The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 3,800 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 6 years to get that many views.
Hi it’s Tane again,
Today I went to the Good Food and Wine Show (GFWS) of 2012. The GFWS is probably one of my favourite food events of the year because there are so many stalls and so many food legend’s there. Today I will talk to you about some of the stall’s and food legend’s that I saw.
First we might start with the Barossa, a beautiful wine region in the country in South Australia. I would just like to acknowledge these wine company’s on working so hard and achieving great wines – not that I tasted any, but I had a good talk with the winemakers that were there. The first is Hentley Farm, ever since they started they have produced an amazing range of wines and have done everything by hand or foot and have always made sure it made people happy. The next wine is Soul Growers, now Soul Growers is exactly what it means, it means that every grape that has been picked and every grape that has been squashed have all been squashed or picked with fun or laughter and joy and most importantly from the soul. The third is Thorn Clarke, they have some of the best reds you would ever taste and have a large range of them to. They have nice light and graceful ones and they have heavy and rich ones, no matter what red you need they have it. Last but not least is the Peter Lehmann wines. Peter Lehmann is an extraordinary man, I met him back in 2009 and had a great chat with him and his wife Margaret. He is a true legend and I asked him lots of questions. He has saved the Barossa a few times and creates legendary wines and his vineyards are very old and hold many secrets about winemaking in the past. Another stall from the Barossa is the Barossa fine foods stall. It is a stall that sells mainly salami but does sell a bit of jerky. It is very gourmet and they’re salami has been aging for a long time, I loved the Garlic Mettworst because you could taste the garlic really well because of how long it had been aging for. If you want to check out more about Barossa fine foods go to their website at www.barossafinefoods.com.au.
Another good place to go to even though they aren’t in the Barossa is Qantas. You may think they just fly but when you go in business class they have really good wines to offer and they always have good suppliers.
Next I might do the cheese and dairy. The Cheese alley was a real highlight of the GFWS because everyone had good cheeses to share and always were happy whoever you were. The first thing I did was go to the cheese masterclass were there were very good cheeses and great advice from food celebrities Lyndey Milan, Nick Haddow, Ceridwen Brown and Justin Telfer. They talked us through some cheeses and we got to try them. I think they really got through to me about the world of cheese making. Then I went to Olympus cheese which had great ricotta and fetta I also went to Bruny Island cheese which is Nick Haddow’s company, I tasted the tomme which was really aged and flavoursome. I also went to Milawa cheese co which is Ceridwen Brown’s company, I loved the Goat’s cheese which you could definitely taste the difference. Last of the cheeses was the Bangalow Cheese co run by Justin Telfer. I loved the triple cream because of how well it was made and how oozy it was when I cut it. I had two other dairy product’s that I tried. One was the Eden Hope Dairy Farms it was the best milk I had ever tasted because it had just been pasteurized and is from jersey cows so it tastes so organic. They also make yoghurt which is from their milk and it is great with raspberries. My last milk link is the Noosa Chocolate Factory. They make their own chocolate and I got the dark chocolate coated macadamia, they were 73% cocoa and tasted like it as well because they were so rich.
While I was sitting down I saw TV chef Dominique Rizzo. I had a chat to her and she had just been at a cooking masterclass. She talked to dad and she talked about how she had been going with TV and she thinks that the GFWS is a great idea!
I will now tell you about the savoury’s I had. The first was a German sausage, it had everything a German sausage should have and more because they had been cooked to perfection the flavour in the sausage just bursted out. If you haven’t tried a German sausage YOU SHOULD. My second savoury was the avocado oil. I’m not really sure why they call it avocado oil but I know the garlic has a great flavour with bread or anything that won’t overpower it’s taste. The last savoury was the Boscastle mini pies. They were some of the best pies I’d tasted especially the Moroccan lamb. They came in a pack of four one was butter chicken another was of couse morrocan lamb the other was Beef Burgundy and finally chicken and leek. The chicken and leek is not good to be eaten last because the other flavours mix with it and it tastes yuck but if eaten first it is good on the palate and nose.
