Event - 2014 Good Food & Wine Show @ Olympic Park (澳洲雪梨2014美食美酒展)

Sydney becomes the centre of the food & wine universe!

27-29/6 我們參加了雪梨美食美酒展。一到場地就看到「熱鬧滾滾」擁擠的狀況。這𥚃頭可有近百家的廠商和攤位。

整個展區非常的大，但條條有序的規劃出各別的美食主題。每位工作人員都非常熱情，攤攤都免費的請大家試吃，試喝。大方又有誠意。

我們從頭吃喝到尾，又吃又有拿。吃喝到最後，大家都很亢奮呢！

CupCake Decorating: 
夢幻粉紅小熊杯子蛋糕

Do you want to know the trade secret to cook authentic Italian pasta? Ever wondered why restaurant pasta have that little edge over your home-cooked pasta? 

Secured a spot in the Barilla's cooking school! It's like a mini Masterchef platform - light, heat and action! An very interactive experience and a very fun one too!

I attended Casa Barilla's hands-on Cooking School and Italian executive chef - Andre personally taught & demonstrated the tricks to recreate the perfect Italian pasta at home. 

It is the difference that makes the difference. 

Today we are making Barilla's Casarecce Pasta with Italian Sausage, Pan-roasted Winter Vegetables in Ricotta Sauce & Salted Ricotta.

Ingredients:

- 2 cups pasta 
- 300g ricotta sauce 
- 1 large Italian sausage 
- 1/4 French onion 
- 1/4 leek 
- 100g pumpkin 
- 50g parsnip 
- 1 cup baby spinach salad 
- 50g salted ricotta or Parmesan cheese 
- 50ml extra virgin olive oil 
- Salt and pepper 

For those who could not personally attend the class, here are my notes which can be applied to any pasta recipes :)

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, bring plenty of salted water to the boil.

Tip: the ideal ratio is approx 7g of salt to 1L of water.

2. Add pasta to the boiling water and give it a nice stir. Let it cook for approx 8 minutes (or according to the packet instruction).

Tip: Do not add olive oil to the boiling water. (Apparently some people do that).

3. Dice the onion, pumpkin, parsnip and leek.

4. Heat some olive oil in a hot fry pan.

5. Add onion and leeks and cook for 2-3 minutes.

6. Add in the pumpkin and parsnip and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

7. Season with salt and pepper.

Tip: when the mixture looks dry, add some of the pasta's salted boiled water to the frypan.

8. Let the vegetables simmer for another minute or two.

9. Remove the skin from the Italian sausage.

10. Diced the sausage into small pieces.

11. Add the sausage pieces into the frypan.

12. Cook through the sausages before adding the ricotta sauce.

13. Let the sauce simmer for 3 minutes.

14. Drain the pasta from the pot and add into the frypan.

Tip: the pasta should be just a little under al-dente, as cooking in the frypan will achieve that perfect al-dente taste.

Tip: al-dente pasta should have a firm chewy texture when bite into it. Over-cooked pasta is bad for digestive system as people will overeat too quickly.

15. Add half of the grated salted ricotta to the pasta.

16. Cease fire.

17. Toss in the baby spinach salad.

Tip: the residual heat will blend the cheese, spinach nicely with the pasta.

18. Serve immediately with more grated salted ricotta on top.

Tip: Add a drizzle of premium extra virgin olive oil on top for the perfect Italian pasta finish.

 
   The Barilla show-bag! I've got a very cute pasta tin and a Barilla apron!

Got a Barilla show bag & apron + a bowl of my freshly-cooked 'Italian' pasta.

There are so much good food & wine to sample - You won't find any starving children here. We are determined to graze from one stall to next ... 

Having heaps of fun making our own Little Bear fondant cupcake!

誰說來美食展只是吃喝？今天我們也來大顯身手來做個手工奢華風時尚小熊杯子蛋糕！

付$5材料費，我們就在這玩了一個下午。超喜歡這種無止境的創意空間和做完後的專屬感。整整的幸福滋味。

帶這經典又充滿童話氣息的小熊杯子蛋糕去品酒，反而讓工作人員愛上它!

This little bear attract more attention than we expected. A very worthy experience~

Dining - High Tea @ QVB Tea Room (維多利亞皇后英式下午茶)

Add: Level 3,North End,QVB/455 George St, Sydney NSW 2000

Tel: (02) 9283 7279

www.thetearoom.com.au

Published Review: Classic High Tea Approved by the Queen and so fashionably old class.

