Crave Sydney International Food Festival signalled the beginning of festival season in Sydney although its end signals a perhaps scary start to the year-end festive season.
A month back now, the sprinkling rain and cold deterred few from the inaugural Green Square Gourmet Food Festival as a part of Crave, so congratulations go to the organisers for a job very well done.
Pony rides as part of the Green Square Gourmet Food Festival, Joynton Park, Victoria Park, Green Square
Dreamt up and put together by Martin, the outdoor festival in Joynton Park within the Victoria Park complex had both kids and food lovers covered.
There were pony rides, a petting farm, restaurant and produce stalls, a bar and, luckily given the weather, a big marquee with plenty of seating.
Kids' Audi driving track
A llama in the petting zoo
Fruit and vegetable carvings
Paella by Bocata
The festival provided an opportunity for Green Square to feature restaurants and providores from the area and neighbouring Surry Hills, Redfern, Alexandria and so forth - and what a gourmet bounty it was.
Yellow beef curry by Longrain
With Noodle Markets commitments as well, Longrain was in full festival swing in October. Their yellow beef curry was mildly spicy, while the soft beef pieces must have been cooked for hours and hours.
The curry's spicy sauce and fluffy white rice were only enhanced by the vegetable pickle on top.
Penne with beef ragu from Adamo's Pasta
Great value was had at the Adamo's Pasta stall with rich, filling bowls of beef ragu penne for only $5.
Not only was it value for money, it was darn well one of the best pastas I've had - certainly coming from a bain marie into a biodegradable bowl, and even comparing to some eateries - with the impressively al dente penne tubes holding up a very robust tomato and red wine ragu.
Fresh mozzarella being stretched at the Salt Meats Cheese stall
I was introduced to Salt Meats Cheese (which sits next to The Grounds of Alexandria) by Jeremy Martin of Martin, and was glad to be able to sample their goodies at the festival.
Mozzarella is one of my all-time favourite cheeses and having learnt to make it recently, I was only more appreciative watching the guy at the stall stretch the curds into beautiful balls of mozzarella.
Salt Meats Cheese are doing some pretty awesome things with their fresh cow's and buffalo milk mozzarella that take me back to my time spent in Italy - quite a feat for a locally-made cheese.
Cheese sampling at the Salt Meats Cheese stall
See more photos from the Green Square Gourmet Food Festival here on my Facebook page.
Pop-Up Long Dinner
Later in the evening, amid the grey skies and threatening winds, the festivities continued in Joynton Park with a pop-up Long Dinner hosted by Martin.
The chilly weather rather challenged the cocktail dress code - it would have been a stunning set-up were it a balmy spring night. Nonetheless, the themed marquee was a pretty sight in the middle of the park.
Marquee and crowd for Long Dinner as part of the Green Square Gourmet Food Festival
Surrounded by high rise apartment buildings, the marquee looked to be holding steady as about 200 people sipped wines by Swinging Bridge (apt, really, given the wind) and Pimms cocktails with natural oysters and peppery prawn crackers to start the night.
Tables set up for the Long Dinner
Three long tables were set up beneath the open-sided marquee while a live music act took the stage at the front. Professional waitstaff added a sense of refinement to the evening while the bottomless bottles of wine was reminiscent of a wedding.
Entrees being plated in the kitchen
I was allowed to sneak into the makeshift tent kitchen where the night's dinner was being prepared by Danks Street Depot, Longrain and The French House (also in Danks Street, Waterloo).
Martin Boetz of Longrain (left) and Jared Ingersoll of Danks Street Depot (right)
Food was in fact being prepared by the the men themselves: Jared Ingersoll of Danks Street Depot and Martin Boetz of Longrain, who also joined the long dinner when they could leave the kitchen.
Bread and butter
Salad of cauliflower, corn and cucumber
Beetroot and carrot salad
Sitting among new faces and couple of restaurateurs, dinner was a meal of shared courses, starting with bread and spring-appropriate salads of cauliflower and corn, and beetroot and carrot.
Charcuterie plate by Danks Street Depot
Next, Ingersoll's generous charcuterie platter of velvety duck liver pâté, orange-hued salmon rillettes and hunk of veal terrine could have been the meal itself, so rich and decadent it was.
I couldn't pick a favourite but the brandy-toned pâté was quite incredible.
Boetz tends to the yellow curry
Boetz headed back into the kitchen to plate and finish the main course: a yellow curry of duck, served with rice and cucumber chilli pickles.
Cucumber pickles
Yellow duck curry by Longrain
I loved that there was a bigger heat kick in the pickle than the mild yellow curry which dressed the impeccably tender and juicy duck legs and breasts.
There was plenty of duck to go around and it took a lot in me to not finish off the shared bowl of curry and rice, and call it a night. A lot.
