In no particular order these are our top 10 dishes/dining experiences of the year
1. BBQ Wagyu ribs with potato salad and coleslaw matched with Hard Rock (bourbon, blood orange juice, vermouth and cherry brandy) from Cafe Vue Cocktail Night
A course in which cocktail and food reached perfect harmony and that is saying something when one of the ingredients of the cocktail is Cherry Brandy. These ribs were spectacular - I just wish I had the recipe!
2. Waffles with Pistachio Ice Cream and Syrup at Ellery and Co
If friands were the new muffins and cupcakes were the new friands and macaroons are just hideously over-rated, then for sure, waffles dislodge pancakes as the king of breakfast. What puts these waffles over the top, pistachio ice cream!
3. Truffle Degustation Lunch at Chateau Yering
An annual lunch that just keeps getting better - it puts to shame the overhyped Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
4. Rotisserie Chicken @ Cafe Vue at 401
The humble chicken reaches nirvana - you'll never be able to make roast chicken again
5. Carpaccio of Hiramasa Kingfish at Matteo's
This isn't a dish that originates in 2010 but it's a dish that is still as enjoyable as the first time we had it.
6. Truffle Pannacotta from Il Bacaro
At the time we rated this an 11 out of 10 - there's nothing you could do to possibly improve this - apart from eating two!
7. Seaweed Butter at Maze
The food at Maze has been terrific - such care and skill going into each and every dish but the seaweed butter was a revelation. We even made it ourselves!
8. Anniversary Dinner at Vue de Monde
A special anniversay made even more so by the sublime food, wine and service at Vue de Monde.
9. King Jorg Whiting baked in pastry from Jorg
A dish that sparked envy among diners - after a taste, we all wished we ordered it.
10. Semolina Pancakes from Demetri's Feast
For pancakes to be included they have to be something different and these Semolina Pancakes with orange honey syrup fit the bill.
Now, if you were to really push us as to what our number one would be, then I think it would have to be the Rotisserie Chicken.
What we haven't liked this year in no particular order:
1. Too many PR hacks posing as food bloggers
2. Hyped restaurants and their coterie of amenable bloggers
3. Special "Food Blogger" dinners
4. Superiority complex of bloggers v urbanspoon, eatablity etc
5. Restaurant critics who own restaurants but still review
6. Eat Drink Blog - the motivation can be described in two words - Goody Bag
7. The decline of independence and transparency
8. Nuffnung and their ilk
loving looking dishes i hope one day to try. that Café Vue at 401
ReplyDeletechicken sounds pretty cool to see it roasting away. so many amazing things to try in melbourne :-)