Eat Drink Blog 2012 Conference -- Day 1 (in pictures)

The beautiful-ness, stunning-ness, pretty-ness and awesome-ness of South Australia... 

Just got back from the Eat Drink Blog 2012 Conference a few days ago and it was AWESOME!!! I can't begin to tell you how much fun I had from beginning till end. The food we ate showcased the best of what South Australia has to offer (from market vendors, to local bakeries, family businesses, regional restaurants and also hotel dining). And trust me, there was a LOT of good food involved... Not to mention the wine *hic*

Besides that, I learned SO much about many subjects related to Food Blogging (which I'll share in Part 2 of my EDB post) and also made so many new friends in the Food Blogging community. Hollaaaa to all you amazing peeps that I got a chance to hang out with over the weekend! You guys are way too fun for my own good ;p On top of that, the hospitality that each of us received from everyone at South Australia was nothing short of fantastic, seriously... Thank you

While talking to many of the delegates at the conference, we all thought that this conference was honestly very, very well organised. BIG thank you to the co-chairs: Christina, Amanda and their team of volunteers: Celeste, Erin, Alex, Kirsty and Natasha. Am sure it wasn't easy but we hope you know how much we appreciate everything you've done for us and the conference. You guys are the real stars! 

Of course, we must not forget to thank all the amazing people who sponsored the event. For a full list of the sponsors, click: here

Alrightey, here's a snapshot of all the fun from Day 1 of the conference... I didn't get to capture everything in as much as detail as I'd liked, but was just way too busy eating and talking... Whoops... Anyhoo, enjoy! =)

Day started with a tour of the Adelaide Central Market. Great to hear from some really passionate vendors at the market and sample some of their products.

I was telling people that I liked how most of them described their produce like they were talking about their own baby (lol)... You could tell how much they love what they do

DEELICIOUS homemade pasta sauce with polenta from Lucia's

Love that they have a mushroom shop in the market! Why don't we have something like that in Victoria Market? =O

Owner also let us try these black garlics! Very interesting... Sweet and chewy, tasted more like candy actually...

After that, some of us went on a trip to Barossa Valley and first thing we saw was this man and his pug. Not everyone dresses like that in Barossa, though I wish they did...

First stop was at Bibu Barossa, where we got to try so a nice variety of amazing cured meats by Barossa Fine Foods, which I LOVED. Favourite was definitely the tiny, round ones which they call "King Louis the XIV". Everything else on the plate tasted delightful too

And I think it was Mary who had her own special plate, that's different from everyone else's =D

We also had a sampled 12 different wines from Soul Growers and Diggers Bluff. Really amazing stuff!

Round 1...

Round 2, 3 and 4... 

I could drink glass after glass of that Grenache by Soul Growers, but I shan't... Divine! Isn't that right, Amanda?

 

Next, it was off to Hentley Farm for more food and wine.

Btw, how gorgeous was the weather in Adelaide? Right, right....?

That Chef Lachlan Colwill is a real legend. 

He served some really unforgettable food that day (including these mushroom floss things) and I really, really hope I get to come back to Hentley Farm and dine a full degustation at the restaurant one day... 

Was really quite blown away by the food he prepared and it was great hearing from him what he enjoys to cook/eat and his methods/inspirations behind his dishes...

Before we knew it, it was time to have the highly anticipated dinner at the Hilton Adelaide... 

Someone posted a sneak peek of this spit-roasted lamb on Twitter and you could imagine how excited people got on the bus on our way back haha

Also, shoutout to Ashley for being the most elegant hand model ever (lol)! Look at the way she held the glass. Classy, no...?

Pre-dinner entrees of lamb sliders (from the spit) with brioche buns... 

Foahhh... Want x 1000, please

For dinner, the Head Chef Dennis Leslie decided to go put together a scrumptious South American feast, which I LOVED. Food was SO amazing!! Especially the chicken, lamb and beef ribs. 

Huge fan of the grilled corn and Cuban ricetoo. Unfortunately, I was too damn busy eating and enjoying my meal to take photos of all of that... Bah!!

This "family style" of eating is definitely a good way to go. Very homey, passing big platters of food around the table.

Perfect weather to enjoy a rooftop dinner too...

Speech by SA's Minister of Tourism, Gail Gago...

The delicious grilled corn! 

Chef Dennis also graciously shared his recipe for these Grilled Corn with Roasted Garlic Aioli and Parmesan: here

The Chilli Con Carne... Only other food that I took a picture of that night (tskkk, Winston)... Flavours packed a punch and was really spicy too, which was great. Went so well with the Cuban Rice

Finally, do check out this really amazing video of the conference that Simon so selflessly put together

Again, Day 1 of the conference was seriously way too fun. The food was great, and so were the people. Also, SA was seriously the perfect place to host the conference. Do stay tuned for Day 2, which I'll be blogging about in a bit... Cheers!

Soya Chicken and Potato Stew Recipe

Hello!

