Feeling proud would have to be an understatement for the vivacious young woman behind GourmetRabbit. Who would this be? Well, none other than Denéa Buckingham. Cause for celebration and a kick-start to it’s launch was held at the heritage listed Harts Pub in The Rocks – pub by day and on this particular night, a rabbit warren buzzing with foodies sipping, nibbling and nattering.
The cosy rooms of Harts Pub transformed from places to sit and dine to areas showcasing foods from contributors of GourmetRabbit. Markus Gerlich and Michael Grinyer were applying finishing touches to their spoons of salmon when I arrived a little early. These boys from Regal King Salmon were eager to offer me tastes of their prize-winning products such as the the salmon pastrami that won two stars at the International Taste & Quality Institute (ITQI). They even won an innovative seafood award two years ago in New York.
I’m not surprised when all you need to do is open a packet and drape gorgeous ribbons of salmon pastrami onto a serving plate and be done with it. Too easy. I especially liked the salmon tartar – a spoonful of diced smoked salmon topped with pickled cucumber, salmon crackling, salmon roe and a few micro herbs.
Joseph Raineri from Raineri Italian Fine Foods was hacking into a massive wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano when I arrived, something that made me stop in my tracks. His set-up of various Italian cheeses, charcuterie and marinated vegetables had everyone crowding in for a sample. And how about that truffle popcorn? I loved it!
The delicious prosciutto was sliced so thinly that it dissolved on the tongue before you even had a chance to bite down and that bresaola topped with artichoke and white truffle honey was nothing short of being orgasmic.
Platters of hot food meandered through the crowd to help soak up the variety of Rocks Brewing Company beers brought around on paddles. It wasn’t just beer, though. The gin-based Martinez and Americano cocktails also lubed up the food folk as they tucked into fried goodies like battered fish, karaage chicken, Cajun crocodile and pan-fried chorizo.
The final room was decked out in Asian imports from Ettason; products like seasonings, preserved fruits, aloe vera juice, instant black sesame dessert, Dragon Heart Candy and most importantly … Tsing Tao Beer. I’m loving this beer at the moment!
Platters of hot apple turnovers and warm choc chip cookies rounded things off for anyone that stuck around long enough and sadly the cookies got away from me before I could whip out the camera and snap them.
Big congrats to Denéa and the team and thanks to Harts Pub and contributors for a great night. Cheers!
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Holey moley – look at that cheese! I adore parmigiano reggiano!
Tina@foodboozeshoes recently posted..A Chinese treasure at the gallery
Ooohh, apple turnovers. Mmmm.
John you are fantastic.
Not only are you one of the best out there behind a lens but your writing style is readable, personable and interesting. I think we’d better have you in GourmetRabbit Issue 3 eh?
Excellent post (as always) and thank you so much for attending. Let me know what you think of the mag once you get a chance to read it!
lol. I’m not the only rabbit obsessed foodie out there.
Genie recently posted..Tofu Tuesday- Pro Skateboarder from way back
I was drooling looking at that wheel of cheese! Are you having fun or what?
tasteofbeirut recently posted..Chicken steamed in arak
you had me a cheese wheel
I love big slabs of cheese! I just love cheese in general!
Susan recently posted..Penang Caramelised Chicken