Taste of Melbourne 2014 - Part II

Yup, thats right - I went back for more ! 

The launch of Taste of Melbourne on Thursday night was amazing - so amazing, and as much of a piggy I am, there is just so much one can fit in. So what did I do ? Head back on Saturday with an empty stomach of course. 

Food coma and all, this post will be primarily photos - happy salivating !

Elote Callejero & Taco Al Pastor - Mamasita

Pinchitos Morunos - MoVida

Crispy Pigs Ear Banh Mi - Uncle

Lobster Roll (Spicy) - Mr Claws

Claire Jr - Huxtaburger

Pork Trotter Nuggets & Pimiento Cheese Fritters - Nieuw Amsterdam

Sher Wagyu F1 Rib - Brooks

Raspberry and Pistachio Frangpane Tart - Dish'd

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

http://www.tasteofmelbourne.com.au

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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

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Kamel

Seriously craving flavoursome food, and with a quick comb through Urbanspoon landed four hungry piggies at Kamel in St Albert on Hump Day.

Designed to share, we selected five dishes to taste between ourselves. As we finished up ordering, the waitress kindly informed us that four dishes would be plenty enough. Obviously, she didn't know us very well ! We stuck with five dishes.

Chilled Turkish Apple Tea

Middle Eastern Plate 

The Middle Eastern Plate starred rolls of fatty lebanese sausages and thick slices of grilled chorizo, both full of flavour and smokiness. The sides included caramelised apple, and salty crumbly feta, marinated olives, and deliciously flavoured garlic & herbed bread. 

Lamb & Lentil Filo Triangles with Yoghurt

Next came out the ever so delicate, light and crispy Lamb & Lentil Filo Triangles with Yoghurt. Unfortunately, I found the yogurt a little dull. An improvement I would love to see in this dish would be some more flavour to the yogurt. Perhaps a squeeze of lime, a dash of spice or some fresh herbs added would bring the yogurt to another level.

Baked Saganaki Prawns

My friend absolutely adores saganaki. So as soon as she saw this little number on the menu, she was sold. However, what was presented were small baked saganaki prawns which swam in  pool of spiced tomatoes with red capsicum & spanish onion sauce. With a fresh spritz of citrus, the flavours were certainly delicious. However, the dish to me, seemed more like sauce with prawns.

Twice Cooked Rolled Duck

The boys chose the following dish, and had been looking forward to it the whole night. It was a definite yes as soon as the menu was flipped open. Probably one of the favourites of the nights, the twice cooked rolled duck stuffed with figs, buckwheat & ginger was ducking good. The sweet figs made the perfect addition to the succulent bitefuls of duck.

Tagine of the day

For our last dish, my eyes wandered as the wait staff walked by with various dishes. I was keeping an eye out for the special tagine earthare pot, or the little tipi hut as I would call it. However, it was to my surprise that Kamel served it without the lid. Th tagine of the day was mint harissa and pomegranate molasses lamb tagine with lentils, served with saffron couscous scattered with dates and pistachios.

Our dishes at Kamel came out progressively, which allowed time for our stomachs to digest and also encouraged conversation by the fireplace. But if you ask me, I found that food was coming out a litttle too slow, and a little small in size. I was so suprised that the waitress had thought that four dishes would have been enough. Nonetheless, majority of dishes were full of flavour, heat and satisfied our tastebuds, but not so much our rumbling tummies. It was definitely worth the visit, but not somewhere I would be rushing off to dine at again.


Kamel
19 Victoria Avenue 
Albert Park

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NSHRY

NSHRY, pronounced  "noshery"  is derived from the word "nosh" - to eat food enthusiastically or greedily. Wouldn't it be cute it they decided to open a sister establishment call NMRY (Nomery) ? 

Located on the beautiful Beaconsfield Parade, NSHRY was where I held my Birthday brunch. Having called a week in advance to make a reservation, I was informed that they didn't take bookings for weekends. A little deterring, but I was willing to take my chances, and wouldn't have minded a short wait anyway. We were seated outside to soak in Melbourne's finest weathers. Sunshine, wind, wind and more wind.

Now, I've been to NSHRY before for breakfast, so this time round I was very keen to try what was considered "Burger of the Year 2011". There was only one thing stopping me though. I looked at the time, and it was only 11.30pm. Problem. The Unami Burger being a lunch item wasn't on offer till  afte 12.00 noon. However, turns out I had birthday privileges. After learning it was my birthday, the waiter and the chef both agreed that it wouldn't be a problem. WIN !

Allowing just enough time for me to rip into my presents, food was ready just as I finished gushing over all my presents. And WOW ! The thing I love most about NSHRY is their impeccable dish presentation. 

Umami Burger 

200g Wagyu and Angus beef cooked to medium rare, Umami rub, brown mushroom sauce, gruyere, caramelised onions, oven roasted tomato and a parmesan crisp between a sweet brioche bun with a side of beer battered chips, slaw, cornichons, spicy chip dip, tomato sauce and wasabi kewpie

Panko crumbed chicken burger, apple & walnut salad with a side of beer battered chips, slaw, cornichons, spicy chip dip, tomato sauce & wasabi kewpie

Eggs Florentine 

Wilted spinach, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce on toasted sourdough

Avocado & goats cheese on multigrain toast 

with roasted mixed seeds, fresh basil + yuzu dressing

Grilled avacado, poached egg, bacon, roasted pepper 

& gruyere with capsicum relish on sun-dried tomato & chilli toast

This beachside gem has perfectly incorporated Japanese elements into Western cuisine, and with so many 'noshes' to choose from, I am bound to be back !

nom nom nom nosh nosh nosh 

NSHRY

129a Beaconsfield Parade 

Albert Park, VIC

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