Taste Festival Sydney

Couldn't resist a shot with Matt Moran :)

In the year since the last Taste Festival, I've become a much bigger foodie - much harder to impress and much more into the textures, aromas and delicate nature of food!


This year we got our tickets nice and early and started our research into what dishes we would sample on the day.

Perusing the menu, I found the easiest way to do it was to eliminate dishes based on ingredients I did not eat or did not like (namely lamb, veal and coriander). Of course I was still left with many more dishes than cash (or crowns) in my wallet.

The offerings were superb with 16 of Sydney's finest restaurants showcasing three fantastic dishes (bare in mind there were many other stalls of bakeries, cheese makers and the like offering free samples and things to buy as well). Each dish was priced at $8, $10 or $12 and could be purchased using crowns (1 crown = $1). Crowns were bought in booklets of $10 or $30 (which of course never worked out to correctly cover what you wanted to spend)!

So, what did we eat?

My first dish was from Pilu at Freshwater - the suckling pig panino with apple, mustard and rocket served on Sonoma sourdough. The breadroll was great. The meat was tender but the apple, mustard and rocket were not plentiful/strong enough and so the sandwich lacked flavour (though this is really nit picking as really, it's pilu...it's good).




Jenna's first dish was a real scorer - the organic chicken liver parfait with sweet vinegar raisins and dressed baby herbs. Though tossing up between this and the crab sandwiches from Guillaume, Jenna was swayed by a very enthusiastic lady eating the liver and raving about it. She was not disappointed. The parfait was smooth and the serving was plentiful, with Jenna enjoying every bite.




Secondly, I tried the Quail Breast and truffled Risotto Croustillant from Berowra Waters Inn. It looked and sounded great but for a second dish the serving was on the small side. Again nit picking I would say that the risotto could have used a stronger flavour. By the crunchiness of the outside and the moist meat along with the pea puree it was served with made the dish delightful.





Jenna's second sampling was of El Toro Loco's Paella a la Maestre. Not only did this provide us with a good perv on their chef (much to Jenna's delight), but she said it was very yummy and the portion size was quite generous. The chefs looked like they were enjoying the afternoon cheering each time a paella was ordered.


Onto dessert! The desserts looked amazing and we couldn't decide on one dish alone and so we each got a dessert we were both considering a sampled them both (a fantastic way to do the whole day in my opinion)!

We tried Becasse's Chocolate Souffle with a vanilla bean cream first. The souffle held together well and was moist, dark and very rich. The vanilla bean was smooth and provided the softer touch the souffle needed as accompaniment. Together they were fantastic and Jenna easily could have done another one afterward!




Our second dessert was the "saucy tart" with chocolate mousse and liquid raspberry centre from Danks Street Depot. Easily my favourite dish of the day. The tart case was properly crunchy, the mouse was cool and smooth and not too rich; and the hard chocolate on top was darker providing a nice balance. The raspberry centre balanced the dish, providing a relief from the chocolate and really making the whole thing superb. I could have eaten another of these!

The other success of the day was City Tattersalls Club. They held a stall giving away a selection of food and free entries into a draw to win dinner for two at the club. At their stall we sampled soft shell crab tempura, dolce de lece and chocolate panacotta and donuts with a white chocolate filling you inject yourself. They also had wagyu cheese burgers we always just seemed to miss and a selection of cocktails. Not only was the food all free but it was really really yummy!

The weather held out for us as we got a lot of sun and a few cool breezes. Good food, nice drinks, great company. Another lovely afternoon at taste festival. I'll be back next year!

Thanks to Simon Food Favourites (http://simonfoodfavourites.blogspot.com/) for the three images I didn't manage to take

book review: Meals Men Love – Lana Vidler

“It’s official...the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”; or so says Lana Vidler, author of Meals Men Love, the light blue cook book that takes us back to the 1950s and right back into the kitchen.

Now, I love to cook and I love to cook for my boyfriend. Yes, it is tough deciding what to make as I’m never sure if he’ll be fond of the recipes that often appeal to me. Enter Meals Men Love. Vidler’s recipe book is divided into Breakfast (which according to Lana many men don’t seem to like or have the time for); Light Meals, Finger Food and Entrees; Soups; Salads & Sides; Sauces & Marinades; Main Dishes; and Desserts & Biscuits.

Whilst the recipes are basic enough to follow and produce rather tasty food, it’s the book’s little extras that sets Meals Men Love apart from other recipe books on the shelf. Vidler has catered for the clueless chef, recommending which sides and desserts best complement each main and for the utterly confused cook, she has set out a basic guide to catching a man in three courses; giving twelve different dinner options of either three-course-meals or mains, sides and desserts. Using her recommendations, along with her simple directions to cooking steaks, using butter and understanding serving sizes; cooking has never been easier.

Based on the success and hype of her book, Vidler’s soufflé star is rising perfectly but on sidelines, the feminist argument that the book’s marketing is sexist and that it’s not the responsibility of the woman to cook for her man is rising too. What’s important to keep in mind though is that simple to follow cook books as such are getting us all back into the kitchen for a home cooked meal, as opposed to the take-out and freezer meals that some have become so accustomed to.

I tried out a few recipes for the boyfriend’s birthday and they went swimmingly (see pics below)

Overall, I’d say Vidler did a great job creating a book of quick, simple recipes that are suitable for couples both young and old (as well as families).

My culinary challenge was sampled by not only the boyfriend but my parents and sixteen year old sister. Whilst unsure if they liked the sausages or not, everything set before them (for each course) was devoured!

Our dinner went like this:

Bruschetta Because I Love You p.30 (The favourite)

Spinach Salad p.52 (Refreshing with the surprise of bacon bits, meant to be served hot but I served it cold)

Saucy Sausages p.100 (The combined flavour of curry powder and tomato sauce was very interesting and a tad confusing to the palate)

First Dinner Lemon Tart p.158 (Delicious served with vanilla ice-cream but the base was a bit soft)

To Try Next Time:

Strawberry Surprise p.170 (the surprise is they’re hollowed out with nutella inside! shh)