At the end of the day I went and watched George Calombaris in the Chef’s Theatre. His theme was the tree of life and a modern twist on some of the dishes and sights of his past. It sounded like these dishes were close to Gorge’s heart and they looked amazing and as far as I’m concerned they all tasted spectacular. The first one was sesame biscuit’s with seaweed and rice cream. The second was carrot’s with a liquorice tasting coating on the outside. The third was pigs nipples, mash and orange flavoured nuts. Fourth and probably best was a tree withe edible chocolate soil, Passionfruit filled meringue snails, Popping beetroot mushrooms, crystalized flour petal’s and cinnamon flavoured bark.
I think the Good Food and Wine Show is a great place to bring the whole family to see Food Celeb’s and new brand’s. Who know’s you may even get called up to help at the Chef’s Theatre.
Hi it’s Tane again,
Harvey’s is a Modern Australia themed restaurant that all ages would enjoy. It had a nice view and if you got bored waiting for your meals the red sea art gallery was there and so were the shops and of cause the James st markets.
First we had Grilled quail with celeriac, pink lady apple, pine-nuts, white raisins and smokey bacon. I thought that the light, citrus salad was a great way to complement the grilled flavour of the quail. The Quail was perfectly cooked and melted in my mouth. I thought that it was a good idea to put the celeriac (like a mash potato but a slightly lighter taste) on the plate.
Our second entrée was the scallop risotto with sweetcorn, chilli, parsley and lemon. It must have taken a long time to make the risotto because the rice was full of flavour and was so juicy but the best part of the dish would probably be how cheesy the scallops were. It may seem like a weird combination but it actually works really well.
Now it’s onto mains. The first was Tasmanian Atlantic salmon, Nicola potatoes, shaved fennel and radish, beans and caper butter. The salmon was cooked really well and the potatoes had a creamy buttery flavour. I also liked how they thought about the amount of salt that went on to the skin. They also thought about how they would cook it to get the best flavour.
The second main was Grilled lamb rump, spiced potatoes with eggplant, sautéed shaved broccoli, salted lemon and almonds. I loved how the lamb was perfectly cooked and how they turned an ordinary broccoli, in to something new. The salted lemon and almonds gave the lamb a different but exciting flavour.
As always I review desserts. Now this time I didn’t know half the things on the dessert menu. But I decided on a Zesty lemon, almond and ricotta torte (like a cake) with local strawberries and yoghurt sorbet. I think the best part about this dessert was how they matched the flavour with the texture and how they put so much effort into presentation. The yoghurt sorbet went with the torte very well and put a smooth texture into the dish and even things like the strawberries had a syrup on them. If you like lemon you will like this, If you don’t like lemon you will still like this!
I thought a good way to finish lunch was with a good cheese. So I chose Quickes English ‘Goats Cheddar’Devon England – pasteurized goat’s milk- 12 month old, buttery, rich and caramel finish. The difference between cow and goat cheese may not seem big but it is especially if it is made right. So why don’t you try to taste the difference when you go to Harvey’s.
I think Harvey’s is a great place to try old and new foods and tell your family about it. Harvey’s was really fun for me and it should be for you!!!
Hi it’s Tane again,
I went to Alister McLeod’s restaurant called Tank. It is a great modern restaurant!
First I had Twice cooked quail, edemame, assorted pickles and salad Burnett. It was perfectly cooked and the edemame was so juicy. The quail had a great taste and there was an awesome dipping sauce.
After there was Smoked Ocean Trout, Crisp Oyster, Crab, Tapioca Salad and Parsley. It had very delicate flavours and the presentation was great. It was a perfect sized meal for an entrée.
The first main was the Organic Duck, ‘Pumpkin Tofu’ and Winter Reds. The Duck was cooked perfectly and had a great flavour. The Pumpkin Tofu was so delicate and had a nice creamy flavour. It was also very nicely plated.
The second main we had was eye fillet of beef in miso, Oxtail Gyoza and Smoked celeriac. This was probably the **Dish Of The Day**. The beef was MELT IN YOUR MOUTH. If I had to guess how long it had been oven baked for I would say 12 hours.
And last but not least the dessert. It was the Chocolate and Kinako Pave, Strawberry Jelly and Malted Milk Ice Cream. The Pave was rich but when mixed with Jelly and Ice Cream it was great. The Ice Cream on it’s own was sooooooo TASTY. I also loved the Jelly because it tasted like a real strawberry.
Tank is a great Modern restaurant to go to and if you go I assure you, you will love it.
Hi it’s Tane again,
This week I thought I’d go local. I went to Light House which is a nice seafood restaurant in Cleveland, Queensland, Australia (for my international followers).
