Fine Food Australia 2017

Every two years, the Fine Food Expo is in Sydney where they showcase new food products, equipment and technology related to the food and hospitality industry. This time they are in the new ICC at Darling Harbour. It was massive, spread over 2 full floors. A lot bigger compared to Moore Park or the previous convention centre. I completely understand why they got rid of all our childhood fountains that we used to run across, and patches of grass the expand this place. I have to admit, the landscaping in the area is pretty good. It's amazing how quickly they finished building something of this capacity. Moving on...

This sort of reminds me of Harpa, the concert hall in Iceland

Sunset views

Really loving the new Darling Harbour. The actual exhibition was spread under the overpasses on the left on level 1 and 4. the main building has smaller function rooms but still pretty big, and the concert theatre is even further to the left. It can accommodate 3 different exhibitions at the same time. Inside the building everything is just so spacious, clean and new!

I sort of can't believe I'm sick of ice cream (for this week). So many full sized samples everything, and so many small samples that even I had to say no to having more ice cream. There actually were less food samples this year, but it was still more than enough for me, and at the point where you have to 'selectively eat.' Still over ate though...but it's only here twice a year, and probs last time I'll have the time to come, unless once I work one of my days off falls on a weekday (which is most likely).

- Charcoal activated ice cream is the new trend

- Tumeric latte is the new matcha latte

- The health food market is exploding, think yoghurt drinks, flavoured almond milk with more almonds than water (unlike the current supermarket stuff), protein bars/balls, weird but delicious dried fruit and veggies

- So many new food start ups

Some food highlights: 

gelato

So many gelato/ice cream stalls. Mainly these people are trying to sell the actual machine or for other people to rent. Like there are heaps of cakes around, but really they trying to sell the cake cabinet.

activated charcoal coconut water soft serve, cold brew soft serve

The black one sort of tasted like a muted down coconut flavour but a bit nuttier. You can definitely taste the cold brew coffee in it. I find cold brew less acidic/creamy, but a more watered yet concentrated coffee flavour. I'm no coffee connoisseur, but cold brew coffee just has a super distinct taste which you all should give it a go sometime. I was just surprised at how accurate they got this flavour in this soft serve,

I found KOI!

They were actually partnering with a new app where apparently when you order on their phone/device, you can just tap, so you don't have to wait in line at the register or something and then you receive an instant notification to let you know your order is ready...idk, I was really just eyeing the cakes the whole time the guy was demo-ing.

Matcha strawberry: Almond & pistachio jaconde with greentea matcha mousse, berry consome jelly, strawberry

Watermelon: Lychee creme diplomat, dehydrated rose, watermelon, chia seed and almond crumbs

These small bite sized mini desserts are actually a good way to try KOI stuff, since was already super full. The matcha had a decent hit of matcha, and the watermelon one was quite fragrant, just odd to put chia seed in a dessert imo.

First year they had a section dedicated to wines/drinks.

Look how cute this cup is!

Vanilla liquor from Spain, pretty strong at 43 but also tasted quite nice

46% alc.

I can do 26%, but 46% dry gin was just a bit too much, and I only had like 2 sips. The tonic water added to it made it taste more like medicine. Yeah, can't do shots. Give me fancy wines any day.

beetroot latte

I actually hate beetroot despite my love of food, now I can eat it if I have to, but beetroot in latte form is pretty good because there's a nice earthiness to the latte. Beetroot chips are quite nice as well. I think I mainly hate canned beetroot...

Byron Bay cookies x Zest Coffee Taste Test

It was actually really hard to match the cookies with the complementing espresso. Surprisingly I could taste the difference between all the cookies, but to match was too subjective.

 

edible glitter!

I don't like glitter on accessories, but when it comes to food-yes pls. Watching people make fancy chocolates is pretty cool Saw the 'ferrari' of ice cream machines work (they've used it before on MC when they went to Dinner By Heston where you pour in your anglaise, and it immediately churns and freezes so ice cream is ready straight away). This time they used it for caramel where it was ready really quickly. I only attend these shows cause then you can answer questions and win stuff. Got some smoked Urcin salt...

 

more activated charcoal coconut water ice cream with some chocolate/cookies, caramelised fig (pretty sure I had over 10 scoops by this stage)

Day 1: 13kg haul of freebies

My mum is amazing at getting freebies. I have my limits and will get stuff I know I'll like, but mum sort of gets everything (although I had to limit her since I don't want to waste food and chuck it if we're not gonna eat it back home). How do I know I'm stronger? When I can carry/lug around 13kg go food/drinks the whole days and it's ok. We did bring a tiny suitcase to be more 'professional.' The trick with this sort of stuff is you only bring those trolley things to markets/food festivals/shows but not to a business related expo. My strength is compared against the weight of the suitcase, so surprisingly 13kg wasn't too heavy. Normally I start my travels with 15kg in my big suitcase. I guess I also felt stronger after July after lugging back 50kg on public transport back home...Next goal is still carrying suitcase up multiple flights of stairs...

