A tasty bit of Taste of Sydney 2011

Taste of Sydney 2011, Centennial Parklands, Sydney

For the third year in a row, I headed to the Taste of Sydney festival in Centennial Park on a Sunday afternoon, immediately desperate for a cool drink in the dizzyingly hot weather.

The well-stocked Kronenbourg stand

The sun blared as we skipped from shaded stall to shaded stall with beer in hand, checking out the wares on offer this year. Many stallholders returned from last year, and as always, there was a plethora of wine and harder booze to taste, try and buy.

Lots of fun at the Sagatiba stall

Whisky Galore stall

Cocktail fountain at the Green Fairy stall

Patron Tequila stall

Bob the buffalo at the Buffalo Trace stall

Angostura - clever with the cold, non-alcoholic drinks

Food samples were abundant too; though there were noticeably fewer cheese stalls this year.

The winner in my books had to be Craig Cooks Prime Quality Meats for their mouthwatering, smell-from-a-mile-away barbequed meats, especially a bit of very tender, juicy and flavoursome sirloin I tried.

Craig Cooks Prime Quality Meats stall

The City Tattersalls Club stall – at it again with freebies

Gorgeous marshmallows at the Sweetness The Patisserie stall

Frozen pearl meat at the Paspaley stall

Particularly unique this year was the Paspaley stall. Synonymous with high class pearl jewellery, imagine my surprise when they were dishing out cold starters of marinated pearl meat.

Thin slices, rather like very tender abalone meat in a tangy, dill-spiked dressing, this was one delicacy that seemed to polarise tasters – I, for one, loved it.

Whisky tasting at the Johnnie Walker stand

Most heavy hitting session of the day was definitely the Johnnie Walker whisky tasting, especially for a non-whisky drinker (to me it tastes like leather, on fire).

The sample of a whisky-based cocktail was manageable, followed by three tasters of Johnnie Walker Black, Green and Gold that weren’t so, even with a few drops of water to “open up the whisky”.

Tasting partners of vanilla, dried apricot, orange peel and dark chocolate were supposed to help enhance the flavours though for me, were more like tools to kill the taste of all the blended whiskies.

Taste of Sydney crowds

I didn’t make it to a Sensology cocktail class though I desperately wanted to learn the art of a proper Piña Colada (there were only classes for Cosmopolitans left); and the Planet Cake stall had packed up by the time I got around to it.

I saw Jared Ingersoll of Cotton Duck and Danks Street Depot briefly at the GT Chef’s Table though didn’t manage any Taste Kitchen sessions – reminding me how much planning and scheduling is really necessary to make the most of a Taste day.

Chef Jared Ingersoll at the Cotton Duck/Danks Street Depot stall

In fact, chef spotting was one of the most entertaining activities of the day with Jared Ingersoll, Dietmar Sawyere, Warren Turnbull, Colin Fassnidge, Tony Bilson, Miguel Maestre, Richard Ptacnik, Alessandro Pavoni, Eugene Maiale, Peter Kuruvita and Manu Feildel, all spotted cooking, plating, serving or socialising at some point during the day.

Day's most popular use of the complimentary HSBC hessian bags

HSBC hessian bag hat #2

Respite from the heat and floating dry grass was found momentarily in the HSBC customers VIP tent, where air conditioning and some seating gave rest to our hot, weary selves and cool drinks were on offer amid the resort-themed decorations.

Inside the HSBC VIP tent

We brought in food from a couple of stalls, but it wasn’t long before we had to head out again, in search of more food, tasting bits and the moving about that is an outdoor festival.

Slow cooked fillet of ocean trout, 'French onion soup' puree, peppered
oxtail 'croustillant' from Berowra Waters Inn/Ad Lib Bistro

We started at a momentarily short queue at Berowra Waters Inn/Ad Lib Bistro and nabbed their seafood dish of slow cooked (sous vide?) ocean trout with an unidentified and rather flavourless foam with chives on top.

The white foam was in stark contrast to the intense flavour of the French onion soup puree, which was caramelly sweet and savoury, pairing well with the subtle but so beaitufully textured fish that nearly melted on the tongue.

The golden-skinned ‘crisp’ roll filled with fall-apart oxtail meat was small but punched above its weight with rich, beefy flavour – almost too much with the puree but harmonious with the ocean trout.

