destination wedding

​Welcome packs upon checking in.  It is the little things that make weddings so special.

nanette

Another year older.  Another excuse to eat, drink and laugh.  Happy birthday Nanette x

PIG DINNER Have you ever had pork soda with pig fat ice cream?

Here is little something I wrote for the Beaufort Street Loiterer.  A few of the photos are courtesy of my wonderfully talented culinarily cultured friend Ai-Ling aka the Blue Apocalypse.

I WROTE

If an appetite for diversity is on your eating agenda, then Beaufort Street is your answer. From cheap eats and degustations for a pickier palate, to pop up beer tastings and for those a little more daring … a Pig Dinner.

On a chilly Winter’s night on the last day of July, sixty intrigued diners were treated to a swine of a time at el PÚBLICO. We aren’t just talking pork belly, we are talking the whole pig, from trotters to snout to its curly little tail.

Seduced by the streets of Mexico, el PÚBLICO Generales Paul Aron (co-owner of Greenhouse), Cantina 663’s Michael Forde and Alex Cuccovia fell hard for authentic Mexican fare and returned to Highgate to rekindle the love affair. Leaving behind their Head Chef, to be enchanted by the high priestess of Mexican cooking herself. Sam Ward was lucky enough to spend time with Diana Kennedy at her eco-farm in Michoacán learning a thing or ten. It was there he immersed himself in the art of traditional Mexican cooking. Venturing off, eating his way through Oaxaca and beyond bringing him back to Beaufort armed with an assault of recipes and inspiration.

Since opening the doors in March, el PÚBLICO has been educating the good people of Perth on a style that can only be bona fide Mexican. Completed with a library of tequilas and mescal carefully curated by James Connolly, what’s not to love?

Launched with minimal fuss, a poster bearing the words “Pig Dinner $65″ emblazoned the facade stopping many passerbys. A few posts on Facebook and a tweet here and there, had foodies scrambling for tickets, with the event booking out quicker than you can say “Porky Pig!”

Upon arrival the scene was electric with anxious guests milling at the bar. Most not looking past the cocktail cheekily named … “Deliverance”.  A concoction of tequila, applejack, pressed apple, lime, honeywater and absinthe bitters complete with the disturbing sounds of a bango twanging in your mind. The Mezcal Trips were a hit, leaving you wishing it wasn’t a school night

The setting

The Deliverance

The long tables encouraged interaction with strangers soon to be friends. The walls glowed, awash with red light, brooding candles flickered to the sounds of a familiar bango rift, all lending to the mood with nervous giggles dotting the air. The tables were styled simply with white linen and long boards placed down their length, providing the perfect canvas for the myriad of colours and tastes to follow.

I had been dreaming of five courses of pork crackle all day but was not quite prepared for the onslaught ahead …

First course ~ Morcilla Queso Fundido

Morcilla Queso Fundido

First up blood sausage and cheese fondue served with house made tortilla chips fit for dunking. When you commence proceedings on an empty stomach, you cannot help but delve straight into the melted bowl of merriment.

Second course ~ Torta Ahogada Carnita

Torta Ahogada

The first course was quickly scooped up leaving in its place a pair rubber gloves. Questioning glances were thrown with jokes bouncing around the table. Wearing puzzling looks with rubber hands outstretched, we received a crispy pork filled roll swimming in a sea of chili de arbol. The sweet damper like roll soaked up the waves of flavour, leaving you in sponge bun heaven. Using the gloves allowed you to pick up the roll from the chilli puddle devouring it like a burger without getting dirty.

Third Course ~ Offal Plate

Sausage

Tongue Esquites, Heads Cheese and Chipotle Crema House made Heart and Liver Sausage with Salsa Negro a chipotle and brown sugar salsa. At this point I thought, why did I pig out prematurely. As a seasoned sprinter, this kind of banquet called for endurance and stamina so, I slowly sampled everything at least three times. Offal as it should be, thank you chef!

Fourth Course ~ Quaesadilla and Sope

Quesadilla

Bacon potato and cheese quesadilla

Next up a generous offering of sope of pickled trotter cochinita pibil and house bacon, potato and cheese quesadillas. My friend cried gelatin far too early which stirred up memories of a failed batch of gin and tonic jellies. If you have ever burnt gelatin you would understand why I just could not take a second bite of the gelatinous antijotes. Thankfully, the humble flavours of the quaesadilla quickly erased any ill feelings.

