Fair play

The (probably) biggest ever Crave Sydney International Food Festival, yet a decidedly smaller Sydney Food & Wine Fair event – does that seem like fair play? Perhaps restaurants had invested so much in the rest of the event that there was no budget left for the major AIDS Trust fundraiser.

The AIDS Trust Sydney Food & Wine Fair 2010 at Hyde Park North, Sydney

I capped off the end of the food festival on the weekend at the annual AIDS Trust event in Hyde Park – for which the skies remained clear with just a touch of a breeze.

Pathway south of the Archibald Fountain, Hyde Park North

Rather than filling the pathways of Hyde Park North as in previous years, the stalls had dwindled in amount with none surrounding the Archibald Fountain and stalls on just one side of the path south of the fountain; making for less atmosphere but more space.

But it was a case of the quick and the hungry for many stalls, with some selling out not long after opening and most continuing to sell out during the afternoon. We started near the St James station exit and got into the food quick-smart.

Mini burgers from The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay

Pork and prawn burger with radish coleslaw from The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay

The mini burger at The Boathouse of Blackwattle Bay came with half a Hahn Premium or a glass of wine, so not too bad in value. The burger pattie on the little white bun was rather reminiscent of wonton filling with pork mince and the taste of prawn. The coleslaw was seriously addictive, refreshing with a great mayonnaise dressing.

Squid ink risotto with prawns and green peas from Ormeggio at the Spit

We scooted around Joanna Savill and Giovanni Pilu chatting to Alessandro Pavoni at the Ormeggio at the Spit stall to get the squid ink risotto – an ideal Halloween dish on appearances. Black, soupy and dotted with bright green peas, the grains of rice were right on al dente in a flavoursome stock with little (honestly, none) prawns to be found.

Yellowfin tuna sphere filled with bonito cured snapper, mustard miso,
shitake, apple and fennel from Selah

It was great to see Selah really pick things up this year with a standout star dish; my favourite of the day and sold out minutes after I purchased mine. Not only was it stunning to look at the tuna sphere, it was completely and utterly delicious, tightly filled with diced bits of raw snapper that had the distinct taste of bonito flakes.

The garnishes alongside were also fabulous: crunchy deep fried fennel with the most delicate juliennes of green apple that didn’t overpower with sweetness but complemented the marinated snapper, microherbs and sliced shitake mushroom, while I don't seem to remember the yellow gel blobs of mustard miso. It was a very generous dish for just three coupons.

Mekong mary cocktail from Jimmy Liks

As per last year, Jimmy Liks served up their fiery take on a bloody mary – the Mekong mary with chilli vodka and characteristic nahm jim sauce mixed into the tomato juice. Aside from chilli and coriander, the pervading flavour was the savoury tomato juice, so I’m not sure where the vodka hit was – but it was a great palate starting drink nonetheless and the perfect partner for perusing the stalls.

The chef dishes up some braised pork belly at La Mint

Artisanal breads at Brasserie Bread

Stunning croissants at Brasserie Bread

Damian Heads of Steel Bar & Grill - ready, steady and cooking

Antipasti share plate from Pazzo

Surry Hills' Pazzo enticed with a warm antipasti platter featuring three of their restaurant items. The skewered goat's cheese wrapped with prosciutto was extremely salty (grilling cured meats will do that) with the two main ingredients fighting for prevalence. I think I would have preferred a milder cheese like mozzarella with it, but the skewers were scoffed anyway.

The whitebait fritters were exceptionally fresh and firm, teeming with white squiggles of whitebait and delighfully served with a tomato salsa. Lastly, the golden crumbed tuna and potato balls, looking like arancini but eating like croquettes, were a non too starchy affair with tinned tuna, and not at all bad with its own tomato sauce too.

Meringues at Central Baking Depot

Both Bourke Street Bakery and Central Baking Depot stalls were sights to behold, with signature tarts at one and meringues, brownies and pies at the other.

Chicken pie from Central Baking Depot

We grabbed a chicken pie (smaller than a regular but also not quite as small as a party pie) which was boiling hot and although verging on a little dry being in the pie oven all afternoon, had a tasty filling of vegetables and chicken pieces.

Black sticky rice with mango and coconut cream
from somewhere I don't remember

This Thai style black sticky rice dessert was particularly similar to another festival one I had recently, although the mango was not quite as ripe as it should have been. I liked the crunchy toasted sprinkle of sesame seeds, desiccated coconut and sugar on top, but the black glutinous rice was definitely the highlight.

Bill’s brown sugar pavlova with strawberries and cream
from the Delicious Magazine stand

We also picked up the second last pavlova at the Delicious Magazine stand, and gladly so. It was the first brown sugar version I’d tried, then subsequently loved. The meringue was particularly chewy, which I now prefer over the usual fluffy white meringue, and was sweetly divine with syrupy strawberries and fresh whipped cream.

Performance stage

Not quite stuffed for several sheets of vouchers but by no means hungry, we tarried awhile in the searing sun at the performance stage while Erika Heynatz performed a handful of pop-py songs, followed by Courtney and Jimmy from the recent series of MasterChef doing some kind of barely visible, overly audible cooking demo.

The Ben & Jerry's van

We ended the day at the ever-long queue at Ben & Jerry's - free ice cream will do that. But I found it odd that they were scooping half scoops from pint tubs, rather than more commercial sizes of the ice cream.

Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Brownie ice cream

Anyway, the Chocolate Brownie flavour of the afternoon was just what was needed to cool us down, and hit us up with sugar. I especially liked the fudgey brownie chunks I got, even if they get stuck in my teeth and I feel like I need to brush my teeth there and then.

In the end, with funds raised, tummies filled and skin somewhat tanned, it was a fair day out and a pleasant way of celebrating the end of another year’s Sydney International Food Festival. Congrats to the organisers on the success of the overall festival and to next year and beyond!

Moth attractions

Like moths to the light we humans also sometimes have unstoppable magnetic attractions to things that aren't necessarily good for us. Perhaps more a matter of having rubber arms or bad habits than magnetism - you know it's bad but you just can't help it. Or you don't want to help it because even though it might be construed as bad, it's still good in a fun, hedonistic, devil-may-care way.

Without getting into too much detail, it's a cruisey late weekday lunch that finally finds me at the city's Small Bar - the first Sydney bar under new liquor licensing laws that I've been meaning to go to forever. Well, since December last year anyway. The shopfront is much like its neighbouring stores and could be easily mistaken for a cafe if not for the bottles of wine on the wall shelves.

The narrow walkway between the bar and seating is to be navigated carefully if seated heads aren't to be knocked, especially if one has an oversized tote bag in tow. We're told the upstairs has been booked for a private function so we squeeze out onto the tiny balcony for a look around. I think there was a couple squished into the balcony area but we spy the laneway below and an empty table beckoning us.

Descend down a perilously narrow creaky wooden staircase to get to the lower level that's all dark and moody, candles dotted about the plush lounges and a defunct fireplace trying to contribute to a grungy Melbourne bar feel. There's a smattering of tables and chairs in the grey pedestrian laneway outside where there are marginally more nosy business types (with "Why are you sitting drinking wine in this lane?" expressions plastered all over their faces) than traffic noise.

We relax into our seats only to be told by staff that we'd have to order and pay upstairs. I trudge back up the grandmother's house stairs to order from the very reasonably priced menu. Food consists of 'smalls' and 'meals', the latter of which is an eclectic gathering of pub bistro style dishes peaking at $18.

I order a glass of a Victorian pinot grigio, a juice for the 'non-drinking' companion and an item from the 'smalls', and am then confronted with the daunting task of walking back down aforementioned dark, perilous, narrow staircase with two glasses, purse and table number. A warning for the high-heeled: stay upstairs, especially after a few drinks.

Antipasto plate from Small Bar, Erskine Street, Sydney

Luckily our antipasto plate is brought to the table - I'm not sure I could manage the stairs with this plate. It almost seems as though the antipasto has been inspired by the Aussie barbeque with its two rows of thinly sliced cooked meats.

I start on the small bowl of warmed olives - an uninteresting mix of tri-coloured savoury olives in oil. The fetta is a little more exciting, not too crumbly nor salty but quietly creamy. The pile of roasted marinated strips of eggplant, capsicum and tomato makes me wonder if there's a vegetable ration about but the thinly sliced, chewy sourdough bread on the side makes me smile.

And so onto the meats. I've never really had a steak as part of an antipasto plate before - bresaola, yes, but not a thin tataki-style slices cooked to a pink-centred medium. Nonetheless the meat is warm, tender and very tasty though I keep having to stop myself from looking for the ponzu sauce. The warm, thin slices of chicken breast or tenderloin are coated in Cajun-style spices and are a distinct departure from traditional antipasti. The salami draws me back momentarily, however its greasiness is off-putting.

Settling back into my director's chair we ruminate on the Small Bar concept and mismatch of rustic wooden furniture to our very Sydney laneway. It's nothing like a Melbourne bar and doesn't offer refuge in a quiet corner or alley. Rather it's a point of difference, as if its purpose and being is just to contrast the existence of Sydney's, sometimes very well done, larger venues. There's also a further us-versus-them vibe as at this time we lucky patrons watch working business types trudge to and fro.

It isn't long till the novelty wears although I'm much looking forward to an evening visit to Small Bar sometime soon, particularly to custom their enticing wine menu. Instead we seek other lounge-worthy moments nearby and hotfoot it over the road to the Central Baking Depot to marvel at their window filled with baked delights. It's time for dessert as we enter, um-and-ah over the sweet, sweet choices then settle into their unique bakery-styled seating.

Seating at Central Baking Depot, Erskine Street, Sydney

I end up falling for a tart (typical) though I make a few promises to the chocolate cake, orange and chocolate brownie and lemon pillow that I'll see them soon.

Pear, almond and chocolate tart

Going for the relatively healthier option with pear, the tart is mild in sweetness with a soft, flaky pastry casing. The dark chocolate filling is subdued in richness, probably by the almond meal, and the pear is a scrummy baked addition.

And not regularly having coffee anymore has really made the palate fonder of the roasted bean - a beautifully strong creamy cappuccino to wash down the tart.

Cappucino

Latte

Such a lovely afternoon spent eating and drinking in our lovely summer city. It's almost a pity to revert to moth-like behaviour later in the night and inevitably drink my way into the usual lights of city pubs and 'larger venues'. I blame hedonism, my rubber arms and Justin Hemmes.