Black pepper and curry leaf prawn skewers with lime and fresh coconut
from Flying Fish

Looking like one of the best value dishes of the day, two skewers of prawns were obtained from the Flying Fish stall, adorned with flavours and garnishes that tempted us and passersby.

The small tail-on prawns were just cooked, and fresh-tasting for it, with fresh coconut shavings and lime giving the dish a tropical air while the garlicky sauce couldn't quite hold on to the crisply fried curry leaves which blew away in the wind.

Spicy French sausage on sourdough with relish from Victor Churchill Meats

Not one of the restaurants but feeding the masses anyway was Victor Churchill Meats, which had sadly sold out of their charcuterie plates by the time we got there. But the barbeque was smoking and we waited patiently as the sausages sizzled.

Rather miniaturised in a small, crunch white sourdough roll, the thin sausage was shrouded in a deep red relish of onions. The French sausage was substantially meaty, with what seemed like chunks within rather than a processed texture. And it was certainly spicy.

Paella a la Maestre from Aperitif

The unmissable Miguel Maestre was spotted in the Aperitif stall eating paella – it must have been good, so we followed suit. The plate of saffron-yellowed rice we received was abundant not with the squid/mussel combination I had expected, but pieces of flaked salmon chunks.

Its slight dryness was helped along by a squeeze of the lemon wedge all over, which added a sweet, tart note to the filling dish.

Stracci with smoked veal ragout , eschallot puree, bresaola and parmesan
from Otto Ristorante

My favourite savoury dish of the day was the pasta at Otto Ristorante, where chef Richard Ptacnik was calling out something melodic every time a dessert was ordered. A boring old pasta dish this wasn’t.

The stracci pasta (translates as ‘rags’ in Italian) were beautifully thick and wide pasta pieces with a cute ruffled edge. How the kitchen maintained a state of al dente for such mass cooking is a wonder.

Paired with the only lightly smoked minced veal ragu and topped with slivers of bresaola and grated parmesan, the flavours and textures were comforting as too the great value, well sized dish.

Dark chocolate Snickers from Four in Hand

With precious few Crowns left, I had to forgo the desired lamb shoulder at Four in Hand in favour of the even more desired Snickers dessert. I didn’t know what to expect other than peanuts, caramel and chocolate.

The dessert delivered these ingredients and more. The centre scoop of ice cream was a little overwhelmed by the other flavours, so I’m not even sure what flavour it was. A mousse-y chocolate moat hid caramel peanut halves (I think – I dunno, it was all covered in chocolate).

We devoured this one quickly, scoffing spork-fuls that had a bit of everything, especially the unknown flavour ice cream. The plastic spork made it a bit difficult to scrape the emptied bowl of all the chocolate and caramel.

Hazelnut, peach and nougat, and yoghurt and berries gelato from Gelato Messina

After Four in Hand’s take on the Snickers, the heat made more ice cream a must, although I couldn’t handle any more nutty richness in the peanut butter and chocolate gelato.

With free scoop at the Gelato Messina stall thanks to HSBC, we instead go a little fruity with peach and nougat, yoghurt and berries, and my ever-favourite hazelnut gelato.

Lolling about on the dry grass with an empty gelato cup, I faintly heard the announcement that Taste was coming to an end – though much clearer when told by the security guard.

Waddling out the gates, I admit I had to have another sit/lie-down before heading home, just to let the all the food and drinks settle somewhat.

Dinner post Taste of Sydney including Milawa Cheese Company Cow’s Milk
Camembert, Huon Hot Smoked Salmon and water crackers
scored from Huon Aquaculture

Getting home at about 6pm, dinner was the last thing on our minds but as the night rolled on (after a post heat/feasting nap), I could swear that the cheeses we’d bought from the Tourism Victoria stand were calling me.

The Milawa chevre was a taste sensation, sampled at the stand and sitting in the fridge currently. But for dinner, we polished off half the cow’s milk camembert along with half a fillet of hot smoked salmon (which is cooked in the smoking process, unlike cold smoked salmon) and other bits from the fridge.

The salmon was a revelation – savoury, dry-ish pale orange flesh that flakes at the touch; full of salt and smoke goodness, and divine in a pasta dish. And to think it was cheaper, and quite possibly more versatile, than the cold smoked stuff.

Taste of Sydney 2011 comes to an end

So that’s Taste of Sydney for another year. The organisers have to be happy with themselves – it really is an event that is getting bigger (literally) and somewhat better as a result.

