Dine for Life is actively encouraging lovers of fine dining to share good food and good company for a good cause. We’re working to foster lasting change in the lives of those suffering hardship. With their first dinner held way back on May 25th, 2010, the Dine for Life concept has gone from strength to strength and their fifth dinner, scheduled for Wednesday, November 27th, is expected to raise the bar even further!

So what is Dine for Life all about? It is a simultaneous dining experience, where multiple premier restaurants around Perth each host a table for 10 for a specially prepared dinner – delicious food and amazing wines, before guests are whisked away to a fun and fabulous after party at a secret location. Queue the intrigue and mystery! You just need to buy a Dine for Life ticket and the week before the event you find out where you are dining. So it will be a wonderful surprise! But given the list of restaurants hosting a table, wherever you end up going is sure to be very impressive. 

I have been to two Dine for Life events – the first back in late 2010, when I dined at Bar One and the second in October 2011, when I went to the Sentinel…. a slight Steve Scaffadi slant to the restaurants I visited But no complaints on either restaurant – each of those two evenings was brilliant. Seriously sensational food and you end up meeting some really amazing and interesting people, all of whom share an appreciation for what the night is all about.

Tickets to this prestigious event are $250 a head (on sale here) and 100% of the proceeds raised go to SISHA (South East Asia Investigations into Social and Humanitarian Activities).

SISHA is a registered Australian not-for-profit organisation and Deductable Gift Recipient that strives to ensure justice for victims of human trafficking, oppression and exploitation. Founder Steve Morrish and his team work in Cambodia and across Southeast Asia, where human rights abuses are among the highest in the world. As they continue to expand their operations in Southeast Asia, they are relying more and more on the support of global minded individuals and corporate citizens. It is possible to be the generation that ends modern day slavery and the exploitation and abuse of human beings that goes with it.

So roll on November. If you are looking for a unique dining experience that combines good food with good will – then Dine for Life is definitely an event to consider

Located in the heart of Crown Metropol, you can escape to La Vie’s opulent and sophisticated interior and indulge in an unparalleled selection of Champagne, fine wines, and spirits. All the finest names in French Champagne feature on the extensive list, including the world’s very first House of Champagne, Ruinart, with its exquisite taste and famed reputation it’s our first pour at La Vie. As well as Dom Pérignon, Bollinger, Perrier-Jouët and an elegant cocktails list to impress.

It was indeed very plush as we wandered inside! Warm red tones, gilded with gold and with a splash of glitter from the fancy chandelier. We were shown to a cosy table for two and brought drink menus. Given we were heading next door to dinner soon enough, we just stuck with a glass of sparkling each, the Arras Brut Elite Cuvee, Tasmania, $17. It felt a little bit fancy to be sipping on sparkling in such a luxurious setting with my special someone. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Would be a nice spot to head back to one day for a few drinks and to sample a few of the choice nibbles items they have on their menu.

One day maybe, but for tonight it was my chance to finally open the large wooden doors of Rockpool – I was excited! And what an entrance it is! Feels more than a bit special to wander down the candlelit hall way, especially as you near the dining room door and can see into the fridges where some very impressive cuts of dry aged beef are on display. The restaurant itself is really beautiful. Dim lighting gives it a warm feeling and I was quite impressed with the size of the place. As it was my first visit it had always been a bit of a mystery to me about how big it actually was and it was definitely larger than I expected.

We were shown to a lovely table for two and another positive was that there was a decent distance between us and other tables. Intimate dining at its best when you feel like you are in your own little world.

Water along with thin slices of fresh lemon was presented and we enjoyed those while we looked through the food menu. It is incredibly extensive, almost overwhelmingly extensive, as so many choices sounded amazing! After carefully considering our options, we finally made up our minds. I was going to go with the Warm Salad of Wood Fried Grilled Quail with Poached Quinces, Watercress and Pecans ($33) for starters and the Wagyu Bolognaise with Hand Cut Fettuccine ($39) for mains. Across from me GG ordered the Charcoal Roast Squid, Smoky Chilli and Pork Belly ($28) entrée and couldn’t go past the Cape Grim Dry Ages 36 Month Old Grass Fed Fillet 250g ($55) for mains. Now with steaks at Rockpool you get just that. Sure there is a sauce on the side, but you also need to order sides, so we locked in a few of those also. We went with “Mac and Cheese” ($9), Sautéed Mixed Mushrooms ($25) and Radicchio, Cos and Endive Salad with Palm Sugar Vinaigrette ($9).

