Fear Not the Pork
A big thank you to Melissa from Fooderati who invited me along to this Australian Pork dinner invite organised by Stewart White from Whiteworks Public Relations. The invitation informed me that Yulefest was created in Australia to celebrate the traditional festive foods of Christmas in the colder months — and the chef Darren Templeman was the Chris Cringle of Crackling and a true Yule PorkStar. So I was very much looking forward to dining on some good crackling and not in the slightest deterred by reading on the Channel 7 news building at Martin Place during the morning that there was 23 confirmed cases of Swine Flu in Australia (and 31 by lunchtime). I also noticed Restaurant Atelier has an excellent rating of 8.0 on Eatability after 77 reviews.
• Karen - Citrus and Candy
• Susan - Chocolatesuze
• Billy - A Table For Two
• Helen - Grab Your Fork
• Shez - One More Bite
The matching wines were supplied by Piggs Peake Winery which I'm told are only sold via cellar door or to top restaurants like est. and Rockpool. The appetisers were first served on the front balcony with the appropriately named 'Sow Vignon Blanc'. Then we were seated to enjoy a tasting plate of three cooked variations of pork with their matching wines. I enjoyed the Riesling the most and the Pulled Neck Salad with Crystal Bay Prawn. Main course was a generous serve of more Australian Pork and the very tender Boned Shoulder of Pork Roasted was a standout for me — unfortunately my crackling didn't quite have that crunch I'd been dreaming of all day but I discovered a new appreciation for the Wolfie Zinfandel. The Christmas Pudding Ice Cream for dessert was a very interesting and satisfying taste sensation which balanced well with the poached fruits.
I knew before eating tonight that there was nothing to fear about eating quality Australian Pork — and having it cooked by this top notch French restaurant along with their professional and friendly service made it a very Yulefest occasion indeed. With the colder months of winter coming up it's now a great time to get some pork on your fork and enjoy the crackling!
Other food bloggers dining on swine were:
• Melissa - Fooderati
• Lorraine - Not Quite Nigella
• Lili - Pikelet & Pie
• Howard - eatshow&tell
• Richard - Here Comes The Food • Karen - Citrus and Candy
• Susan - Chocolatesuze
• Billy - A Table For Two
• Helen - Grab Your Fork
• Shez - One More Bite
Chef Darren Templeman - Restaurant Atelier
Dining area
Appetiser: Pork Neck Rillette, Cornichon, Green Beans served in a Witlof Leaf
Matched with 2007 Piggs Peake Sowvignon Blanc
Entrée plate
Honey-Glazed Pork Hock with Roasted Apples
Matched with 2008 Piggs Peake Peartree Riesling
Pulled Neck Salad with Crystal Bay Prawn
Matched with 2009 Piggs Peake Sows Ear Semillon
Grilled Pickled Loin of Pork with Celeriac Remoulade
Matched with 2008 Piggs Peake Amanda Love Viognier
Entrée matching wines:
2008 Piggs Peake Amanda Love Viognier
2008 Piggs Peake Peartree Riesling
2009 Piggs Peake Sows Ear Semillon
2009 Piggs Peake Sows Ear Semillon
Pork rack
Main Course Plate
Boned Shoulder of Pork Roasted with Winter Herb Cure on Creamed Parsnip & Buttered Kale
Matched with 2008 Piggs Peake Hogshead Chardonnay
Pot-Roasted Murray Valley Moisture-Infused Pork Rack with Broad Beans, Pomme Cocotte & Pine Mushrooms
Matched with 2008 Piggs Peake Wolfie Zinfandel
Dessert: Poached Winter Fruits with Christmas Pudding Ice Cream
Matched with Piggs Peake Little Pig Verdelho Fortified
Piggs Peake Little Pig Verdelho Fortified
Pre-drinks before dinner on the front porch
Dining area with my table in foreground shared with Weight Watchers Magazine, Take 5 Magazine, Fooderati and Not Quite Nigella.
Chef Darren Templeman prepping the entree plates
Chef Darren Templeman prepping the main course plates
Restaurant Atelier co-owner Bernadette prepping the main course plates before serving
Behind the scenes kitchen prep of entrees
Behind the scenes kitchen prep of desserts
Food bloggers table in photographic frenzy — shooting the pork before the fork.
Official photographer Graeme Taylor from Smartset Photography
Sample bag of Murray Valley moisture infused pork rack, Women's Weekly Pork recipe book, Atelier recipes and deb InstantFOAM which kills 99.999% of bacteria
6 comments:
wow, served up at 2am as promised! love the behind-the-scenes shots too!
Top notch coverage Simon! I saw your dashing off during the night and it definitely paid off as your coverage was so comprehensive! :)
Your on fire mate, the first thing I did was goto sleep! Top effort on the behind the scenes shots!
First cab off the rank...impressive! Now, what are you going to do with that piece of goodie bag pork? xx
wow you're so fast to post! the behind the scenes shots look awesome!
Hee hee great photos and great to see you again man! And hee hee "shooting the pork before the fork"
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