Why not start the day with some Central and South American flavours.
Roasted Corn & Cheese Empanada
Although the pastries was crispy and flaky, it was a little on the dry side and not enough filling in the middle.
Grilled beef skewer with Chimichurri Sauce
Anything that you can eat off a stick is great in my opinion, easy food on the go and there is something raw and animalistic about ripping the meat off a stick. The flavours in this beef were wonderful, the beef was tender and had a good char on it. The chimichurri sauce paired well with the beef and offered and fresh lift to the dish.
Moving 'North' to Mexico I discovered Tamales, which I had not tasted before.
Tamal de Pollo (Chicken Tamales)
Never having had a tamale before, I wasn't sure what to expect...it was stodgy and starchy and was mild in flavour. Perhaps better in the real Mexico?
Esquilis (pan fried corn and cheese)
If my tummy had capacity to eat seconds of this dish I would be queueing up before you could say Ole!The corn was sweet and tender and the queso fresco (fresh Mexican cheese) on top was mild and fresh. Definitely a winner!
Jumping continents in a single leap (or a few steps) I was in China.
As I was living in the Arabian Peninsula at the time, where I didn't eat pork very often (although you could buy it at the supermarket in a special 'porcine room' that was hidden away from local eyes (and I always felt prying eyes were judging my food choices! This trip I certainly was making up for my lack of porcine intake. Lots of porky delights grabbed my attention. Every. Single, Time! These pot stickers were moist and tasty. The wheat wrapping was not to thick and they were steamed perfectly.
Xinjiang BBQ Chicken stick
Dry and flavourless - bad choice EPCOT
The sun was shining hot and hard down on my head and it was time to quench the thirst.
Green Tea Plum Slush
This was not a F&W special, I got this from the Joy of Tea stand. It was very refreshing! Cold and slightly tart from the plum.
Wow, lots of 'travelling' today and over to another continent. (I sometimes wish travelling could be so easy and cheap...hahaha!)
Seared beef tenderloin with sweet potato puree
The beef was very meltingly tender for a 'low and slow' braise, but it was the sweet potato puree that won me over and the BBQ sauce had zing!
Back over to the Continent, Europe
Nuremberger sausage in Pretzel Roll
Now this is what I call a sausage! When the sausage is twice the size as your roll your doing great. I have always been in favour of the more protein, less bread ratio in a sandwich/roll and my eyes lit up. I love the salty, crusty outer part of pretzel bread, but unfortunately my tummy doesn't enjoy it so much anymore. I tend to steer clear of stodgy carbs nowadays (although do indulge occasionally). The bite of pretzel bread I did allow myself was salty but not crusty so I focused on the sausage which was moist and tasty and the Bavarian mustard certainly had a kick to it!
Bake cheese ravioli, bolognese sauce
Oozy, hot, melted mozzarella on top of a huge ravioli, filled with a bolognese sauce. How can you go wrong?
Beef kofta with pita
As I have previously mentioned, I had been living in the Middle East, Dubai in fact and this kofta had big shoes to fill! Unfortunately it came up very short...dry, flavourless and just not nice at all...one bite is all I took before binning it.
Iced Mint Tea
There is nothing better than a glass or two of hot mint tea after a great dinner. It aids in digestion and its very refreshing (and addictive). After visiting Morocco last year, and sitting through numerous tea making sessions I was curious about the mint iced tea....unfortunately another non-contender. If it had used a little more sugar and fresh mint leaves in the cup it would have made all the difference!
Steamed mussels with roasted garlic
I love mussels, but if you overcook them they become pieces of rubber....These, although full of garlicy flavour goodness, were overcooked and chewy....
Godiva Chocolate Iced Coffee
Creamy, chocolate, coffee...but it could have been any type of chocolate used.
Chicken Chipotle sausage with sweetcorn polenta
Winner! Winner! Chicken dinner! This dish was one of my favourites of the festival. The sweetcorn polenta was creamy and just the right consistency. The sausage was smoky and the roasted capsicum was charred perfectly.
Spanakopita
Crispy filo pastry that was flaky, the filling was moist with a good balance of cheese and spinach.
Beef & Corn Pie
Being my last dish of the day I have to say I was very disappointed...this was dry and crispy (obviously sitting around far to long).....it was a shame to finish off the countries with such a let down dish and if I could have possibly fit anything else in I would have gone back for something else, but I was at bursting point from the amount of dishes I sampled today.
I can definitely recommend the Epcot Food & Wine Festival for any foodie who also likes a bit of Disney Magic thrown in!
