FoodieChat

There is SO much happening this month for foodies in Sydney! This Saturday as usual the first weekend in October is the Good Living Growers Market – but beefed up, or should I say porked up! Some of Sydney’s best chefs will be participating in a nose to tail BBQ there, and it’s also open until 12pm for those of you can’t manage to make it by 11am

This is part of Crave Sydney, a month long festival of art, food, music and outdoor events hosted by the City of Sydney Council.  And it co-incides with the first ever Sydney International Food Festival www.siff.com.au, which is the old Good Food Month ramped up to make Sydney a serious global foodie destination.

The usual suspects are back – the $20 Sugar Hits, the $35 let’s do lunches, and the Chefs Showcase dinners.  Highlights this year include a whole new set of hands on cooking classes, as well as some new outdoor events to add to the always popular Sydney Food and Wine fair and the Danks Street Festival.  Let’s hope the festival is a great success and something to continue to wait 11 months for during the year!  See you at one of the events!

Coming up soon:

1. The Taste of Sydney festival is on this week at Centennial Park from Thursday 12th march to Sunday 15th.  There are a few tickets on special around the place, otherwise it’s $15 for entry, then $8 – 15 for each plate.  Restaurants exhibiting include Becasse, Assiette, Jonah’s, Balzac, Sailor’s Thai. 

http://79.170.40.165/tastefestivals.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=65&Itemid=83

2. The Noosa Food and Wine festival – loads of cooking classes with your favourite chefs, degustation dinners and lunches. 1 – 3 May.

 http://www.celebrationofaustralianfoodandwine.com.au/

3. The Food of Orange Week – 17 – 26 April. I might try and get to this one this year as I have heard so much about it.  Wine tastings, markets, cooking classes, fresh produce and other events.

 http://www.orangefoodweek.com.au/

I’m so happy to have scored tickets to see Ferran Adria speak at a Good Food Month event in Sydney!! In case you haven’t heard, he runs the most famous restaurant in the world called El Bulli, in Spain.  He is heralded as the father of molecular gastronomy – basically using scientic methods to change the way food is presented, and making tastes into new and exciting and surprising forms.

Getting a reservation is near impossible – they take bookings only once a year according to Gourmet Traveller, and it is recommended that you put your name on the waiting list, book a two week holiday in Spain and leave your mobile on, ready to go if you are lucky enough to get a call!

But if not, and if you can’t afford the >€300 cost for a meal, you could buy his books, with the latest one to be released in October, and come to his talks in Sydney or Melbourne. Tickets from Ticketmaster on sale now – $40 talk only, or $75 for the talk and the book. Which is a bargain compared to the cost of eating his food

If you don’t know what he’s about, here are some articles by SMH:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/good-living/your-tweezers-sir-and-do-smell-the-rosemary/2008/09/01/1220121114863.html

http://www.smh.com.au/news/good-living/new-age-food-appeals/2008/09/01/1220121114855.html

This is my favourite food event of the year, and I was ssooo looking forward to it.  I beat my record and spent 6 hrs there this year!  The trick is to get there early, and also to pre-purchase your tickets.  To be honest, this year was less enjoyable because it was overcrowded due to the massive crowds that Gordon Ramsay brought in.  Expect to see the very gorgeous Peter Evans who makes many a housewife’s heart skip a beat (from Fresh on channel 9), including one of my companions

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