Events

Variety on King William Road Menu Launch

- Alex Prichard Leave a comment

 

Disclaimer: I was a guest at the launch

20151001_124633Ichitaro Dining’s canapés

If you’ve been reading for a year or more, you’ll know that last year I attended the menu launch for the annual Variety on King William Road lunch, which is part of the Adelaide Fashion Festival. If you know me personally you’ll know I wasn’t invited on account of my sartorial awesomeness … I was fortunate enough to be invited again this year but unfortunately I’m not able to bring you a wrap up of the entire menu because real life (that is, work) got in the way of what should have been a smashing afternoon out. However, I was able to attend the very first part of the launch and, from what I saw, yet again, punters will be spoiled with a very impressive showing from the restaurants and providores of King William Road. Our experience started at Ichitaro Dining with a glass of bubbles and two of the canapés: a sushi style morsel including both quinoa and rice and some crispy chicken, marinated in yuzu and topped with an edamame based paste. Definitely keep your eyes out for this one!

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At Bottega Rotolo

We then headed down the road to Bottega Rotolo for more canapés. A leek and Gruyère quiche was pipped by the lovely crème fraîche tartelette, served with smoked salmon. As there were some left overs, I was not the only person sneaking in a second helping …

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Faraja’s stuffed chicken breast

Next door, Faraja was ready to serve us the first of the mains. A chicken breast, stuffed with spinach and hazelnuts topped with an orange hollandaise and served with asparagus and a potato galette. I’m not a huge fan of orange so the hollandaise didn’t really float my boat but the chicken was well cooked and the stuffing was great (it seems such like an obvious combination now I’ve eaten it).

Unfortunately, at this point I had to leave so I missed out on the other main course (a Spring lamb salad by Parisi’s) and dessert (a chocolate tart by By Blackbird and a lime custard by Mulot’s).

On Thursday we had amazing weather, unbelievable transport provided by Mercedes-Benz Adelaide and were joined by the face of Variety on King William, Katya Komarova. The actual lunch will be held on Friday 23 October and guests will dine on a closed off section of the road. Tickets are $140 a head and can be purchased at King William Road. Lunch kicks off at midday.

If you can’t make lunch, you will still be able to join in as the footpaths will be open as will all shops, restaurants and cafés.

Huge thanks to Little Lion PR for the invitation to the launch event – it’s always interesting to meet bloggers who write about things other than food and (in the case of fashion bloggers) check out what they are wearing!

Night Noodle Markets, Adelaide

- Alex Prichard Leave a comment

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Disclaimer: I was a guest at the launch party for the Night Noodle Markets

Apparently the Night Noodle Markets have been a Sydney institution for years now … and finally it’s Adelaide’s turn. The first ever Adelaide Night Noodle Markets launched last night and I headed along to Sean’s Kitchen for the launch party and followed that up with a quick wander around the markets themselves. The markets have taken over Station Road and all through the Festival Centre precinct and there’s a huge range of restaurants (and other food suppliers) taking part, along with the all important beverages, thanks to both Coopers and Yalumba. Entertainment is also covered, with over 40 performers taking part. 20150924_193551_LLS

James Laing, Head of Food for Fairfax Events, said that the aim with the Night Noodle Markets is to encourage people to make a night out of more than just one event during the OzAsia Festival. You can head to the Night Noodle Markets for an after work drink or snack, before heading to show and then perhaps meet up with friends, take in a late show … The markets are open every week day from 5pm and for those with smaller people in tow, on the weekends things kick off at midday. The Markets run until 4 October so you only have 10 days to take them in.

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At the launch, we were treated to a really impressive range of finger food. My personal favourite was the curry udon noodles. Japanese curry is a much underrated thing and these noodles really hit the spot. The Cambodian buns (I guess the Cambodian equivalent of banh mi) were also delicious and the crackling that came with the roast pork (served with sriracha on the side) was so good I would have been happy to eat a LOT more of it!

I even managed to periscope some kitchen action:

Coopers Vintage Ale Launch and Father’s Day Ideas

- Alex Prichard Leave a comment

COOPERS - THOMAS COOPERS SELECTION SICK PACK (LOW)

Disclaimer: I was a guest at the launch lunch

One of my favourite events, and one I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to several years running, is the launch of Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale. The Coopers team (including the people at Corporate Conversation) might have been doing this for a few years, but every year they mix things up a bit and the lucky guests get some great insight into one of Australia’s most unique beers.

This year, lunch was held at Pirie and Co Social Club. As we were lunching downstairs there was no natural light and so my photos are worse than usual – but hopefully you can bear with me (and understand why I put a media image at the top of this post!).

 

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Coopers Clear poached chicken, with confit tomatoes, beetroot jelly, grilled asparagus, goats curd & bitter leaves

We started with drinks at the bar (of course) and followed that with a beer themed lunch. A chicken tenderloin poached in Coopers Clear was followed by an excellent blood orange sorbet served with a drizzle of Coopers Light. For me to say that is really something because I am not a big fan of orange at all. Our main was (an enormous) Wagyu scotch fillet with carrots and potatoes and a jus based on Coopers Sparkling and we wrapped up with a chocolate tart with honey mascarpone and served with a Coopers Stout wafer. This last is an excellent idea – Stout has such rich chocolate and caramel overtones that it works perfectly with desserts and incorporating it into a wafer is a great way of maximising that richness without concentrating any of its bitterness.

Our lunch was served with the 2015 and 2010 Vintage Ales side by side. David Medlyn, Technical Brewer at Coopers, took us through the tasting. Even the untrained eye could spot that the 2010 had darkened with age and the bitterness of the hops drops away over time, leaving a beer which is a lot more mellow and showing off Christmas cake and caramel.

Each year, the team at Coopers messes with the Vintage Ale mix so every year is slightly different, although the beer is always 7.5% abv. It needs that extra alcohol to help it age! The easiest way for the team to change the recipe is to change the hops that are used. This year, it’s Ella, Vic Secret and Melba. The Melba is a new hop which was developed for the Vintage Ale. The younger beer certainly showed of its hops – very crisp and refreshing and even though you will notice the high alcohol, it’s not overwhelming.

Of course, the Vintage Ale is not cheap. It’s a beer produced in limited quantities and in many quarters it has something of a cult following. But … if you’re still seeking a Father’s Day present (that’s this Sunday for anyone in Australia!) then keep your eye out for the cleverly put together Father’s Day Six Pack. Your father will get two bottles each of the 2015 Vintage Ale, the Celebration Ale and the Artisan Reserve and this will set you back around $25 and you’ll find them at independent retailers.

Pretty much everyone I know has their standard go-to Coopers beers (Andy’s is the Lager, my dad’s is the Stout and my uncle’s is Coopers Clear, I’m the flighty exception) so this is a great way to experience a beer you might not have tried before without committing to a six pack or case.