Apertif with Chefs Miguel Maestre & Manu Fidel

"Am I the only chef in Australia who cooks these days?" the firey Miguel Maestre jokes as he spied his other half Manu Fidel demonstrating some suave salsa moves to a group of swooning women. It seems so fitting that over the weekend, Manu has taken the "Dancing with the Stars" crown.  Not that I ever watched an episode but I was definitely engaged in the playful banter that these two chefs were throwing around.

 How can one refuse and invitation aptly titles "An intimate evening with Manu Fidel and Miguel Maestre" yes ladies, let your imaginations run as you wish with that line! Demos and I found ourselves at Aperitif in Kings Cross (or Potts Point, whichever you prefer) which is owned in partnership by both chefs. I was very excited to re-visit this restaurant after it changed hands last year, having only previously stumbled through the front gates after some late night boozing.

 As soon as we walk in we notice the very striking decor - Demos comments that its a far cry from the old late night cafe that also occupied the space, Deans (im told they made the best snickers milkshakes known to man) The space was filled wall to wall with mostly women and poor Mr Demos gave me the distinct "Why did you take me here glare" Fangirls stopped both chefs in their tracks and both Manu and Miguel were so eager to mingle and pose for photos - it was lovely.

 And now for the tapas! 

Taste Of Sydney 2011, Centennial Park - Round I and II

Hello everybody - it's our favorite time of the year! The taste of Taste of Sydney outdoor food festival is on this weekend and we Empty Fridgers were lucky enough to attend a preview session on opening night. We wanted to share some snaps and some favourite dishes with you. So hopefully; if you are heading there this weekend, we can help you plan your path of eating and drinking. 

If you remain undecided on wether to go or not; we hope we can sway you that little bit more into heading on to Centennial Park - we dare say this post is part one for us; as we are definitely heading back for round two!

Now in its third year; Taste of Sydney is a deliciously fun outdoor drinking an dining experience. Favourite Sydney restaurants such as Balzac, Bilson's, Cotton Duck, Etch, L'etoile and many more all within metres of each other - serving delicious signature dishes en masse. 

With exhibitors, local producers, wine tastings and informative sessions - could you ask for anything better and more convenient for hungry patrons?

"Crowns" ($1=1 crown) are the official currency for the day - and are used to purchase dishes from restaurants and the producers. Most dishes are priced from 8-10 crowns and drinks start from 6 crowns; but some producer stall gladly take cash too. If you ever find yourself low on crowns - lookout for staff in pink shirts roaming the grounds to top up your stash.

Our tip is to print out the "menu" on offer from each of the restaurants and literally circle each one you want, then make sure you have enough crowns. Although; they sell them throughout the venue - you just  wouldn't want queues cutting in on your eating time. Prioritise.

First stop is the Victor Churchill Stand for some tasty sampling. Victor Churchill in Woollahra is a happy place - its home to amazing produce and is the probably the only butcher where you can spend hours in and not smell like meat. They are all about quality and lucky for us we were able to sample some delicious meats they had on offer.

The photo above shows the amazing "melt in your mouth" David Blackmore Wagyu Bresciola. With a super high marble score of 9+, it is the cotton candy of wagyu - and as the friendly staff told us - you do not need teeth to eat this. 

The impressive slicer they have on display is a hand operated Berkel machine - quality meats deserve quality machinery to cut; this quality machine costs a whopping $70,000. Thats roughly 3 Toyota Yaris's.  

The Berkel slicer is very kind to the small good in question as it does not generate heat which in turn affects the quality of the sliced meat - therefore it is worth its weight in wagyu. 

The 'Tartufo' salami above was indeed a winner. Kurobota pork with truffle - wow. The truffle flavour was generous, but not overpowering at all and it really worked well with the saltiness of the pork. We were told that this has actually become a favorite with kids that visit a shop! Ah, the kids of today with their fussy palettes!

The crowd favorite was the Biltong, a South African staple of air dried beef. This Biltong was made with Blackmore wagyu topside and is salted for a day then rolled in black pepper and coriander (!!) seeds. It is not tough at all and would be perfect with an ice cold beer.

Drop by Victor Churchill Stand and have a chat with their super friendly and informative staff. They have Charcuterie Tasting Plates for $12 and delicious desserts for $8 as well.

Cocktail time! Our next stop was the Sensology Session, an iteractive and simple lesson to teach each and everyone the art of cocktail making. As we walked in, we herd that very familiar tune - "If you like Pina Colada's..and getting caught in the rain..." and you guessed it - we had a lesson on mastering the art of Pina Colada!

The session was so much fun and full of handy tips to keep in mind for the next cocktail party. If you are like us, are a professional at drinking but a novice in making - then get on down to the Sensology session With only a few ingredients and some muddling, mixing, shaking and of course drinking, we had a delicious and refreshing Pina Colada that can easily be re-created at home.

For 10 Crowns you can master the Mojito, Daquiri, Breakfast Martini, Cosmopolitan or Pina Colada plus you get your cocktail too, to quench the thirst from all the hard labour!

Summer Food Events to Remember..

Watch out - Drop Bears about.

Summer, the season of fun in the sun - and for many, a season of memorable food and drink events. It could be a weekend BBQ, a romantic picnic, a boozy balmy evening or a beer and beach cricket session - there is always something fun to do in the summertime. Just jump on a train, bus or in our case, the trusty Yaris - and no doubt you can enjoy a weekend adventure.

