Cuisine Now Gala Dinner
This Sunday saw the who’s who of Sydney’s foodie culture attend the gala dinner at Doltone House, Darling Island wharf. This was the brainchild of Mr Tony Bilson of “Bilsons” at the Radisson, who put together a stunning selection of world class chefs to dazzle the 400 guests who attended the evening. The 7 chef’s have been hosting master classes and preparing lunches all week during the “Cuisine Now” food festival and the gala dinner was the pinnacle of the festival. The chef’s who were in attendance were as follows:
1. Tony Bilson, Bilson’s Restaurant, Sydney, Australia. www.bilsons.com.au
2. Michel Roux, The Waterside Inn, Bray, UK. www.waterside-inn.co.uk
3. Philippe Mouchel, Brasserie Mouchel, Melbourne, Australia. www.thebrasserieatcrown.com.au
4. Reine Sammut, Auberge La Feniere, Lourmarin, France. www.reinesammut.com
5. Nicolas Le Bec, Restaurant Nicolas Le Bec, Lyon, France. www.nicolaslebec.com
6. Cheong Liew, Adelaide, Australia.
7. Tetsuya Wakuda, Tetsuya’s Restaurant, Sydney, Australia. www.tetsuyas.com
Each chef contributed 1 course to this stunning degustation menu and each course was perfectly matched with wines especially chosen for the evening. Guests were greeted with free flowing glasses of Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2000, which was served along with canapés as the sun slowly dipped on the Darling Island Wharf. We were then ushered into Doltone House where the room had been decorated with seasonal vegetables carefully sculptured into table settings laced with flowers. Simon Thomsen from the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide was the MC and each course was cleverly announced by means of an operatic verse (The Song Company) which introduce each ingredient which was no mean feat considering some of the courses, I have listed below.
Pacific Oyster on a mirror of cucumber and ginger jelly, served with a slightly green Domaine Chandon (DC), Sauvignon Blanc 2009.
Parmesan Custard, slow poached egg, chicken consommé matched with a buttery DC barrel selection Chardonnay 2006.
Kingfish with crispy skin, mirepoix of vegetables, fennel compote and a provencale olive oil vinaigrette with a Rose from Chateau D Esclans, Provence, France 2008.
Scampi with lemon zests and Beaujolais eschalote cream and a stunning light, airy Chiroubles, Grand Cru, Georges Duboeuf 2008.
Boston Bay abalone, duck breast, abalone sauce, garlic royale & oyster Broccolini, served with DC Pinot Noir 2008.
Carpaccio of venison with a DC, barrel selection Shiraz 2005.
Sweet peach with peach sorbet finished with a salted sable with leatherwood honey cream, & a DC Cuvee Riche NV.
The night was topped as all the chef’s and their entourage came on stage and again were serenaded to the tune of “ABBA”s classic “THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC” which was renamed “THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD” which would make even the most avid ABBA fan proud. My personnel favourite was chicken consommé with slow poached egg & parmesan custard, and the stunning scampi and Beaujolais eschallot cream. Service was of course first class and well informed and we could certainly not keep up with the amount of wine being offered.
Certainly there was an enormous amount of planning and execution that went into the night and everyone who was involved should take a bow and Tony ensures me that next years “Cuisine Now” festival will be bigger and better. We will certainly be attending and will keep you posted on details.
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