2010 Taste of Melbourne festival

Melburnians, are you ready? The fabulous four-day festival of food that is Taste of Melbourne is back, and we’re sharpening our forks and planning our menus in anticipation.

We’re excited about seared Hopkins River beef with shiitake and aged soy dressing from Maze’s Josh Emett, and Nicky Riemer’s roast veal loin with confit tuna mayonnaise. Mezzo’s Joseph Vargetto is also on our hit list; he’s braising organic pork cheeks with polenta, raisins and Marsala. Vargetto’s back after cooking at Taste last year under the Oyster Little Bourke flag, and he reckons the team is keen to return even after opening 7500 oysters in four days last time around. “We really enjoyed the party atmosphere,” he says. Amid all that shucking, Vargetto found time to try some “beautiful wines and great Australian produce, like the Amore cheese guys doing their burrata.”

Maze chef Josh Emett says the range of produce was one of the things that got him most interested in participating in this year’s festival. “I think that’s a big part of it, especially these days with trying to understand where things are coming from,” he says. “It’s about putting a name and a face to the people out there who are doing great stuff and really taking care of their product and who have a lot of pride in what they do.”

This year for the first time at Taste, a pop-up restaurant will host a different Melbourne chef each day. “It is one of the bigger hospitality events in Melbourne and we wanted to be part of it,” says Nicolas Poelaert from Embrasse, “but we are a small restaurant and we don’t have the team or the time to get all the prep done here for the four days, so I thought this was a great idea.” Embrasse is to be one of four French restaurants featured in the pop-up space over the festival. The marquee will be set up differently every day to reflect each restaurant’s own aesthetic. Poelaert, for his bit, will be presenting pork confited for 12 hours and crisped in the oven with breadcrumbs, with a variety of seasonal beans.

Dishing up restaurant-quality food to thousands is no mean feat, says the Melbourne Wine Room’s Nicky Riemer. “We take the same care prepping the food at Taste as we do when we’re feeding diners at the restaurant – it’s a challenge, but it’s worth it.” Riemer will be preparing several thousand of each of her dishes, having witnessed the onslaught last year as a customer. “There was a great atmosphere, lots of foodies. And people who don’t normally go to these restaurants were going up to stands and asking questions; that’s the great thing about Taste.”

The Longrain team are regulars on the Taste circuit. “We really try to create a sense of the restaurant by having a cocktail bar, a DJ and a set-up that reflects our brand,” says Sam Christie. Head chef Martin Boetz agrees. “It gives people a chance to taste what we’re really about.”

A cool 16,000 food fans walked through the doors of the Royal Exhibition Building at last year’s event, and more are expected this year. Nick Creswick from North Melbourne’s Libertine is looking forward to it immensely. “It’s a really special place to have an event like this.”
 
As well as getting up close and personal with producers and purveyors, watching chefs in action at the Gourmet Traveller Taste Kitchen hosted by GT editor Anthea Loucas and food director Emma Knowles, or quizzing them at the Chef’s Table hosted by GT restaurant critic Pat Nourse, you can enjoy a wine tasting session courtesy of Gourmet Traveller WINE editor Judy Sarris and fellow grape expert Nick Stock, who’ll be on hand to offer professional advice.

For dessert? If “white chocolate parfait with strawberry sorbet and toasted meringue” sounds like  too much of a mouthful, just ask at the Stokehouse stand for “the bombe”.

Taste of Melbourne, Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton, Vic, Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 August. For tickets, visit www.tastefestivals.com.au or premier.ticketek.com.au.

WORDS MONIQUE LANE

This article is from the August 2010 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.