Was it the Best Yet?
Festival 2008
What a Festival! We have had an absolute ball putting together this year's Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, presented by The Age, and hope you had that chance to make it to some of the 220 events we had on offer over the 16 delicious days. Take a trip down foodie lane with us as we recall our top picks, and remember to get in early and nab tickets to these highly coveted events in 2009.
Have a look at our highlight images from festival 2008 here.
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Cheers,
The Melbourne Food and Wine Team
*Important Diary Date - Festival 2009, 7 March to 23 March 2009
Fun Facts - World's Longest Lunch
· One day, 25 Long Lunches - right across Melbourne and Victoria
· 5,000 people lunched
· 10,050 forks washed
· 16,750 glasses of wine drunk
· Lots of satisfied, radiant smiles!
Event Recap
Melbourne's World's Longest Lunch was a sellout with a record 1,270 people seated along Flemington's home straight for a delectable three-course lunch.
Salmon followed by lamb and then Middle Eastern rose inspired dessert was perfectly accompanied by Brown Brothers wine. After a nervous morning, the sun broke through as we sat down, putting everyone in the sunny racing spirit.
Things heated up further with Connex Sizzle! The Great Aussie BBQ - thousands of people flocked to Federation Square Riverbank to sample the delights of Melbourne's top chefs. Many a dish was munched, from Frank Camorra's goat to Neil Perry's beef fillet or perhaps it was Ben Shewry's chicken and chorizo that stole your vote?
Appetites satisfied, many wise punters headed across the road to clink glasses at Cellar Door at Southgate and taste drops from over 65 Victorian wineries under perfect blue skies.
Our gala dinner theme was My Last Supper and what a last supper it was. Surprise, surprise - it was an incredibly decadent night of amazing food and sumptuous wines! Racy burlesque dancers and opera singers set the mood as diners devoured treats like Guilliaume Brahimi's oysters, Neil Perry's tuna and (of course) Fergus Henderson's pork. Definitely a 'don't miss' so get in early for 2009!
For those who needed a pulse starter after the indulgences of Cellar Door and My Last Supper, Celebrate the Bean at Waterfront City, Docklands was certainly the place to be. Lattes, affogatos, creamy chocolates - good morning!
Hugs abounded, and even a few tears fell, as we said goodbye to our beloved, fabulous international chefs that visited us for Langham Melbourne MasterClass. New friendships were formed and old ones rekindled. Defying his years, Michel Roux's gravely voice won soufflé loving women over - and Donovan Cooke's slow cooked salmon still melts in mouths during our dreams!