Just a quick one today. Am currently in the midst of having my FINALS for my Masters (and quite possibly my final exam ever, yay!) so I've really been studying hard for the past week. But now, it's the end of the day and my brain's pretty fried so I think it's time for me to take a break by doing a quickie post.

I haven't been posting as many Recipes as I'd like because a big part of me wants to retake the photographs for most of the recipes in my drafts folder. They're not bad, but a lot of them were taken at night, which isn't ideal. Which means, I've got to plan my meals, cook the food, take the photos and hope that the light is good for me to do them... Oh boy. But, good thing is that it gives me more chances to refine the flavours further until I'm 100% happy with them, like this one. 

This Soya Chicken and Potato Stew Recipe (phew, what a mouthful!) is one that is SO common in many, many Chinese Malaysian households...seriously. It's a dish that so many of us have grown up with. Tasty, saucy, and just incredibly delicious with rice... Downright comfort food. 

For me, this is one dish that I cook fairly often, especially on days when I just crave something that tastes like home. Though to be honest, I wasn't even sure what this dish was called but when I described it to many of my friends, they knew exactly what I was talking about. "You know, the chicken and potato one with the brown sauce" LOL. Actually made our mouths water just thinking about it too. 

As for the recipe, it varies slightly from household to household and it's not very common for people to add the carrots, but I absolutely love the taste of it in this dish. Though, the hero is still the chicken and potatoes, but I must say it complements it really well.

Anyway, very glad to be sharing another recipe that really reflects who I am, where I come from and what I love. Hope you give this one a go, you won't regret it! 


___________________________________


Chinese Soya Chicken and Potato Stew
(adapted from recipe by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp cooking oil

5 cloves of garlic (sliced)

800g chicken drumsticks (chopped to bite-sized pieces) *
3 medium or 2 large potatoes (chopped to approx 2cm cubes)

2 medium carrots (chopped roughly)

3 tbsp light soy

400ml water

1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil

* Alternatively, use chicken wings

Method:

1. Heat cooking oil in a wok and saute the garlic until golden brown.

2. Add in chicken pieces and stir fry until meat turns white.

3. Add in carrot, potatoes and stir fry until well combined.

4. Pour in light soy sauce and stir fry until well combined.

5. Add in water, dark soy sauce and stir briefly to combine.

6. Cover with lid and simmer for 30 minutes.

7. Add the salt, sugar and sesame oil. Stir until well combined.

8. Dish out the stew and serve hot with steamed rice. ENJOY =)

As with most Chinese homecooked dishes, looks terrible on the plate but tastes absolutely FANTASTIC

Oh oh and another thing: 

I'll be leaving tomorrow to Adelaide for the weekend to attend the 2012 Eat Drink Blog Conference and I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about it!! The timing is bad because I'm having my Finals, but I'm totally making up for it by studying super hard now so I can enjoy the weekend later. I keep pinching myself when I am reminded that I'll be going to a FOOD BLOGGING CONFERENCE. How much fun can this get? Can't wait to blog about it when I get back... Woo-hoo!

The Table Restaurant, St Kilda

Daisy, Julie and I

LOL at Mr GG's photo bomb at the right hahaha...

Photo creds to Julie (Gourmet Getaways)! 

The past few months for me has been seriously fantastic. I'm sure that most bloggers would agree that one of the best things about what we do is getting the chance to meet other amazing people in the community. Every single person I've been fortunate enough to meet so far has been nothing short of friendly, encouraging and just downright cool to hang out with. 

This was no exception when Daisy and I finally got the chance to catch up with Julie (of Gourmet Getaways), during her recent weekend trip to Melbourne. I was particularly excited about this get-together because I've gotten to know Julie for quite sometime now and she's one of the kindest people I've gotten to know through this blog!

Also, I was really glad to finally dine at The Table Restaurant because I seriously could NOT stop thinking about this place after Yasmeen first told me about it when we caught up a few weeks back. It was a great afternoon spent. We had a nice looong lunch (about 3.5 hrs or longer lol) and just couldn't stop chatting away. It was also really great to have Brett (Julie's husband), Rachel & Scott (Julie's friends) and Ricky (Daisy's partner) there that day........

..........Yep. I was was the 7th Wheel that afternoon hahahah....... Not my first time, my friend... ANYWAY.

2010 Poggiotondo, Rosato (Rose) Toscana, Italy -- $42.00

Nice! Really light and smooth, makes for a great "day time" wine. Good choice by Julie. 

House Made Warm Blue & White Corn Tortillas with Three Salsa's & Guacamole -- $18.50

This was absolutely SMASHING!! The salsas were all so fresh and vibrant, I almost felt like the flavours were dancing off my palates. 

But the BEST thing about these were those darn homemade tortillas. Hot dang... They were AMAZING. Thick, crunchy and piping hot. Perfect for scooping up the salsas without breaking.

