Taste Of Sydney 2013 Re-cap

My favourite Sydney food event is back! Taste of Sydney is now on it’s fifth year. Along with Miele Gallery, Taste of Sydney showcases dishes from Sydney’s hottest trendy restaurants. Just like last year, the event is being held at the Centennial Parklands. Imagine having several prestige restaurants gathered in one place with superb dishes available at more affordable prices. It is foodie wonderland!

Get your crowns first! Crown is Taste of Sydney's official currency (1 crown = $1)

Raff with the lovely Poh

Raff with the awesome rockstar of Malaysian cooking, Jackie M. Check out the Taste of Sydney Website and menu card for her cooking demo times.  Her pop-up restaurant will be at Taste this Sunday (17 March).

Hi Peter Kuruvita!

This year, old favourites like Four In Hand and Efendy are back to serve some of their classics and new creations. There are also new additions to the line-up such as Biota Dining, Porteño, and Three Blue Ducks. There is also the addition of Malaysian Kitchen that showcase the authentic taste of what Malaysian cuisine has to offer.

My fellow blogger Tina (of Bite Me Show Me) and I decided to go on the Friday lunch session to sample some dishes from the very exciting menu that the restaurants have put together. We were both really pleased with all the dishes we had.

Four In Hand

The lovely Tina with Four In Hand's Head Chef, Colin

Hello there piggy!!!!!!!!

Suckling pig 

The suckling pig is back on Four In Hand's menu. It came along with coleslaw and a nice cooked roast potato. The pulled pork meat was very tender, flavoursome and slightly smoky.

Three Blue Ducks

Braised pork, radish, and lemon vebena caramel

The braised pork, radish, and lemon vebena caramel reminded us of Pho but in salad form and had a sauce/stock that was somewhat reminiscent taste of a light Chinese masterstock. The pork meat was so tender that it almost just melts in your mouth.

Chocolate, yuzu curd, and miso butterscotch

The chocolate, yuzu curd, and miso butterscotch was an amazing dessert. The chocolate was smooth and velvety like a ganache. It had sea salt, which lifted up flavour. The Yuzu curd brought an amazing balance to the chocolate. The miso butterscotch acted like a salted caramel in the dish along with pieces of honeycomb.

Biota Dining

One place I’ve wanted to visit in Bowral is the awesome Biota Dining, which is owned by Head Chef, Jame Viles. I was full of excitement when I found out they were part of the Thursday to Friday line-up. Chef James Viles is one of the nicest and coolest chefs I've met.

Croquettes with Southern crayfish with paleta and garden onions

 Their croquettes with Southern crayfish with paleta and garden onions are probably one of the best croquettes I’ve had. The outside was crunchy and the inside had a nice mushy texture that was bursting with flavour. The Biota garden onions that seem to be a puree, enhanced the croquettes taste.

Chef Grant grilling the spatchcock

Charred local spatchcock, black garlic faro with garden sage and bush

The Charred local Spatchcock, black garlic faro with garden sage and bush lemons was another winner. The spatchcock was cooked perfectly and it tastes even more sublime when eaten with the black garlic faro. The faro is cooked like a risotto with light garlic flavour that is complimented by the sage.

Porteño

Porteno's head chefs - Ben Milgate  and Elvis Abrahanowicz

The smoker ! In goes the wagyu beef brisket 

Barbecue cheese with honey, lemon, and herbs dressing

One of the most amazing dishes we had at the event was their barbecue cheese with honey, lemon, and herbs dressing. The combination of cheese and dressing was a match made in food heaven. When the honey, lemon and herb flavours meet with the caramelized layer of the cheese, a sharp barbecue taste rises. Now I understand why Porteño won a “Best in Taste” award at the event.

Barbecue wagyu beef brisket

Porteño’s sliced barbecue wagyu beef brisket was amazing. The meat is tender and it had a distinct smoky flavour. The tangy barbecue sauce gave the beef’s smoky flavour an extra kick. Finishing up with coleslaw balances the flavours on the plate.

Ananas Brasserie

Salted caramel eclair

The salted caramel eclair from Ananas Brasserie is topped and filled with salted caramel buttercream. It is awesome beyond descrption.

Efendy

Trio of Baklava

Their trio of baklava never ceases to please. The filo pastries were perfectly flakey and pistachio fillings had a good balance of sweet and nutty flavours.

Rekorderlig

We cannot leave the event without enjoying some refreshing rekorderlig ciders!

Peace out yo!

Taste of Sydney is the perfect opportunity to sample dishes and discover new delicacies from Sydney’s top restaurant. Whilst moving between pop-up restaurants, you may just bump into a few of your favourite celebrity chefs.  There are still two sessions left today (Saturday 16th March) and one session tomorrow. So check out their website below for session times!

Taste Of Sydney 

www.tasteofsydney.com.au

Facebook.com/tasteofsydney 

twitter.com/tasteofsydney

Instagram.com/tasteofsydney

Ramen Raff attended the Taste of Sydney event courtesy of Steller* Concepts.