New Zealand in a Glass 2011

One of my favourite wine events each year is New Zealand in a Glass. If you haven't been before, it involves loads of NZ wine producers touring around Australia, so we can all taste their current release wines.

This year NZ in a Glass is coming to Brisbane on 28 February 2011 at the Convention Centre and a ticket will set you back $45 (which includes a Riedel glass to take home). You'll need to grab your tickets through Ticketek.

If you've only ever drunk sauvignon blanc from NZ before, this is a great chance to taste all the other terrific wines that the country produces without having to jump on a plane over there. Some of my favourite NZ wine producers will be attending this year, including Huia, Hunter's, Lawson's Dry Hills, Spy Valley and Vinoptima.

This event has sold out in the past, so grab a ticket soon if you're intending to go. As I'm wandering around on crutches for the next month, unfortunately I think I'm going to have to give it a miss this year (or maybe I could show up with a modified Homer Simpson Duff beer hat).

New Zealand in a Glass 2011
Monday, 28 February 2011
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Corner of Merivale Road & Glenelg Street
South Brisbane 4101
W - http://www.nzwine.com/events/new-zealand-in-a-glass-brisbane/

Baked Relief

The flooding in Queensland has no doubt affected someone you know.

My mum lives in Yeronga, and although she was extremely lucky and just avoided the floods, I was over in the suburb on the weekend and felt numb driving around the streets. I spent over 20 years of my life in Yeronga, so it was pretty devastating to see how badly some streets had suffered from the floods.

Luckily there have been loads of people helping out those that have been affected, which is important not only for the rebuilding of the city, but also for everyone's morale. One of the people that is making a big difference is my friend and fellow blogger Danielle, who writes Digella Emporium. Danielle came up with the idea of Baked Relief - supplying home-cooked food to those who need it around Brisbane, as well as to all the impressive volunteers.

If you are a keen cook, please get in touch with Danielle via her blog or Twitter. If you can't cook to save your life, then there are other ways you can help, including donating to Baked Relief.

In the meantime, I'll leave you all on a positive note - I love this photo from Dalby which has been doing the rounds on Facebook - good to see even the animal kingdom is helping each other out in times of crisis.

When too much food is never enough

This weekend is looking terrific! Not only are there two football grand finals and the world championship cycling taking place, but there are loads of food related events happening around Brisbane.

First up Dreamfarm is having a Barn Door Opening morning tea event at its new warehouse in Albion on Saturday morning. Dreamfarm is a Brisbane based design company and will be showcasing their entire range of kitchen gadgets, as well as offering free espresso and tasty treats to all that attend.

Then kick off your Sunday with a trip to Jan Power's farmers market at Blackwood Street in Mitchelton. I'm a regular visitor to the Blackwood Street market - usually picking up fresh raspberries, great mushrooms, local honey, gluten free Sol bread and plenty of other food that tastes much better than anything you'll find at your local supermarket.

Then we'll be heading over to Southbank for two more events - the Thai Culture and Food Festival and Granite Belt Flavours.

The inaugural Thai Culture and Food Festival will feature Thai dancing, cultural shows, Thai products, the Singha beer garden and (most importantly) 15 food stalls. It will be located at the Cultural Forecourt at South Bank.

Once you have had a wander around the Thai Festival, head over to Granite Belt Flavours on Little Stanley Street where you'll find 30 stalls showing off the best food, wine & produce from the Granite Belt. It's a great way to support local food industries, and if you haven't tried much wine from the Granite Belt, it's the perfect way to start.

Dreamfarm Barn Door Opening
Saturday 2 October 2010, 10am - 1pm
9 Amy Street
Albion 4010
W - http://www.dreamfarm.com.au/

Jan Power's Farmers Market
Sunday 3 October 2010, 6am - 12pm
Blackwood Street
Mitchelton 4053
W - http://www.janpowersfarmersmarkets.com.au/

Thai Culture and Food Festival
Sunday 3 October 2010, 10am - 8pm
Cultural Forecourt
South Bank 4101
W - http://www.thaifest.com.au/

Granite Belt Flavours
Sunday 3 October 2010
Little Stanley Street
South Bank 4101
W - http://www.southbankmarket.com.au/events.html

Into Africa

As you all probably know, the Brisbane Festival is on the go at the moment. One of the events I'm glad to see is back again this year is Into Africa, which is being held next Saturday, 25 September 2010.

