Taste of Perth 2016 gluten free eating guide
Posted by | Categories: Events, Featured, Food and Wine Festivals, Perth, Restaurants
Last night the Boy and I braved the elements to attend the Taste of Perth 2016 festival. This is certainly one of my favourite food festivals despite the fact that the past two years have had less than perfect weather. For those of you who have yet to attend Taste, my best way to describe it is an outdoor roving degustation. Many of Perth’s top restaurants participate offering a small selection of their signature dishes to try. There is always a decent amount of gluten free options too which makes a refreshing change from many other festivals held over the year. To help guide you through your Taste experience this weekend, here’s my Taste of Perth 2016 gluten free tips .
The Boy and I share a similar approach to these type of events which consistently will result in both of us overeating, but then I am sure that this is actually half the fun. We get so absorbed with the “hunt” for our favourite dish of the night that we both end up ignoring the painful sensation of bulging bellies and keep pushing on. This year was no different!
My favourite stall for this year was newcomer Manuka Woodfire Kitchen. I have been a huge fan of Chef Kenny McHardy for some time and love his Fremantle restaurant.
Wood roasted chicken (GF, 10 crowns)
Manuka’s wood roasted chicken was equally as amazing as when I ate it on their home turf, and it would appear that I am not the only one who thought so. At the Best in Taste awards last night the judges gave this dish a unanimous first place. Marinated in miso to give a magical umami hit, the chicken was served with pickled red cabbage dressed with roasted sesame seeds. It is a must try dish regardless of whether you are gluten free or not.
Blackened carrots (V, GF, 8 crowns)
Another notable dish at Manuka was their vegetarian dish of blackened carrots. The carrots had the smooth texture of roasted pumpkin with crunchy dukkah sprinkled over the top. A blob of whipped feta with coffee and date puree added an interesting mix of sweet and subtle bitterness.
New season King Prawns (GF, 12 crowns)
The final dish we tried at Manuka was their new season King Prawns. Once again Chef McHardy showed his talent in using very few ingredients to create a perfectly balanced dish. He paired the wood fired fresh prawns with a dollops of hot sauce and shaved pickled cucumber and fresh fennel.
Asado returned once again this year with their usual fare of meat, meat and more meat. Their kitchen is always a sight for the eyes with various chunk of flesh bubbling away on the hot plates.
Pig head taco (GF, 8 crowns)
This year they had a number of gluten free options including the pig’s head taco which comes with slaw, chipotle aioli and a decent serve of crackling. Maybe it is just because I am not actually the biggest fan of pork, however I was a little underwhelmed by this dish and found the pork to be quite dry and chewy.
Asado blackened chicken (GF, 16 crowns)
Asado’s icon dish of blackened chicken won back some brownie points with me. The chicken was so tender that that it fell off the bone which was fortunate because we could only find spoons to eat it with! The chicken was heavily laden with a thick drizzle of spicy chimichurri which had a pleasant spicy and sour kick.
Our last stop for the night was Bib & Tucker. It was so lovely to see familiar faces behind the counter. I was grateful to Chef Scott Bridger for providing so many gluten free options too.
Roasted Fremantle Octopus (GF, 12 crowns) Photo credit Bib & Tucker
The first dish we tried at Bib & Tucker was their roasted Fremantle octopus which won them third place in the Best in Taste awards. I was pretty excited to find the octopus was not tough nor chewy. After being spoilt with eating copious perfect octopus in Barcelona, I wish I could find chefs that respect cooking octopus like this more often. It was served with beetroot skordolia, thinly sliced kohl rabi and squid ink crackers.
Roasted and shaved cauliflower (V, GF 6 crowns)
Bib & Tucker’s vegetarian option was even more mouth watering than I expected. A duo of roasted and shaved cauliflower were served with moreish Manjimup hazelnuts, luscious brown butter and goat curd.
Charcoal roasted lamb (GF, 16 crowns)
The last dish we tried from Bib & Tucker was my second favourite for the night; the charcoal roasted lamb shoulder. This lamb was slow cooked to the point it nearly had the texture of custard and dissolved in the mouth like a piece of heaven. It was served with spiced eggplant, smoked yoghurt and topped with air-light puffed grains. As the Boy and I moaned in delight devouring our second round of the lamb we had a giggle at the somewhat tipsy girl next to us exclaiming how “flavoury” and “amazeballs” the dish was.
