Sydney Food & Wine Fair
October 29th, 2005
Summer has unofficially arrived a month in advance, dear readers. Well, in Sydney at least. Today it was blue skies, sticky and hot - the kind of weather which creates the need for a chilled tipple of white wine by midday.
And as luck would have it, I was scurrying my way down Park Street at a quarter to twelve, to meet AG at the Sydney Food & Wine Fair; the last major event of Good Food Month and also a major fundraiser for the Aids Trust of Australia. Already at Hyde Park; the throng of Sydney siders and visitors were meandering the paths which housed the usual scene at foodie events these days; meringue peak tents accomodating various fine dining establishments, restaurants, and bars.
In one direction seafood galore with Flying Fish serving up a Sri Lankan snapper curry with basmati rice, and Industrie - South of France serving a risotto de la mer (only in Sydney will you buy risotto in a fancy styrofoam cup), and other delicious creations covering many continents and cuisines. With our coupons to barter with, a thorough analysis of the tasty fare was conducted from north to south ends of Hyde Park. We headed back to Flying Fish for AG to order the Sri Lankan curry, only to find all 500 servings dished out to hungry folk by 1:30pm. The chef, who may have been Flying Fish’s Executive Chef; Peter Kuruvita ever so kindly gave AG and I a taste test of the curry straight from the pot via a ladle. He said “try it chef style”, and we did. Tasty and mild was the gravy but interesting enough that I wish to try the food at Flying Fish for real, some time soon.
So back on the trail, shoulder to shoulder with other hungry bods, who were either nursing bottles of beer, flutes of champagne or summery cocktails. We eventually made up our minds up; Me: Grilled King Prawns on an avocado stack from Hugo’s and AG; Veal and Tuna type of bruchetta from Claude’s.
Tasty morsels indeed with the avocado stack doing twists and turns with my taste buds. It is amazing how the right amount of corriander and kecap manis takes the buttery fruit and makes it into a delicious partner to the fresh king prawns. Claude’s also did well with their fare; with praised Head Chef Chui Lee Luk present at their stand. The veal and tuna was tender and creamy, and the salsa, with ingredients unidentifiable by the time we started eating was crisp and tangy.
In usual Sydney style, there were queue’s galore, some pushing and shoving and competition to get the last shucked oyster and yummiest dessert before the other person. We had no choice (the other choice was no tart for dessert) but join the line and enjoy our ‘tasting menu’ while we waited to get our hands on the scrummy dessert from The Bather Pavillion.
And scrummy it was. Served by the acclaimed Head Chef; Serge Dansereau the almond tart with mascerated berries and a healthy dollop of fresh cream had many people clambering towards The Bather’s Pavillion stall. The dessert was perfect; a balance of sweetness coming from the combination of strawberries, blueberries and mulberries. The almond tart playing the role of sweet juice absorber was suprisingly light and also crumbly. And what can we say for the cloud like dollop of cream; but Thank you.
A nice way to spend Saturday afternoon, sampling food from restuarants yet to visit and also support a good cause with all proceeds going back to the Aids Trust of Australia.
There are a few more scheduled events remaining for Good Food Month such as the ‘Shoot the Chef’ exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW, Sugar High and lunches on Monday the 31st of October.
Salt & Chocolate
October 27th, 2005
The thing about this hobby called food blogging is that, every day items cease to be mundane regular food stuffs, sitting in the pantry or fridge. Rather, they become chances to learn about varieties, new creations, and to devise flavoursome recipes of your own. But in all honesty it is also a chance to entertain the third deadly sin; the sin, some food enthusiasts will make into a hyper-colour t-shirt and wear with pride to the next farmer’s market.
So this new curiosity could see a food blogger pounce on a bag of rock salt like a young child would a lump of play-dough. They would wrap their fingers around the packaging, caressing the coarse particles under the plastic while reading the label in order to find where it is made, who imports the product, the nutritional value and the recommended uses. Reference books such as Mc Gee on Food & Cooking would be on permanent rotation, and also have a reserved spot on both the bed side table, dining table, kitchen counter and desk for they reveal in bite sized pieces all what is needed to quench the immediate thirst for information. Inside pages reveal what sel gris is, where it originates and how it is created. And answers: grey salt; an unrefined sea salt, harvested in sea beds in regional areas of France. This information then aids with further internet research: traditionally sauniers (literally salt makers) use the raking method of small bays of sea water to bring out the coarse salt; which is then washed of their impurities before drying. Unlike other type of salt; the coarse salt isn’t systematically washed, so smaller minerals and algae remain which makes the salt a grey, even dusty lilac in colour.