Into Africa takes place at Yeronga Park, and features live music, traditional dancing, food, coffee, and arts & crafts from all over Africa. If you haven't yet made it to one of the terrific African restaurants in Brisbane, Into Africa is a great place to tuck into some traditional African food for lunch.

I went along last year and really enjoyed it, especially the food that was on offer. This year I'm looking forward to seeing Hassan M'Souli's cooking demonstration. I've got one of his cookbooks (Modern Moroccan) and seeing as I'm about to rustle up a Moroccan dinner for the next Gastronauts Supper Club night, I'm keen to pick up as many tips as I can get.

On the music front, the featured artists include King Marong and Afro Mandinko, Samoko, Afro Dizzi Act, the Big Fela Afrobeat Orchestra and the 200 strong Into Africa Choir, who will be performing a tribute to Miriam Makeba.

It all adds up to a terrific day, so get along and experience a slice of Africa next Saturday.

Into Africa
Saturday 25 September 2010, 11am to 6pm
Yeronga Park
School Road, Yeronga
W - http://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/Events/0,261,4747,026100906.aspx

Wine List of the Year Awards

As I have been known to hunt down restaurants with a great wine selection, I was keen to find out see the winners of this year's Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine wine list of the year awards.

This year the overall winner (Australia wide) was Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne, which pipped the other finalists - Bentley Restaurant & Bar, Est., Glass Brasserie, Pilu at Freshwater, Quay and Vue de Monde. Fittingly, David Lawler from Rockpool Bar & Grill also picked up the Judy Hirst award for best sommelier. If you're feeling thirsty, you can read through the winning Rockpool Bar & Grill list here.

Looking at the local scene, The Brisbane Club picked up the award for the best club list in Australia, which is a terrific result. I've only eaten at the Brisbane Club once, but wasn't in charge of ordering the wine for that meal, so I'm keen to get an invite back there to really get stuck into their wine list. Wine Magazine noted that it's not just the depth of the list which is impressive (covering over 350 wines), but the prices are also excellent (including a magnum of 1997 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay for $223 and a magnum of 1996 Penfolds Grange for $915).

The Queensland state winner for best restaurant wine list was Ortiga. I haven't yet eaten at Ortiga, but I now have a compelling reason to visit soon. Ortiga pipped Absynthe and Cru Bar to take out the Queensland prize. Have a look at Ortiga's list here.

If you're looking for great restaurant wine lists in and around Brisbane, pay a visit to Absynthe, Aria, Cru Bar, E'cco, 1889 Enoteca, Era Bistro, Ortiga, Restaurant Two, Ristorante Fellini, The Brisbane Club and Vanitas - all of which picked up the highest ranking of three glasses in the awards.

There are 49 Queensland restaurants included in this year's guide, so it's well worth getting your hands on a copy. Unfortunately, this year the guide is included in the body of the magazine, rather than in a separate booklet. I have no idea why they've changed the format, because I always found it much handier to keep the little booklet rather than lugging the whole magazine around for 12 months. Format aside, it's a great way to track down the top wine lists all across the country. For the full guide, pick up the current edition of Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine.

Tasmania Unbottled 2010

If you're a fan of Tasmanian wines, make sure you grab a ticket to Tasmania Unbottled on 24 August 2010.

Tasmania Unbottled involves Tasmania's leading wineries travelling around the country, so you can try them all their wines in one place (much easier than zipping down to Tasmania).

This year the wineries visiting Brisbane include Josef Chromy, Pirie, Dalrymple, Jansz and Stefano Lubiana. I went along last year, and it was a fantastic tasting night - plenty of pinot noir and sparkling wine at almost every table.

Tickets are $35 and you can buy them here.

Tasmania Unbottled
Tuesday 24 August 2010, 5pm to 8.30pm
Holiday Inn
159 Roma Street
Brisbane 4000
W - www.winetasmania.com.au/events/tasmania-unbottled-2010

Treacle

I'd previously tried to visit Treacle at the Grange for dinner, only to find it booked out. This time we headed back for breakfast. Although it was really busy on the Sunday morning of our visit, we managed to grab a table on the outside terrace.

Menus were brought to our table promptly, along with a bottle of water and a couple of glasses. So far, so good. The breakfast menu is pretty comprehensive, which means you should be able to find something that takes your fancy, no matter which way your tummy is grumbling.

