Good Food & Wine Show, Sydney 2016 - Part 1

The Good Food & Wine Show in Sydney is my annual pilgrimage. It’s the one major event of the year that I look forward to and enjoy every single minute and this year I backed it up with a two day visit!

Arriving early on Friday the lines are already long but we are in the doors before we know it and purchasing our tasting glass and lanyard.　 As an FYI this year, if you were a Dan Murphy’s member you could ‘jump’ the line and enter in a separate line quicker and also receive a free wine glass (which I did on the Saturday). Thanks Dan Murphy’s.

Ready.....set....go..

Where to begin?　 Wine of course!

First stop is Bunnamagoo Wines.

 

 

Our second stop of the day was a absolute delight. Sampling the awesome Hartshorn sheep whey vodka and vanilla liqueur. 　How?　 By developing a technique to use the by-product (from making cheese from sheep milk (whey) from the family business at Grand Ewe cheese and distilling this to create a clean, crisp vodka is, in my opinion, brilliant.　

The bottles are gorgeous too being lovingly hand painted!　 The vanilla liquor is like vanilla icecream in a bottle!!!

So much to try and see.

We make our way through Barossa wines before landing at Bruny Island Cheese Co.　 I am a fan of the stinky cheeses and newly paired beers. Here we have The Saint and the Otto.  The Saint is [   and the Otto is a fresh cheese wrapped in prosciutto.

The Saint (left) and Otto (right) - Bruny Island Cheese Co.

Bruny Island Beer Co is brewing some awesome Farm Ale and dark beers too, which pair really well with stinky cheeses.
 

 

I’m excited about beer and cheese together (and there is more on that during Saturdays visit later).
I’m sensing more beer this year.　 Although I am not a big beer drinker (occasionally drinking beer when it’s hot), today I sampled some beers that may just change my mind a little.　

Over at the Australian Brewery I was surprised by a nice Pilsner (which is my Partner and Dad’s beer of choice) and their Ice Ice Baby (pilsner on ice on tap).

We may have spent quite some time over at Tamburlaine chatting with Mark Davidson.  This is one of my favourite wineries and love their GSM and their stickies and Muscat!

Tasmanian artisan brewery Moo Brew have a range of brews to suit your palette.  I really am liking the darker ales today!

 

Want something wintery and warming? Maxwell’s Liqueur Mead is heavenly and a bottle is  purchased!

Doc Adams is next.　 A friend has raved about their wine (specifically the 2013 GSM) and I have been wanting to try it before I purchased a case.　 Sadly, they are not sampling it at the show.　 I made some enquiries about purchasing a bottle before committing…and I left my details.　

 

A drool worthy moment with Miguel as he cooks a huge pan of paella.　 Cannot help myself and purchase a paella pan and a take home paella kit!  Pity he didn't come with the purchase! 

 

We stop by Sud Polaire for some gin….  I am not a gin person (it makes me cry) so I don't enjoy it as much as other spirits and I find tonic to be to bitter and grrrr....

 

So I  am surprised by this tonic!  I like it.

 

Whiskey and Porteen over at Melbourne Martini is sipped (and bring the Boy back the next day).

 

Cheers from us girls as we sip our way around the festival.

James Squire is offering a selection of their beers and we can not help ourselves, we have to sample all of them.　 I am a big fan of the Summer Swindler.　 The Jack of Spades Porter is palatable too!

The Wog with the Grog have a selection of European grappas and citrus based liqueurs.

I think it is clear what the Biltong Man makes and the mango and chilli one is a winner!

Over at Mr Black I fall in love with their cold drip coffee liqueur.　 I don’t think I have ever tasted something so delicious made from/with coffee.

Oregano bakery offering up some awesome scrolls.

 

Always stop by Stone's.　 I noticed the Gold is no longer available but there are a few other options.　 The reserve is quite nice.

Okay so there was some food involved (at some point!). hahaha

Jack Dillion’s was there again this year and offering some tasty BBQ sauces along with their lovely smoked garlic.　

The lovely people at Brixton gave me a bottle of their Jerk sauce and their BBQ rum sauce is awesome!!! (purchased a bottled the next day).　 Looking forward to making some jerk chicken with this.

 

 

The Smelly Cheese Club offer a range of just that (stinky) cheese from all around the world!　  So as per normal I purchase their selection. (in fact we had the le Delice de Cremiers on the weekend and loved this soft cheese)

 

We discovered Nick’s Jerky at the Deni Ute Muster last year and are fans of the dried stuff.

 

The aptly name Sticky Balsamic　 stall is a must.　 A lovely range of balsamic vinegars including a gorgeous pear balsamic.　 Miss B purchased the box set!!!!