A few recipe searches later, mental notes are taken: grey sea salt can be used to season water, added to cooked foods and also salad dressing. There are ideas for it to be married to a jar of pink peppercorns purchased a few weeks ago; possibly added right before serving a pink peppercorn ice cream. The story of pink peppercorn is for another day; but already the heart wants these berries to be turned into something magnificent. Now if only an ice cream maker was sitting in the same kitchen cupboard.
And then there are the other treats, which only require a couple of things to make a particular foodie heart flutter. The promise of good quality, the addition of something interesting in the flavour department, and the ability to strike a chord. This all happened on one particular food outing, when at the Fine Food Store a bar of chocolate; wrapped in a layer of thick clear plastic, then texturised paper held within; milk chocolate, with additions of cinnamon from Ceylon. Need I say more? Chocolate with cinnamon from the country I was born? Creamy and good; the real cinnamon pieces were evident. The kind of real which remains once the chocolate melts then vanishes. Where you are left biting the miniscule pieces with your front teeth to reveal the woody spice cinnamon should always taste and feel like.
And this chocolate maker; Dolfin, they also have a variety with the pink peppercorn! Already the imagination is running too fast with the idea of perhaps something which involves a beverage or custard and a blow torch.
Blog In, Don’t Wait
October 25th, 2005
In today’s Age, food blogging received a mention in an Epicure feature article. A nice bit Aussie coverage, considering there was an article the other week in the Sydney Morning Herald which received mixed reviews from fellow food bloggers. This time a solid effort was put in by Liesl Rampono, who started researching and interviewing for this article a few months back. A few words from yours truly also appear. Billingsgate: Degustation
October 25th, 2005
Hurrah! for a sister who invites you and your foodie friends out to dinner to sample a newly created degustation menu at Billingsgate Fish Bistro.
Usually a strict budget prevents me from splurging out on a fancy fare, but on this occasion an exception was made if only to visit a restaurant where The Sister-chef had once worked, and also because there have been some good things said about the food served at Billingsgate. We were met by the smiling and charismatic Lela, who is both owner and partner with Matthew Kemp of both Billingsgate and Balzac. Thank goodness for AG, who was seated next to me for the evening, for she was able to spot Kemp in the kitchen, who was keeping a watchful eye of the front section of the restaurant.
The degustation menu was organised by the Head Chef at Billingsgate, and what an interesting and intoxicating menu it was. We started with the Hors d’oevures of oysters, sardines and trout. If the three beauties on the large plate were an indication of where the meal was heading, I would say the slight gap in the savings for the fortnight was well worth it.
The sardines were delicately placed in saffron coloured zucchini flowers, the oysters crisp and soothing with a surface of truffle, then deep fried, and the trout carefully packaged into a paper pillow. I did everything I could not to rest my head on it. Next was the Merlan Doria, a lovely piece of whiting topped with Iranian caviar, placed on a base of cucumber spaghetti and surrounded by cappuccino Riesling with school prawns. Both courses were served with a 2004 Lalla Gully Riesling from Tasmania.
The next course was a highlight for me, as it challenged my usually adventurous streak when dining out. The Lapin Raifort Et Croseilles, which for me was translated to a de-boned saddle of rabbit, rolled with rabbit loin was the right kind of succulent and not as gamey as rabbit dishes have been for me in the past. This was served with tender broadbeans and an upright cylinder of potato with horseradish topped with rabbit kidneys, a delicate pink inside.
While being served the first three courses, we noticed plates of escargots served at other tables. After the waiter had a brief chat with my sister, small forks were placed at our table followed by a chorus line of garlic baked snails sitting on a bed of rock salt. Slippery and delicious I was glad I ordered the optional course with the rest of the table, and charmed that my dear friend Saada also had her first ever course of escargot. We were served a Victorian wine for this course, a 2004 Kooyong Chardonnay.
Next we had the Rouget a la Bordelaise; Mullet served with a red wine jus and oxtail, dotted with marrow. This was an interesting combination with the pairing of mullet and rich pendant shaped marrow. Mullet; the table agreed, should be known more for its fantastic qualities as a fish rather than a over fashioned hair style. This was paired with a 2003 George Duboef, from Beaujolais, France.
