Monthly Archives: June 2012

Shaw + Smith Wine Dinner at the National Wine Centre

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Wednesday night Vic and I were invited along to the Shaw + Smith Wine Dinner at the National Wine Centre. It was a pretty fitting time for wine, we’d just spent the public holiday down at Sea and Vines but with Shaw + Smith we jumped to a new region: The Adelaide Hills. I’ve been to a few events at the Wine Centre before, for product nights and for charity lunches, but this was my first time going along to one of the wine dinners.

The Shaw + Smith menu. Sashimi of kingfish canapé. Olives, dukkah, and olive oil & balsamic. 

We started with a glass of the 2012 Shaw + Smith Sauvignon Blanc and canapés. The sashimi of kingfish, with lime & fennel and horseradish gel, was really light and fresh.  We got to have a quick chat before sitting down for the meal and the rest of the wine.

But before we get to that: the bread. It just kept coming, terrible for your hips but amazing for your stomach, taste buds, etc. We were given bread before every course, and while the bread itself was nice, the real reason we enjoyed it so much was because of the dukkah and the balsamic. The dukkah had a rich and salty flavour, and was made in house, and the balsamic was sticky and sweet. We were hoping that they sold them somewhere at the Wine Centre, but unfortunately they don’t.

Michael Hill-Smith. Flowers. 

 There were 9 people on our table, and I got chatting to the lady next to me, turns out she bakes gourmet pies and sells them at the Murray Bridge Farmers Market every Saturday. *Scribble, scribble*. It’s definitely added to my diary, and how could it not be. As soon as she started talking about rabbit, venison, and beef & Guinness pies I was already drooling.

There was plenty of time to chat at the dinner, and I can’t reiterate how much I love dining with strangers. It’s always interesting to get to know someone for a night, but it’s even better when you’re sharing food and wine. Of course in-between courses we also did a lot of listening, as Michael Hill-Smith took to the microphone to talk to us not only about the wines we we drinking, but Shaw + Smith, their history, and wine in general.

He was funny, and incredibly knowledgeable, it was one of those times where I just had to sit there and soak it up. One of my favourite things with wine (apart from drinking it) is getting to hear from someone directly involved with the wine or the wine making process, because this is usually where you get really see their passion. It’s the same with food, and getting to meet the chefs who create it.

Textures of rabbit. Roasted duck breast & confit leg. House made chocolates. Aged English cheese. 

Of course, of course… then there was the food. The first dish (excluding canapés) would have to be my favourite. It was called Textures of  Rabbit: with sage buttered gnocchi, jamon iberico, & mustards. The rabbit was delicious, not an inch of it was dry, and the potato gnocchi tasted like it had been soaking in butter for days (in a good way of course). I wanted every mouthful to last so much longer than it did. With the rabbit we had a 2010 Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay, and a 2006 Shaw + Smith Aged Release Riesling.

Our main was duck, cooked two ways. It was really interesting having the two pieces of duck on the one plate, each tasting completely different. The confit duck leg sat perfectly on the plate, but the moment my knife touched the meat it just slipped through, and the meat fell off the bone. With the duck we had a 2010 Incognito Pinot Noir and a 2010 Shaw + Smith Pino Noir.

There was no grand dessert, instead we had a selection of house made chocolates, and cheese. Both good accompaniments to wine. With this we had a 2009 Shaw + Smith Shiraz and a 2010 Pre-Release Shaw + Smith Shiraz. After the meal Phillip Pope, the  chef at the National Wine Centre, came round to every table, happy to chat about the meals and how he created them.

Overall we had a great night, it was a good chance to try some wines, learn more about the Shaw + Smith winery, and meet some new people.

This was the first dinner of the 2012 Wine Dinner season. The next dinner with Henschke is already sold out, but there are four others. The wine makers involved are D’Arenberg, Charles Melton, Penny’s Hill, and Teusner.

In Sydney with Sony: Day 2

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My second day in Sydney was rounding up at 4, when I’d hop in the car to the airport to catch the plane back to Adelaide. Before leaving I’d already decided that I’d be having breakfast at fouratefive, but then I spotted bills at the bottom of my hotel and I knew I might have to stretch myself.

So I hopped up early, and made my way down to bills. Laptop in hand so I could take advantage of the hotel internet. I knew exactly what I’d be having: the ricotta hotcakes with banana and honeycomb butter. They were definitely tasty, but they didn’t blow me away. I don’t know if I was expecting a bit more sweetness from the honeycomb butter. All in all I was happy with them, but I’d branch out to try something else next time.

