Taste of Sydney 2010!

UPDATED (13.3.10)

 

Thanks to Jenius, J&L had the fantastic opportunity to win tickets to the 2010 Taste of Sydney (TOS) restaurant festival! Dubbed as the “foodie event of the summer”, we seriously couldn’t wait to see and taste all the food on offer! Opening night finally came round and we prepared our cameras and stomachs for a feast to remember…

Accompanying us were Y and K, who decided to come along last minute. Very little convincing was needed - a quick glance of the irresistible tasting menu and they were in ;) 

Taste of Sydney 2010

Arriving around 6:30, entry was simple. We got our menus, handed our tickets and were immediately welcomed by complimentary Ferrero Rondoirs – a dark chocolate that had just  joined  the Ferrero Chocolates family.  Only a few minutes wait to trade our money for Crowns ( Purchases in TOS must be through Crown tokens!) and off we were to eat and eat and eat !

Ferrero Rondnoirs

We loved the many samples and tastings on offer, particularly the City Tatterstalls Club which offered tastings of mini wagyu burgers, tempura soft shell crab, dulce de leche & Chocolate pannacotta and mini Bramble cocktails… YUM !

These were our highlights of the night so check them out when you go! 

Balzac’s warm chocolate fondant with vanilla bean ice cream, the complimentary churros at El Toro Loco – they were warm and crunchy!, 

Pilu’s Risotto with Crystal Bay prawns and zucchini, 

Danks Street Depot’s Beef Ribs Smoked in Watermelon with a Watermelon and Avocado salad, 

and City Tatterstalls Club’s Apple, Cranberry and Cinnamon Doughnuts injected with either sour cherry or white chocolate filling! 

Dank Stree Depot's Beef Ribs Smoked in Watermelon with a Watermelon and Avocado Salad ($12)

The meat was very tender and nicely flavoured. They went surprisingly well with the sweet and juicy watermelon, which added a bit of crunchiness and coolness to the dish!

 Marque's Slow Cooked Lamb Rump, Confit Capsicum, Eggplant caviar & Black Olive Oil ($12)

This one had a subtle hint of sweetness to it, but we couldn’t figure out what it was.. though it enhanced the sweetness of the veggies! hehe

 Pilu's Suckling Pig panino with apple, mustard and rocket served on Sonoma sourdough ($10)

Couldn’t really taste the apple :( but the suckling pig was definitely very tender :D The soft meat contrasted well with the sourdough making it very tasty! 

Pilu's Risotto with Crystal Bay prawns and zucchini ($12)

YUMMY!! much much much nicer than the risotto at Spigolo :P hehe The prawns and zucchini were fresh and a good combination with the well cooked risotto. This dish was full of zest and flavour! 

Plan B's Organic Grass Fed Wagyu Beef Burger ($12)

Jonah's Alba White Truffle popcorn ($8)

When L & J saw this on the menu, we knew it was a must try! how creative is this though, white truffle popcorn!! At first none of us could really taste the truffles, but the more of it we ate, the more we could taste it. The flavour really comes out when you eat a handful at once instead of a few morsels. Cinemas should start selling these :P hehe

El Toro Loco's Paella a la Maestre ($10)

The El Toro Loco had a lively vibrant atmosphere, enthusiastically yelling out “paella” each time someone ordered it. The paella though? Hmmm these were a bit disappointing actually, being a bit too dry and undercooked :( but cooking with a pan that big that’s sort of understandable..

Complimentary Churros at El Toro Loco

Mmmmmm..The complimentary churros nearly made up for it – being freshly made! They were crunchy on the outside but VERY soft and moist on the inside :D

Longrain's Ping Pong - Lychees and passion fruit skahen with 42 Below Vokda and fresh lime juice ($12)

This was actually quite a strong cocktail even with the mixture of fruits. After drinking it for a while though, the ice had melted and diluted the drink, making the taste more to our liking. The fresh lychees were a great end to the drink! 

Assiette's Sydney rock oysters with Vietnamese dressing, crispy shallot and baby coriander ($10)

Berrowa Waters Inn's Quail Breast & Truffled Risotto Croustillant ($12)

Couldn’t really taste the truffle :( but the texture was good.. crunchy on the outside and the risotto was soft and chewy :D overall it was pretty nice and went very well with the green puree 

Restaurant Balzac's Warm Chocolate Fondant with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream ($10)

This is heaven on earth <3!! warm, rich, moist, excellent texture and flavour, it was baked to perfection ! Mmmmmm :) 

Restaurant Balzac's Crispy Wagyu Beef with Wild Mushroom and Truffle Foam ($10)

It didn’t turn out as what J expected- she was expecting the wagyu itself to be crispy without the pastry. But the truffle foam was yummy and you could really taste the mushrooms :D the braised wagyu was tender and  juicy so she was satisfied hehe

 

 

City Tattersalls Club's Awesome Complimentary samples!!!!!!

Mini Wagyu Cheese Burgers with Capscicum Relish

These were absolutely  cute and delicious! Fitting into our mouths in just one go, they were very satisfying. The wagyu was tender and was nicely complimented with the capsicum relish, rocket and cheese.

Apple, Cranberry and Cinnamon Dough Nuts with White Chocolate or Sour Cherry

Ahh these were so fun to eat! We got told to squeeze the sauce into the freshly fried donuts which were still hot! The texture was different to your ordinary donuts, a fried crisp coating with soft and moist insides :D

Tempura Soft Shell Crab with Lime and Ginger Aioli

The crab was still piping hot when we tasted them. They were very crunchy and were perfectly accompanied with a lime and ginger aioli dressing.  

Dulce de leche and Chocolate Panna Cotta

These were so nice as well hehe very nice and smooth.. and they had really cute spoons that sits on the edge of the glass! hehe

White Chocolate Martini

This was a fresh cocktail with a hint of chocolate. It wasn’t too strong and each sip had pieces of white chocolate as well. Was very refreshing and tasty!       

Although we were stuffed at the end, there were still plenty of other dishes that we would have LOVED to try ! Jonah’s at Whale Beach’s  Fries with Eyes (Crisp school prawns with a spicy Cajun remoulade) and their Vanilla pannacotta with lavender honey and fresh pomegranate).

It was definitely an unforgettable night... We met Simon from Simon’s Food Favourites and even spotted celebrity chef Pete Evans from My Kitchen Rules! Going home with an satisfied stomachs, sauces from Nandos, copies of Gourmet Traveller magazine, Nudie juice key rings  juice from preshafruit and tons of delicious pictures, it was pretty much decided that we’d  definitely be back next year ;)

With only three days of the festival left, head on over to Centennial Park for your chance to get YOUR taste of Sydney .. it’s pretty delicious ;P          

Nibble on Nibblies! xx      

 

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Taste of Sydney

11-14 March 2010 Centennial Park

Tickets sold presale (via Ticketek) or at the door