Taste of Perth runs every year in April and brings out talent from our top restaurants all in one location. There are also many other wine and food producer stalls to visit, entertainment and VIP lounges for those wanting something a bit more special. Whilst it isn’t the cheapest food festival on the circuit it is one that I always thoroughly enjoy.
Disclaimer: Chompchomp was an invited guest at Taste of Perth. She purchased all dishes described above herself.
A break from my sabbatical at Millbrook Winery, Jarrahdale
Posted by | Categories: Degustation/Fine dining, Featured, Modern Australian, Perth, Regional WA, Restaurants, Winery
It is no secret that this little blog has been on “sabbatical” and whilst I have continued to explore eating our city’s gluten free options, I haven’t had the gumption to write about it. Some may say this is a little selfish and I cannot deny I have been racked with guilt from neglecting this much loved creation. For those of you who know me, you will understand why. I have been somewhat preoccupied with the realisation of a long-term dream that is totally unrelated to food. I have pursued keenly for the past eight years of my life the ambition of opening the first cat-only hospital in Perth and finally this year after much hard work my dream has come true. Opening a hospital from scratch is no mean feat and consequently blogging had to take a back seat for fear of it becoming a chore rather than a hobby. Trust me, no one wants to read what I write when I’m bored, it’s total snoozeville.
This year Valentine’s Day fell on the day before our big opening and the Boy knew he had to do something to calm my rattling nerves. After heading into the hospital with me in the morning to put some final touches including hanging up the gorgeous cat art that I had bought over the years in my travels, we headed out to Jarrahdale to Millbrook Winery.
It is impossible not to fall in love with this winery, and within seconds of arriving I immediately felt my pulsing veins in my head relax, my breath deepen and my stress wash away. I was thankful that my obsession with organising had taken a back seat and that I had let the Boy choose our venue. We were warmly greeted and shown to a perfect table overlooking the water, with lots of beautiful natural light cascading onto us. After a run of stinking hot days in Perth we were blessed with a day of cool breezes and gentle sun.
Millbrook’s Valentine’s Day menu consisted of a three course menu with a glass of 2010 Blanc de Blanc sparkling for $99 per person. Whilst the Boy and I thought at first that there wouldn’t be enough food for our inflated appetites, I can guarantee the meal sizes are substantial. There were plenty of gluten free options and the kitchen and wait staff were very aware of avoiding cross contamination.
Pre-lunch olives and cultured butter
Blood plums, duck hearts, summer leaves (GF)
Staying true with it being a day to celebrate being a couple, we decided to order everything gluten free so we could share each other’s dishes. We even shared the matching wines as they were different for each dish. We have our cute moments and this was one of them. Our first dish of blood plums and duck hearts was so pretty it was a shame to deconstruct it to eat.
Blood plums, duck hearts, summer leaves (GF)
Utilising colourful seasonal vegetables and leaves from the vineyard’s own gardens, this dish was an abundance of sweet crunch and juicy heartiness, if you pardon the pun. I haven’t tried duck hearts before, and probably wouldn’t have ordered this dish if the Boy hadn’t wanted to. The hearts were a lot more gentle in flavour than I expected, and their texture was so soft and delicate.
Preserved vegetables, BBQ octopus, safflower mayonnaise (GF)
Our second entrée also showcased some produce from the chef’s pride and joy country garden. Some flavourful preserved vegetables accompanied barbecued Fremantle octopus with house-made safflower mayonnaise. I am a bit particular about my octopus, if it is as tough as old boots I just can’t be bothered eating it. I figure there is no point eating food that uses more calories to eat it than it provides you. Suffice to say there was no food wastage with this dish and in fact when no one was looking the Boy would intermittently sweep his finger over the plate to get every last morsel of flavour before licking his finger clean. My mother would be horrified. I simply smiled.
