“I’d be so skinny if I didn’t love food so much” Hannah, every day.

But I do, I do love food. So SO much. I have an obsession with needing to try everything, find new combinations, hit that latest breakfast spot, create a new dish at home.
I’m not an overly talented cook, but I am trying and improving! I am, however, an exceptional eater.

Therefore, Mum’s suggestion of hitting up the Good Food and Wine Show this past weekend was a no brainer.

In short, this is a huge event for foodies and vendors alike. With hundreds of exhibitors, master classes, Celebrity presentations and more, the Convention Centre gets packed out quickly. Which is why we decided to get in early (before all the free wine samples settled in).

The fourth cheese along there (wrapped in a vine leaf), was delicious! It was the Bruny Island “Oen” and it was also ridiculously strong, and we smelt of cheese for the rest of the day; rookies.

This was the only product all day that tempted me enough to buy it. Good, old fashioned peanut butter to add to my collection.
If you have a nut allergy, don’t come to my house; I’ll come to yours.

We kept the wine sampling to minimum, as it was still morning, but Mum couldn’t go past her favourite – Mr Riggs.
The McLaren Vale Shiraz was heavenly, and concreted my decision to visit that wine region one day.

Feeling a little more peckish, we visited the Grazing Garden where our old friends Comida Do Sul were serving some new creations.

We snacked on this Banana/Coconut Ceviche while getting our seats for the Theatre. It was zingy, smooth, sweet, savoury and a few more contradictory flavours! The punchy lime dressing and vibrant red onion were mellowed out by the banana, with the coconut and coriander topping it off the create a surprising palate explosion. Was it a dessert? Was it savoury? Who the hell cares, it was delicious!

The timing worked out well for us to sit down and watch Adam Liaw (former Masterchef winner) cook up a storm. He introduced the session by explaining that he wanted to have a conversation with us, and proved it by answering all questions, walking out into the audience and running way over time because he was trying to explain things so thoroughly.

I learnt so much in his 45 minutes on stage about Asian cooking, and general kitchen tips.

1. When assembling a rice paper roll, don’t let the rice paper soak for too long. It should be the consistency of a child’s raincoat.

2. Put your rice paper rolls filling on one side, and the prawns towards the other. That way when you are finished rolling, the prawns will end up on top, and your rolls will look restaurant standard.

3. When creating a sauce, and trying to find the balance just begin with two ingredients. Mix your sweet and sour together until they tastes pleasant, and then add in savoury. Keep it simple!

4. Don’t forget about the 5th taste – Umami. Google it, trust me.

Thank you Adam, just thank you!
Once Adam had finished up, we decided to grab our last morsels and GTFO because it was getting hectic.
We began a hunt for dumplings, because why not? Mum spotted the Jumplings stall and I did a little internal cheer.
Having eaten these a couple of times already, I remembered exactly how delicious they are!
We grabbed the duck dumplings, because I couldn’t bring myself to pay $24 for lobster with truffle shavings. Although now I’m thinking about them and getting massive regret.

We finished up with another old favourite, Chicho Gelato, because we couldn’t walk past the new flavours they had on offer. Both of us plumped for the “Roast Fig, Marscapone with Balsamic Caramel”, which didn’t taste of fig or balsamic but was delectable all the same.

All in all, a great way to spend a frosty morning in Perth. We came, we ate, we conquered.
And I was complimented on my lipstick, so… winning!*

Happy eating all, enjoy your food, enjoy your life!
Hanbel.
x

*It’s Morange AA2 from MAC, if you’re curious.