They were very similar to the homemade chinese prawn crackers I grew up with, where it's made almost like a biscuit dough at first, before it's sliced up then fried. Brett actually saw them making it when they walked in too, how cool. Seriously good. We ordered an extra bowl as soon as we finished the first one. Please order this.

BEST!!!

Poached Scampi in Agave and Tequila with Avocado Panna Cotta & Radish -- $8.00

GREAT. Scampis were delicious and had so much flavour from the poaching liquid, while retaining the natural sweetness of the crustacean. Everything else came together beautifully, loved this so much.

Confit Duck with Smoked Chipotle, Roasted Tomato & Savoy Cabbage -- $6.50

DELICOUS. So moist, flavourful. Everything married together beautifully, once again.

Braised Beef Cheek in Mole & Fried Plantain with White Bean Puree & Coriander -- $6.50

Awesome! It really was. Nice finish from the coriander too.

Masa Harina Battered Pinky Snapper, Avocado Puree & Pico de Gallo -- $6.00

Seriously good. Great quality dish and leaves you wanting more. Ohhh and the sauce... Another winner of a dish. YUM.

Salmon with Flaked Quinoa Crumble, Agave & Chipotle Glaze, Crème Fraîche Parfait -- $15.00

Amazing! I could eat the chipotle and crème fraîche all day long and the salmon bits were perfectly crunchy and chewy. Delish~

Roasted Duck Breast, Duck Rillettes Tostada, Agave Cabbage, Date & Tequila Puree -- $36.00

Omg can you see how the duck is so delicately pink and glistening? The duck breasts were honestly cooked to perfection, not one second too early or too late. Also, the agave cabbage was a creative and delicious idea. Generous portions too!

Crispy Pork Belly, Scallop, White Bean & Manchego Sopes, Quinoa, Mango & Jalapeno Puree -- $37.50

Flippin' awesome! We were saying how we loved that for once, they gave us a huge slab of pork belly, instead of a few measly slices (as many places do). They were great. Skin was slightly charred, just the way I like it.

BEST part was pairing the pork with the sweet, sticky, yummy Mango & Jalapeno puree. Another innovative feat on their part. I so preferred this 10 folds over the usual pork and apple puree combo. BEST.

Those scallops melted with cheese in a biscuit case things were cute too.

Patzcuaro Hot Chocolate with Milagro Anejo, Bahlrona Chocolate Fondant & Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream -- $19.00

Strictly for adults only. Rich, hot chocolate spiked with tequila... WAHEYYYY!

Cardamom Spiced Pana Cotta with Tequile & Agave Poached Figs, Hazelnut Tortilla -- $17.00

GREAT!! I always prefer my panna cottas like these, in semi-liquid form. Can't stand the overly stiff, waxy and rubbery ones with too much gelatin. This was perfect, like an almost set custard with great flavours. Moreish and hard to put our spoons down.

Fried Corn & Coconut Tamale with Coconut Ice Cream with Wild Berry Compote & Blood Orange Consomme -- $16.50

YUM! The crispy fried corn tamale was nicely paired with the ice cream (in great ratio too, I thought). Refreshing compote and consomme too.

I couldn't believe that ALL those amazing food was prepared by that single chef in this tiny, open kitchen. RESPECT!!!

Capping off an excellent meal...

Photo creds to Julie (Gourmet Getaways)! 

Overall, GREAT Modern Mexican food experience (lots of agave, tequila and chipotle in the cooking woo-hoo). I truly enjoyed each and every dish we had that day. There was nothing I liked more than the other, they were ALL top notch. Unique, different, perfectly executed and very, very well thought out. Even down to the idea and ingredients they used (just read the description of each dish). There were a lot of things you wouldn't get anywhere else, like quinoa crumble, jalapeno puree, scampi in agave & tequila, manchego sopes, etc etc... 

Anyhoo, this place is more on the pricey end but if you actually look at how much effort went into each and every single component of the dish, it's really worth it. For me, I don't mind paying a little extra for meals that are different and interesting, like this. Once in a blue moon, anyway. 

Also, the food was WAY more sophisticated than the decor gave it credit for. I'll be honest, when I first walked in, I did find it to look a biiiiiit tacky haha... But man, the food really knocked it out of the park. One of the best meals I've had in a long time and it's been awhile since I walked away from a restaurant with this feeling. Will DEFINITELY be back for more.

Though, thing that boggles me is why tacos in Melbourne are all so damn expensive. $6.00-$7.00 for something smaller than the palm of my hand. Seems like it's the same everywhere else. Granted, the tacos here were all absolute winners in their own right and so delicious I'd happily order them all again. Not even surprised if some may say this is the best Mexican in Melbourne.

Wanna thank Julie, Daisy and everyone else again for their fantastic company! I really had an unforgettable time with you both and I'm so glad that Food Blogging brought us all together. Definitely look forward to the next time we get to eat together again.

If you like, do check out Julie's post on The Table Restaurant: here. Her photos are incredible!

Till next time... Peace!