Simon Food Favourites: Good Food and Wine Show

31 August 2015

Chef’s Table with Gary Mehigan and Billie McKay at Good Food & Wine Show 2015, Sydney (9 Aug 2015)

http://goodfoodshow.com.au
https://www.citibank.com.au
#citibankdine #citivip #goodfoodie

A rewarding experience

Brought to you by Citi Australia

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Thanks to Citi Australia for inviting me to experience the Chef’s Table ($55 VIP ticket) at the Good Food & Wine Show ($32 general admission) with Gary Mehigan. Upon arrival I was pleasantly surprised to also see MasterChef 2015 winner Billie McKay helping out on the Good Food Theatre stage. She was one of my favourites while watching MasterChef and I was very happy to see her win. As a VIP ticket holder I liked how you got to watch the cooking demonstration in the comfort of a table setting while trying the dishes with their matching wines.

To start the Chicken Larb matched with Villa Maria Private Bin Chardonnay was a light and tasty dish with fresh flavours. Next was the Prawn and Fish Coconut Curry with Okra and Cashews matched with Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc. Enjoyable flavours combined with a tasty prawn and nicely cooked piece of fish. I would have been fine if the chilli kick factor was turned up a notch to challenge my taste buds. For dessert the Papaya and Coconut Ice Cream, Sago and Sesame Caramel matched with Private Bin Pinto Gris was a crowd pleaser — more please sir. I think the crowd of free audience seats were a bit jealous when we got to try this yummy Asian inspired dish.

After the event the 50 Chef’s Table VIP ticket holders had the chance to get their photo taken with Gary and Billie which was a great opportunity and experience. Everyone also received a generously filled goodie bag that included Gary's Comfort food cookbook which they could get signed. It was lovely to meet Gary and Billie and be part of the Chef’s Table. A truly rewarding experience thanks to Citi Australia.

25 June 2012

Good Food & Wine Show 2012, Darling Harbour (24 June 2012)

Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre

Darling Drive, Darling Harbour NSW 2000

http://www.goodfoodshow.com.au

Wining and dining the masses

Thanks to the team at Chobani for sending me a couple of complimentary tickets to the Good Food & Wine Show. I visited on sunday afternoon and learnt it's a good time to find the best bargains from the stands as they're generally wanting to clear their stocks. I think trade show stands that are generous with their samples tend to see the value in the potential after sales and interest that can be created from such an event and Chobani were happily giving out their Greek yogurts for free to the masses. The City Tattersalls Club were full of energy and had a generous menu of treats including some excellent Crisp Sumac Spiced Prawns. Best pit stops for a free chocolate fix were Perugina and Ritter Sport while Conscious Chocolate were sadly chopping up their chocolate blocks into tiny little pieces that then had to be eaten with a toothpick, seriously what's the point. My tasting plate ($15) at Salumi Australia had two cuts of cured meat and some cheese which were nice and left me wanting more. Vege Chips are always generous with their range of delicious chips with Sour Cream & Chives being their latest addition. For fans of ALDI they were serving up lots of product samples. I think you could have easily had your lunch for free just standing around their stand. The temptation of Kurrajong Kitchen Cheese Alley was strong until I saw how popular it was — maybe I'll try and find the patience next year to visit. I liked the cute idea of the Weight Watchers sushi train. The Scone with Jam and Cream was actually quite nice. ZenQ Desserts were happy to dish out heaps of Taiwanese dessert samples including an interesting shaved ice cream. My award for the most unrelated stands goes to Sydney Sunscreens and Free Instant Eyelift — they seem to be there every year for what reason I'll never quite understand.

Other visits to the Good Food & Wine Show:

• 24 June 2012 - Sydney Show

• 3 July 2011 - Sydney Show

• 17 July 2010 - Sydney Show

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Lots of free tastings and show bag bargains to be had, Celebrity chef spotting, Interesting new products to discover

CONS: Very crowded and especially hard to get around with a pram, No free street parking nearby

MUST TRY: City Tattersalls Club, Vege Chips, Perugina chocolate, Ritter Sport chocolate, Finding out where they sell Salumi Australia

VERDICT: If you love food and wine and have the patience for crowds then you'll probably enjoy and find value in this event

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