One can only wait till next year to see what new restaurants, sessions, exhibitors and innovations that Taste of Sydney will bring to Centennial Park.

Thanks to Stellar* Concepts for the general admission tickets to Taste of Sydney 2011 - and the opportunity to spend so many dollars/Crowns on a great day out!

Taste, two ways

Going for seconds is usually a good sign – going back for more food, seeing a movie a second time, returning to a restaurant, a second date. The first time was obviously good enough to warrant a return, and there’s the knowledge that the second time round will be just as good or have enough variety to not be boring.

It happens that I’m back for seconds at the Taste of Sydney festival at Centennial Park. The organisers must have been ecstatic that the temperamental Sydney weather held up for most of the festival – with only a bit of a shower on the Saturday night and a few light sprinkles on Sunday. Second time round, I have strategically marked targets throughout the festival and intentions to systematically review the stalls. And to taste as many samples as socially acceptable.

Grilled pesto salmon samples from Huon Aquaculture

I was right the first time - there were a lot fewer stalls giving out tasters. But that doesn't mean that I didn't score a beautifully cooked hunk of salmon, drizzled with lemon juice and lightly tossed through pesto. I took one piece, and moved on - not what a lot of people milling about the City Tattersalls Club stall could say.

Freebies on offer from City Tattersalls Club

Congrats firstly to City Tatts for having the generosity and bravery to give away free food all day long - all four days long, I should say. Personally, I'd be scared. As for marketing, it was a winner; as far as accounting goes, I'm not so sure.

I was quite impressed with the quality and understated sophistication of their freebie offerings, especially the lab-whimsical apple, cranberry and cinnamon doughnuts which were, for starters, fresh and scrummy on their own. But with a self-administered injection of white chocolate or sour cherry filling, it was a new level of playing with your food, if not just a little over the top - no complaints though.

Tempura soft shell crab with lime and ginger aioli from City Tattersalls Club

Small bits of soft shell crab were served and stalked in little paper cones, piping hot and just a little oily for it. This was washed down with complimentary mini cocktails: a sweetly innocent pink bramble cocktail and a killer white chocolate martini. Let me tell you, I've never had a free, or even happy hour, cocktail as strong as that white chocolate martini - if I were wearing socks, they would have been blown off over that way.

Paella a la Maestre cooking at El Toro Loco

Our first dish of the day was the seafood paella from El Toro Loco, where I'm not sure how chef Miguel Maestre managed to cook anything for all the photos and girls simply fawning over him. The serving we got lacked seafood, unfortunately; just the one mussel in shell for the entire paper bowl. I was, however, a big fan of the zingy rice - not mushy nor hard, but surprisingly a great palate awakener. And stomach liner for that matter.

James Squire Brewery

Nothing beats that first beer on a sunny afternoon - it's just the fourth and fifth beers that are problematic. Meandering through and around people is that much less stressful when one has a chilled James Squire Golden Ale in hand - if there's a queue of jam in front; just stop, sip, pause and let that stress dissolve away. But really, a hot day plus beer in moderation is a heavenly match - made only better with cured meat.

Victor Churchill stand display

It's pure class at the Victor Churchill stand; delicious without even knowing what's on offer. It is after all a butcher, so there are a few cuts of not-inexpensive meat along with a few clubs of biltong. Further along the case are mountains of prettily packed charcuterie and within seconds, I have a posh plastic container in my hands.

Cured meat plate from Victor Churchill

Prosciutto, capicola, salame and olives; gherkin and sourdough bread in my hands - these are a few of my favourite things. Short of dancing around in curtains, we dig into the platter propped up against one of those astroturf blocks, ripping into the lovely chewy yet soft bread. The prosciutto is wonderously/scarily (you choose) fatty with flavour that strokes and fondles the tongue. The capicola is distinctly drier and less fat, but almost with a stronger flavour. But my favourite has to be the salame, red with capsicum I think, and hitting all the right fatty, chewy, meaty spots.

Victor Churchill dessert offerings

And who would think a butcher could put on such classy desserts. Victor Churchill is cleary not your average butcher. Every single chocolate mousse, creme caramel, strawberry trifle and creme brulee (freshly torched) looked perfect - though I admit the strawberry jelly is a little too pig's blood for me after prior witnessings.

