For a weekend, Adelaide turned from the City of Churches into the hub of fantastic Australian food and wines. Adelaideans, interstate visitors and tourists flocked to the banks of the River Torrens in Elder Park to indulge in the best food, wines, family entertainment, cooking demonstrations and a celebrity Pasta Cook-Off presented by San Remo.
Celebrity guest chefs, television and radio personalities participated in various culinary challenges as audiences cheered them encouragingly. All of the other events were free, with some sessions requiring registration to attend, as seats are limited.
I was avoiding most of the wine stalls (as I don’t drink alcohol), but hovered like a moth to a candle around the food outlets where delicious aromas wafted in the air while mouth-watering plates of food were served.
My first dish was double Samosas with a garlic naan and mint sauce, an entrée from Harvest of India. The naan bread was light and not too fluffy, with a smooth texture on the palate. The naan did not go soggy when dipped into the mint sauce, and the sauce was not too runny, and it had a delicate minty sweetness.
The Samosas were larger than most served in restaurants, and had more filling. The outer crust was a golden brown colour, crispy and not too dry. The filling (vegetarian) was still hot, tasted and smelt divine.
Forty minutes later, I was lining up for my mains, a Prawn Plate, at the very popular Oysters and Seafood stall. The Prawn Plate consisted of five shelled prawns, potato wedges with Mango Honey and Sweet Chilli sauce. Other choices of sauces included garlic butter or sweet chilli sauce. The prawns were small, but succulently splendid. The wedges were lightly fried and tasted fine, but were superb if dipped into the Mango Honey and Sweet Chilli sauce.
As I ate, I watched the elegant black swans glide gracefully along on the River Torrens, passing onlookers and paddle-boats. Their black feathers gleamed in the sunshine as they dipped their red beaks in and out of the water.
Over an hour later, I made a beeline to Cocolat for my dessert – the most expensive on the menu. The Choc Waffles with Gelati and marshmallows was the most appetising item compared to the myriad of gelati, waffles and hot chocolate drinks. I chose the Ferrero Rocher Gelati to accompany my chocolate waffle and a few large fluffy marshmallows on the side. Final verdict: heavenly and all kinds of awesome.
2010 Tasting Australia runs from 29 April to 6 May at various venues across Australia.
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