South African Garden @ Taste Food Festival
/Written by Simon Ly.
Returning to the grassy knolls of Albert Park Lake, the 2015 Taste festival hosted an illustrious line-up of Melbourne’s top dining destinations, showcased premium food and beverage exhibitors and interactive gourmet masterclasses.
Taste welcomed a commanding line up. The list of restaurants new to Taste included one of Victoria’s ultimate dining destinations, Dunkeld’s
- an exclusive opportunity to sample their nature-based cuisine in the heart of the city as well as chef/restaurateur guru, Andrew McConnell and his two restaurants, Supernormal and Luxembourg.
The festival also provided the best opportunity to learn from the culinary masters, with chefs showcasing their skills during live cooking demonstrations.
Gastrology were fortunate enough to attend the masterclass run by Hayden Quinn (of Masterchef fame) who was one of the key attractions in the “A South African Garden” marquee. Hayden Quinn drew on his recent adventures through the lands of South Africa as part of his show named, you guessed it - “Hayden Quinn South Africa” - on the ABC.
Above is a South African dish called “pojtie”, a slow-cooked stew of beef and vegetables sitting atop of fragrant rice. Although we admit we didn’t pay too much attention to the granular steps involved in the cooking of the dish, we can attest to the amazing chilli flavours that accompanied the soft and tender beef.
Outside entertainers included South African musicians who kept spirits up on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. If you missed out on Taste of Melbourne this year, make sure to get along to it next year as it is a great celebration of local food.