In the next coming weeks and weekends there are several food related events for Domo to poke a stick at (yes, its been few and far between Domo appearances on this blog.) Malaysia Kitchen was a massive hit last week and lucky for us there is more fun for food and drinky drinky lovers to come. The March into Merivale is an epic event in itself, this weekend's NSW Wine Festival for the lovers of vino, Cocktail Island (unfortunately postponed) is also on the cards to name a few. Not to mention all the BBQ's to kick off footy season too! One food event I truly enjoyed last year was the Taste of Sydney Food Festival..it was truly memorable.

I was looking through old photos from last year - and I actually wanted to find a funny photo to send to Helen@grabyourfork as an entry to win tickets to the 2011 Taste of Sydney (details at the end of the post) You see, these photos were taken B.B. (Before Blog) but I just wanted to share it here because we had too much fun.. emphasis on the too much part. I couldn't help laughing as I was going through these photo's from last year's event, sometimes Demos and I just exist in this little world where we don't notice anything but each other's sillyness. I have recieved so many weird looks when I pull out Domo from my bag..

Caprioska + Ping Pong Cocktails from Longrain / Pork Saddle with smoked bacon &peas from Balzac

MasterChef Live 2010, Moore Park, Sydney

The first thing to abandon you when you are sick are the beloved tastebuds - naturally for me, alarm bells were ringing. Thanks to my wonderful, friend / wingman (this be explained later in the post, promise!) Kath from A Cupcake or Two I was able to attend the MasterChef Live event running this weekend at Moore Park. A day surrounded by food stalls, and demonstrations from Australia's top chefs.. come on tastebuds, don't let me down - I have always been good to you!

Along with a Media scrum, and other lovely food bloggers - Karen from Citrus and Candy, Simon from Simon's Food Favourites and Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella we jostled for positions during the photo op with Gary, George and Matt. I really do enjoy seeing the chemisty and commaradery between these three guys - I don't think any of it is put on for show - I mean, look at that photo above of Matt partronising poor George the Christmas elf!

The Judges, along with several familiar faces from the show greeted the waiting crowds before opening the gates - and boy it was a bullrush! There are 2 parts to this event - The Festival of Cooking in the Royal Hall of Industries and the Masterchef Live theatre extravaganza show which was in the adjacent Hordern Pavillion

There were literally hundreds of stalls from Australian producers - homewares, specialty ingredients, popular restuarants, from organic producers to naughty sweets, kitchen appliances..It was like Toys-R-Us for the food obsessed. Just in time for Christmas, right? I always get overwhelmed during events like these - overstimulated by all the bright lights and food samples. There were a few familiar stalls from The Good Food and Wine show in July, but I found that there was a larger selection in this event.

The big point of difference of this event was the number of Cookery Classes all sticking with the MasterChef theme. Brining in the big guns and capitalising on the Celebrity Chef nature of the show - there were plenty interactive cookery areas run by popular chefs. In Basics Skills area, you can hone your cookery skills and master the basics of food preperation and cooking disaster free dishes - looking back, I think I should have done my family a favour and attended a session. The sessions are first in bessed dressed - so the more organised you are, the better you can plan your day and secure a spot.

Above : Individual Cooking stations at the Basics Skills arena and the Spice Station at the World Foods zone where you could create and take home your own spice blend.

Showtime! I've seen many concerts at Hordern Pavillion. Kanye West, Phoenix, The Strokes - but the true rockstars in the packed venue today were the holy trinity of Mastechef : Gary, George and Matt. Our tickets included premium seating so lucky for us we were seated right up front. The show was absolutely packed - and there were plenty of little Masterchef chef-lings in the audience too.

Rockpool Bar and Grill, Sydney CBD

Did we just stumble onto a piece of Gotham City in Sydney? On the eve of my Birthday my very own partner in crime took me out to dinner to Neil Perry's Rockpool Bar and Grill. This is a restaurant that has forever been on my hit list and standing in front of the colossal art deco building on 66 Hunter St we were both in awe. Keeping with the Gotham theme I will be referring to myself as Batman - it's my birthday so I can do whatever I want. Gianna is just Gianna. Im Batman. Ha. Actually Gianna, you can be Penguin. 

Here at the Empty Fridge, we consider birthdays a perfect excuse to go all out on our dining escapades. I think the evil Penguin had extended celebrations this year, and not to be outdone - this was the first of several birthday outings. Lucky me. I am Batman.  

From the minute you step into Rockpool you can't help but feel amazed by the space inside. It is the very picture of opulence. My alter ego Bruce Wayne felt at ease in the dark and opulent surrounds. I am a sucker for all things marble with the exception of lions - I may be Greek but seeing as though I am Batman I much prefer Gargoyles. 

What I loved was that from the minute we were seated I felt so comfortable for a change. I mean as simple as it may sound I really think that having a comfortable chair with the right height and cushyness makes the world of difference when dining anywhere - especially after wearing a Batsuit all day - and boy does Rockpool deliver on that front.  After fighting crime all day and numerous encounters with the evil Penguin the appetite was bordering on voracious. Out comes the menu and immediately we are drawn to a few standouts. Kurobuta being the keyword. We start with the Kurobuta prosciutto and Capocollo, Rodriguez Chorizo, Blackmores Wagyu Bresola with pickles -$25.