Now once the challenge of what to order on the food front was sorted, we turned our attention to the beverage list. And if the food menu was long then don’t even get me started on the wines. It’s a big file worth of choices, plus a separate book with spirits if they take your fancy. It has long been established that I’m partial to a glass of white wine, while my handsome dining companion prefers the rouge. So we stuck to wine by the glass, which helped to narrow our choices. Another pleasing aspect of the Rockpool experience is that they have several sommeliers at the ready to assist with any queries on the wine front. Having previously enjoyed a wine dinner where Singlefile Estate was the star at Petite Mort a few years back I couldn’t go past a glass of the Singlefile Estate Family Reserve Chardonnay ($23) to start with and GG decided to join me in the experience. Amazing drop!

While we waited for our entrees to arrive we were brought some delicious slices of fresh sourdough baguette with amazingly creamy butter. We enjoyed one slice and were offered a second. Just too hard to say no to really good bread. We just finished our second slice when our entrees made their entrance. We both thought our starters were quite generous in size and were beautifully presented. I really enjoyed the flavour combination in mine. The pink quail, the crunchy endive and pecans, the peppery watercress and the pleasing sweetness from the poached quinces – it was magic in a mouthful. Yes, it was a $34 entrée but there was ample quail and for a salad it was definitely larger than I had expected.

Similarly across the table GG had been impressed with the size of his starter. I was lucky enough to try a mouthful and it was quite a contrast to my dish. My entrée had quite delicate flavours, whereas GG’s was distinctly more bold. Now the squid was cooked to perfection, melted in your mouth and the pork was entirely delicious, but the strongest flavour was the charred onion. I didn’t mind it and am a long time fan of pork on my fork, but I think of the two I preferred mine.

It wasn’t an overly long wait until our mains arrived and the only slight blemish on the service front was that we had tried to order a glass of red for GG at this time, but it took slightly longer than expected to get someone’s attention, so the wine, Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Shiraz ($13), didn’t end up arriving until after he’d started his steak. Our mains arrived with another flourish. My pasta dish was presented and I was offered parmesan and then reminded myself that I need to get one of those cool Parmesan graters as the waiter grated a generous dusting atop my plate. It looked appetizing, smelled divine and the pasta did appear as though it had been rolled in house. I eagerly twirled some pasta on my fork. No complaints on the pasta front, it was beautifully fresh. But the flavour of the bolognaise disappointingly left a lot to be desired. It was just a little bland and needed some extra kick. I had expected that a Wagyu bologanise would be more memorable. For a $39 pasta mains I was left wanting. Had really hoped it would be up there with one of the best pasta dishes I have had and for me, it wasn’t.

Across the table from me GG looked pleased with the lofty height of his fillet steak. He sliced into it and it was medium rare perfection.

I was lucky enough to try a slice and couldn’t fault it. The sides however were a little hit and miss. Wish I had more complimentary comments for the Mac and Cheese because I am a big fan of both components. Unfortunately though I just didn’t like the flavour and by our powers combined we only put the smallest dent in this dish. Now the mushrooms were the most expensive side we had ordered and I had expected it to shine. It did not. Nothing particularly wow about them at all. Another disappointment. The final side was actually my favourite. The mixed leaf salad was wonderful refreshing. It was only towards the last few leaves that the palm sugar dressing got a little overwhelming. Despite this I liked it and of the three it was my favourite.