Relaxing in this grand tea room with a dear friend and the whole experience just makes us feel just a little bit special about ourselves. 

因為蠻喜歡英式下午茶，所以朋友到處打聽好吃的下午茶店。這間位於雪梨最美的古典QVB 維多利亞女皇購物中心𥚃。這間的英式下午茶非常有名，朋友可是訂了三次才有位。

有夢幻三層英式下午餐點，擺在桌上，精緻有水準。大部分都是甜食。看起來顏色繽紛。

優雅的喝著茶點、吃著美味的蛋糕與小點心，享受與朋友分享的片刻時光。

(c) GMV - Got My Vote!

Queen Victoria Building is arguably the most iconic historical building in Sydney CBD. The elaborate Romanesque sandstone building is filled with glorious stained glass windows and intricate architectural design. The finer details such as the arches, floor tiles and original staircase has all been beautifully restored. Inside, it accommodates six levels of upmarket boutiques that will delight all shoppers. 

To me, QVB is just pure class and elegance and I have spend countless hours in here.

My friend and I decided to indulge a relaxing high tea after a good retail therapy and to get away from the hustle and bustle of the shopping frenzy.

The QVB Tea Room is located on the very top floor and it offers traditional English afternoon tea. It is highly recommended to reserve a table prior, as the Tea Room's High Tea experience is very popular.

Take the original antique cage elevator located on the north end to reach the Tea Room's private entrance. From this point on, you will feel like you are taking a step back in time.

If you have never been to the Tea Room, you will be stunned with the ambiance and interior decorations. The Tea Room is located inside of a grand ballroom and it is tastefully decorated with Baccarat crystal chandeliers to accentuate the beautiful Victorian high ornate ceilings. 

The tables are covered with white linen, the plush armchairs look comfortable and the stunning floral arrangements are strategically placed around the ballroom to beautify the whole High Tea experience. The overall atmosphere is refined with an old era charm. 

We opted for the Traditional Afternoon Tea at $45.00 per person which included a set selection of finger sandwiches, petit fours, sweet and savoury pastries, scones with preserve and clotted cream. Add $5, you can get a glass of sparkling wine. 

Tea Room uses authentic British silverware and classic Royal Albert chinaware and these are fashionably old-class. 

Herbal Infusions - Heaven & Earth

(A delicate blend of tart Sencha, Strawberry and Kiwi Fruit)

The Tea Room offers an array of freshly brewed teas and coffees. I selected the Heaven & Earth Herbal Infusions, which was a delicate blend of tart Sencha, Strawberry and Kiwi Fruit. It was truly heavenly. I sighed with happiness with this cup of tea in my hand.

My friend selected the luxurious Earl Grey. It was complemented with milk and it tasted hearty and aromatic. 

The fresh baked scones came out warm with a nice crusty on top. Even though the scones were accompanied by strawberry jam and whipped cream; the scones were delectable on their own. 

When topped with the sweetened preserve and the airy cream, the scones were not only eye pleasing but screamed to be devoured immediately.

Traditional Afternoon Tea $45.00 per person

(A set selection of finger sandwiches, petit fours, sweet and savoury pastries, scones with preserve and clotted cream, tea or coffee)

A traditional three-tiered Royal Albert stand soon arrived and it was piled with various delicate miniature sweet & savoury finger-food.

The top tier consisted of a selection of sweet pastries. Today we've got luscious opera cakes, custard fruit tarts and vibrant cupcakes. They were all in miniature size and looked so delicate.

The Second Tier had 4 different types of ribbon sandwiches and 2 types of savory tart. 

The Bottom Tier was the petite fours - 2 macarons and 2 mini tiered cakes. 

I wouldn't say that every item of food was great but together with good friends, it was worth it.

We thoroughly enjoyed the high tea experience and happily nibbled away on the miniature delicacies and drank many pots of tea. The service was friendly enough but perhaps it was a busy afternoon, it was slightly difficult to get the staff's attention.

Just relax and unwind in this grand and classy tea room. The whole experience just will make you feel just a little bit special about yourself.

Dining - Public Dining Room @ Balmoral Beach

Add: 2A Esplanade Mosman NSW 2088 
Tel: (02) 9968 4880
http://www.publicdiningroom.com.au/

蔚藍海岸邊的輕鬆

This is a stunning posh beachside restaurant with uninterrupted majestic views over Balmoral Beach. 

