March into Merivale Part 2

17 April 2009, 15:01

WOOHOO! super late and last to post! can you feel the awesomeness? having no internet is win! yeah did ya notice the sarcasm? our modem has arrived but for some reason the phone line aint connected to internet booo anywhos i wrote this when i snuck back to the parents house to leech their internet


after our tour thru the canape kitchens we were led upstairs to Ucello to have a quick sticky beak at the set up for the $300/head Gala Dinner where money raised went to Camp Quality.


i love commercial kitchens


wheres wally simon?


trays of foccacia at the ready


heh quail ballotine all fat and plump!


the fireplace reminded me of hansel and gretel for some reason…


after snapping photos of everything in sight we foodbloggers were shown the famed ivy pool and after scoring a drink we were asked if we were able to stay for dinner. wide eyed we looked at each other in glee and then dismay as we realised we would be very late in meeting up with ffichiban for his mussel orgy. also there was bday cake waiting at shez’s office but we made a quick call and a promise to meet another time. sorry dudes. we thought of you guys the whole time tho!


Tartare of bluefin tuna with sweetcorn, wasabi, avocado and soy-truffle dressing. Chef: Daniel Hong, Lotus. the undisputed favourite of the night- the tuna was amazingly fresh and the combination of the bright orange orbs of salmon roe with the wasabi and the truffle dressing just out of this world


Raviolo of lobster with asparagus and mushrooms. Chef: Massimo Bianchi, Ucello. it may look like the mushrooms are sitting atop a single square of pasta but that pile of mushrooms was deceptively hiding a giant raviolo packed full of lobster goodness. oh yes it was good.


Steamed baby snapper fillet with sand crab, snow peas, oyster mushrooms and ginger shallot vinaigrette. Chef: Peter Doyle, est. i love steamed fish and this snapper was fantastic and went well with the ginger vinaigrette


Quail and porcini ballontine with Sicilian lentil salsa. Chef: Simun Dragicevich, bistro cbd. heh look kettle chips! i jest i jest eep dont hurt me! the meat was juicy and soft and the bed of lentils surprisingly tasty


Roasted eye fillet of beef with golden shallots, creamed spinach and tarragon jus. Chef: Christopher Whitehead, Mad Cow. im glad im no longer a vegetarian. for lack of a better word this eye fillet was PERFECT. while it looked a little raw than what im used to it was cooked through without any blood seepage and was incredibly tender


Chocolate marquis with caramelised hazelnuts and cinnamon cream. Chef: Lauren Murdoch, Ash St Cellar. but ah dessert. it was like a giant ferrero rocher BUT BETTER. cracking thru the shell of dark chocolate to reach the creamy chocolate mousse innards and alternate the spoonfuls with a bit of the cinnamon cream and the crunch of hazelnuts this dessert was just bliss.


Mignardises. Fresh cream truffles and cherry liquer chocolates. awesome waiter anthony came by our table with 3 of these plates. we managed to polish them all off heh


and a nice little pot of tea and a chat with the remaining food bloggers made a perfect night. thanks again for the invite melissa and thanks to all the chefs and our awesome waiter anthony who put up with us being in the way and blinding you with our flashes!

1. lol at where’s simon caption!

   and agreed about the chefs being so accommodating. I can just imagine their incredulity at our incessant snapping.

   — Helen    Apr 17, 04:49 PM    #
   
   

2. the food looks mouth-watering! (: especially the desserts! hehe im such a dessert person.

   — Lianne    Apr 17, 09:40 PM    #
   
   

3. oh dahlink! That looks fabulous!!!! How come I am not invited? >:P

   — billy@ATFT    Apr 18, 12:07 AM    #
   
   

4. OMG, those photos are STUNNING!

   — Moya    Apr 18, 01:31 AM    #
   
   

5. DOHMAHH such an photo intense post when I am capped haha but looked like such an awesome night! Definitely worth staying for :P I am craving some steak and that dessert now

   — FFichiban    Apr 18, 03:28 PM    #
   
   

6. Fashionably late, eh? :)

   Did you find it awkward taking flash photography at this charity dinner with what I would imagine would be some of the more well to do in our society?

   It’s a pity you couldn’t make it to FFichiban’s mussel madness (more for us attending and less for you, all things considered). Though I now know what the cake looks like, I’ll have to just imagine how good it was. Good work with it BTW.

   — Simon    Apr 19, 06:33 AM    #
   
   

7. i miss your post!

   And I miss having foccacia with olive oil & balsamic vinegar on the side. huhuhu
   I couldn’t find any decent foccacia around here nowadays.

   — karissa    Apr 20, 12:59 PM    #
   
   

8. helen: lol but they just wanted their photo to be taken in the end heh
   lianne: yes the dessert was fabulous and im totally a dessert girl too =)
   billy: but dahlink you WERE invited!
   moya: aw shucks thanks dude! /blush
   ffichiban: heh i can feel your pain! im on 3 mobile broadband but frick its slow!
   simon: nah i didnt take photos at the table cos i didnt want the flash to disturb people so we went into the kitchen to take photos of our food
   karissa: aw thanks i’ll try and post more now that im back on the interwebs!

   — chocolatesuze    Apr 20, 06:55 PM    #