So we’d eaten our mains and partaken in the sides and I had really hoped to be more wowed. I pondered this while our plates were cleared and we were offered dessert menus. Now I like desserts and was tempted by a few selections but wasn’t feeling overly inspired and and declined. Before I had arrived someone had described Rockpool to me as an “expensive disappointment”. I had arrived hoping that this wasn’t the case but it wasn’t far off the mark for my first visit. The service, by and large, had been efficient and friendly, but when I think about coming back to Crown there are numerous other restaurants I would rather head back to. I’d had high hopes and sadly, on this visit, Rockpool hadn’t nearly lived up to my expectations.

The décor is like a Mexican rainbow, an eclectic mix of sombreros and guest inspired graffiti on the walls. Some of which is slightly risqué to say the least. It’s a bit of a maze inside, with a main dining room and then other smaller rooms all jammed with tables off in different directions. We were sat in one of the smaller rooms and by the time it had filled up, the volume was definitely above a dull roar.

They offer a fairly extensive menu with a tex-mex slant and plenty of frozen cocktail options available – pina colada, mojito, margarita, you name it! Plus on the night we arrived it was “ladies night” so if you ordered a main meal you could get a half price frozen cocktail! I still opted for a glass of wine, but the option of a bargain slushy was appealing.

I’d seen a few meals arrive while we had been seated and they were on the generous side so we opted just to share some chili con queso between us as a starter. The option of mild, medium or hot chilli was offered and unsure of how ‘hot’ hot was, we went with medium. We probably could have afforded to go with hot, because as someone who doesn’t do overly well with spicy food the medium heat option was very light on spice. Having said that though it was a decadently cheesy dip and settled our grumbly tummies ahead of mains.

They had all your classics – nachos, burritos, tacos, enchiladas, etc and I thought that the combination plates that they offered were perfect for the indecisive, which I can be on occasion. I went with the Gallina, two chicken enchiladas and a chicken taco ($24). Combination plates proved the popular choice around the table. They were very generous in size and full of flavour. Not to forget served with an indulgent amount of cheese and an ample dollop of sour cream (I don’t actually like sour cream but for those that do, you wont be left wanting for it here ).

Now there was actually an error with my meal and I got my two chicken enchiladas, but the taco was beef and not chicken. I had queried this with the waitress and despite telling her that it was actually not a drama and I would happily eat the beef taco, they swiftly rectified the situation by bringing me a chicken taco. When I had initially looked down at my plate with the three items I had thought it would be a struggle to get through, so adding another taco into the mix really upped the challenge, but I did appreciate that they had corrected the error so quickly and without question.

I really enjoyed my meal. Yes, it’s cheesy and does not have the same modern flair as some of the new Mexican establishments around town – el Publico or La Cholita, but it has its place. You know what to expect and I was not disappointed.

I was fairly full after mains, but a few desserts were ordered that I did try (would have been rude not to right? J) The Mexican Chocolate Mousse ($7.50) was delicious! Silky smooth light and refreshing, served with whipped cream. It really did manage to find the right balance between chocolate richness, while still being on the light side. Very nice. The other dessert was interesting – Sopapillas ($7.50), Crispy flour tortilla snaps dusted in cinnamon, served with two scoops of premium vanilla ice cream, topped with caramel and a dash of chocolate! It looked interesting when it arrived and I had wondered how tortillas would go in a dessert but they actually worked really well – a nice contrast between the crispy tortilla with the cinnamon spice and the creamy ice-cream. Not bad at all!

This venue really is ideal for families or large groups, slightly challenging on the volume front for a bit of a girly chat, but that was fine – we just spoke louder, added to the din I liked the food and found the service friendly and attentive. It’s a bit of fun and it’s been operating for years now. You know what to expect at Panchos. So get together with some amigos and give it a whirl

Don’t we just  

Well if you want a reason to really scream then let’s all give a shout for the arrival of Ben & Jerry’s to town! I have partaken in more than a few tubs of delicious Ben & Jerry’s flavours on trips to the US and can say that as ice cream goes it is indulgent chunky goodness. It’s been kicking goals ever since Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield started their first ice cream store in Burlington, Vermont.