When Lela, served the main she asked rhetorically; “Doesn’t it smell like Christmas” I don’t know if she realised just how funny the question was, because it definitely evoked the aroma of Chrissy! What, with the spiced red wine and pear-celeriac combination, it would be a welcome meal at my family Christmas table. But the ha-ha-ha moment came when we realised the feature of venison made sure it was the definition of Christmas. Along with the complimentary buttered brussel sprouts and chestnuts kindly made for our table, the venison perfectly rare, was the kind of Christmas I hope for come December 25th. The venison was paired with another Victorian wine, this time the 2003 Roundhouse Pinot.
If you think with such delicious food and copious amounts of wine we were heading into some kind of degustation nirvana, and there would be no room for a cheese course; you would be only half incorrect. Yes, we were walking into heady territory, but there is always time (and room) for cheese no? Especially if the cheese is a Vacherine style bried encased with a surface of fern. A gooey mess, which was enjoyed alongside a Tasmanian cheddar, a French blue and thin wedges of crisp apple and crispy lavosh.
I must admit I was struggling by this stage, only because the wine was doing special things to my humble mind. But then there was dessert, and suddenly my food blogger instinct kicked in and there were attempts at a few photographs. Below is the Friase Sarah Bernhardt; strawberries in curacao. This was a welcome course, especially for Saada, who would have done a little happy dance if not for the after affects of the wine. The pineapple granita cleansed the palate and refreshed the taste buds perfectly.
The dessert course was paired with a 2003 Plantagenet Chenin Blanc from Western Australia. The mellow fruit hues were subtle enough for the Melba de Pêche to arouse a collective sigh from the ladies at the table. Being a sucker for raspberries, the coulis was tart and sweet in just the right places, and cool vanilla with fresh peach and green almond slivers all amounted to a well rounded meal shared with those who appreciate the work of such a talented team.
With the seven-course degustation ending sweetly as it did, it certainly felt like festive feast - happy diners throughout the restaurant, hugs and well wishes to the whole staff from the regulars who had come in support of the new enterprise all with full bellies and rosy pink cheeks. I look forward to visiting again.
AG who joined us for dinner was far more on the ball with documenting our meal. So hurrah! for dedicated food blogger friends, for they have a photographic history of such a wonderful meal.
Billingsgate Fish Bistro
38-40 Saint Paul Street Randwick
T: 902) 9398 1011
Various & Sundry
October 23rd, 2005
Yes, this is a post about chocolate, almonds and pink measuring cups. Sometimes a grown person needs a chance for show & tell.
I am sure many of us living in Sydney have seen the advertising for the newish Peanut Butter Kit Kats. I had one when they were released a few months ago, and even liked the peanut butter flavouring. Would have been great if they used the real stuff, but being a Reeces PB cup aficionado means I get to have the same experience with a wafer crunch in the centre. Santos wrote up a funtastico review of the various Kit Kat flavours out at the moment. I would say the PB is a winner so far.
While at the fruit market yesterday I saw a group of mischievous kids throwing these green almonds at one another. When I realised what they were I nearly clouted the ring leader. Alas I am against violence so I just glared at them, and asked the ring leader if he had tried to open one. Met with a weird look then curiosity, all five kids stopped throwing these furry green gems and started opening them up to see what was inside. Inside you will find a moist jelly like centre and a white firm shell, which will become the ripe almond we are more familiar with. I bought a handful because I wanted to
Also, a few Friday’s ago I spent a good portion of my lunch break at Wheel & Barrow checking out the newest kitchen essentials. I saw a iron baking tray, which could bake twelve mini tartlets at once. My heart did a little dance of joy and then tripped when I saw the price. Alas I will have to stick to individual tart cases for a while, as the tray costs a fair amount. But the story for the pink measuring cups is that the Saturday after, Bowb kindly gave me a gift, all wrapped and ribboned. I am unsure what made me ask if they were measuring cups, before unwrapping the gift, but once opened there they were; three and in pink. The thing is that I was going to buy them the day before, but couldn’t decide between the green, blue or pink. I was leaning towards the pink of course, and thank you Bowb for making what should have been a simple decision much easier on a gal. I have already used them to make a walnut-chocolate-coconut cake!