After checking that they had gluten free toast (which they did) I ordered the zesty avocado on sourdough with bacon, halloumi cheese and two poached eggs ($16.90). I keep meaning to order more avocado dishes for breakfast, but usually forget when it comes to the crucial moment.

When my breakfast arrived, it was a good serving - two slices of toast smothered in "zesty" avocado, layered with rashers of bacon and halloumi slices, with two poached eggs sitting on the top. There was also a decent sized pile of rocket on the side of the plate, which remained untouched. I enjoyed most of the dish - the eggs, bacon and halloumi were all cooked perfectly, but I wasn't so keen on the zesty avocado. It tasted a bit like a guacamole (which is fine) but the pieces of raw red onion in the avocado mix overpowered everything else on the plate. Towards the end I began scraping the avocado off the toast, and found it more enjoyable.

My wife ordered the ricotta pikelets with lemon curd and berry coulis ($14.90). Unfortunately these were disappointing, mainly because the pikelets didn't taste like much ricotta (if any) had made it into the mix. On top of that, $15 for three large-ish pikelets with a bit of lemon curd isn't exactly great value.

We both ordered flat whites, which I found a bit weak compared to my daily Merlo fix, but were otherwise ok.

Other breakfast options include Treacle's home-made muesli with natural yoghurt and honey ($9.90), gypsy pocket filled with double smoked ham off the bone & Swiss cheese ($14.90) and
free range eggs Benedict on organic cornbread topped with fresh hollandaise, which is served with sautéed spinach and roast tomato ($13.90), double smoked ham off the bone ($14.90) or
Treacle's homemade salmon gravlax ($14.90).

While service was friendly throughout our meal, we waited a very long time for our breakfasts to arrive at the table. It was almost an hour after we had sat down when our meals were served. In my book, that's too long to wait for a couple of breakfasts.

Overall, if the service had been better, our visit to Treacle would have been so much more enjoyable. As it was, we waited too long for the food to arrive and when it did, our breakfasts didn't blow our socks off.

Treacle is also open for lunch and dinner. The lunch menu in particular looked good, and we'll have to pop back to try it out. (Sorry there are no photos - I only realised my phone battery was dead when we sat down at the table).

What does all this mean? A wide ranging breakfast menu that should keep everyone happy, but our visit was held back by slow service.

food bling ratings
Food - Ok
Service - Poor
Value for Money - Ok
Ambience - Relaxed suburban cafe/restaurant, with a sunny outside terrace
Vegetarian - Good
Gluten Free - Ok

Treacle
Shops 2-3, 8 Days Road
The Grange 4051
P - 07 3352 4144
E - info@treaclecafe.com.au
W - http://www.treaclecafe.com.au/

The Plough Inn

I can't remember the last time I actually ate at The Plough Inn. Come to think of it, I might have never eaten there at all. At least that was until recently - I was going to see the Pixies at the Convention Centre and Southbank just happened to be a convenient spot to grab a pre-Pixies dinner and drink.

Thinking that we'd be able to eat fairly quickly, I decided to meet my fellow Pixies fan at the Plough Inn. I arrived at about 7.30pm, and there was a decent crowd outside, but I wouldn't say it was crazily busy. I grabbed a G&T at the bar and sat along the side of the pub (in between plenty of overseas tourists) with a magnificent view of a few guys setting up for the markets the next day.

Luckily I didn't have to sit there too long before we ordered dinner. The dinner menu covers salads and steaks, as well as a few other main courses such as grilled barramundi ($24), oven baked king pork cutlet ($26) and a pumpkin & feta stuffed field mushroom ($22).

I was fairly keen on devouring a steak before the concert, but baulked a bit at the prices. I'd been expecting to be able to grab some kind of steak in the $15-$20 range, so I was surprised to find the cheapest cut of beef was a Barcoo grain fed 400g T-bone at $28. Other options include a Tey's 250g eye fillet ($34), Tasmanian premium 300g rib fillet ($32) and a Rangers Valley 400g grain fed rump ($30). All steaks are served with corn on the cob, a choice of steakhouse fries or roast baby potatoes and mushroom, Diane, pepper, garlic cream sauce.

I ordered a Beef City 350g grain fed sirloin, cooked medium rare. We ordered our steaks just before 7.45pm, thinking there would be plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely steak and few cool beverages before the Pixies hit the stage just after 9pm. How wrong we turned out to be. While there was plenty of time to enjoy leisurely beverages, the steaks were another story. After chasing them up twice, the steaks were eventually ready just after 8.30pm. I thought it was a bit unusual that it took the kitchen over 45 minutes to serve two sirloin steaks with a cob of corn, chips and a small green salad.

