Taste of Sydney – Centennial Park

Monday, 23 Mar 09

For some young adults, going out with one’s family might be a chore. But when food is involved, it doesn’t matter how ‘uncool’ one looks, more mouths mean more food, and more food means happy food bloggers!

Now, other dedicated foodbloggers have given detailed reviews and worthy advice on how to best enjoy the food festival, so I won’t go into much detail, and just leave you with our pictures and thoughts.

Buon Ricardo’s Braciolette Napoletana and Assiette’s Loin & crumbled Belly of Lamb with Basil Mayonnaise & Tomato Olive Jus

Between the 5 of us, we had 14 dishes, 7 entrees, 6 mains and just 1 dessert, from 10 of the 15 Restaurants offering tasty tidbits in exchange for crowns, the currency of the event. We particularly enjoyed the fresh tomato sauce in the braciolette napoletana from Buon Ricardo- perfectly seasoned and my first bite of the festival. The lamb from Assiette was tender and juicy, though the basil mayonnaise didn’t burst with flavour as we had hoped.

Berowra Waters Inn’s Slow-cooked Petuna Ocean Trout, Cauliflower puree, Kalamata Olive Tapenade

Tables being scarce, and preferring to walk around as a group rather than hoard a table, we tended to eat standing around, borrowing tables just to divide the spoils and photograph. This ocean trout was a clear favourite – the delicate yet savory cauliflower puree converting even the most vehement brassica haters (i.e Tim).

Buon Ricordo’s Fagottino di Carne and Sailor Thai’s Yamba Prawns on Betel Leaves

The entree from Buon Ricardo was also popular amongst us, a home-made sausage bound with parmesan and truffle egg, finished with lemon extra-virgin olive oil, quickly scoffed down once cut up. On the other hand, Sailor Thai’s entree, a combination of prawns, peanuts, lime, ginger, roasted coconut, chilli and caramel wrapped in betel leaves was savoured, simply bursting with a medley of bright, fresh flavours, leaving us (me) moaning with delight.

Flying Fish’s Yellow fin Tuna with Ruby Grapefruit and Sweet Crackling Pork

The contrasting textures and flavours of this entree intrigued, with bursts of tangy grapefruit, savoury crispy pork crackling and smooth tuna.

Plan B’s Wagyu Beef Burger, and Jonah’s Sesame seared Yellow Fin Tuna, crisp Spring Onion Rings, red Radish and Watercress

The moment we saw the Wagyu beef burger on the menu, we had to have it (three of them, in fact). A tiny bit more sauce, and additions like grilled onions or lettuce would have really lifted this, but the beef was tender and juicy. The sauce on the seared tuna was lovely, the scent of sesame oil really adding to the savoriness of the dish. My sister poached the fried onion ring though, so didn’t get to try that.

Assiette’s Sydney Rock Oysters with Vietnamese dressing

I barely remember anything about this dish, except that I didn’t taste anything particularly Vietnamese about the dressing, and the oysters were fresh. Oh and that it was pretty, which is why we bought it =)

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Jonah’s tempura ricotta filled zucchini flowers with basil pesto sauce, and Bird Cow Fish’s steak sandwich

I have a habit of choosing zucchini flowers when I eat out, mostly because I think it’s cool to eat flowers, which is ironic, as I’m not a huge fan of zucchini. Something about it’s deepfried’ness appeals though – these were spiced up by the ricotta, while the baby zucchini was still crunchy. The steak sandwich was the alternate dish provided by Bird Cow Fish when the braised beef cheeks advertised ran out – the grilled onions, gruyere and the smoky aromas lent by the grill made this a great dish to fill up the gaps from admittedly small servings split between 5.

Longrain’s spicy pork sausage, betel leaves and pickled ginger

We were attracted by the idea of betel leaves again, and enjoyed the subtle sweet and sourness of the pickled ginger in the salad. The sausage had some kick from the spices, but smothered in a sweet chilli-esque sauce otherwise quite mild.

Jonah’s Wobbly Vanilla Pannacotta with Lavender Honey and Pomegranate Molasses!

The star of the show, was the (in)famous pannacotta by Jonah’s At Whale Beach. Wobbling positively lasciviously, it drew attention, amused chuckles and almost offended stares with its hypnotic movements. And the taste…oh, the taste….rich with vanilla bean, the pannacotta itself was silky and luscious, while the tang of the pomegranate molasses were balanced by the dairy sweetness and floral honey. I’m drooling on Tim’s keyboard at the memories of its taste as I type this, rather than researching a law assignment. A trip to seek out more is definitely warranted now.

Jonah’s not-so-wobbly pannacotta…

Of course, faced with ruthless attacks from ravenous spoons, it soon bowed down in despair, looking pitiful, yet graceful in defeat.

Other stalls, apart from the restaurants, abounded, such as this ‘honestly quenching’ lemonade and wonderfully spicy tomato relish. Samples were available, giving great opportunities for tasting delights such as tea-infused chocolates and sparkling honey nectar.

Such opportunities are rare in this blogger’s calendar, so this event was very much a highlight of the year. The bliss lasted a little longer than the few days of the festival, due to the purchase of items such as the tomato relish and some delicious Angus steaks, which were both used in this dinner two weeks after the event.

5 Comments

1. Oh woooww great photos, you captured many of the dishes I have missed so nicely! Makes me jealous haha :P Mmmm hunngrryy!

   Comment by FFichiban — March 23, 2009 @ 9:17 pm

2. The defeated panna cotta looks so sad and wilted! lol

   You all did well with a good cross-section of the dishes on offer.

   Comment by Helen — March 23, 2009 @ 11:44 pm

3. That’s a beautiful photo of the ocean trout! Lucky you to taste so many dishes.

   Comment by Arwen from Hoglet K — March 24, 2009 @ 12:47 pm

4. The pannacotta really is so pretty! But I’m afraid, despite how much you’ve tried to convince me otherwise, I still don’t find it appetizing. The rock oysters look pretty too — I imagine it tasted better than my last encounter with oyster!

   Comment by Jen — March 25, 2009 @ 11:49 am

5. gorgeous pictures. i could dive into the slow-cooked fish one. the plating is fabulous.

   Comment by we are never full — March 26, 2009 @ 9:35 am

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