it. It’s a fluid situation, not a turnkey solution. It needs to be monitored regularly, and how it is dealt with on every level. Not just medically but also socially.

Karen- I agree that we need to monitor it, but I also think we need to move forward. We need to be aware of our personal care. It has taught people about cleanliness and hygiene and how easily transmitted things are.

My top three cooking tips:

Karen- I have thousands.
Glenn- Don’t. Burn. It.
Karen- Taste and smell are very important in the kitchen. Never walk away from a white sauce.
Glenn- That’s a t-shirt. I’m getting a t-shirt made of all her quotes.
Karen- Don’t touch it, and don’t open the oven door while I’m baking. Make sure there’s flavour, and it’s cooked well.
Glenn- No more than two bottles of wine before prep, or you’d lose a finger. Wear gloves when cutting. She’s a massive glove wearer.
Karen- Disposable gloves are your best friend.
Glenn- Fresh, fast and flavoursome.