As promised, here is the food porn from Taste of Auckland on Friday.

Good times!

Euro: Simon Gault Alaskan King crab & prawn in jalapeno crème fraiche sauce topped with tuna wafer – 10 Crowns

This was dish number 1 on my Taste of Auckland Bucket List. I’ve always been curious what the Deadliest Catch tastes like. Is Alaskan King crab worth dying for? Possibly. If I concentrated, I could taste the tears of fishermen’s orphans. I couldn’t taste any jalapeno, but kind of glad for it as this was delicious as it was. Tuna wafer was replaced with bonito flakes. A very rich, creamy dish. A taster was enough.

Toto: Carpaccio di Polipo – Octopus carpaccio with asparagus, fennel, citrus salad & macadamia crumble – 8 Crowns

This was second on my Taste of Auckland Bucket List. Under that greenery is thin slices of octopus. The colour and the patterning of the meat was beautiful. Why they would hide the main event is puzzling to me. The octopus was surprisingly tender and the texture not at all slimy like takowasabi is. The citrus went really well with the octopus and made this a light and refreshing dish. More sweet than savoury.

Clooney: Gameford Lodge King Cole Duck Breast, pickled apple, maple & mustard – 12 Crowns

This was the third dish on my Taste of Auckland Bucket List. Good flavours. Not sure what all the white powder was. This duck was a little tough. It was hard to cut and I broke my fork on this duck. Ok, it was only a bamboo fork. Maybe I’m critical (and spoilt) when it comes to duck because Cantonese do it so well. I didn’t even know that duck could be chewy.

This is a visual illusion.

The food is real, but the plate, placemat and cutlery are printed onto a piece of paper on the tray.

All gone!

Dine by Peter Gordon: Pan-seared scallops with pickled leeks, Clevedon buffalo mozzarella, chorizo caramel and Heilala vanilla dressing – 10 Crowns

This dish was dish number 4 on my Taste of Auckland Bucket List. I wanted to experience what vanilla and seafood tastes like together. It sounds really wrong in my head. So I wanted Peter Gordon (or his chef) to prove me wrong. I couldn’t taste the vanilla though, so I guess I’m a disappointed. I wanted to taste the vanilla and for it to be amazing with the scallop.

Euro: Havoc pork, duck & paua terrine w fig & masala – 8 Crowns

This dish tasted like pâté. Which is good I guess because a terrine is similar to a pâté. We couldn’t distinguish all the flavours, but completely edible.

Bracu: Aromatic tea and vanilla cured duck prosciutto, butter roast scampi tails, orange blossom gell, marinated beetroot  – 12 Crowns

The duck was good, but the scampi was A-MA-ZING. I told C that this dish was too beautiful to eat. She didn’t believe me. She was right.

The Grove: Crispy wild boar with heirloom beets, apple & hazelnuts – 12 crowns

This was a late addition to the menu replacing the previously advertised Braised Pig’s Cheek, vegetables, herbs and lemon zest Terrine. No worries though, this wild boar was unbelievably tender. They must know it too because they gave C a spoon in place of a knife to eat this with. Delicious.

Toto: Roast free range pork belly,stuffed with pistachio & mixed herbs on spicy greens & cannellini beans – 12 Crowns

Yum of course. It’s pork belly. Not the best pork belly I’ve ever had. Pork belly needs a little sweet to balance the intense fatty savoury flavour.

Oh, and if you can’t eat it, don’t put it on the plate. I ate the pretty flower.

Bracu: Simunovich extra virgin olive oil cake, macadamia nuts, fresh berries, yoghurt gelato – 8 Crowns

Some would say this cake was not dry. Others would call it moist. The yoghurt gelato tasted lemony. Like lemonade.

Dine by Peter Gordon: Poached and seared poussin with roasted beetroot, blue cheese polenta, pear & Szechuan pepper chutney – 12 Crowns

The blue cheese polenta didn’t taste like blue cheese. I know this because I hate blue cheese and I didn’t hate this at all.

Here we have a wine barrel cooker. This meat smelled divine. How long do you think that sausage is? Is it a family sized sausage or a village sized sausage?

Raspberry pannacotta on mini macaroons from Fisher & Paykel’s kitchen showroom.

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