Taste of Sydney 2009 – Centennial Park, Sydney.
When you read that the weather is forecast as “chance of afternoon showers”, you automatically dismiss it because the weatherman is never right – right? So what are the chances that, when the skies looked so crystal blue, without a cloud in sight from your window, that by some twist of fate when you had arrived at your destination, they would be appear grey and menacing, a drifting pall of darkness , dooming the event you so looked forward to.
Luckily for us (but not for others) C and I was already under one of the tents before the rain poured on its expectant victims and the scramble for shelter began. The aftermath was like a scene out of a war movie with the stereotypical rain scene that is there for dramatic purposes: drenched and muddy clothes, food stalls abandoned and people looking with anxious eyes searching the skies for any more rain to come (as opposed to bombs in the movies). I quickly gave FFichiban and ring and was relieved that he and pupu had survived the initial attack of the rain and was safely in a tent … which was the first of where the restaurants were positioned … whereas I was sadly in the tent where the less-attractive stalls were: the $2 bottles of Fiji water.
The aftermath at Lindt
After the rain stopped – the sun reared its welcoming glow for the rest of the time at Centennial Park. With our group merged and hungry for some food – the stall hoping began.
Here Comes The Food
Flying Fish: Yellow fin tuna with ruby grapefruit and sweet crackling pork (10 Crowns). One of the problems with having stalls is that food is left on the counter prepared and ready to go, but begins to lose the temperature which it should be served at. The crackling skin from the pork was welcoming and great to start off with each bite savouring the short-lived amount. When eaten together, the pork, grapefruit and yellow fin tuna had opposing flavours so it was (for at least) better to mar the grapefruit with the tuna and leave the pork by itself. The tuna was certainly interesting with a tangy taste and eaten with the grapefruit, it went down well. The pork was slightly cooler than what I had hoped but nevertheless the searing of it had retained the smoky flavour.
Flying Fish: Sri Lankan Snapper curry with basmati rice and coconut sambal (12 Crowns). C loves sambal and so do I; hence we couldn’t miss this opportunity. Digging past the generous portion of snapper that was impeding our desire for the creamy-velvet of the coconut scented rice, we sighed in unison, elated at the toe curling combination of sambal, coconut and rice. But what about the snapper? It was good, but the rice and sambal were clearly better.
Tabasco Store!
Longrain Bar: Sapphire Collins – Bombay Sapphire built tall over ice with Chambord, fresh lemon juice and sugar topped with soda and berries (12 Crowns). Is it just me, or were they more stalls serving alcohol than the minimal juice/water stalls? We opted for this drink out of those listed on the Longrain Bar menu because of one influence: Chambord. Monkeyjaja introduced us to this liqueur a few months ago and it is without doubt the only mixer that I would order without hesitation. Chambord is a black raspberry liqueur that is best mixed with lemonade (in my opinion) so the soda that Longrain used was a good substitute.
Mojito’s ready to go
Bécasse, Etch & Plan B: Gundooee organic grass fed wagyu beef burger (12 Crowns). The fabled wagyu beef burger from Plan B in its miniature form. This was my first time trying it and I have to say that my delayed-visit to Plan B to get the actual-sized portion is now a priority. Even though the patty was small in size – it was a hearty sized burger and the melted cheese was ‘icing on the meat’. It was tender and juicy, enough to make me get another, but I was running out of Crowns.
Bécasse, Etch & Plan B: Eton mess with summer berries( 12 Crowns). FFichiban brought this over when I was still munching on my burger from Plan B. Wow – it was good. The whipped cream. The berries. I deeply regret not buying one or two for myself.
Jonah’s at Whale Beach: Vanilla panna cotta with lavender honey and fresh pomegranate (8 Crowns). I’m sure most of you have heard about, if not seen for yourself, the widely circulated clip of chocolatesuze’s hypnotisation under the rhythmic wobbling of the panna cotta. Experiencing it for myself, it was certainty a delectable treat that left me feeling saddened when the last gooey pieced disappeared. The lavender honey was subtle in favour compared to the sharp tang of the pomegranate that left a giddy euphoria. The panna cotta itself defied gravity – refusing to topple when shaken to the most inhumane motion. The creaminess titillated the palate and confirmed the high reverence held by others.
Sailors Thai: Green curry chicken with thai basil, apple eggplants and kanom jin noodles (10 Crowns). This was the cheapest miniature-main offered out of all the restaurants; but don’t be fooled, it was also ‘packed’ the most. If you survive the initial plethora of bean sprouts and get to the curry – it’s a just reward. The curry is smooth and creamy with an addictive flavour that makes you abandon all forms of civilities and drink (as I did) the curry broth. I saw patrons carrying this dish away from the Sailors Thai stall grinning smug as we were sharing an inside-secret: the hidden gem of the event.
Serendipity Ice Cream: Fig, Honey & Pistachio. After first experiencing this Australian-made ice cream at Good Food Month last year, when I found out that it was making an appearance at Taste of Sydney, there was never a doubt that this would be on the ‘to-do’ list (in fact it was the only thing on this list). Since Taste of Sydney, my fridge has a ready-supply brought directly from the store to feed my cravings for this particular flavour.
The after-taste of honey follows the subdued hint of pistachio that you can see as well as taste. Miniscule pieces of fig are scattered. Ice-cream at its best.
Centennial Parklands Dining: Goat Cheese Marshmallow with strawberries and basil (8 Crowns). It sounds ok right? Right. But I was a bit hysterical-turned-ravenous when I saw my perfectly formed marshmallow crispified into a gooey beauty before my eyes. It was like camp memories all over again, roasting marshmallows by the fire, except it was a goat cheese being blasted by a blow torch. When eaten as a whole, the basil-infused ice with the goat cheese marshmallow tasted a bit confusing. But when eaten separately: the basil-infused ice by itself and the marshmallow with the strawberry; it went down goooood. The basil-infused ice was refreshing on the palate and crisp. The marshmallow was gooey and had a subtle sour after-taste.
Taste of Sydney 2009
Centennial Park
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April 8th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
4th photo is mind-blasting!! Mannn I am so hungryyy…
April 8th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Great to see that weather cleared up! Looks like you had a great time
April 8th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
omigod! I love the honey pistachio and fig ice cream from serendipity..it’s simply to die for!:-P
April 9th, 2009 at 10:52 am
That tuna and pork combination sounds a bit weird. Hurrah for the Serendipity Icecream though. I love that fig, honey and pistachio flavour.
April 9th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
FFichiban: your photos will probably mind-blast mine x 100
Lorraine: the bad weather only lasted 10 minutes but then it cleared up and fun times there-onwards!
Reemski: yes <3 <3 the ice cream .. soooo gooooooood!!
Arwen: It sounds and TASTED a bit wierd…yay for more ppl loving serendipity