My steak was probably a little over-cooked, but not far off medium rare. The chips were fine and the corn was ok. Unfortunately we had to gobble down our meals, so I didn't even get to touch the green salad.

For a pub at Southbank, our meals were fine. Whether or not they were good value is another issue. There are now so many pubs around Brisbane that serve steaks (and other meals) for over $30. I don't mind paying over $30 for a steak at a pub, but I expect the resulting piece of beef to be something memorable. Although both our steaks were fine, I wouldn't put them in the memorable category.

While we waited a long time for our steaks, the drinks service in the meantime was friendly and snappy, which meant that by the time the steaks finally arrived, we were both well and truly in the mood to enjoy the Pixies.

The concert itself was fantastic - I'd been waiting a long, long time to see the Pixies live, and they didn't disappoint.

food bling ratings
Food - Ok
Service - Poor
Value for Money - Ok
Ambience - Plenty of outdoor seats, but not much of a view
Vegetarian - Limited selection
Wine - Ok

The Plough Inn
Stanley Street Plaza
South Bank Parklands
South Brisbane 4101
P - 07 3844 7777
W - http://www.ploughinn.com.au/

Brisbane Masterclass Weekend

I know it sounds a bit tragic, but for a while now I've been looking forward to seeing the program for this year's Brisbane Masterclass Weekend. Luckily my wait is over, and the program is now up on the Masterclass website.

If you haven't heard about the Masterclass Weekend, it's a huge food and wine event that happens at the Brisbane Hilton. Presenters are brought from all over the world, and usually the program spans a fantastic range of the food & wine spectrum.

Here are a few of the sessions that I'd be signing up to:

Asian Affairs - take three core ingredients – duck, crab and citrus – and hand them over to two of our finest exponents of Asian cuisine to work their magic. The nuances of Thai and Vietnamese will soon become apparent as Martin Boetz applies his modern Thai sensibilities to the ingredients while Luke Nguyen takes an authentic Vietnamese approach. Enjoy the dishes they devise with some of the aromatic Granite Belt Wine Country wines that so suit this style of food, presented by leading consultant and Master of Wine Peter Scudamore-Smith.

The Passionate Patissier - are you a “Zumba loompa”, a follower of the pâtissier extraordinaire who created the croquembouche which brought many of TV’s Masterchef contestants undone? Sign up for this Saturday only session and you won’t have to queue as Sydneysiders do outside Adriano Zumbo’s Balmain pâtisserie to indulge in his famous French macaroons or his luscious cakes and pastries lauded as “unique in concept and execution”. You’ll leave with a special treat.

Flavours without Borders - throughout his journey from his birthplace Hong Kong through Toronto, Singapore and the USA, Susur Lee has never wavered from his consuming passion: to create unique combinations of textures and flavours and juxtapose the complex food traditions of China with the classical techniques of French cuisine. The results are “endlessly inventive” and “daring”. Exquisite artistry on the plate is a hallmark of this chef, named as one of the Ten Chefs of the Millennium in company with Ferran Adria and Pierre Gagnaire. Stepping up to the challenge of perfect wine pairings for Susur Lee’s stunning dishes is experienced Brisbane sommelier Peter Marchant.

Sensational Sherry - Emilio Lustau is one of Spain’s largest Houses of fine sherry, established in 1896 and still garnering swags of international awards year in year out. In November it took home the trophy as Spanish Wine Producer of the Year at the International Wine & Spirit Competition. Join fine wine specialist Christopher Cannan to explore a range of glorious styles from the Lustau bodegas, from the dry and fine Manzanilla and Fino, through the richer Amontillado and Oloroso, to the luscious Moscatel and Pedro Ximenez.

Going the Whole Hog - when it comes to pork, the Italian approach is very much “waste not, want not”. Nino Zoccali will show why the whole pig is prized, demonstrate how to cook the different cuts and take you through salumi – lardo, pancetta, culatello, coppa and the other delicious charcuterie that is a cornerstone of Italian cooking – all using Australian pork. The perfect wine for an array of fresh and cured delights, including classic pork and fennel sausages, will be selected by Italian fine wine importer Dan Clark

Sounds great doesn't it? The only catch is, it's not cheap. Tickets are $350 for one day, or $595 if your stomach will allow you to go both days. Start saving now!