Assorted mini tarts by The French House
And so there was room for dessert; a huge selection of tarts and small bits from The French House that ensured no one would be tasting them all. The chocolate tart was as good as it was cute, while the white chocolate covered profiterole was a custard-filled delight.
Rain and lightning timed itself well to celebrate the close of dinner and the day overall of the Green Square Gourmet Food Festival.
Many thanks go to Martin for the very well executed event - from music to decorations and of course, the food and booze, it was a long dinner to remember, and not for the free light show at the end either. See you next year!
Food, booze and shoes attended the Long Dinner as a guest of Martin.
As we pulled up to Rose Bay ferry wharf, it was clear that the effort gone into sourcing an all-white outfit (tan heels aside) for the first ever Dîner en Blanc Sydney was going to be worth it.
Part of the Crave festival just ended, this promised to be a Sydney dining event like no other. The waiting crowd at the ferry wharf, all resplendent in white against the shimmering water on Saturday afternoon, was visibly excited and well prepared.
Crowds dressed in white for Dîner en Blanc Sydney
Dîner en Blanc is a Parisian phenomenon which started 24 years ago. Essentially a mass picnic in a secret, prestigious, city site, Dîner en Blanc is made spectacular by the dress code of pure white elegance.
Never have I seen so many men in white suits and ladies in outfits ranging from casual white tees with white jeans and sun dresses, to chic cocktail dresses and full-blown gowns.
Crowds dressed in white and all prepared
With the dress code down pat, it was a matter of 1,500 people getting to a secret dining location from numerous meeting points – and we were lucky to have a clear-skied evening.
Boarding the ferry at Rose Bay wharf
Wheeling white chairs and fold-up tables, lugging picnic baskets and white foam boxes, the all-white crowd at Rose Bay ferry wharf became quite the spectacle, even making it into a few tourist photo snaps and videos.
Dîner en Blanc in front of the MCA
Hopping onto a public ferry with bemused public travellers, we headed unexpectedly towards the city, passing all the suspected Sydney harbour island locations.
It was only as we pulled around the Sydney Opera House that a sea of white in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) was revealed to us – and what a sight.
Dîner en Blanc Sydney on the MCA lawn
White chairs, white clothed tables and of course, all the white outfits. As we made our way from Circular Quay wharf to the MCA lawn, we were stopped multiple times by tourists and bystanders who queried the white spectacle.
I’m not sure if they were expecting a celebrity wedding over an all-white picnic dinner party, but they were all suitably impressed with the collective efforts of Dîner en Blanc Sydney already.
Entering Dîner en Blanc Sydney
Dîner en Blanc DJ
The glitzy welcoming host and already pumping music were the background to white-clad participants setting up their tables and chairs in allocated spaces.
White table settings
The sheer thought and effort gone into some of the table settings was astonishing – think flower bouquets, helium balloons, artistic centrepieces and of course, all white crockery and napery – and fully appreciated by all, adding plenty to the already electric atmosphere.
Long white tables
With many, many thanks to Liquid Ideas, I joined a long table of 50 lucky people who didn't have to prepare anything other than an outfit, including Joanna Savill, Simon Thomsen, Myffy Rigby, Colin Fassnidge and Hayden Quinn.
Champagne Pol Roger
Our table setting
It was absolute decadence, seated with the Opera House in the backdrop and the Harbour Bridge just over there, white chrysanthemums and daisies in jars, and Champagne Pol Roger on pour all night long.
The white crowd amasses
Waving white napkins in the air
A Mexican wave of sorts – the official waving of white serviettes in the air – signalled the commencement of the night’s festivities, with the MCA awash in spinning, flapping whiteness.
Waving napkins in the air
Many tables brought their own picnic dinners – whole lobsters were sighted – but many went the pre-purchased hamper option by JOHNANDPETER catering, with large white boxes for two really able to feed about four picnickers.
Food hamper by JOHNANDPETER caterinf
Dinner in a box was a gourmet picnic feast, starting with a seed-topped Iggy’s mini baguette which was perfect for tearing and smooshing into the indulgent jar of duck liver parfait with cornichons.
It was also ideal with the Old Telegraph Road Jackson’s Track uber-stinky washed rind, which was too tempting to be left as a cheese course with the pear and fantastic, whole wheat Misura crackers. Raw breakfast radishes with tops left on was the height of sophistication, eaten with Lescure butter and bread.
Food hamper
The main course was a whole roast chicken – between two people. And if that wasn’t enough, there were sides of kipfler potatoes with sauce gribiche and delightful green beans with hazelnut oil vinaigrette.
I almost couldn’t look at the large salted caramel macaron for all the leftover chicken, although the stinky cheese survived the cab ride home.
Tables of white
The white dinner
The night continued with much admiration of nearby outfits, while the Pol Roger flowed amid much stuffing of faces.
Sparklers in celebration
Sparklers were distributed by the organisers to be lit in unison for yet another breathtaking moment.