First I had Softshell crab. It was great especially the sauce. It was cooked perfectly. I had never tasted Softshell Crab so this was a great example to see what it tasted like. 8/10
Next was the Twice cooked Quail. It also was cooked Great! I loved dipping it in the sticky sauce. 9/10
After we had sesame coated prawn. This was supposed to be salt and pepper calamari but they messed up the order and we had this instead. The Sesame coating was chewy and hard and the inside of my prawn was well over-cooked. 4/10
Entree’s 21/30
We had two Mains. The first one was Herb crusted John Dory. The coating was great it tasted like dry herbs that had just been crushed! the fish was fresh and cooked perfectly. It was melt in you mouth! 9/10
The other meal we had was Moreton Bay Bugs with wild Rice.The Bug meat was some of the best seafood I have ever had. The Chive Beurre Blanc Sauce was AWESOME!!!!! It was Creamy and tasty at the same time. 10/10
Mains 19/20
Last of all we had a great dessert. It was a mini Crocembouche (croc-em-boosh). For those who don’t know what a Crocembouche is it is a pyramid of profitiroles. The profitiroles were perfectly Filled and they were coated in chocolate perfectly. 9/10
This is a great restaurant to go to with your family and even if you don’t like seafood there will still be something for you!
Hi it’s Tane again,
So sorry about the delay on blogs but now I’m back in business and I’m kicking it off with good old fish and chips!
You have to know where your food comes from so you can enjoy a meal stress free but unfortunately the Southport Surf Life Saving Club, also known as the S.L.S.C, did not tell us where it came from and I ended up with a Vietnamese basa (gross!). Basa is a catfish like fish that lurks in the rivers of Vietnam. They taste like rotten floury fishy things – anyway as I said before I didn’t know. I can see why they would have done it but it’s not about getting cheap fish it’s about them giving us a good experience and to make us want more.
Sorry to start off on a bad note but here are some better experiences I have had.
Dell ‘Ugo Ristoronte Italiano @ Southbank
Now this would have to be in my top 8.
I had a very nice Aussie blue swimmer crab lasagna. It was packed full of flavour and was a joy to eat. The tomato/Bechamel sauce was great and the crab meat was nice and fresh.
The other restaurant I would like to share would be where I had Yum Cha at Landmark Chinese @ Sunnybank.
First of all for me the combination dumplings were great but a weird mix. It was a sugar-coated dumpling case with a duck and mushroom mixture inside.
But the best by a mile was the egg custard tarts. When we got them they were just out of the oven. What they are is a crumbly pastry on the outside and a gooey but firm egg custard on the inside.
At the end of the day, you might only know where your food is from if you buy it and cook it yourself, as you can see from my Pea & Ham Risotto that I made a few weeks back with speck, aged Parmesan and a poached egg.
Hi it’s Tane again,
On Saturday 14th of July 2012 I went to A la Carte in the park on the Gold Coast.
A la Carte in the park is a festival where all the great restaurants from Surfers Paradise come and showcase their food.
So when we got there all we smelt was food. We went to the seating area and looked at our choices. There was Italian, Asian, French, Mexican and of course modern Australian. First we decided to go Mexican. We went to the Stingray tent and chose their Prawn Taco. The Prawn was perfectly cooked and the sauce had a nice, mild kick.
After I thought I might have French and what better way to have French than to have a macaroon. It was pretty easy to find them because Stingray even did those as well. You may be thinking that macaroons and taco’s at the same restaurant is a bit weird but they have other weird but great mixes of other things too like sliders and Pizzas. But despite their weird matches the macaroon was one of the best I’ve ever had. The outside was crispy and the inside was nice and delicate.
After I went to the demonstration tent. They were just starting the Magic chef demo. It was really just two comedians showing us magic but it was the best entertainment when you had homemade Rockyroad in your hand. I even got to be part of the show.
Finally, I’ve saved the best until last. Hard Rock Cafe has the best, most addictive sliders ever. They had nice buttery buns with perfectly cooked beef Pattie. But it wasn’t just beef there was pulled pork as well. I ended up having 4 of them.
I would also recommend Bazaar from the QT hotel. It is owned by Luke Stepsys who has owned other restaurants in Tasmania.
I would highly recommend all these restaurants so if you live in the Gold Coast you just can’t go past this great annual event.
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