17 March 2011

OUR SALMON ACROSS THE DITCH

Taste of Sydney; We’ve seen Taste Of Auckland here last November at Victoria Park, and I was lucky enough to be across the ditch for the sister event in Centennial Park last Thursday on opening night. The evening gave me an opportunity to observe the effort that goes into promoting New Zealand food products to a market that’s hungry for good food. Under the umbrella of NZTE, Whitestone cheeses (their Windsor Blue is outstanding) , Kohu Rd ice-cream (how the crowd loved that Golden Syrup flavour), Wines from New Zealand (a huge variety offered for tastings), fresh vacuum-packed shellfish including clams and Greenshell mussels, and Regal Salmon.

Elsewhere Villa Maria wines and Giesen wines showcased their ranges and it was almost impossible to find time to talk with the people on any of the stands as they were kept busy pouring and serving food for an appreciative audience.

For me, it was exciting to see how well the Aussies have taken to our food. Particularly impressive is the effort Regal Salmon has made to promote their lovely salmon. Lyndey Milan, former food editor of Australian Women’s Weekly, TV star and the undoubted queen reigning over Sydney’s culinary scene, told me she truly believed our King Salmon, a species not grown or found in Australian waters, is absolutely top notch. Lyndey had been taken to the Marlborough Sounds on a press trip to observe the salmon farms last year, and admitted they had been moved to tears by the care that goes into raising these very special fish (or ‘feeesh’ as the Sydneysiders say).

Top Sydney chefs were strutting their stuff and Matt Kemp, Head Chef at Restaurant Balzac and Alex Herbert, the delightful Head Chef and Co-owner of Bird Cow Fish used our salmon for signature dishes on their stands. They wandered over with plates to try and I was really impressed with both; fresh salmon potato cakes made by Alex, and Matt’s seared King salmon with a salad of pomegranate, mint and feta. Really delicious and paired with a special Sauvignon Blanc from Giesen, I was in heaven. Too bad about any Aussie food on show. I’m proud to be a Kiwi.

Pic. Matt Kemp with Regal salmon canapes.