Fifth Course ~ The Banquet

The main event starred a slow cooked achiote marinated pork butt. A “choose your own” tortilla adventure with a smorgasbord of cabbage, lettuce, pickled onion, radish and beans cooked with bacon laid out. By now we were quite weary travellers feebly attempting to conquer the mountain of tortillas, wishing to be back at the beginning of the night, wide eyed and ravenous tearing the pork apart. We gave it our best shot and watched defeated as the long boards were picked up and whisked away.

Tearing Pork

Sixth Course ~ postres/dessert

Sam announced that the grand finale would take you back to your childhood. An empty glass, a long necked bottle blanketed in paper bag and a scoop of ice cream could only mean one thing, summer. Being mesmerised by a scoop of vanilla ice cream, fizzing and floating it’s way to the top of a glass of sweet lemonade. Have you ever had a Pork Spider? A strangely sweet yet fatty ice cream of white chocolate and pork fat bubbling away in a pork soda. The salty soda, basically carbonated pork stock, working in a weird yet wonderful way. This was definitely the dish that pushed the boundaries, pushing your comfortable edge, so I was reassured to lock eyes with the familiar. Hello candied pork crackle, old friend.

Grazing our way from top to tail, Pig Dinner was the whole hog fuelled by tequila, mescal, laughter and 2kg of pork per head. No matter what your hunger Beaufort Street will hit the spot. Keep your eyes peeled and listen carefully over the sounds of your rumbling stomach to ensure you catch all those foodie whisperings early.

Taste Budds

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taco time

sumo salad

My friend Blue Apocalypse is such a sweetpea.  Gosh I love receiving perfectly chosen cards and gifts *chuffed*.

Little Lamb

​What a curious little place!  Rotating skewers, an endless buffet of familiar and foreign food to add to your hot pot and cheap cheap beer.  I think a Halloween party would go down a treat with this selection, adding all that is weird and wonderful into your bubbling cauldron.  

LIttle Lamb
​91 James Street, Northbridge

lazy Sunday at Five Bar

Stereosonic

I was aghast when it was revealed that Gourmet Escape in Margaret River happened to be on the same weekend as Stereosonic.  My beloved Heston will have to continue without me as Stereosonic is our biggest festival on the calendar.  Many late late nights have already been spent running around ensuring that our promotions team are ready for the onslaught on Sunday, 25 November.

Oh how tweet

The Classroom

Seeking higher education on a Wednesday night is easy in North Perth.  At The Classroom my friend Ai-Ling aka the Blue Apocalypse and I learnt how to drink midweek cocktails and smash up peanut brittle.

Tra Vinh

This little gem is off the beaten track of William Street, hidden down Brisbane Street.  I have often walked passed Tra Vinh and gazed inside at the busy tables and happy faces.  I am so glad we finally stopped in for dinner.  Fresh and authentic Vietnamese eats with fast and friendly service and you can walk away with less than $15 per head.    Dinner with my old housemates, Laura and Laura (yes this is not a typo!) is always a dream.  Perfect way to spend a low key Saturday night tucking into vermicelli salads and crispy chicken.  

spoilt

It is the little things in life, the ones that are right under your nose, that bring you the most happiness. I have always said that your birthday is a good indication of the person you have been over the year. If you are alone on your birthday maybe it is because you have not treasured and nourished those who love you enough or you have been so worried about your own flights and plights that you have forgotten those little people right under your nose. If you are surrounded by beautiful people and feel a little bit special and a whole lot of spoilt, then you have definitely done something right. I am pretty chuffed to know, that thankfully, I have been on the right track, as my 30th birthday was absolutely perfect. Endless birthday catch ups, long, heartstring pulling cards, perfectly chosen presents with the right touch of sentiment and a room full of amazing people. I feel so very blessed to have such an enriching life bubbling with splendour, laughter and good times (usually over food). Those lovely feelings and scrawls and photos of my favourite people were captured (under my nose) in a beautiful scrapbook of Guests I Have Met and Liked from my brilliant friends Maddy and Karina full of all those little things I cannot live without.

Sherbet

Demolition.

Makan2

We very rarely head into Vic Park.  We felt like something spicy and stumbled into Makan2 on Albany Highway.  

Fat Dragon

Fat Dragon​
​80 Walcott Street, Mt Lawley