Marathon du Médoc

Many thanks to Nino Soeradinata for sending the link to this gastronomic experience; the Marathon du Médoc.  Anyone interested in going?

As appearing in the Grauniad:

Read the article here!

Happy racing....


... full text

Margaret River Wineries... the movie!

See?  I told ya I'd pop this up online (see two entries ago, the written article).

Margaret River Wineries - Kit's Cucina from Kit Fennessy on Vimeo.
... full text

The Greenhouse – Perth Restaurant Award

http://greenhouseperth.com/
100 St. Georges Terrace
Perth WA 6000

While visiting Perth on my book tour, I asked for directions from a staff member at Dymocks to a good restaurant for lunch:

‘And make sure it’s a good one, because I’m taking a girl on a date there,’ I added, thinking of my publisher lurking outside.

Without hesitation, I was directed only a short distance away to a restaurant called ‘the Greenhouse’.


... full text

Margaret River - Wineries

or: “don’t listen to Ronnie the Receptionist”

Driving into Margaret River was nothing like I expected. I was thinking of a big sand dune with surfers, but the town feels like an Alpine resort, a bit like Fox in New Zealand.

Heavily wooded in surrounds, there’s the river at the edge of town, and a strip of shops going up a hill with restaurants and supermarkets.

We checked in to some serviced apartments just off the main strip, where they had a very helpful receptionist named Ronnie. She marked a few highlights of spots to visit on a map, told us the good restaurants to check out on the strip, and gave us, on my prompting, what we thought would be the good oil.

After a couple of days, however, I couldn’t help but start to question her judgement…


... full text

Sydney Restaurant Award - Porteño

... or ‘You’re (wood)Fired!’

358 Clevland St, Surry Hills  NSW 2010

ph: (02) 8399 1440

http://www.porteno.com.au/

On my recent literary tour to Sydney, I was thrilled to be hosted by Johnny Taranto; television producer at SBS.  In addition to taking me backstage and introducing me to his colleagues, he was also kind enough to be my local guide while in SinCity.  And JT was quite keen to go to a “pit roasted meats” restaurant in Surrey Hills called Porteño.

“It’s the hottest place in town.  Everyone’s talking about it, and apparently the food is fantastic.  It’s slow cooked meat done over coals …”

So we went.  And we got to do some celebrity spotting while we were there...

... full text

Brisbane Restaurant Award - the Euro

http://www.theeuro.com.au/

181 Mary Street, Brisbane QLD 4000
ph: 07 3229 3686

Bizvegas, man! It’s all kind of Brizzy, and a bit Vegasy too.

The first leg of my book tour saw me landing in Brisbane, the beautiful city on the Brisbane River after which the town is named – a river which, in consideration of being appreciated by the locals, only occasionally floods and wipes away all infrastructure.

And the bits and pieces left behind scrub up not too shabbily...

... full text

Majtes herring serving suggestions

“Matjes” means “soused” in German and Swedish (it’s maatjesharing or just maatjes in Dutch). It is also a type of:

“especially mild salt herring, which is made from young immature herrings. The herrings are ripened for a couple of days in oak barrels in a salty solution, or brine. The pancreatic enzymes which support the ripening make this version of salt herring especially mild and soft.”

I nearly know this… I had to look up this stuff on wikipedia / the Google scenario to work out how to make it palatable and eat it. The computer-net also let me know:

1. (of food, especially fish) preserved in pickle or a marinade."soused herring"synonyms: drench, soak, steep, douse, saturate, plunge, immerse, dip,submerge, sink

Soused also means drunk in English. You may find yourself having to have a few stiff drinks for this food, but you will see why it’s worth the effort… Now read on!

... full text