 

Murray River Pork are taste testing their pork products and I arrive just in time for a slab of pork belly with crunchy crackling.　 Yum!

 

Tamar valley truffles is always a nice stop…one day I will purchase you lovelies!

 

There is lots of cider tasting this year too.  Elk cider is a traditional Swedish cider and they make a  nice apple cider!  I find pear to sweet.

 

Over at Cheese Ally, there is a lot to explore and enjoyed meeting Mrs Cheese from Hunter Belle Cheese.  Say Fromage!!!!  the cheese range is good too and purchase a few of the range including caramelised onion and hyme and cranberry and pistachio.  Their beer cheese is divine!

Our first day was awesome at the show and there were plenty of products purchased (lucky I took my Nanna trolley).

Salted Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream Mudcake with Nutella Ganache

 

 

 

 

We celebrated my Partners birthday last weekend and to finish off a wonderful dinner I made dessert.

Who wouldn't want to celebrate with this birthday cake!!

Salted Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream Chocolate Mudcake and Nutella Ganache 

 

Ingredients

 

Mudcake

 

3 x small chocolate mud cakes 

(I cheated on this one and purchased Coles brand and took the layer of icing off 

 

Salted Caramel

1 cup of sugar

¼ cup water

½ cup of double cream

¼ teaspoon salt (I used Murray River Salt Flakes) 

 

Swiss Meringue Buttercream 

8 egg whites

1 ¼ cups castor sugar

400g unsalted butter, cubed (room temperature)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

 

Nutella Ganache

1 small jar of Nutella

½ cup double cream

Baby Meringues
2 tbs of above swiss meringue

 

Decorations

Empty jar of nutella – either washed or at least wiped down with antiseptic cleaner and rinse)

Maltesers x small packet

Ferrero Rochers x 5-6 (4 cut in half and 2 left in their packaging)

Salted Caramel Tim Tams x 2-3

Kinder Bueno x 2

Baby meringues

Strawberries

(or you can use whatever chocolate and fruit you want on top!) Go Crazy!!!!

 

 

Method

 

For the salted caramel

1.  In a small saucepan add sugar and water and swirl water around to make sugar ‘wet’.
2. Bring to boil and leave until sugar has melted and develops a rich amber colour. (use a wet pastry brush to wipe around the edge of the pan so that all sugar is dissolved).
3. Remove from stove and slowly pour in ½ cup of double cream. 
4. Whisk until smooth.
5. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt and mix through.
6. Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool (set aside 1 tbs for decoration) 

For the buttercream

1.  Place the egg whites and 1 ¼ cups castor sugar in a mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk the egg white and sugar mixture until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm. (you can rub the mixture between your fingers and feel it).
2. Remove from heat and continue whisking on medium/ high until stiff peak stage, the bowl should also be cooled by this point. 
3. Continue to whisk and add butter one to two cubes at a time, make sure each cube is incorporated each time. The buttercream mixture will take some time to come together and will start to separate at, but continue whipping. It will come together and will be a fluffy, smooth texture (trust me). 
4. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the meringue mixture into a piping bag (or Ziploc bag) –Optional if piping baby meringues for decorations. 
5. Stir in vanilla extract into the remaining mixture.  
6. Add cooled salted caramel sauce. Whip until mixed through. 
7. Set aside at room temperature to use (can be kept in fridge for 3-4 days). 

For the nutella ganache  

1. Place jar of nutella into mixing bowl. 
2. Gently heat double cream in a saucepan (do not boil). 
3. Slowly pour hot double cream over the nutella and whisk together until shiny and smooth.
4. Set aside until room temperature.  

For the baby meringues (for decoration)

1. Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees 
2. Line baking tray with baking paper
3. Pipe small drops of meringue onto baking tray.
4. Bake for approx 20 minutes or until just crisp.  
5. Turn off oven and open door to cool meringues.
6. Allow to cool.

 　 

 

Assembly of Cake 

 

1. Place one cake layer on a cake plate or cake board and spread about ½ cup of buttercream evenly over the layer.
2. Add the second mudcake and repeat with buttercream finishing with the third cake layer on top.  
3. Spread buttercream over the top and sides of the cake until covered. Ensure layer is even and smooth as much as possible.
4. Place in fridge for 30 minutes for buttercream to set. 
5. Drizzle some ganache into the nutella jar to cover the sides.
6. Slowly drizzle the nutella ganache over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides.
7. Let ganache set for approx. 15-30 minutes (placing in fridge if need be) before decorating.
8. Place Tim tams on top of cake. Place Nutella jar nestled between the two Tim Tams (secure with some ganache). Let set.
9. Place Maltesers, Ferrero Rochers, Bueno Kinder fingers, strawberries and meringues on top and around the bottom layer of cake, drizzle some ganache over the opening of the jar so it looks like it is oozing out of the jar.
10. Drizzle / dot some of the salted caramel sauce on top of cake.
11. Place in airtight container in fridge until ready to serve. Bring to room temperature to serve.