Brisbane Masterclass Weekend
24-25 July 2010
P - (07) 3231 3239
E - alison.alexander@hilton.com
W - http://www.qldmasterclass.com
T - http://twitter.com/MasterclassBne

Coeliac Awareness Week

This week (13-20 March) is Coeliac Awareness Week, so I thought I should do my bit to spread the word.

Luckily the food scene for coeliacs has improved tremendously over the last few years. Not only do most supermarkets now carry a good range of gluten free products, but more and more restaurants and cafes are catching on, and offering gluten free options. If you're looking for a restaurant that's coeliac friendly, have a look through my list of gluten free posts - there are plenty of places all over Brisbane.

If you've recently found out you have coeliac disease, or have a friend with coeliac disease, then look no further than the Coeliac Society, which does an amazing job of collecting all kinds of useful information for their members. I've been a member now for about 4 years, and I'm constantly overwhelmed by their helpful resources - their pocket sized ingredient list book was invaluable when I first started my gluten free diet.

And if you've never heard of coealiac disease, here's a bit of a background from the Coeliac Society's website:

Coeliac disease (pronounced seel-ee-ak) is an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune means the body mistakenly produces antibodies that damage its own tissues. It is a permanent intestinal intolerance to dietary gluten. A number of serious health consequences can result if the condition is not diagnosed and treated properly.In those with untreated coeliac disease the mucosa (lining) of the small bowel (intestine) is damaged: The tiny, finger-like projections which line the bowel (villi) become inflamed and flattened. The function of the cells on villi is to break down and absorb nutrients in food. Through a microscope, the lining of the small bowel normally looks rather like shag-pile carpet, the villi making up the “pile”. The entire surface area of a healthy small bowel is comparable in size to that of a tennis court.In those with untreated coeliac disease, the villi become inflamed and the bowel has a characteristic flat appearance (like a threadbare carpet). This is referred to as villous atrophy. The surface area of the bowel available for nutrient absorption is markedly reduced (to the size of a table or less) which can lead to nutrient deficiencies.

What is the Cause?

In people with coeliac disease the immune system reacts abnormally to gluten, causing small bowel inflammation and damage. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats.

Who gets Coeliac Disease?

People are born with a genetic predisposition to develop coeliac disease. They inherit a particular genetic make-up (HLA type) with the genes DQ2 and DQ8 being identified as the “coeliac genes”. Gene testing is presently available through pathology laboratories (by blood test or buccal swab). The gene test is useful for excluding coeliac disease. The presence of HLA DQ2 and HLA DQ8 is not helpful as a positive predictor of coeliac disease, as only 1 in 30 people (approximately) with these genes will have coeliac disease. The gene test cannot diagnose coeliac disease – only exclude it.Environmental factors also play an important role in the development of coeliac disease.

How Common is the Condition?

Coeliac disease affects approximately 1 in 100 Australians. However 75% currently remain undiagnosed. This means that approximately 157,000 Australians have coeliac disease but don’t yet know it.

Can Coeliac Disease be cured?

People with coeliac disease remain sensitive to gluten throughout their life, so in this sense they are never cured. There is no correlation between symptoms and bowel damage, so even if asymptomatic (you have no symptoms), damage to the small bowel can still occur if gluten is ingested. Once gluten is removed from the diet, the small bowel lining steadily repairs and the absorption of nutrients from food returns to normal.People with coeliac disease should remain otherwise healthy as long as they adhere to a diet free of gluten. Relapse occurs if gluten is reintroduced.

What are the Long Term Risks of Undiagnosed Coeliac Disease?

The long term consequences of coeliac disease are related to poor nutrition and malabsorption of nutrients. Untreated coeliac disease can lead to chronic poor health, osteoporosis, infertility, miscarriage, depression and dental enamel defects. There is also a small, but real, increased risk of certain forms of cancer such as lymphoma of the small bowel. In children, undiagnosed coeliac disease can cause lack of proper development, short stature and behavioural problems.

Fortunately, timely diagnosis of coeliac disease and treatment with a gluten free diet can prevent or reverse many of these problems.

The Coeliac Society
P - (07) 3839 5404
E - qld@coeliacsociety.com.au
W - http://www.coeliacsociety.com.au/