I have been eagerly waiting since August for this day. Well, maybe even longer than that, but that’s when I bought my ticket.
This evening, my friends A and C and I will be joining a bunch of food enthusiasts in Victoria Park, Auckland central for Taste of Auckland. There will be food products and booze to sample and buy and we’ll be sampling as many dishes as we please from a range of Auckland’s most prestigious restaurants. I’m not much of a fine diner, so it’s unlikely that I’d get to try these dishes in my day to day food adventures. Excitement!!!
The dishes I have my eye on (in order of preference):
- Euro: Simon Gault Alaskan King crab & prawn in jalapeno crème fraiche sauce topped with tuna wafer – 10 Crowns
- Toto: Carpaccio di Polipo – Octopus carpaccio with asparagus, fennel, citrus salad & macadamia crumble – 8 Crowns
- Clooney: Gameford Lodge King Cole Duck Breast, pickled apple, maple & mustard – 12 Crowns
- Dine by Peter Gordon: Pan-seared scallops with pickled leeks, Clevedon buffalo mozzarella, chorizo caramel and Heilala vanilla dressing – 10 Crowns
I’ve watched and read so much about Alaskan King crab and never tried it, so this is my chance. Alaska is a long, long way from New Zealand. 11340 kilometers or 7047 miles in fact.
I’ve always wanted to try Octopus carpaccio. The closest thing I’ve had would be octopus sashimi or takowasabi. I love takowasabi and I’m very much looking forward to the carpaccio.
The 3rd and 4th choices are duck and scallops. Both tasty, rich foods that I adore.
I have eaten a lot of duck, but never cooked it. A whole roast duck is cheap to buy at any Chinese BBQ shop and seems pointless to try and roast one myself. Apple, maple and mustard are all flavours I’d pair with pork, will be interesting to taste how well they pair with duck.
I’ve heard about paring vanilla with seafood like scallops and lobster. Seems like something that is very easy to get horribly wrong. Which is why I haven’t tried combining those two flavours together yet.
None of the desserts appeal to me right now. I’m not a sweet tooth so I’ll see how I feel after I’ve eaten a few things.
At 40 Crowns for my wishlist menu, I wouldn’t hesitate to suggest this is a bargain for a 4-course degustation style meal by top chefs. Crowns convert into New Zealand dollars and many festivals these days have their own currency. It was hard to get used to at first, but it’s becoming more common now. Some festivals allow you to get a refund on unused festival currency. Taste of Auckland does not, so best to under estimate what you will spend than to end up with too much unusable currency.
If you happen to be there this evening, I’ll be the one that looks as pleased as a rabbit stealing a cookie.
Bunny Eats Design 