Taste of Melbourne 2014 - Part I

Oh boy, where do I even begin ?

Let's start at the Platinum Lounge, where I had the pleasure to attend the Taste of Melbourne Gala Evening. Oh the VIP lifestyle, yes I could get used to this. Here we mingled, snacked on mouth-watering canapés and sipped on Paul Louis bubbly (Fiji water for the responsible drivers!).

So aside from living it up, we were here for a reason - to celebrate the Best in Taste awards and honour the top signature dishes of the festival.

Winners for Taste of Melbourne 2014 were:

Winner:

Pope Joan – “Mr Wilkie” (Smoked yoghurt soft serve ice cream, raspberry compote, freeze dried raspberries & pistachios)


1st Runner Up:

B'stilla – “BBQ Octopus, Tahini Remoulade, Herbs” (Twice cooked octopus, tahini & caper sauce, lemon)


2nd Runner Up:

Uncle – "Crispy Pigs Ear Banh Mi" (Crispy pigs ear bang mi with pickles and peanuts)

Honourable mention:

Best Dressed:

Brooks

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Lobster Roll (Spicy)

First thing first was Mr Claws. Here we salivated over their signature dish, the Lobster Roll. Think succulent chunks of sweet lobster fused with siracha mayo, all sandwiched between a toasted toll - buttery, soft and oh so fluffy. Hell, the roll itself had already won me over.  

Soft Shell Crab Souvlaki

From Gazi, we enjoyed their Soft Shell Crab Souvlaki - the pillowy soft bread, the satisfying crunch and sweetness of the honey soft shell crab, the silky mayo to the freshness of the mint and coriander. Tell me, how can you possibly say no to those sexy crab legs ?

Mr Wilkie

And how could we not try the winner of the Best in Taste 2014. The smoothest and creamiest smoked yoghurt soft serve ice cream topped with freeze dried raspberries & pistachios. What an absolute treat for the tastebuds. I'm really loving this whole savoury ice cream business. First Brooks, now Pope Joan, you guys are really onto something magical here.

Elote Callejero

Taco Al Pastor

Or course, we also had to have Mamasita's corn and tacos. These foods, I could never get sick of. I could have sat there the whole night eating the corn alone.

confessions of a little piggy was invited to attend the Taste of Melbourne Gala Evening as a guest of Hot House Media & Events

What: Taste of Melbourne 2014
Where: Pelican Lawn, Albert Park Lake
When: Thursday November 13 - Sunday November 16, 2014

http://www.tasteofmelbourne.com.au