 

 

 

 

 

I was so impressed with myself! hahaha

 

Do I start taking orders?



 

 

 

Travel Photo of the Month - August 2016

Throwback to fun days in Orlando. 

Enjoyed catching up with a friend at Joe's Crab Shack. Who could pass up a crab pot?

Huge pot of crab, potatoes, corn.  Could not have asked for more, except more time catching up with my friend.

Niji Sushi Bar @ Kingsford

 

When you spy a Japanese restaurant and keep talking about it and then the boy suggests actually going (after only recently discovering he likes sushi) I could not refuse!  Since our first visit we have been back again and will continue to do so.  Over the last two visits we have enjoyed quite a few dishes off the sushi train and I am looking forward to going back for dinner and enjoying their evening menu. 

Niji Sushi Bar is in Kingsford and the lines on a Sunday at noon are already getting long.  We are seated at the train and within minutes most of the seats are taken.

The first dish I spy turns out to be my all time favourite now and is the tiger roll. The prawn, avocado combo with chilli is amazing topped with crunchy tōgarashi sprinkled on top. 

 

Each plate is coloured coded to a price (typical sushi train style).  Dishes range from $3.50 to $6.50. The mixed fish plate looked really good and was very happy with the choice.  The tuna was particularly good.

 

Who else judges a restaurant on their staple dish.  For sushi train it is usually the salmon nigiri.  My friends little Miss 8 devoured 3-4 plates of it in one sitting! 

 

 

Always nice to have a pot of green tea to sip on while perusing the train.

The deep fried soft shell crab caught out eye.  It was crispy and lightly coated in a tempura batter and was very tender.

 

Another unique sushi roll was the duck skin roll that definitely made my mouth water and was really delicious.  Crispy skin topped a sushi roll with tender pink duck and avocado in the middle.  Sticky and sweet it was great.

 

 

The lobster salad roll on the other hand was a slight disappointment.  The flavour wasn't awful it was more that the texture was a bit mushy for my liking.  

 

 

 

Niji also offer a few lunch time specials ranging from bento boxes including tempura  which the boy devoured on our first visit.

 

 

 

To sushi rice bowls like this dish heaped with kingfish, tuna, salmon, butterfish and tamago with seaweed, roe and wasabi. 

 

 

Always a favourite choice for me at any sushi train is the seared scallop.  Niji's is topped with sauce and mayo too.

 

Finally ending one of the visit's with a serve of crunchy karaage chicken we are sated and happy sushi campers! 

 

 

 

I am very happy with my find in an area that I am just discovering.  I will definitely be putting Niji on my list of go to sushi trains.  They also offer a dinner service with a full al la carte menu including a degustation menu.

 

The restaurant also services beverages and is also BYO wine.

 

 

Yebisu Izakaya @ Regent Place

 



 

Yebisu is a charming Japanese Izakaya snuggled inside Regent Place on George Street. It’s very popular amongst the Japanese community, along with everyone else in the know! I have eaten here previously, pop over here to read about that night here. 

Regent Place appears to be the 'new' dining scene with loads of restaurants and Assembly Bar downstairs.

We arrived on a Friday night a little before 6pm and the line was already stretching. As we had been invited by Yebisu to dine with them we were whisked in quickly and sat at a table along the back wall offering a great view of the restaurant.

It's pumping on a Friday night. Don't be deterred by the long lines and waiting times, it dishes up some decent and fair eats and both the menu and beverage list is fairly extensive.

First up we grabbed a couple of Asahi’s including a Super Dry Black and a cold Ippin sake.

 

Asahi and Sake make for a great start to a meal

Using the menu and the touch pad to select from the menu we worked our way through picking and choosing our dishes. Dishes do come out fast once ordered so if you want to have a more leisurely dinner make selections throughout the meal to pace it (and yourself (hahah) !!!).

We start with a bowl of the lotus chips.  Paired with beer and/or sake these are just the devils food.  AMAZING.  Whatever the seasoning is that is sprinkled on these chips is very addictive!

lotus chips

 

In hindsight we should have had a bowl each. These were so utterly glorious and we neither of us could stop eating them (to the point that we were arguing who was eating more!!!)

 

As mentioned the dishes come out fast and soon we had a table laden with dishes!

 

just to start!

 

 

We begin with a serve sashimi entrée of the day. A selection of tuna, salmon and kingfish. A good palate cleanser.

 

Today's sashimi entrée

 

The chilli pork dumplings are served in a decorative bowl. They are steaming and plump with pork mince with a small kick of warming chilli. 

