Psssst!! Just thought you should all know, Penny from Jeroxie Addictive and Consuming, is giving away 8 bottles of Cobram Estate's new Manzanillo Extra Virgin Olive Oil. You should go over there and enter right away!

I was lucky enough to score a bottle from her shipment and she asked me to try out a recipe with it. I tried George's olive oil chocolate mousse.

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This funky invitation arrived in my inbox and it sounded like a fantastic event!
There were so many things that made me squeal with excitement:

- St Ali; I've never been but heard amazing things. I had experienced Outpost (St.Ali's sister cafe) as it was near my old work

- Cocktails by Der Raum; I have been there once with Katie and it was such a fantastic venue for cocktails. Bottles hanging from ropes from the ceiling, cocktails served in paper bags, syringes, and other funky ways.

- Desserts by Philipa Sibley; seeing her make that caramel parfait glace with salted peanut caramel and milk chocolate mousse on Masterchef make me drooooool. *sigh* if only I had an ice cream maker, I would attempt i.

- Circus acts also had me thinking of how amazing this night would be. And being able to take home part of a graffiti soy milk wall had me intrigued.

Lighting inside was very dark, with DJs pumping out tunes whilst the crowd mingled. The other bloggers got some pretty amazing shots of the food and cocktails, their links are listed below for you to check out AFTER you have finished reading my post!


All fingerfood and cocktails served included the Organic Vitasoy, from the chicken wings, to the amazing desserts.


At the end of the night, the grafitti wall was dismantled and we could all take home a slab. It was a bit of a challenge to get the first slab out, but once they managed, we wondered on home with 2 slabs of Organic Vitasoy!

Check out what the other bloggers thought of the night, with more pictures of what we ate and drank!

Thanh from I Eat Therefore I Am
Sarah from Sarah Cooks
Penny from Jeroxie
Agnes from Off the Spork
Maria from Gourmet Challenge

Iron Chef Shellie attended Vitasoy vs St Ali as a guest of Fiona Brook from Harvey Publicity. 

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 I'm going to give a warning just like I did before my post on the Taste Festival of Melbourne.
Before reading; please put your seat in the upright position, grab a drink/sandwich/over priced pringles and enjoy reading all about the delicious night I had.

The date was Tuesday 23rd February 2010 AD.
Nuffnang had invited about 20 food bloggers to an exclusive dinner at Collins Kitchen, which is part of the Grand Hyatt hotel in Melbourne. I had never been inside the hotel before, let alone the dining area; but I was pleased to learn it had recently been renovated from the food court that it used to be.

Early birds met in the main lobby of the hotel, then proceeded to the RU-CO bar just off the main dining area whilst we waited for everyone to arrive. There was an extensive wine list which seemed to go on for pages. Knowing nothing much about wine and wanting to line my stomach with food before drinking, I just opted for sparkling mineral water.

We were then all seated over 2 long tables in the dining area with Nuffnang hosts David and Sarah; as well as Marketing Communications Manager of the Grand Hyatt, Lucy. We then met executive chef, Jason Camillo, who proceeded to give us a full tour of the open kitchen.

Collins Kitchen consists of 5 different cooking stations; grill, wok, sushi, deli and patisserie (guess which one is my favorite!).It is based on the Mezza9 restaurant at the Hyatt in Singapore which runs on the same concept. Their stations are a little different: western grill & rotisserie, sushi and sashimi bar, yakitori grill, the steam basket, the European deli, Thai deli and crustacean bar, the patisserie, the martini and cigar bar and a gourmet boutique.

I'm sure the kitchen staff were expecting us, but I'm not sure they were expecting 20 people with cameras snapping away like the Queen was in town. They remained cool and were probably glad when we were out of there.

We started at the sushi station where we could see the sushi chef freshly grating Tasmanian wasabi for our dinner. Slabs of fresh fish look so tempting through the glass cabinet as we are told that the kitchen really promotes local produce. It's only the first station and we are all already drooling and wanting to sink our teeth into some sushi.
We then move through to deli section. I was at the back of the group snapping away whilst Jason was talking about the deli, so I can't really tell you too much about it. I do know that they use Otway free range bacon though. The deli set up was very impressive though, I'm pretty sure anyone who appreciates deli goods would be happy to move in.

