TASTE OF PERTH - the second coming

Okay Perth, a little rain never hurt anyone right? Rug up, take your brolly and wear your elastic waisted pants as wonders await at Taste of Perth. The restaurants and producers have geared up for a big weekend of fun and whilst the sunshine might be waning, there's no reason to hide indoors!

Sometimes sequels don't live up to expectations but this wasn't anything like Dirty Dancing 2. I ate my way through the second instalment and had just as much fun as last time! I think the best way to tackle a foodie event is with a partner in crime who truly enjoys eating as much as you do, so it made perfect sense to head in with the other half of The Food Alternative.   

Ai-Ling (aka Blue Apocalypse) and I created our own eleven course degustation menu and washed it all down with a shot of soju, a cocktail and a spicy turmeric tonic. I walked away with a full belly plus a New Norcia loaf and Hampshire on Eighth roast for tomorrow night's dinner. My only regret is not having enough room for Bib & Tucker, Print Hall and Next Door No. 4, at least there is always Sunday. Taste of Perth, you rock.   

el PUBLICO has been awarded Best Dish of Taste of Perth two years in a row! BAM. In the words of Max Brearley 'some folk just have that golden touch'. And those folks are el Publico and Mary Street Bakery's Paul Aron and Michael Forde, great guys who just know how to do things right.  

El Publico's original Head Chef, Sam Ward made such a memorable imprint on our tastebuds (and our hearts, we love you Sam!) and is a seriously tough act to follow.  After carving out his skills in Mexico City, Baja and Oaxaca, Tommy Payne landed in Perth to head up the busy Beaufort Street kitchen.  Receiving Best Dish for his twice cooked lamb ribs served with sticky sesame, cucumber and lime in his first year at the helm is pretty darn impressive.  

Chef Tom just after his cooking demo in the Electrolux Taste Theatre clutching a sweet potato and popcorn dish with one of the boys from El Pubs.  Served with a side of pork scratchings, I know where I'm heading next weekend for eats.  

Those famous lamb ribs and a joyous serving of street corn served with crema, fresh cheese, chilli and lime. 

Those ribs. Oh so succulent! (get it?)

It ain't just all about ribs and tacos.  The team at el Publico know how to make a mean drink and this year they've stepped out of the kitchen and opened up the bar. Discover the history behind Mexican drinking rituals and learn a thing or two about  mezcal in el PUBLICO's tequila lounge. 

I like to think that Mary Street Bakery pioneered the way for Perth's recent obsession with doughnuts.  These bad boys are stuffed with peanut butter, jam and crunch and you'll be finding them as you scroll through your Instagram for days.  

By night, Mary Street Bakery transforms into Mary's, the older unruly sister who plays hip hop records whilst snacking on fried chicken skin, slayin' soju well into the night. Chefs Simon Gruger and Nick Malanzac clearly have a bromance going on and know how to sling a great Asian infused menu.  My dining comrade Ai-Ling watched the boys doing their thing on the food stage and when quizzed on the topic of current Perth food trends, they replied with 'white guys doing Asian food'.

Taking out Best Dish Runner Up with Mary's aged rump tartare is such an awesome feat! 

You are looking at Runner Up Best Dish and one of my favourite items on the menu.  Mary's Signature dish for Taste was its Aged rump tartare; spiced raw beef, smoked oyster sauce with 7 spice crisps. 

My general Taste of Perth demeanour - pretty stoked and really full.

Did you know that a one year old elephant weighs 300kg? Its also the amount of chicken wings that Mary's ordered, deboning one by one for the weekend. Crazy!  And crazy good fried chicken wings stuffed with kewpie, roe and magical sauce. 

Ai-Ling's chicken wing game is strong, so strong.

Pigs Head Ssam - pig head terrine, lettuce, pickled cucumber and radish

Custard & Co have been touted as the 'rockstars of the cider world' and owner Ian Rayner is a bonafide legend.  This belle is Custard's cider hustler and one of my favourite babes on the food scene.  Thanks for posing for us Caitlyn! Head to their stall and warm up with one of their mulled ciders, the perfect anecdote for this wiley Perth weather.  

I seriously don't know where the team at Cocktail Gastronomy find their energy.  Maybe the truth lays in their espresso martinis? Since opening up The Classroom in 2012, they've popped up Cocina Bandito, crowd sourced their way onto William Street with Lucky Chan's just last month, and still find the time to wow crowds at festivals.  Full of theatrics, fire and liquid nitrogen, their cocktails are always a crowd favourite.    