Headed for a quick pit stop before an optom event on the 3rd day of the expo. They are the stingiest on this day since they generally have to make stuff last on the 4th day, but then give everything out on the 4th day since a lot of companies don't want to pack it or take it back interstate.

KOI but with more variety

Citrus jar: Passionfruit curd with bergamot jelly, almond crumbs, swiss meringue, seasonal citrus and yuzu marshmallow

Not gonna lie, I was already full to begin with, but want to slowly make my way through Koi's cake collection. Got something light and this passionfruit dessert was perfect. Also edible purple flower!

Couldn't resist having a coconut ice cream. It's not as nice as the other coconut ice cream in supermarkets since the flavour wasn't as strong, guess it wasn't too sweet which is also a plus.

Mum brought home another 13kg suitcase, Dad brought home veggies from neighbouring expo stands

haul 2, too much food to even bother with a flat lay

Yep, groceries done for the month...

fav!

Loving earth chocolate ain't cheap, from memory the normal flavours are $8 for a larger packet, and one time I bought something which was flavoured and about 1/4 of the above size for $6. They are so good and smooth though, nice darkness through them. Still find it ironic how we haven't finished our Europe and Jap chocolate though...Yay for the coconut yogurt since I was way too full the other day to even sample it, but Mum brought home a decent sized tub back.

Really enjoyed seeing new products to come or are already out on the market. It sort of doesn't help that I'm at home with all this food...now what to try first...Definitely over ate this week, but that's the whole point of me exercising so I can try more food, as counterintuitive as it sounds haha.

Good Food Wine Show 2014

my first good food wine show. when i saw Zumbo macaron masterclass tickets released for Sydney, i really wanted to do it (despite the $99 price tag), but then i saw you had to pay an entry fee into the show itself for over $20, but i didn't buy Zumbo class. then i got free tickets, but his classes on all 3 days sold out in about 1 day, and obviously by that time, there weren't any more spaces. $99 is quite expensive, but apparently you get $70 worth of stuff, and when you think about it, expos are always a bit more expensive since they have to connect gas, electricity, water and set up all the equipment etc.

so close yet so far!

my closest encounter would still have to be at Rozelle free ice cream earlier this year, less than 1m away. there was also Zumbo's book signing at 12, which obviously meant photo included,. his books are one of the cheaper ones, the macaron on is $25, but then i thought, do i really need a macaron book? i'll look at the pictures but won't have time to attempt anything so didn't buy it. i'll use that $25 towards a class with him (if i manage to get a ticket to the always sold out tickets to Zumbo Academy, and after i try to make them from scratch).

i still saw him make macarons, and wow, he can pipe macarons in less than 0.5seconds-such a machine, and perfection all the way. i wonder if he still makes macarons, or if he just leaves it to his team since he has so many stores now.

croquembouche verrine: textures of vanilla & caramel, profiterole, lemon jam-$9.50

i bought this one since you could only get it at the show. the piggy one was also $9.50, usually cakes at his stores are $9, so again, increased prices...the tarts and macarons were still the same price. the description on insta is a bit different/more detailed: caramel liquid, malted milk Panna Cotta, lemon jam, almond Sable, creme patisserie Legere, jersey caramel creme, profiterole filled with creme patisserie.  this dessert was so good. i can't honestly say i tasted every single layer since i was eating while walking, but i loved the vanillary creme patisserie and haven't had a good profiterole in a while. the only thing i didn't like was the caramel liquid at the bottom. it was soooo sweet that i couldn't finish it (and that's saying something since i can tolerate large amounts of sugar even though i may not like it). i think the caramel at the bottom is mainly used as a foundation for the verrine, so things stay nicely layered. i kept the little jar thing since it's made of class and i can possibly make a 1 serving size panna cotta in it. 

nespresso masterclass!

this was so fun! for once i didn't drink or eat fast enough since you kept making coffee and she taught you how she prepared to food. those little containers on the left has coffee infused muesli and coffee infused yogurt and a blueberry for garnish haha. i love nespressos! sooooo user frienldly-just lift the handle, pop the cap in, pull down the handle to start it and you get beautifully brewed coffee. the milk frother is very nice as well. and i love this nespresso model, so sleek and cute. i've wanted a proper coffee machine which you can froth your milk, but realllly thinking about it, you have to clean every single time you use it, and it's just too high maintenance. these ones you just take the rubbish out. my mum has wanted one of these for so long, but in my family we're not regular coffee drinkers, so we would rather purchase other appliances before this...

basically the 1/2 session was to teach you how you could use your nespresso machine in cooking/food. everyone had their own machine, and so many attendants around. every lid you take off, or empty cup, and bam, they clear it and help you put it in the little bin ASAP even though the bin is still within your arm's reach.