Behind the sushi bar is a wall of fridges with clear doors allowing you to see even more produce. Jason explains that for breakfast, guests and help themselves to yoghurt and bircher muesli that is in the fridges; giving hotel guests a feeling as if they were at home, helping themselves. Breakfast sounds fantastic at the Collins Kitchen, with fresh eggs cooked to order, as well as dim sum.

We move through to the wok station, where we see industrial grade burners that sounds like an airplane when the chef takes his wok off the heat. We see the massive steamers for steaming dumplings and whole fish, as well as the smaller holding bays for steamed food. We also see fresh chilli sauces that have been freshly prepared.

The final station in the main kitchen area is the grill. It's about now I notice how sleek and clean the kitchen is, and how much effort it must take to maintain the shininess of all the metal surfaces. It made me just want to put my fingers all over it! We see the oven which is half wood and half gas, and are told we will be having a foccacia that is baked in said oven. There is a nice range of grill plates on display, I would loved to have seen them cooking on them if I wasn't so busy stuffing my face at the table.

Between the wok and grill stations you see the Asian roasted meats hanging. Succulent roast ducks hang about, waiting to get in my belly. The crackling on the roast pork looks like it will provide good crunch, but we don't find out till later if it will or not.

The last station which is situated just outside the main kitchen area is the patisserie; my favorite section! We see the pastry chef stirring a sauce on the induction cook top. The cook top is so sleek I wouldn't have noticed she was cooking on it if it hadn't have been pointed out to me. There is a lovely range of ice-creams and gelatii on displays, as well as tempting slices and boxes of truffles mocking us as we stand around. High tea is on offer every day, and scones are freshly baked in the oven that is in the patisserie station. Lucy tells us the smell is just amazing as it wafts throughout the area.

The menu is a'la carte, but you can watch the chefs prepare your food. I find the idea of this less intimidating as a diner. The chef is not some magical food wizard that you never see, and can't see what he is up to; you can actually see everything being done. No matter where you sit in the dining room, you can see into the kitchen. It's a relaxed atmosphere, you can almost feel like you are at home.
There are also 2 private dining rooms, one is known as the chef's table; where they encourage a share menu which we dined on, serving signature dishes from the seasonal menu, which demonstrates dedication to using only the best local and organic produce.

We then return to our seats in the dining area where are settled with wine and bread. The bread is lovely and fresh. I'm a sucker for warm fresh crusty bread with butter smothered over it. This was a good way to start. BUT best not to fill up on bread as they say!

So what did we eat?
The first part to our night started with a sushi and sashimi platter, antipasto platter and freshly baked foccacia.


The fish was so incredibly fresh and just melted away in your mouth. My end of the table could have happily dined on these platters all night.


The buffalo mozzarella is from Queensland, and it just amazing with the fresh tomato and basil. It was deliciously sweet, yet such simple flavours. This wasn't my first time with liverwurst, I've only had it by our favorite continental butcher though. It looked so good with it's mini gherkin, I just had to have some. It was fantastic. A smooth texture, it went perfectly with crisp bread we were given. How can you go wrong with cantaloupe and prosciutto?


Second course involved a platter of roast meats from the wok station, fried rice, and asian greens.


All meats were cooked perfectly; from the succulent duck, to the crispy crackling of the roast pork.

Fried rice was nice, the rice cooked well; with each grain clearly separate to the other. Nice flavours and went well with the roast meats. Served with the fresh chilli sauces prepared by the wok kitchen, and Asian greens.

Third course was an amazing mixed seafood grill platter, porterhouse steak, broccolini, mashed potatoes and mushrooms.


The scallops were so plump and sweet, probably the best scallops I've ever had. The Morton Bay bug was so sweet and fresh. I didn't get a chance to sample the tuna from South Australia or the salmon, but they sure looked good!