When you hear the words Chef Joel Valvasori you think pasta. Lalla Rookh boasts the best pasta in Perth, hands down. Chef's  Instagram is a daily reminder that I truly have no idea how to cook a decent pasta or stuff a sausage. He's like the long, lost nonna I never had  … except I don't need to wait 'til a Sunday family dinner to dig in. 

Nonna's famous meatballs served on soft polenta with parmigiano, always a must when you dine at Lalla Rookh.

Dessert lover Queen of Bad Timing has been raving about the fried custard since this awesome treat with fellow foodstagrammers. I was pretty pumped that it was on Lalla Rookh's Taste menu and served with candied citrus and toasted almonds. 

'A social gathering where no animal is safe.' That's a mighty strong statement, backed up by  serious cuts of beef smoking up on the drums at Asado and clearly the reason why they won Best Dressed stall on Friday. Owner Rob Bates-Smith opened up the doors to Asado, a hip Argentinian restaurant with a relaxed bar, in Claremont earlier this year and its been going down a treat. 

The Lomito is a decent serve of BBQ'd rump cap served in a toasted bun topped with looseleaf chimichurri, chipotle and salsa criolla.

'Lamb is the new pork', you heard it from Ai-Ling first. Unctuous lamb ribs beautifully freshened up with a crisp salad of freekah, bourghul, quinoa, herbs, date puree and mint yoghurt. 

Sometimes you just can't save dessert til last. We found ourselves ordering savoury, savoury, dessert, repeat. It was actually kinda dreamy! Asado's Burnt butter banana with butter biscuit, dulce de leche, marscarpone and px had me dreaming of banoffee pie.  

We made a habit of chatting to anyone who showed a mild interest in what we were eating. Its lovely to chat with strangers to find out what dishes they enjoyed. Loads of people raved about Propeller's spicy fried fish wings served with preserved lemon aioli so of course we had to grab one. 

Pack more punch into your day by booking into the workshops or cookery school and catching a session or two with some of Perth's most revered chefs in the theatre. You can pretty much sample your way down the aisles, filling up your belly as you go. Brave the weather and do your tastebuds a favour, head over to Taste’s Instagram for regular updates.    

DO | TASTE OF PERTH

a throwback to 2014

As the second Taste of Perth looms, I thought it a little trip down memory lane was in order.  Here is a flashback of some of my favourites part of the inaugural event last year. 

Lalla Rookh's incredible stall fit out by Perth design maverick Cale Mason stole the show 

Chef Joel Valvasori at Lalla Rookh

Lalla Rookh - Tortello mushroon and ricotta with chestnut butter ($8)

Lalla Rookh - Roasted porchetta with apples and sauerkraut $28

Lalla Rookh - Pannacotta Vera with toasted cocoa and walnut crumble ($10)

Greenhouse - Parfait (kangaroo liver), sourdough, sandalwood nut and quondong jam  ($18)

Greenhouse - Black Valley Beef Cheek with malbec braised beef cheek, bush tomato chutney, and saltbush leaves ($10)

el PUBLICO - cuttlefish tostada

Bib & Tucker's suckling pig  

Bib & Tucker -  Pulled pork and fennel brioche burger ($10) 

Bib & Tucker's signature dish -  Charcoal Roasted Fremantle Octopus, with Kipfler potatoes, ajo blanco, witlof, roasted almonds and crunchy grapes ($22)

(WO)MAN v MEATBALL - eating competition at Lalla Rookh

Damn girl! Judging by the way she can handle a burger, you'd think Nicole Lau had the blood of competitive eating champions coursing through her veins.  Whilst her mama didn't take out the crown for Miss Eatin' Apple Pie in 1962, Nicole has certainly been raised as a hell of a good eater.   

The infamous Man v Meatball eating competition is on at Lalla Rookh tomorrow night!  I've got money ridin' on this meatball scoffing babe and we had a quick chat before the big day. 

Super pumped you are entering Man v Meatball!  Is this your first tangle with competitive eating? 
I've entered two competitive eating competitions already, nachos, hot dogs and hands free pizza eating.  On a side note did you know that triangular nacho chips are mighty hard to digest?  Although I'm yet to take out the title, I can see the meatball glory from here! 

What is your greatest dining achievement?  
My greatest achievement would probably be staying at the all you can eat sushi train for 2 hours without stopping.

