Melbourne wouldn't be Melbourne without at least two festivals happening at any one time. This week alone there is
LMFF, the
French Film Festival, the
Queer Film Festival, the
Indian Film Festival and my favourite of course the
Food and Wine Festival. Phew, I'm exhausted just typing them all out.
The Food and Wine Festival kicked off last Friday and I was lucky enough to score tickets to see Jamie Oliver live. I was a little sceptical about going to see a chef do his thing in a stadium. After all, how on earth do you cook on a stage that the majority of the 6000 people attending, can barely see?
Well you have giant screens for a start. And then you open your show by having your band perform
Wonderwall while you drum and cook simultaneously. It certainly engaged the audience from the get-go.
Jamie went on to do a bit of 'the story so far...' of his career with lots of edited tidbits on the big screens. I admire that he can, and does, take the mickey out of himself and it meant for some entertaining jokes at his expense.
Once the cooking started Jamie's passion for food came to the fore. Love him or hate him you cannot deny that he is genuinely hopeful that people the world over will embrace the consumption of fresh food and in turn, improve their health. As his dad put it 'people die in bed', so get up and get busy.
The passion of his fans was also obvious with many starstruck men and women up on stage, some having travelled all the way from Malaysia to attend the show.
Jamie whipped up a spinach and ricotta
rotolo among other things, and was joined by Toby
Puttock and Matt Skinner. I am now on the hunt for Toby's t-shirt which declared 'I heart
mozzarella'.
Two of the success-story chefs from
15 in Melbourne also cooked on stage, one making Jamie's infamous Chocolate Nemesis, which according to it's creator 'you can't die without having'.
The most entertaining part of the show for me, was Jamie phoning a pizza live on stage, with the audience
privy to the rude operator at the other end of the line. He then went on to show you can whip up your own
cheat's pizza at home (which he cooked in a fry pan), in the time it takes for a takeaway to arrive, and for a fraction of the cost.
Jamie's most sage piece advice (other than that the herb itself 'needs fat to do beautiful things') is that when you are cooking you must 'taste it, think about it (and decide) what does it need?' Good food is about freshness and flavour and the only way you will know if yours is any good is to taste it while you're making it.
My advice would be 'don't go to the celebrity chef's show before you eat dinner' or you'll be ravenous watching all the yummy dishes being prepared on screens two stories high.
Enjoy the festival everyone!
Last night we enjoyed Melbourne's balmy weather and the best hawker-style food that the city has to offer. Queen Victoria Market was transformed into a little haven of Asian cuisine with twelve different restaurants serving up some of their signature dishes.
Tom Yum - yum!
Making Roti 
I had lunch at Adrian Richardson's La Luna Bistro today. It was nothing short of spectacular and worth every penny of my $35. I had gnocchi that was simply heaven, the little potato pillows melted in my mouth, covered in a creamy mushroom sauce and had me wishing for a bottomless plate.
Our desserts were also gorgeous, the crack of the creme brulee, served in an espresso cup, could have been heard from the other side of Rathdowne Street and the vanilla bean panacotta and saffron poached pears were sweet and smooth.
The service at La Luna Bistro is also fabulous, the waiters are efficient, friendly and hilarious, making it a very relaxed place to enjoy a meal. I will be going back for dinner very soon me thinks.
Get your skates on and get out there to make the most of these lunches Melbournians!
The Food and Wine Festival kicked off last Friday and I was lucky enough to score tickets to see Jamie Oliver live. I was a little sceptical about going to see a chef do his thing in a stadium. After all, how on earth do you cook on a stage that the majority of the 6000 people attending, can barely see?
Jamie went on to do a bit of 'the story so far...' of his career with lots of edited tidbits on the big screens. I admire that he can, and does, take the mickey out of himself and it meant for some entertaining jokes at his expense.
The most entertaining part of the show for me, was Jamie phoning a pizza live on stage, with the audience privy to the rude operator at the other end of the line. He then went on to show you can whip up your own cheat's pizza at home (which he cooked in a fry pan), in the time it takes for a takeaway to arrive, and for a fraction of the cost.
Jamie's most sage piece advice (other than that the herb itself 'needs fat to do beautiful things') is that when you are cooking you must 'taste it, think about it (and decide) what does it need?' Good food is about freshness and flavour and the only way you will know if yours is any good is to taste it while you're making it.