 

chilli pork dumplings

 

You can not eat at an Izakaya and not order yakitori or skewers!   We are swayed by the pork belly, pork and kimch (salt) and the salmon belly (in all it’s fatty gloriousness). These were all very tasty and the salmon belly was a favourite.

pork belly

 

pork and kimch (salt) and salmon belly

To finish our meal we ordered the chicken meatball hotpot.  A big wok of soup and ingredients are placed on the table to simmer.

 

chicken hotpot

 

The hotpot bubbled away with the occasional stir until we were ready to dig in.

 

 

Spooning out tidbits and morsels of fresh chicken, mushrooms, noodles, cabbage and fragrant broth was comforting and nourishing.

 

slurp away

 

Yebisu is a fun night out and you won't leave hungry!  It's a fun atmosphere and good food.

*Roofood was invited by Yebisu and Washuko Lovers. 

 

Wok and Noodle Bar @ Potts Point

Looking for an authentic and quaint Japanese style noodle bar in Sydney? Head to Wok n’ Noodle Bar in Potts Point.  Although the address is Shop 2, 119 Macleay Street Potts Point it is actually in Llankelly Place(tucked in behind Busshari).

Wok and Noodle Bar were opened by the guys of Ramen Osan and have been opened for a few months. Seating only a handful of people at a time, this tiny kitchen overlooks its patrons and is genuinely authentic Japanese.

 

 

We share a serve of the gyoza that are home made. 

\

 

Fresh and full of pork, ginger and garlic with a chewy yet soft wrapping and a thin crispy bottom these are good!

 

I have taken up on the recommendation to try the unique Sydney Black ramen. I’m intrigued and definitely find that I am starting to enjoy the varieties of ramen (remember it’s not that long since I really started to ‘get’ ramen).

A piping hot bowl of ramen is served to me on this wet cold day and it’s the perfect weather for this variety of ramen (but anytime is a good time). It’s a nice size bowl of soup (not over the top large) and I instantly fall in love with the bamboo handles soup spoons that are offered up to use, along with chopsticks.

The soup base consists of both Chicken & seafood stock topped with a selection of pickled bamboo shoots, yam, broccoli, mushroom, onion, Chinese yam, black garlic oil and parmesan cheese.

The black garlic paste floats on the top of the soup like a glorious oil slick and is nothing like I imagined but loved every bit of it!

 

 

 

My dining buddy orders a bowl of the spicy miso ramen, which is a Hokkaido style ramen, it’s a spicy chicken stock, a soft gooey egg, shallots and other tidbits. 

The ramen here at Wok and Noodles is thinner and lighter than the Ramen O San counterpart but just as delicious and tasty.

As Sydney in the grips of the ramen craze, you can rest assured that Wok and Noodles are at the top of their game. Definitely a place I will love to come back to soon.

 

 

Sushi Rio @ Westfield Sydney

I love Sushi Rio so much that I am on average once a week.  I have started having cravings if I don't get a such fix!

 

Sushi Rio is in Westfields Sydney on Level 4.  Most dishes are $3.50 making this sushi train a fantastic cheap lunch in the city.  You can choose off the train or you can order from a list of dishes. 

 

 

 

I would have to say my favourite sushi dishes here are the soft shell crab handroll, the crispy skin salmon (because it still meaty) and the grilled salmon nigiri.

Make sure you ask for fresh wasabi, which comes cold out of the fridge and top with copious amount of pickled ginger (it's the best).

Sometimes they have special dishes on, like the crispy prawns pictured below.

 

Sushi Rio is definitely a go too place for lunch!  Best to go early during lunch time, although turn around time is frequent.

 

 

 

Travel Photo of the Month - June 2016

I have been culling my old travel photos lately. 

While sifting I came across this photo and it brought back a flood of memories. To a day that was most definitely in the top most memorable days in all my years of travel. One of my dream trips was to do ‘Africa’ safari style. Free camping out of the truck for a couple of months across the continent had always been a dream and that dream became a reality in 2001.

This particular day we were in Livingstone, Zambia. We were visiting that side of Victoria Falls. 

We were lucky to be there during the season when the mighty Zambezi river was low and flowing slow(er) and were able to wade out into the middle of the river to the Angel’s Armchair (or Devil’s Pool as some may know it now). A natural ‘pool’ that is on the edge of the Falls, literally. 

Sitting in this pool peering over the ledge into the First Gorge and looking 100 metres down to the Zambezi River below was one of the most awe-inspiring, inspirational moments of my life. A moment that I have always cherished.





Don't worry I'm not 'throwing' the photos out, just converting to soft copy and getting rid of the bulky, heavy photo albums that are gathering dust and culling some of the unnecessary photos!  keeping the keepers!