My favourite thing about breakfast at bills was their range of drinks. I like cold drinks.  I’m not a huge coffee drinker, and I like tea but I rarely order it out, so I love a good list of cold drinks that doesn’t revolve around milk, soft drinks, or bottled juices. bills have a great range of freshly squeezed juices as well as bills homemade lemonade, ice tea, rosehip and mint punch, and elderflower cordial. I picked the rosehip and mint punch, it was fun, fresh, and spritzy.

Rosehip & mint punch. Ricotta hotcakes with banana & honeycomb butter. Homemade creamed corn w/ poached eggs, crispy bacon, & sourdough bread. Gooey egg.

Of course I’d already committed myself to fouratefive. I was dining on limited time, so I figured there was no halm in popping in for second breakfast. I was embracing my inner hobbit for the day. Everyone thought I was crazy when I chose an outside table, but by this stage the sun was still streaming down through the clouds and I was making the most of it.

After my sweeter breakfast of pancakes I went for the creamed corn instead, with poached eggs and bacon. It was such a warming filling breakfast, and it managed to stay warm  from the moment it landed on my table till I took my last mouthful. Too often breakfast ends up cold before you’re even halfway through. I was impressed. fouratefive is a really lovely spot, made better by the friendly people working there. I was eyeing off their pastries but I thought that third breakfast was taking it a bit too far. I still had to leave room for multiple lunches.

Lemon fruit shake. Short rib sandwich. Salmon salad. Mango cupcake. 

Wandering through Sydney I also came across Ghermez, a pretty looking cupcake spot. After much deliberation I decided I’d bring a box of six mini cupcakes back to Adelaide, and grab myself a mango cupcake to enjoy there. The cake was soft, light, and moist. I’m still a cream cheese fan, but the butter cream was pretty tasty.

Then it was back to Surry Hills where I first stopped off at Hey Brew Cafe. It’s a small place on Foveaux Street in Surry Hills. I’d passed it the day before and decided I’d have to pop in to have a look. I ummed and ahhed at their sandwiches, but knew I couldn’t go past their short rib sandwich.  Japanese beef ribs, purple cabbage kim chi, and honey-dew melon. It was served on a ciabatta, and mmmmmmm. That’s about all I can say. It was juicy, sweet, meaty. Just a really tasty sandwich. Nothing was dry, nothing was bland. I was impressed.

Rounding up my day I was making one last stop, back to bills to finish off a bit more work while I waited for my car to arrive. I had a quick look at their menu and decided on their Salmon Salad with Caramel Coconut Dressing. I was expecting a tasty salad, with some smoked salmon. I thought I would like it, but I really wasn’t prepared. I have to say this my favourite salad out of any I’ve ever eaten. I’m not saying it’s the best, but if you were to put together the perfect salad for me, this would be it.

There was not a hint of smoked salmon in sight, instead a few sizeable chunks of crispy skinned salmon. It had that melt-in-your-mouth texture and a beautiful salmon flavour. Lettuce was also not in the picture, instead leaves of coriander and mint and some healthy sized chunks of cucumber. The grapefruit was a great addition, and the dressing was a delicious Asian style offering.

Breakfast wasn’t quite enough to make me want to rush back to Bill’s, I mainly stopped in to use some WIFI again, but that salad made my trip to Sydney. It’s a firm favourite I’ll be coming back for again, and again, and again, and again.

In Sydney with Sony: Day 1

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Last week I was lucky enough to fly interstate for the night to go along to a special Sony Sessions in Sydney. Not only did I get a free trip to Sydney, but a chance to take a look at some fun new Sony products, and a free dinner at Sydney restaurant A Table for 20.

I had a morning flight, so mum and I first stopped off at Dreamy Donuts at Adelaide Airport, and I was in Sydney by midday. I was staying at the Adina Apartment Hotel in Surry Hills; part of the Medina group. It was a spacious one-bedroom place, although I wasn’t spending too much time there, as soon as I dropped my bags off I was up to Eastwood to meet up with my chief editor over at Weekend Notes.

The company and conversation was great, but lunch was uneventful. The food was alright, but nothing special. I was also making sure I left plenty of room for dinner that night. I didn’t want to miss out.

Cookies ‘n’ cream donut at Dreamy Donuts. Welcome to Sony Sessions. Ricotta gnocchi with tomato, basil, and chilli. 