Viognier braised rabbit risotto, pancetta, parmigiano reggiano (GF)
For our two mains we shared the viognier braised rabbit risotto and the beef brisket. The risotto was creamy, with big chunks of tender local rabbit and topped with crispy pancetta and fine shavings of parmigiano reggiano.
Fears of being underfed quickly left us as we gazed across the full table packed with colourful greens, potatoes and our mains. The beef brisket was served with a bean salad, white anchovies and healthy dollop of mustard. I so rarely eat beef these days but again I was glad I followed the Boy’s wishes and ordered this dish. The meat was so lovingly prepared it fell apart with the most gentlest nudge of the fork.
Bean salad, beef brisket, mustard, white anchovy (GF)
Bean salad, beef brisket, mustard, white anchovy (GF)
As the Boy and I had our commonplace discussion of whether we would order cheese versus dessert for our final courses, we were given some fresh fruit as a simple and mouth watering palate cleanser. As I cannot tolerate watermelon due to the high fructose content, they were happy to offer me some beautiful grapes plucked from the vines.
We ended up ordering both cheese and dessert with the continuous plan of sharing each others dishes. The chef created a special gluten free dessert for us using beautiful, seasonal fresh and dried stone fruits with chocolate chunks and sorbet.
Our cheese course was just as decadent. The highlight of the plate was a round of vine-wrapped sheep cheese from Cambray Cheese. These local cheese makers are based in the south west in Nannup and make a selected range of artisans sheep cheese. I love the distinctive tang of cheese made with sheep milk, and it is lower in lactose meaning I have less of an aftermath!
A little heady and carefree from all the wine, I joined in with the Boy in a rare moment of mannerless enjoyment of food and simultaneously swept my own finger across the plate before licking my finger with a smirk on my face. If you can’t beat them, join them. After spending months and months of none stop talk about every tiny detail of the cat hospital, we both realised we had actually gone through the whole lunch without even mentioning it once! He had truly fulfilled my need to switch off and relax for just a short while. Or perhaps it was a need for us both! 😉
Perth's Hottest 100 Food Blogs 2016
Posted by | Categories: Perth, Perth's Hottest 100
I pondered until the 13th hour whether I should continue with the tradition of Chompchomp’s Hottest 100 Perth food blogs for this year. I confess the blog has taken a temporary back seat over the past few weeks as I recover from multiple gluten poisonings and Christmas over indulgences. Updating the list is a huge endeavour that involves a lot of researching and double-checking each blog for suitability. However after much encouragement and a little help from the Boy, we have managed to put the list together for Perth’s Hottest 100 Food Blogs 2016.
As per last year, in order to qualify for the Perth’s Hottest 100 Food Blogs list, blogs need to be based in Western Australia and their content needs to be predominantly about food. I have excluded any blogs that haven’t published content in the last twelve months. Blogs that have with no Alexa ranking data are also been excluded. If I have missed or excluded your blog off my list and you do qualify for the criteria; I apologise profusely. Just send me an email or comment below and I will add you to next year’s list.
This year has shown some interesting changes in the Perth food blogging world, most notably a massive drop in both blog numbers and readership. Many wonderful Perth food blogs have become inactive, or lost readership to the point they have no Alexa ranking. Consequently there are now less than 100 blogs with a ranking that make the list. So really, this is a Hottest Nearly 100 list! I hope you all enjoy and find some new blogs to read along with reuniting with those you love.
Just a little word about Alexa ranking; Alexa Internet is a US-based subsidiary company of Amazon that provides commercial web traffic data. It estimates traffic by comparing how a website is doing compared to all other sites on the Internet over the past 3 months. Alexa’s website describes this rank as being “calculated using a combination of the estimated average daily unique visitors to the site and the estimated number of page views on the site over the past 3 months. The site with the highest combination of unique visitors and page views is ranked #1”. To give you an idea of how it goes, Google is number one closely followed by Facebook. Noodlies has given a more detailed explanation on Alexa’s merits and pit falls when used for ranking blogs.To read more about the Alexa ranking please refer to their site at www.alexa.com.
Here is Perth’s Hottest 100 Food Blogs 2016:
These stats were complied on 26th of January 2016
