Okay Perth, a little rain never hurt anyone right? Rug up, take your brolly and wear your elastic waisted pants as wonders await at Taste of Perth. The restaurants and producers have geared up for a big weekend of fun and whilst the sunshine might be waning, there's no reason to hide indoors!
Sometimes sequels don't live up to expectations but this wasn't anything like Dirty Dancing 2. I ate my way through the second instalment and had just as much fun as last time! I think the best way to tackle a foodie event is with a partner in crime who truly enjoys eating as much as you do, so it made perfect sense to head in with the other half of The Food Alternative.
Ai-Ling (aka Blue Apocalypse) and I created our own eleven course degustation menu and washed it all down with a shot of soju, a cocktail and a spicy turmeric tonic. I walked away with a full belly plus a New Norcia loaf and Hampshire on Eighth roast for tomorrow night's dinner. My only regret is not having enough room for Bib & Tucker, Print Hall and Next Door No. 4, at least there is always Sunday. Taste of Perth, you rock.
el PUBLICO has been awarded Best Dish of Taste of Perth two years in a row! BAM. In the words of Max Brearley 'some folk just have that golden touch'. And those folks are el Publico and Mary Street Bakery's Paul Aron and Michael Forde, great guys who just know how to do things right.
El Publico's original Head Chef, Sam Ward made such a memorable imprint on our tastebuds (and our hearts, we love you Sam!) and is a seriously tough act to follow. After carving out his skills in Mexico City, Baja and Oaxaca, Tommy Payne landed in Perth to head up the busy Beaufort Street kitchen. Receiving Best Dish for his twice cooked lamb ribs served with sticky sesame, cucumber and lime in his first year at the helm is pretty darn impressive.
Chef Tom just after his cooking demo in the Electrolux Taste Theatre clutching a sweet potato and popcorn dish with one of the boys from El Pubs. Served with a side of pork scratchings, I know where I'm heading next weekend for eats.
Those famous lamb ribs and a joyous serving of street corn served with crema, fresh cheese, chilli and lime.
Those ribs. Oh so succulent! (get it?)
It ain't just all about ribs and tacos. The team at el Publico know how to make a mean drink and this year they've stepped out of the kitchen and opened up the bar. Discover the history behind Mexican drinking rituals and learn a thing or two about mezcal in el PUBLICO's tequila lounge.
I like to think that Mary Street Bakery pioneered the way for Perth's recent obsession with doughnuts. These bad boys are stuffed with peanut butter, jam and crunch and you'll be finding them as you scroll through your Instagram for days.
By night, Mary Street Bakery transforms into Mary's, the older unruly sister who plays hip hop records whilst snacking on fried chicken skin, slayin' soju well into the night. Chefs Simon Gruger and Nick Malanzac clearly have a bromance going on and know how to sling a great Asian infused menu. My dining comrade Ai-Ling watched the boys doing their thing on the food stage and when quizzed on the topic of current Perth food trends, they replied with 'white guys doing Asian food'.
Taking out Best Dish Runner Up with Mary's aged rump tartare is such an awesome feat!
You are looking at Runner Up Best Dish and one of my favourite items on the menu. Mary's Signature dish for Taste was its Aged rump tartare; spiced raw beef, smoked oyster sauce with 7 spice crisps.
My general Taste of Perth demeanour - pretty stoked and really full.
Did you know that a one year old elephant weighs 300kg? Its also the amount of chicken wings that Mary's ordered, deboning one by one for the weekend. Crazy! And crazy good fried chicken wings stuffed with kewpie, roe and magical sauce.
Ai-Ling's chicken wing game is strong, so strong.
Pigs Head Ssam - pig head terrine, lettuce, pickled cucumber and radish
Custard & Co have been touted as the 'rockstars of the cider world' and owner Ian Rayner is a bonafide legend. This belle is Custard's cider hustler and one of my favourite babes on the food scene. Thanks for posing for us Caitlyn! Head to their stall and warm up with one of their mulled ciders, the perfect anecdote for this wiley Perth weather.
I seriously don't know where the team at Cocktail Gastronomy find their energy. Maybe the truth lays in their espresso martinis? Since opening up The Classroom in 2012, they've popped up Cocina Bandito, crowd sourced their way onto William Street with Lucky Chan's just last month, and still find the time to wow crowds at festivals. Full of theatrics, fire and liquid nitrogen, their cocktails are always a crowd favourite.
When you hear the words Chef Joel Valvasori you think pasta. Lalla Rookh boasts the best pasta in Perth, hands down. Chef's Instagram is a daily reminder that I truly have no idea how to cook a decent pasta or stuff a sausage. He's like the long, lost nonna I never had … except I don't need to wait 'til a Sunday family dinner to dig in.
Nonna's famous meatballs served on soft polenta with parmigiano, always a must when you dine at Lalla Rookh.
Dessert lover Queen of Bad Timing has been raving about the fried custard since this awesome treat with fellow foodstagrammers. I was pretty pumped that it was on Lalla Rookh's Taste menu and served with candied citrus and toasted almonds.
'A social gathering where no animal is safe.' That's a mighty strong statement, backed up by serious cuts of beef smoking up on the drums at Asado and clearly the reason why they won Best Dressed stall on Friday. Owner Rob Bates-Smith opened up the doors to Asado, a hip Argentinian restaurant with a relaxed bar, in Claremont earlier this year and its been going down a treat.
The Lomito is a decent serve of BBQ'd rump cap served in a toasted bun topped with looseleaf chimichurri, chipotle and salsa criolla.
'Lamb is the new pork', you heard it from Ai-Ling first. Unctuous lamb ribs beautifully freshened up with a crisp salad of freekah, bourghul, quinoa, herbs, date puree and mint yoghurt.
Sometimes you just can't save dessert til last. We found ourselves ordering savoury, savoury, dessert, repeat. It was actually kinda dreamy! Asado's Burnt butter banana with butter biscuit, dulce de leche, marscarpone and px had me dreaming of banoffee pie.
We made a habit of chatting to anyone who showed a mild interest in what we were eating. Its lovely to chat with strangers to find out what dishes they enjoyed. Loads of people raved about Propeller's spicy fried fish wings served with preserved lemon aioli so of course we had to grab one.
Pack more punch into your day by booking into the workshops or cookery school and catching a session or two with some of Perth's most revered chefs in the theatre. You can pretty much sample your way down the aisles, filling up your belly as you go. Brave the weather and do your tastebuds a favour, head over to Taste’s Instagram for regular updates.