Now to celebrate this new addition to our freezers get your diaries out and pencil in this date – Thursday, June 6^th. That’s when Ben & Jerry’s will host a Scoop-a-Thon and Perth fans are invited to get involved as Ben & Jerry’s scoop up FREE ice cream for all from the new Scoop Wagon!

What: Ben & Jerry’s Scoop-a-Thon – Free ice cream!
Date: Thursday, 6 June 2013
Time: 12pm-8pm
Where: Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Wagon, Outside of the Perth Cultural Centre, William Street, Northbridge

Kalli Swaik, Ben & Jerry’s Brand Champion, says: “To celebrate our launch into Western Australia, we’ll be holding one of our all time favourite events, a Scoopa-Thon! A ‘legendairy’ event which combines free ice cream for all and raising money for a local charity partner!”
 
“As well as enjoying a free scoop, flavour fans are invited to make a gold coin donation to Mission Australia’s Perth Community Services. All money raised will go towards keeping those suffering homelessness warm this winter through the purchase of blankets.”

So supporting a very worthy local cause and a chance to sample some Ben & Jerry! But if you can’t make it along and have your heart set on giving it a whirl then the following WA stores now stock a range of different tubs in either 458ml pint tubs (RRP $11.95) or 100ml shorties (RRP $3.95):

• Univeristy of WA Guild Crawley
• Frank Torre Quality Butcher – 20 Bulwer St, Perth
• Dellisimo – 176 Swansea St, East Victoria Park
• Bookcaffe- 17 Claremont Crescent, Claremont
• Loose Produce- 2 Hobbs Avenue, Como
• Fresh Provisions – 77 Walcott St Mt Lawley
• Fresh Provisions – 258 Canning Hwy, Bicton
• V Burger Bar – Shop 81, Floreat Forum Shopping Centre
• City Provisions – 808 Hay St, Perth
• Gateway Fresh – 816 Beeliar Drive, Success
• George St Merchants – 75 George St, East Fremantle
• A Gelati and Sons – 19 Wray Ave, Fremantle
• Ingredient Tree- 87a Herdsman Pde, Wembley
• Jacks Whole Foods – Claremont Quarter
• Balcatta Growers Fresh – 652 Karrinyup Road, Balcatta
• Darryl Lea Chocolates – Shop 20, Plaza Arcade, Perth
• The Herdsman – 9 Flynn Street, Churchlands
• Gangemis – 1288 Hay Street, West Perth
• Innaloo Produce Veg – Shop 1121, Westfields, Innaloo
• Little Pantry – 206 Nicholson Road, Subiaco
• The Good Grocer- 9 Ardross St, Applecross
• Fremantle Chocolate Company – 5/7 Cantonment St, Fremantle
• Winthrop Liquor – 4/131 Somerville Blvd, Winthrop
• Smoults Continental Deli – 186 Whatley Crescent, Maylands
• Taste 32 – Shop 13, The Mezz, Mt Hawthorn
• World Of Treats – Shop 1, Market City, 280 Bannister Road, Canning Vale
• Limes Fresh Fruit and Veg – Shop 11/1, Marshall Road, Myaree
• Restore – Leederville
• Restore – Northbridge
• Madhatters on Milston – West Swan
• Sweet Memories Candy – 6 Kent St, Rockingham
• Angry Almond Wholefoods – Subiaco

Become a fan: www.facebook.com/BenandJerryAustralia

So what was I doing here? I’d been invited along to the launch of the Don Hancey Signature Program. And as I enjoyed a delightful glass of Western Australian wine and sampled some particularly delicious canapés (including a cone with some very flash fish and chips!) I learnt a little more about the Program.

“We have the best produce in the world and it’s time we started to shout up and down about it.  This program is designed to support, mentor and help publicise the quality and value of WA food and wine.”

Don Hancey is a long-time fixture on the Perth food scene from Chef to Radio Personality to Presenter, he is someone who is looking to inspire West Aussies to cook with fresh, seasonal and local produce and to raise awareness of the importance of buying local, supporting local, shopping local.

Don Hancey is the Ambassador of WA Food and through his Signature Program, he will assist in getting the message about your product out there. Any WA food and wine producer can apply for the signature if they meet the following criteria – WA Grown and Produced, WA Owned and Highest Quality.