"breakfast" fortissimo lungo, intensity 8, one of the newest flavours. loved the intensity (: 

"afternoon" dharkan, intensity 11 with a goats cheese and caramelised onion tart sprinkled with bukeela ka ethopia, intensity 3

the intensity levels go up to 12, this was so bitter, and i had about half of it. it went well with the goats cheese since it's so rich. we also stabbed holes in the other capsule to use as a shaker. wow, if i owned a machine, i would never use the coffee like that, such a waste. you only use about 1/10 of the whole capsule. i regret not sprinkling more on. it smelt nice but couldn't really taste the coffee in it.

"evening" on the far right-vanilla bean ice cream with decaffeinato intense, intensity 7 and hazelnut sugar

the ice cream is gourmet because you could see heaps of vanilla bean seeds in it! it's actually my first time having an affogato outside my house (since i usually just order a cap at cafes to compare them), and this was my favourite (: the intensity of the coffee balanced the sweetness of the ice cream and was so lovely to eat and drink. 

justine from S1 master chef!

sammy (bella was doing the paid masterclass), winners of mkr 2011 teaching how to cook stuff. 

i definitely recognised them, but back then i wasn't a massive mkr fan so didn't bother taking a photo. i won heaps of jalna yogurt here, and some expensive micro fibre/fancy new technology cleaning cloths here. too bad you couldn't taste it. at least i got some scone and bread mix. it was at this point my mum and i decided to buy a trolley for $30 =/ it's not worth, and was out most expensive purchase of the day, but it's impossible to carry around 3kg of yogurt for the whole day, let alone all the stuff we were yet to get. at least the trolley is pretty good quality.

barilla pasta masterclass!

didn't book online, and managed to make it in for the 2nd last session of the day after waiting 1/2 hour. i wouldn't mind waiting for another hour for the last class since it's free and i didn't bother paying $5 to book online. 

the left two look familiar...

2 people per stove.

watched the chef for 20 mins, then they had heaps of other chefs helping around to help you make it

pasta with winter veggies and ricotta

btw, barilla pasta is considered expensive. masterchef went there last year or year before to their factory in Italy (: the chefs around said the sauce is expensive, so not to use a lot, and also the olive il is expensive, and if the Italian say it's expensive, well it's expensive (hence us asians put more in). kind of regret not making more pasta. they said one handful per person, but i guess they technically can't control how much we put in. the curry's next to us managed to take home 1.5 boxes of pasta home! also, at the end of the show, they tipped all the pastas into a box/sauce into jars together to not waste it, and i guess emphasising that it's expensive.

the chef from Barilla

Darren Robertson from Three Blue Ducks and Recipe to Riches

he is another boy to have washed dishes for Marco Pierre White. lately a lot of chefs on master chef this year has cleaned dishes, then worked for Marco in their early years.

if you wanted to eat any of the celebrity chef's food, you had to pay $55. initially it seems expensive, but when you think about it, it's less than $20 a plate, and the price also include wine. like the breakfast the other day cost a bit over $20 and there were no celebrity chefs involved. i have been wanting to go to Three Blue Ducks for a long time now...

i counted 13 "behind the scenes" chefs, aka the people who cook whilst Darren talks

different angle

my mum managed to get free ice cream at the end of the show. the guy didn't give it to me ):

this was strawberry flavoured and today it was $5 a scoop. at find food show, it's free. well the scoops are smaller but the point is that over there it's free so i was refs not paying $5 for it.

free food haul!

it's quite small compared to fine food show, but i guess this stuff is more quality over quantity. we also bought gourmet sausages for $2 a packet, normally $8 a pack/$16 a kg. it was 10 for $20, but we shared half of it with some randoms, and we also kept the cooler bag. those sausages are so lean and gourtmet-ish (: they sold $2 for one sausage on a stick, but $2 a packet-bargain! my mum also bought $2 a packet organic/healthier italian pasta. we did most of our buying just before the show closed (:

i didn't even bother trying everything. a lot of wines and cheeses which were so filling...i got filled up on coffee and heaps of free Dr Oetker pizza from the morning when there were no lines. probably everything i ate today is on my not supposed to eat list...