It is refined, modern and elegant. 

It's all about having the best here!

Am I complaining? Of course! 
I want this every day!~  


(c) GMV - Got My Vote(^O^)／

From the moment I stepped in, I knew this was not your casual cafe dining. 

Everywhere you looked, it smelled of money: heavy cash injections to recreate a 'relaxed' elegant beach style and the cash-loaded Mosman residents waved their black American Express cards in their glittering Rolex and diamond hands to get attention.

The service was of course impeccable.

The meal was superbly well-executed with fresh local produces.

A fine Mosman housing

最近傳出北雪梨最昂貴的別墅買賣就是這區。

In case you are wondering, I don't think you come in here with a wet bottom and sandy legs for a post-swim snack. 

We are shown to a prime seating where a large panel of glass window separate between us and the yacht-dotted harbour views.

From the moment we sat down, we knew this would be a fine classy dining experience.

The late-Summer menu looked appealing with a strong seafood presence and consisted of nice Mediterranean/Italian driven dishes. 

It was all about elegant beautiful food here and we could not wait.

Pasta - Strozzapreti, eastern king prawns, nz clams, chilli, zucchini, Sardinian bottarga $36.00

Our first main was the Strozzapreti pasta twirl in midst of  eastern king prawns and New Zealand clams spiced with mild chili.

I was so looking forward to the exotic Sardinian bottarga scattered generously over the the pasta.  Unfortunately it must be a rare commodity now, the kitchen obviously skimped it. We couldn't taste much of the bottarga . If they serve bottarga by the slice or a rich bottarga sauce on top this pasta - it would've been a sensational dish to die for.

'Melting' Huon Valley Tasmanian Salmon (sous vide), snow pea purée, shimeji mushrooms, beurre blanc & hazelnut $37.00

This 'Melting' Huon Valley Tasmanian Salmon looked just lovely and light.  

This salmon was plated prettily with the soft creamy pea puree. The hazelnut sprinkles supposed to add texture to the dish, but I did not fancy the side garnishes that much.

True to the name, the salmon was so buttery-soft to cut through. 

It was incredibly sweet and tender and it definitely delivered a melt-in-your-mouth taste sensation. Of course, no one can fault the artful crunchy golden skin.

To me, this beautiful sous vide cooked salmon was the main star and the sides should not take away from its limelight. I'd happily have this salmon over and over again.

It was just a truly amazing dish.

I heard the desserts here are definitely worth the wait.
You can skip the entree and the main, but you must save room for desserts. 

While we wait for the desserts to arrive, we enjoyed watching families and surfers enjoy the blue-skied beach sunshine from our air-conditioned vantage point.

Soft centred chocolate pudding, rhubarb compote, caramel powder, hibiscus ice cream & textures $19.00

不得不說，這道甜點看起來還真像件藝術品啊！

We sighed at the marvelous presentation of this soft centred chocolate pudding. 

It was vibrant and vividly arranged with rhubarb compote and caramel powder. The delicate hibiscus ice cream was so heavenly, we wanted more.

The chocolate pudding was warm and when we sliced it through, the rich chocolate lava flow out.

I must admit, it was quite a satisfying visual feast.

Earl grey creme brûlée with Apple compote & berries $17.00

Our second dessert - the Earl grey creme brûlée dimmed next to the stunning chocolate pudding. 

This dessert is much lighter and softer on the palate. It probably goes nicely with a pot of freshly brewed tea.

I was 100% satisfied with the previous dessert so I wan't too fussed about this one.

I love the open-plan interior decoration here. The use of floor to ceiling windows that overlook the Balmoral beach is simply clever. They also install large mirror panels on the wall to enlarge the dining space and reflect the beautiful glistering ocean views. 

I can only say, this place sparkles. 

Every diners I saw were impeccably dressed - not the frilly-dressy race wear look, but more of a Ralph Lauren classic attire. I suspected their yachts are parked in front of the restaurant, swaying in rhyme with the sparkling waves.

Ah ~ the sign of good fortunate life with a high 'keep-up-with-the-appearance' maintenance fee.

這家餐廳的常客穿的隨性但不隨便，休閒中帶著富豪之氣。他們的舉止沒有東區做作模仿的講究派頭，而是有錢也有文化，又懂得享受生活的人。

The meal was slightly on the expensive side but well worth it on a perfect Sydney beach day. 

Parking is ridiculously expensive at $12/hour, next time, I will come by personal yacht.