Needless to say, the meals I have created have been a bit hit and miss, with all the unpacking, arranging, renovating of a move, but I have still managed to cook a few nice meals. One was very simple: steamed swimmer crabs with edamame peas. Another nice one was rib eye fillet with mushrooms and vegetables. Still another was a ham okonomiyaki. However, my most memorable meals have not been at home.
I had my first experience of a degustation, when my husband took me for our 36th wedding anniversary at Esquire, in Brisbane. Interesting, inspiring, an exploration, very enjoyable, but you wouldn't want to do this yourself every day or eat this way all the time. And, not cheap! We had the 14 course meal - rather too much food, in retrospect, but we wanted to try everything and enjoy the experience of eaing slowly and guessing exactly what was in each plate.
The first dish was very good: sheep yoghurt, sorrel, granita and peanut. A melt in the mouth, delicious, experience.
Next were spring vegetables with a buttermilk and dill dressing. I really loved the fried kale and the young broad beans were amazing1
This dish was sashimi-style, black flathead, mustard, ginger and shiitake mushroom powder. Very good indeed.
Then came pilchards with cavalo nero and onion. Another lovely dish.
This dish was eagle ray, parsley and brown butter with sorrel leaves. Yummy.
We also, by the way, had sourdough bread and butter. I had been told it was brilliant, but although it was good, it just seemed like nice bread to me.
My least favourite dish was the beetroot, goat milk and carrot icecream. I wasn't sure that the tastes all went together well. Plus, it looked like those revolting deep fried hot dogs they sell at the agricultural shows!
This was followed by mountain goat lomo, gouda with potato and an almond cream sauce.
Delicious.
Another dish was the wagyu corned beef, pickles and ketchup, with a horseradish sauce. I could have done without the ketchup. Pity the photo didn't come out.
The richest dish was the very rich, very creamy, popcorn. Too rich for me, but Bob ate it up!
I much preferred the swiss browns, which were crisp and sweet, and served with freeze dried blueberries.
And I loved the chocolate rocks!
I also adored the campari sorbet and curds and whey icecream with freeze dried manderines. Yum.
I wasn't so keen on the wagyu fat caramel. Again, it was too rich for my taste and I didn't think the flavours married well.
We also went to Pappa Rich in Glen Waverley with relatives from England and had meals at the other end of the spectrum, but very enjoyable, all the same. I enjoyed my Nasi Lemak :
and Bob his prawns and noodles
Apparently, the roti canai was pretty good too.
After, the meal, we strolled round the street, marvelling at the amount of eateries in the street, the amount of people out on a week night, and the variety of food available. Despite being full, the ladies had to try the desserts at Dessert Story. we watched one lady receive, with some amazement her volcanic looking crushed ice dessert. I tried, and enjoyed, a Hong Kong sago black pearl cold soup if I remember correctly. My partner in crime seemed to enjoy her yellow version.
We were lucky enough to be invited to a Vietnamese-Australian engagement party at the home of a friend. The procedure was interesting, since it was decided to let the Vietnamese influence predominate, and the Groom-to-be's mother (who cooked most of it) and her relatives paraded this array of red and gold adorned food into the house to place on the red-clothed table: alcohol, tea, suckling pig, moon cakes, spring rolls, rice noodles, fruit ( including the biggest and tastiest strawberries I have ever seen)
My favourite were the husband and wife cakes ( not pictured)- steamed XuXu cakes which symbolise faithfulness in marriage.
The Aussie side also contributed: salads, desserts, wine, beer and soft drinks. And the most amazing cakes. My stomach felt like it was being ring-barked by my waistband at the end! Dee- licious!!!!!!