The porterhouse was definitely one of my favourites of the night. We did send it back when it first arrived as it was very rare. People who liked it cooked that way took a piece, whilst the rest of us waited for a more slightly cooked slice to return.
It was lovely and smokey; and teamed with the sweet sauce reduction was just amazing. There was also a bernaise sauce which was also delicious.

The mash was so creamy, we tried not to think how much butter was in it. The broccolini was fantastic, not sure about the mushrooms, didn't try them!
 
Last but not least my favorite course; dessert.
An impressive dessert platter arrives and we all go "oooooo!!"


OH.....MY....GAWD!
Just as I thought I couldn't fit more in, I fit in at least a mouthful of everything.

The ice creams were fantastic. The strawberry flavour was my favorite with an intense strawberry taste.
The crumble was perfect with its perfectly stewed fruit and crunchy top. Fresh vanilla cream, you could even see the specs from the vanilla bean.
The peach melba was the least favorite for everyone, rather runny to what I was expecting it would be. Still a nice flavour.
The chocolate fondant was the favorite. Neil and Sarah trying to convince me that it wasn't very good so I woudln't have any. It was gooey inside, and the flavours would have rocked anyone's socks off.
The banana millefeuille was also another winner with custard and I think there was even honey in there. The pastry was so perfect, crisp and also melted in your mouth.
The chocolate biscotti was paper thin, and had an intense chocolate flavour. I of course, liked it!

There is a strong emphasis on local produce. Jason and Lucy told us about the "Green Team". Sourcing the food locally reduces their carbon footprint, and allows to showcase the amazing food Australia and local producers have to offer.
There is also an emphasis of making everything on site. We were told only the messy things like making stocks and chopping live lobsters is done in another kitchen. The backroom kitchen which no one sees is very small and only has one bench, as the majority of the cooking is done in the open kitchen at the respective stations.

Jason and Lucy also talked to us about the express lunch they are trying to promote to CBD workers. You get a selection of food on a tray. You come in, order, wait 10 minutes and then you can eat and go back to work. All for around $30-38. So, if you work nearby; I highly suggest you give it a go as the food at Collins Kitchen could not be faulted.

The staff were fantastically friendly throughout the night.
It was great to meet more bloggers from the Melbourne blogger scene. It was also great not to be the only one taking photos of food. I infact had to wait for people to stop taking photos so that I could take photos!

Thanks again to Nuffnang and The Grand Hyatt, as well as all the food bloggers for an amazing night.

Agnes from Off the Spork
Maria from The Gourmet Challenge
Sarah from Sarah Cooks
Adrian from Food Rehab - http://foodrehab.com.au/2010/02/28/blogger-dinner-at-collins-kitchen-grand-hyatt-melbourne/
Penny from Jeroxie - http://jeroxie.com/addiction/nuffnang-food-bloggers-gathering-collins-kitchen-at-the-grand-hyatt/
Thanh from I Eat Therefore I Am
Melissa and Danny from Tummy Rumbles
Joyce from Jetsetting Joyce - http://www.melhotornot.com/hot-nuffnang-food-bloggers-dinner-collins-kitchen-grand-hyatt-123-collins-st-melbourne-part-1/
Suzanne from EssJay Eats
Billy from Boys For Noise
Neil from At My Table

Nuffnang's post about the dinner

I don't think I left anyone out! If I did please leave a comment. I will link their reviews when they are posted!

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So Rilsta from My Food Trail, and I organised a little Melbourne blogger meet up with some of our fellow bloggers over the weekend. We invited Sarah, Penny & Adrian from the Salami Summit, and we rounded up a few other bloggers; Kat and Nicole.

Rilsta found this place on the Epicure section of The Age website. Matt Preston gave it a good review; but it was his mention of a sticky date pizza that got us really wanting to go there.

After much debate of whether we should get a few pizzas to share, or just get our own thing; we ended up just getting our own thing, and sharing with whoever wanted a taste.
I was down the end of the table that didn't order any pastas, so my review will consist soley of pizzas!


The pizzas were okay. They definitely weren't as good as Zonzo. I found they lacked a little flavour. I really expecting more from them.


I got a calzone, as none of the pizzas on the menu really excited me; and I thought it would make for an interesting set of photos instead of just pizzas. It was also just okay.