Imagine 1,500 sparklers in the air, waved about with joy and glee by the most sophisticated and elegant gathering I think I may have ever seen.
Sparklers in the air
The vibe and evening quickly turned to party mode with the switch to 80s classic pop hits springing up a mini dance floor in front of the elevated DJ. It truly felt like a wedding where there are a few familiar faces and loads of new faces – all smiling and happy to have a chat or clink a glass.
As it headed towards 10pm, white picnickers started to make moves, packing up their white furniture and dissipating into the dark night. Duos and groups of white moved in an outward radius from the spot that was hours earlier a party in full swing, and even earlier, just a lawn in front of a museum.
Sparkler
There was a quiet knowing between white-outfitted people that we’d just been a part of something very special and completely, surprisingly unknown to most.
With a glimmer of white in our eyes and white outfits at the ready, we’ll be waiting eagerly for next year’s Dîner en Blanc Sydney.
See more photos on my Facebook page and the official Dîner en Blanc Sydney video from the night below.
Food, booze and shoes attended Dîner en Blanc Sydney as a guest of Liquid Ideas.
The Night Noodle Markets are a quintessential Sydney event and one of my yearly traditions as part of the Crave Sydney International Food Festival.
Running for another two nights in Hyde Park north (near St James station) to conclude their extended run this year, the Noodle Markets continue to grow in size, taking over more and more of the park with new sponsor areas, more food stalls and more seating (with a variety of improved quality chair settings!).
Citibank VIP area
I think the growth of themed sponsor areas is a fantastic addition, with Citibank, Brown Brothers, Coopers and Rekordelig all taking advantage of the outdoor space. The Noodle Lounge by Chinta Ria is also a good addition for those not up for the queues and seat hunting.
Eat Art Truck at the Night Noodle Markets
Two food trucks also made an appearance - the shiny red bus of Agape and arty Eat Art Truck - the latter which had run out of their amazing shichimi chicken wings just as I walked past.
Chat Thai stall
An easy favourite of the Noodle Markets is Chat Thai; their dual stall handling the crowds and queues much better than the likes of Mamak and Din Tai Fung - also perennial crowd favourites.
Mu bhing and sticky rice from Chat Thai
The mu bhing grilled pork skewers are easily my favourite dish of the night. Served with a sweet and lightly spicy dipping sauce, the pork was charred for a caramelly exterior and had a tender chew that was perfect with a ball of sticky rice - eaten with the fingers, of course.
Fresh young coconut juice from Chat Thai
Even on a cooler evening, a thirst-quenching fresh young coconut is irresistible, especially when the gelatinous inner flesh has already been shaved off the sides, ready for immediate consumption.
Som tum from Chat Thai
We're also gifted with a som tum green papaya salad from Amy Chanta of Chat Thai. Knowing all too well the Thai chilli heat scale ('medium' blows my head off), we elected a "not very spicy" version, bashed out fresh and to order from a huge mortar and pestle.
The papaya shreds, green beans, peanuts and cherry tomatoes form a refreshing, yet still spicy salad, with thanks to a fresh, red birdseye chilli. The sticky rice also worked well to temper the heat of the som tum.
Barbequed corn from Kinn Dining
I'd not heard of Kinn Dining before but was keen to sample their wares which had a modern Thai feel to it; although not so much the barbequed corn with butter.
Soft shell crab and chicken satay from Kinn Dining
The soft shell crab had unfortunately cooled by the time I returned to our patch of grass, although the flavours were fabulous and the batter stayed very crisp. It was even nicer dipped into the leftover dressing of Chat Thai's som tum.
Kinn Dining also had some of the most generously-sized chicken satay I've ever seen - huge cuts of chicken breast that made the bamboo skewers bend under its weight. These were served with a creamy, coconut-ty satay sauce, in the same dish as the soft shell crab for my carrying convenience.
One of The Morrison bars
The Brown Brothers bean bag seats looked incredibly comfortable in front of The Morrison bar. I was just a little envious as I sat on the grass sipping an icy cold Coopers Pale Ale.
Roti making at Mamak Village
Leaving space for another annual tradition - the mango with sticky rice dessert at Chat Thai - we ventured to the southern end of the Noodle Markets where there were a few new and interesting faces.
It was impossible to not join the queue at Mamak Village, watching the incredible roti making show. How the roti chef flings and swings the uber-thin dough, even boomerang-ing the round flat dough in the air, is a wonder.
However, the end result roti canai and curry sauce weren't the best I've tried while the airy otak otak fish cake was singular and minute.
Food stalls at Night Noodle Markets
Rekordelig Cider Bar
Crave Night Noodle Markets
So, you've got two more nights to mosey on down to the Night Noodle Markets for 2012. Indeed, a second or third visit might be in order too. See more photos of the Crave Night Noodle Markets 2012 at my Facebook page.