Original lemonade from Lemon Bar

The non-alcoholic break proves to be unwise - for it is expensive and crunchy with sugar crystals, which I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to be. No point being a sour lemon, but lessons to be learned.

Planet Cake workshop cupcakes as previously mentioned

That's serious whiskey if it's in a cage - at Think Spirits

Cured ocean trout with coleslaw, lemon and dill jelly from Marque

The ticking of the hit list begins. Marque were definitely dishing up stylish yet generously-sized serves I notes, as I scamper off happily with my ocean trout. 'Astroturfing' next to a stranger with the tuna from Flying Fish, I could only pity their inability to cut the tuna with a knife (it seemed stringy...) while my ocean trout melted in my mouth with the pop-py roe. The jelly is not how I remember it, but rather a gel that miraculously seems creamy beneath the harmonious tones of lemon and dill. The fish is firmly perfect, making the coleslaw redundant other than as a comfy seat.

Suckling pig panino with apple, mustard and rocket served on Sonoma sourdough from Pilu at Freshwater

Tick. Giovanni Pilu smilingly hands over the panino himself in exchange for Crowns, appearing quite content without the celebrity. Maybe it's the suckling pig. The piggy bun is a wonderfully crisp square stuffed full of tender white flesh. The wholegrain mustard and rocket make themselves known although the apple seems to have gone hiding with the salt and seasoning.

Fries with eyes - crisp school prawns with a spicy Cajun remoulade from Jonah's at Whale Beach

Tick, tick, tick - I can't tick this dish enough. While in hindsight I should have gone back for seconds and thirds, Jonah's fries with eyes are right up there as potential festival favourite. Quirky name, deep fry, mayo sauce - what doesn't this dish have? Chef George Francisco notes the variable size of the prawns in my serving, saying the uppermost one looked like it ate schoolies as opposed to being one. Alternatively, there were ones the size of Chinese dried shrimp - the small sized ones.

Doused in lemon and the tasty remoulade, these crunchy critters were looking to please with their cholesterol-filled heads and to-be-carefully-eaten shells. These minor barriers to enjoyment are genuinely part of the enjoyment; and there's no peeling required and no wastage created. Very green indeed.

Tapioca pudding with poached jackfruit and lychees from Longrain

I'm looking for one of the final ticks at the Longrain stall but they've run out of fish cakes. Not placated with the replacement smoked trout salad, I console myself in the tropical tapioca pudding. The in-season rambutan is sweet; the wafer stick sweeter and the coconut tapioca mix sweeter yet. The jackfruit slivers provide momentary and welcome tartness while the lychees seem overwhelmed.

It's a monster; it's a sea creature; it's a...

rambutan with sago pearls stuck to it

And so it's the dessert run. Well, sort of - broken up with one of the very last servings of Flying Fish's grilled king prawns with black pepper and curry leaf sauce, steamed rice and curry leaf malum. I genuinely like to alternate my sweet and savoury intakes, and don't even mind them together (hello salted caramels and ham on hot cross buns - don't knock it till you try it!)

The 4's dark chocolate Cherry Ripe from Four in Hand

A passing decision to drop in at the Four in Hand proves extremely wise. I love fresh cherries. I don't like anything cherry-related that isn't fresh. Liquer, maraschino, chocolate, lollies - no thanks. But I adore this sorbet. It's freezing cold, mild on the sweetness with a hint of darkness in a lingering bitterness - I've found a Cherry Ripe I like. The moistly fudgey dark chocolate cake crumbs certainly assist, but I find my spork ineffective in getting those last two crums of cake. I surely can not stick my face/tongue all the way into the bowl.

Raspberry sorbet from Movenpick

The Cherry Ripe has us in a fevered search for more. Of course, a second helping at Four in Hand would have been the easy option, but where's the challenge in that? After several samples of ice cream from the New Zealand tourism tent (and maybe some mussels, cockles, cheese and salmon), we settle on one of the numerous ice cream and gelato stalls. Movenpick's raspberry sorbet is not quite as mature as the cherry - sweeter and lighter - but the squinty-sour lemon is very satisfying.

The crowd tastes - the Taste crowds

And with a final visit to the Chef's Table to see a very passionate Jared Ingersoll of Danks Street Depot, Taste of Sydney is over for year two. What fun it's been to go back and back and back for seconds - and I get the feeling thirds will be even better. Second that?