We of course stayed for dessert:

Kat had this for dessert, whilst pretty much everyone else on the table ordered the sticky date pizza. Mr.My Food Trail also branched out, and got the tiramisu.


Well, to be honest... I was expecting some form of date involved with a sticky date pizza. Instead, it was just a pizza base, LOTS of butterscotch sauce (never a problem in my opinion) and ice-cream.

As for returning to Pizza Espresso, I don't think I will be. I know Adrian left a bit hungry and was contemplating trying the Angus burger on his way home. It was all just a bit too average for me.
Thanks to the bloggers for a good night out though, and a special thanks to Rilsta & Mr.My Food Trail for letting me be a 3rd wheel to see Julie & Julia with them!

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I was lucky enough to score an invite to an "intimate" lunch with Matt Preston & Gerhard Feiner.
5 food bloggers were chosen from Melbourne, by Nuffnang. It was a great opportunity to meet Matt Preston, and learn about salamis of the world.
It was also a great setting to meet fellow bloggers, Adrian from Food Rehab, Sarah from Sarah Cooks, Penny from Jeroxie, and catch up with Rilsta from My Food Trail.

We arrived together, picked up are nametags, and waited a short while before we went up to the Tea Room at The European. This gave us all time to prepare our cameras, and get comfortable with our surroundings. We were soon brought up to meet Matt and Gerhard. We were introduced as "the bloggers", and Matt immediately started talking about blogging and twitter. It wasn't too much longer after that, that we were talking food, and where the best dim sims in Melbourne were.

We began with a few canapés whilst mingling with the other guests:

I passed on the oyster canapé as I just can't seem to swallow them, but the salami canapé was delicious! Spicy capsicum and tangy vinaigrette was just an amazing combination.

After formal photos of Matt & Gerhard with everyone, we were seated and the "Salami Summit" began.
Matt spoke for a bit about salami, and often spoke about methods and ingredients he uses when he makes his own salamis. He then introduced Gerhad, the Fleischmeister. Fleischmeister is a German word for meat maker. The Fleischmeister qualification can only be obtained in Europe. Gerhard was originally Austria, but has been in Australia for 10 years. He has been working for Don for quite some time, and when I asked him if he had a favorite salami, he couldn't put is finger on just one. Dealing with salami is like dealing with numbers for an accountant; it's just what you do every day.

After much discussion about salami, we started with our first course.I was imagining we would be sharing a platter of antipasto, but we were all served an antipasto work of art each:

A very generous serving, we were all fairly full just after this. It was washed down nicely with a nice glass of wine too. Gerhard spoke about a salami that burns twice... once on the way in, and once on the way out. We all had trouble distinguishing, which was this one, perhaps because we are all, used to spicy foods. Who knows. All the salami was delicious; the vinegary mushrooms were my favorite from the accompanying vegetables.

After more salami discussions we were served the main course. There were two options for mains listed, fish and steak. I was hoping I would get the steak, but I figured, since I normally don't get what I want when the menu is served alternating each personI wouldn't get my hopes up.
I was so happy when I received the steak:

I did trade some steak for fish with Rilsta & Sarah and it was amazing. The beer cream was just so flavoursome, and the kabana chips were something I wouldn’t mind trying to recreate myself.

My steak was cooked just how I like it, medium rare. The apple rosti was a fantastic accompaniment, but the chorizo was substituted for pancetta, but still delicious.

Some people then left, and the rest of us were ready to tackle the hard task of dessert. With two options on the menu, I was hoping for the sticky date pudding. I got lucky, and my wish came true:

Sarah was telling me how she really wanted the sticky date pudding instead of the panacotta, and the lovely waitress overheard and brought her over one. The butterscotch sauce was moorish. So thick and tasty, to go with the pudding. The pudding was served with real vanilla ice-cream, you could see the specs of vanilla. The perfect end to the Salami Summit.
We tried the panacotta Sarah was originally served, and were so relieved we weren't served it. It really wasn't my thing. It looked pretty, but give me sticky date any day!

