The last four days were all about the food festivals. Melbourne is celebrating their Food and Wine, yesterday saw Hyde Park peppered with NSW wine stalls at Cellar Door Festival and Centennial Park, once again, played host to the city’s favourite DIY degustation – Taste of Sydney.
Organic tomato samples
Last year it was a dual attack with The Captain and I on a hot Sunday arvo, where I had plenty of time to meander and eat as I pleased (actually a majority of the time was spent chatting and drinking with Windowrie Wines heh). This time however, I had reinforcements – all equally hungry, all equally clueless with public transport (hehe) and some with even more frighteningly large cameras. And then there was one special gal who only had one thing on her mind – getting her hands on an infamous and naughty dessert…
…Jonah’s wondrously creamy vanilla panna cotta that was just as wobbly and boobilicious as last year.
Jonah’s at Whale Beach: Vanilla panna cotta with lavender honey and fresh pomegranate
Things I’ve learnt from Taste of Sydney 2010:
• I never thought beef and watermelon would ever go together in one dish but it seems that Danks Street Depot has shown me the light.
Danks Street Depot: Beef ribs smoked in watermelon with a watermelon and avocado salad
• Something as simple as tender beef and potato mash will always remain a favourite of mine. I would marry Guillaume Brahimi if he promised to make this for me every night.
Guillaume at Bennelong: Wagyu beef daube with Paris mash
• Taste of Melbourne has a better venue (the beautiful Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton). Centennial Park is tedious and public transport can be a bitch. Prepare to walk at least a kilometre to the actual festival from the bus!
• Taste of Sydney has an awesome Producer Market (you can get filled up just from eating the samples!). And miracle of miracles, Taste of Sydney has actual non-alcoholic beverages (Preshafruit Juice FTW). Bottom line, if you go to Taste of Melbourne, you better like wine (or at least bring your own non-alcoholic bevy).
• If you haven’t tasted a Fuji apple juice from Preshafood, then you haven’t lived.
• Taste of Sydney always seemed to provide better meat dishes (Guillaume! Guillaume!). However, Taste of Melbourne won it in the seafood stakes.
• More tables and places to eat and convene with fellow food-lovers makes for happier patrons.
• Big blocks covered in chic faux lawn turf is a killer impromptu food styling background.
• Taste of Sydney 2010 rocked.
Danks Street Depot: ‘Saucy Tart’ with chocolate mousse and liquid raspberry centre
Danks Street Depot: Organic chicken liver parfait with sweet vinegar raisins and dressed baby herbs
Restaurant Balzac: Saddle of suckling pig with garden peas and smoked bacon jus
Assiette: Miso glazed regal salmon with Japanese radish salad
Bécasse: Chocolate Soufflé
Oh baby!
Guillaume at Bennelong: Pistachio Macarons
Pilu at Freshwater: Risotto with Crystal Bay prawns and zucchini
Pilu at Freshwater: ‘Zippulas’ – Sardinian donuts with citrus sugar
Plan B: Organic grass-fed Wagyu beef burger
Bird Cow Fish: Braised Cape Grim beef cheek and glazed onion pie in a sour cream and puff pastry case and red wine jus
Aria: Cured ocean trout with cucumber and horseradish
El Toro Loco: Paella de Maestra
Berowra Waters Inn: Quail breast with truffled risotto croustillant
Restaurant Balzac: Crispy Wagyu beef with wild mushroom and truffle foam
And just for kicks… a final look at the notorious ‘booby panna cotta’ for 2010!
Broken vanilla teat = sadness
Citrus and Candy attended Taste of Sydney 2010 thanks to Stellar* Concepts Australia. All food and beverages were paid for by Citrus and Candy.
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Tagged as:
Centennial Park,
Food Festivals,
Restaurants,
Sydney,
Taste of Sydney
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
lovely choices of food. it was my first time this year and was happy there was lots of producer stands as well giving out free tastings. :-)
George's panna cotta makes a great finale to any meal. Here is a link where he made it state side for me last summer including a little jiggle video. Enjoy.
http://youknowwhatyououghtado.blogspot.com/2009/0…
Beautiful photos and great post :)
OOh wooww you guys worked through practically the whole menu haha the advantages of having such a large group :)
Oh my, so many gorgeous photos. Love the astroturf backdrop (perfect for food photos!) and oh the wagyu beef daube and watermelon beef ribs look superb.
Lovely photos, shows the food beautifully.
I missed out on the Wagyu beef daube with Paris mash from Guillaume at Bennelong which was on my list :(
The food looks gorgeous. The chicken liver parfait is making my mouth water.
oh wow… your photos are gorgeous… that wagyu from Bennelong looks so gooodddd…. did you go naked frolic on the astroturf??? you know u want to…. ;)
Great post. It is interesting how some dishes fail to even get a mention whilst other create a stir. The panna cotta really blew my mind. I never knew this dish could be so good. The pomegranate and honey really added to the experience too.
I feel sorry the dishes no one remembers like prawn cocktail from Etch or the Pasta e piselli from Buon Ricordo. They are like the kids at school that got pick last for sports.
Shucks, I missed out on going this year (went campign instead), but at least I can live vicariously through your awesome photos!
gorgeous food and fotos!
i thought it would be a bad idea reading this post with my tummy empty but i feel soooo satisfied instead of hungrier because I literally devoured your pictures. made me wish i was in sydney now!
*cry* you are totally making me regret not going now! Everything looks so tasty! Drag me along with you next time will you?
Yeah, wasn't too bad…
Next time I'm taking the Shinobi Valley helicopter, though. And dropping off right above the panna cotta. Oh yeah.
Oh wow everything looks so amazing! Especially that Wagyu beef danube thing, mouthwatering!
hmm, i thought maybe i commented on this already, but maybe it was another site's coverage of the event. the wagyu thing looks cool, but what is “paris mash”?
Nice post :)
How did you enjoy this year's event when compared to last years?
I enjoyed Taste of Sydney much more than last year. The food was excellent and the set up was much better. mmm those watermelon beef ribs were so awesome, and Balzac's offering was like a sausage roll on crack!