If you had a soundtrack to eat meatballs to what would your top 5 songs be? 
Too legit to quit – MC Hammer
Not Many - Dcribe
In da Club - 50 Cent
Notorious B.I.G. - Notorious B.I.G.
My closing track would have to be "Bye bye bye - Nsync".  I know it ain't ghetto but I feel it's pretty poetic, na mean?

What will you be doing this week in preparation for Man v Meatball?
I work at Old Faithful so I'm going to make sure I consume as much meat as humanly possible on my breaks to prep for this mofo of a competition.

Will you actually eat on Thursday before the comp?
Of course! If you're not eating, you ain't living. I'll probably start the day with a big breakfast somewhere.

You've obviously eaten at Lalla Rookh before, any hot tips for what the audience should be ordering?
Anything and everything, you can't go wrong with a single item on that menu. Chef’s Bone marrow is seriously legit.

What would your idea of a nightmare food eating competition be?
Anchovies … ewwww. Ain't nobody got time fo dat!

And a little word to your competitors …
Chiggedy check yo'self before you wreck yourself.

You can cheer on Nicole as she takes on her fierce competitors at Lalla Rookh's Man v Meatball competition tomorrow, Thurs 23 April.  Entries open at 5pm and comp starts at 5.30pm.  

TOP 10 | EAT DRINK PERTH

Eat Drink Perth is a celebration of Perth's evolving culinary scene running from 18 March to 25 April.  The  program well underway it’s time to get out your planner and enrich both your stomach and your soul.  Put on your buffet pants Perth! 

Image by Jasmine Dowling

Here are some events that I will be clearing my calendar for:

1. Later this month, the Cultural Centre will transform into Perth’s first Asian hawker hotspot, Night Noodle Market.  Delve into exotic flavours whilst uncovering a melting pot of Eastern cultures including Filipino, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese.
2. South African cuisine was a little hard to find until William Street’s Baby Mammoth swung open its doors.  I thought a recent work trip to South Africa would satiate my street food yearnings with a swagger of traditional dishes.  But in true work trip form, I was a slave to the hotel buffet and only dabbled in a few signature South African dishes, including a quirky bread loaf chicken curry strangely named ‘bunny chow’. I’m pretty excited to experience The Spice Route wine degustation at Baby Mammoth.
3. The gents at Whipper Snapper Distillery are putting on Small Batched, a collaborative event with some of WA’s finest purveyors. How on earth will they pair chocolate with Whipper Snapper’s signature moonshine, Crazy Uncle? Curious whiskey matches will be on offer by local Artisan Chocolatier Sue Lewis, plus 5 Senses Coffee, The Little Cheese Shop and the foraging team at Fervor.  
4. An evening with Fervor is one to behold. With a focus on native Australian ingredients, Head Chef Paul Iskov, curates a stunning menu using foraged wonders such as salt bush, quandong and paper bark. Often travelling to the regional corners of Australia, Fervor will leave behind a cloud of red dirt as they trek to the big smoke to create a unique dining experience in a secret location.
5. Take a nostalgic trip down memory lane at the Northbridge Piazza.  Northbridge Food and Wine – Then and Now will celebrate the rich history of Northbridge showing how the precinct has evolved over the years.
6. Since launching with a lights-off event in Sydney in 2007, the not-for-profit organisation Earth Hour has been on a mission to protect the planet.  As a prelude to the annual Earth Hour event, the Northbridge Piazza will play host to Earth Hour Healthy Food Theatre.  Hear stories from local farmers and the effects of global warming/. It’s the perfect evening for environmentally conscious foodies.
7. Growing up in the Swan Valley developed my soft spot for farmer’s markets from an early age.  There is nothing like buying your vegetables and produce from the family that grew them.  You will have that chance when the Perth Home Grown returns to Forrest Chase each Sunday.
8.  You need to add an evening with the enigmatic force behind OzHarvest to your bucket list.  After hearing Ronni Kahn speak at the launch of OzHarvest, I’ve been hanging to hear her once again. Ronni will join forces with local celebrity chef Ian Parmenter to talk sustainability at the Food for Thought Cooking Class.
9. Who else finds a trip to the butcher just a little daunting?  If you are keen to know your grain fed from your grass fed and how to cook the perfect steak, The Secrets of Beef Masterclass at Meat Me In the City is the event for you.
10. Chef Joel Valvasori’s family recipe for meatballs is the talk of the town.  For something a little daring and fun join fellow meatball madmen at Lalla Rookh for a crazy culinary challenge, Man v Meatball.  It’s an eating competition not to be missed.  You’ll find me cheering on the sidelines tucking into my own serve of meatball goodness.