A Table for 20 is hidden just off of Crown Street in Surry Hills. Not usually open on a Tuesday, Sony had booked the place out. I was drinking some fabulous Spanish or South American wine that I can’t remember the name of (funny how that always seems to happen with wine).  It’s a cosy little space, with two long tables, each fitting about 20 people. The idea is that large plates of food are placed on the table, and shared amongst you like a dinner party.

You might end up serving strangers, and holding dinner conversations like you’re old friends. I love longtable dining. It was a bit different for us, as we were obviously all there to talk about Sony, but the conversation definitely went elsewhere. I sat next to a paediatrician from Sydney, and had a great time chatting to him and others on our table.

Slow roasted shoulder of lamb. Sony NEX. Lamb, roasted vegetables, & pumpkin, farro, & rocket salad. Pear and almond tart with whipped marscapone. 

Between meals we were treated to presentations on various Sony products, and up and coming things to get excited about. We were also told to pick up one of the many cameras in the room and get snapping. There was a photo competition, and while I was happy with my shots, the girl who won (another interstater from Perth) deserved to win hands down. I still can’t get into the digital view-finder on the Alphas, but I always love playing with an NEX. Last time I had one was at a Sony event at the Adelaide Zoo where we got to snap the pandas at night.

The clear star of the night was the demonstration of Google TV. Although I was also a little enamoured with the Sony Tablet, the inclusion of Crash Bandicoot 1 may have had something to do with it.

The food wasn’t ‘fancy’, but it was definitely all delicious. The roasted vegetables had a delicious honey glaze, I could have happily munched on a bowl of the sweet potato all night. The lamb was tender, and I loved the farro salad. It would have to be only the second time I’ve heard of farro, the first being in the My Kitchen Rules finals.

It really was a great night of food, wine, people, & products.

Once dinner wound down there were still a few of us sitting around chatting, mostly us interstate guests. The four of us (& a Sydneysider) walked back to the apartment discussing  where we’d be trying to visit the next day before our various flights left.

With the huge list of places that line Crown Street, it definitely wasn’t an easy choice.

Daisy & Ray Get Hitched

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The other week I went along to Daisy & Ray Get Hitched, an event that is part of the whole wave of alternative wedding fairs. They say goodbye to tacky bling, and there isn’t an inch of satin in sight. I’ve been meaning to get to one for quite a while (The eclective in Adelaide and One Fine Day in Sydney to name a few) but I just haven’t gotten round to it. But when the invite for Daisy & Ray Get Hitched popped up on my screen, I just couldn’t refuse.

Hannah came along with me for tonight, and we played future Mrs & Mrs for the night. It was at Higher Ground, and this was my first time back there in about 4 years. It was a gorgeous space, three levels decked out in beautiful wedding cakes, flower displays, dangling lights, and dessert tables. Neither of us were brides, and we weren’t likely to be anytime soon, so we were just soaking up all the pretty things.

If you were an actual bride (or possibly groom) I can only imagine that it was a real treasure trove of ideas and inspiration.

There were of course a few things that caught my eye:

- The cakes. Oh my these were stunning. My favourite would have to be the striking glitter cake that we saw as we first came in. Honestly I’m still not convinced that it’s edible because I’ve never seem edible glitter like that, but if it exists I want to know where to find it. Cakes were by Sweet Treats Cakes and Cupcakes.

-  SmileBooth! Regular photo-booths are cool, but they’re also cramped, and not half as cute as this. The gorgeous husband and wife team who helped us pick out props and snapped our shots made the whole experience a lot of fun. They were just really lovely. Oh… of course the photos were lots of fun too. Plenty of moustaches, hats, and signs to choose from. Because it’s not a traditional photo-booth you can have as many or as little people piling in as you like. Photos can also be printed in a range of styles, including traditional photo-booth strips or polaroid pics. Of course SmileBooth aren’t just for weddings, but any event.

Photo by SmileBooth: http://smilebooth.com.au/

- The ceremony. Yes, there was an actual ceremony. You know it’s a good faux wedding when the crowd still manages to get a bit teary. ‘Daisy’ and ‘Ray’ played their parts well, and Cecilia White officiated. It was a sweet touch, and added something a little different to the whole affair.

Of course there was plenty more. Gorgeous wedding gowns, some great photographers, picture perfect styling, drool-worthy stationery and tasty macarons from Lil Miss Macaron. We left quite early, we were still heading on for dinner, but ended the night with a good chat to Monique at The Little Van that Could. Love her & her lemonade. She handed us our goodie bags and we were on our way.