goodfoodwine is probably the only time you'll see so many white people with trolleys (usually it's asian), and since this event is ticketed, a lot less asians are here. compared to fine food expo (which has more free tickets available), this show is more "higher class" with renowned chefs. there are less samples, but more hands on stuff and definitely kid friendly. fine food bans people under 18 (it used to allow high schoolers doing food related stuff, luckily they made that rule after i turned 18...). there's not as many expos here, but definitely more chances of rubbing shoulders with celebrity chefs. too bad george only came yday when i couldn't make it ):

things i learnt/nts:

- bring a pen. i could have totally filled out all the entry forms to increase my chances of winning. didn't bring a pen ): my mum found a free pen with the yogurt, but we were already home

- bring a trolley next time

- stand near the ice cream trucks when the show is about to close

- put up your hand for everything. this person said they had one of Darren Robertson's cook books and got free wine. the chef himself said "you know, you guys could have lied, i wouldn't have known"

2 past contestants from mrk liked my photo hehe #winning

last day of epxo

kingdom hearts 1.5 out today! in HD! 

i've considered buying it, but then i know i won't study/get distracted, so i'll probs end up borrowing it from somewhere who'll be finished really quickly, haha.

also, haven't told you guys yet, but new update for Minion Rush! 

mum's haul on the last day of the expo.

yay, macarons! after they finished the display, apparently they gave some out. 

heapsssss of food just from today. yay for more high quality matcha, but i still need to find a frother to make it nice. the packet says you can add milk or just hot water, but then that's not a proper latte. frothed milk (:

she said everyone (asian/white/old/young etc), went and snatched everything whatever the promoters were handing out, haha. she got a lot of drinks as well, which she left with dad to take home. if you haven't seen my mum, she's short than me/tinier than me, so i was actually quie surprised she brought a whole table worth of food back home.

dad got some sugar free cake packet mix, and custard (which is like one of my bro's favs) and more random stuff.

last day of expos are the best. in two years time, i hope that my timetable will allow me to go on the last day. free good food ftw! (:

Fine Food Australia 2013

freeee food galore! fine food is an exibition where heaps of companies promote their products/machines. it's supposed to be for the hospitality industry, but meh, free food (:

it's only once every two years in syd. in yr 11, i had my chem trials, so last time i went was yr 9. they changed the rules this year so that if you're a high schooler, you can't go, even if you're studying at tafe or something. they didn't even check my uni id this time. literally scan and go in.

they opened all 5 halls this time. i didn't have time to go to the "new products winners" section at the edge of the expo.

i missed adriano zumbo yesterday! here they make cakes etc and put it on display on the last day for judging. wow, the effort they put to paint cakes. i also missed kirsten tibballs, i think she came in the morning, but i had optics lec and couldn't miss it. 

this place was promoting their cream which you just simply whip and pipe. these viet people were soooo skilled! they only supply their cream to businesses/don't sell them in shops.

my purple flower on the left (: he just used one nozzle. on the right my mum's pig, the other person also only used one nozzle yet produced all those features. the ink pen was so thin!

i aimed to try all the ice cream-there was soo many that i just couldn't have them all! so some places i only asked for a sample spoon instead of a cup, even though it was free.

movenpick-rum raisin and maple walnut. tried raspberry sorbet after, twas very sweet for a sorbet.

this was called "speedy gelato". in the background, you can see the spatula things. the guy pours the mixture and then he "fries" it, and mixes it like stir fry. the effect was superrrrrrrrr cold gelato. colder than any other ice cream there.

tiramisu and cookies and cream. i had apple crumble and salted lime there as well. this guy was too nice. i wanted to try a spoon of other flavours, and it was the biggest sample ever of a plastic spoon! 

i had salted caramel and apple crumble from gelatissimo. other places i had more slated caramel (to compare which store was the best), cheesecake, mango, pear and ginger and heaps more i can't remember. defs was full on ice cream-had around 10 scoops. 

there was heaps of finger/baked foods, like gourmet pies/sausage rolls/croissants/pizzas. i had this melt in the mouth beef, freshly baked atlantic salmon and even lamb cutlets! they make these foods to show what their commercial ovens can do, and yum, perfectly pink lamb and beef (: even got cafe quality matcha powder. they only supply to cafes, and not to shops yet ): i was at the point where i had to reject free food, since i was so full! and knowing me, that's pretty rare. we already brought boxes along with us, hehe. years of exhibition freebie getting experience.

cool melon cut outs.

this place promoted their icing/glaze. shiniest glaze ever!

my haul of free food and freebies (:

so many other stuff, but i couldn't take a photo of them, since most of the time i was eating ice cream/gelato from a cup, and that requires two hands.

defs ate too much, but it was all so good!