At the end of the luncheon we all received goodie bags to take home. Filled with salamis, an apron and other random goodies.

Don't forget to check out Rilsta's review, and awesome photos. Adrian's review has videos of Gerhard & Matt talking sausage and interview with Matt. Sarah's review here, & Penny's review.
Don't forget, Celebrity Masterchef starts Wednesday 30 September & Matt's book, 'Cravat-a-licious' comes out on Thursday 1 October 2009.

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"After June Clancy died suddenly in August 2007, her eldest daughter and food blogger Jules decided to pull together a collection of her Mum's recipes. With the help of her sisters she tested and photographed all the classic family dishes that she had grown up with.

The results were just too good to keep to herself. So Jules decided to self publish the book and share this one stop collection of simple, delicious family meals. Seeing this as an opportunity to celebrate a beautiful life and pass on the family recipes of an inspirational mum and cook."

Photo of June Clancy from "And the Love is Free" by Jules Clancy. Text taken from the media release.

The lovely Jules from Stone Soup recently had a book signing for her first book in Melbourne. I was lucky enough to be contact by Jules herself to come down and help celebrate.

We all meant at a quaint little bar in Melbourne, the kind you stumble across down an alley you wouldn't think there would be anything. Cabinet bar was the perfect setting for the book signing, with the sun bearing it's head for a few hours to bring Jules and some of her closest Melbourne friends together.

Not only does Jules take amazing photos, have delicious recipes and now, authors cookbooks. She also has degrees in both food science and winemaking, so she definitely knows what she is talking about. Currently she would probably have the dream job of any foodie; she is a chocolate biscuit designer for Arnotts.

I had a brief interview with Jules to find out what she was all about. Thanks again Jules for the invite and the interview. It was great to meet you, and get a signed copy for my collection!


ICS: You've been blogging for nearly 4 years now, studied food science and wine making, and take amazing photographs. What made you so interested in food to begin with?
Jules: I grew up in a family where food was a really special part of our lives. My Mum was an amazing cook. It wasn't until I went to boarding school that I realised just how lucky I was and just how important good food is. Ever since then I've always had food as a driving force in my life.

ICS: You are one of the first bloggers I've known to put out a book, you must be pretty excited. What made you want to make the transformation from blogger to cookbook author?
Jules: I'm super excited about the book too. Along with food I've always loved books in general and cookbooks in particular. It's always been a dream of mine to write a cookbook. When I inherited my Mum's recipe book it just seemed natural to want to celebrate her life with her beautiful simple country cooking and share her story.

It's been great fun bringing the book to life. I highly recommend giving self publishing a go.

ICS: What are your favorite ingredients to use in your cooking?
Jules: Great question Shellie. As long as ingredients are good quality and fresh I'm usually happy. Brussels sprouts, fennel and beetroot are a few of my favourite veg and I always feel that a meal isn't really a meal unless there's a salad involved. My latest fav is radicchio with a little fresh basil.

I always have lemons in the fridge - actually I feel a little unsettled if I run out of lemons. My boyfriend is Irish so I've been exploring potatoes more and more. I love good quality olive oil and have been experimenting with making my own chilli oil and have a bottle of 50year old balsamic vinegar that I treasure for very special occasions. I love most fish and seafood - even sardines out of a can. Having grown up on a sheep farm, I have a soft spot for lamb, especially lamb shanks.

ICS: Are you a savoury or sweet person?
Jules: It's funny because I've always considered myself a savoury person. Definitely more cheese than dessert.
But over the last couple of years working for Arnotts I've been exposed to more and more sweet things. Now I have a bit of a chocolate addiction that seems to be growing at an alarming rate and I've been seriously getting into baking cookies at home. But overall I think I'm still on the savoury side.

ICS: What would your last meal be?
Jules: Good food and wine shared with my nearest and dearest. The older I get, the more I realise that special meals are more about the people you are sharing with than the food itself. Although I do hope there would be a plentiful supply of Champagne.


To buy or see a sample of Jule's book and recipes, you can visit her website here.
And to check out what's been cooking in Jule's kitchen, be sure to check out her blog, Stone Soup.

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