 ”I Don’t Know Who First Coined The Term WA Food Ambassador To My Name But For The Past 30 Odd Years I Have Been Shamelessly Pro Western Australia In Supporting Our Food And Wine Producers, Farmers, Fishermen, Wholesalers And Retailers.”
 
While supporting great local products has long been Don’s passion, a formal approval program has been established to ensure that both quality and excellence is guaranteed, it is limited and exclusive and it must meet Don’s vigorous quality control checks and you can be sure when it carries Don’s signature it is the best WA has to offer.
 
If you have a product that you believe could benefit from Don’s experience and assistance then more details can be found here…. http://www.donhancey.com.au/programs.html

We arrived nice and early, actually a touch before the kitchen in the restaurant section had opened, but were shown to a table and were able to order a drink and enjoy the view.

Really stunning location overlooking City Beach and the fit out of the place is bright and colourful and very open. It looked great!

We decided we’d share a few dishes and set to work studying the small shared dishes section of the menu to decide what to have. I have to say that there were many dishes that I was keen to order! Between us we managed to narrow it down to six and when it hit 12pm and we placed our order with our waitress she did let us know that this would likely be an ample amount of food! She did query whether we would prefer to order a few and then look to order some more down the track. We were feeling ambitious and stuck to our initial plans of six dishes. We were hungry after all!

grilled haloumi, watermelon, spinach, pistachio, crystallised ginger + lemon dressing 11
pumpkin & feta arancini, red pepper pesto, basil aioli 12
smoked chilli + tomato braised pork shoulder, grilled bacon, parmesan + jalapeño cornbread 16
crumbed fish tacos, shredded cabbage, tomato salsa, coriander, avocado + cumin yoghurt 17
snapper ceviche, citrus avocado, grilled sweet corn + chilli salsa in fried wanton baskets 17
pan fried garlic + chilli marinated cuttlefish, piquillo pepper, quinoa + coriander salad, sherry vinegar, olive oil 18

Didn’t take too long at all for the dishes to start arriving and as soon as they did I could appreciate the waitress’s gentle warning. The size of each dish was very generous! There was barely room for a side plate when our six dishes arrived and it was like Tetris to get them all to fit. But we managed and we surveyed the impressive spread.

First impressions were that everything looked great! Ingredients all looked super fresh and were creatively presented. I couldn’t wait to get stuck in! We decided to be strategic about the order we tackled the dishes in and started with the hot seafood with the plan of ending with the salad.

So first up we tried the pan fried garlic + chilli marinated cuttlefish, piquillo pepper, quinoa + coriander salad, sherry vinegar, olive oil. Amazing! I haven’t had cuttlefish on too many occasions but essentially find it very similar to squid. It was cooked to perfection. Nothing rubbery about it at all and in combination with the flavoursome quinoa salad it was just a delicious balance of flavours. We both loved this dish and it definitely raised the bar for the next five.

So from here we continued our seafood journey with the crumbed fish tacos, shredded cabbage, tomato salsa, coriander, avocado + cumin yoghurt. I don’t often opt for a hard taco these days. I find them hard work to eat without spilling things everywhere and I’m useless at hand foods at the best of times. But I was still keen to give it a go. The fish itself was really nice. Lightly crumbed on the outside and total white flakey goodness inside. Nothing fishy about it so that’s a win. However with the shredded red cabbage and only a small amount of the avocado and cumin yoghurt I found it a bit bland. I only realized after I ate mine that I didn’t have any of the tomato salsa in my taco, but I’m just not sure that some tomato would have upped the flavour stakes in this dish. So while I liked the fish, overall I thought these tacos could have been a bit more punchy in the flavour stakes.

Up next we took a sojourn from seafood with the pumpkin & feta arancini, red pepper pesto, basil aioli. I am a long time arancini fan and did think the pumpkin and feta was a lovely combo, along with the pesto and aioli. If I was being picky the trend of underseasoning seemed to continue with this dish. Just a sprinkle more salt was all I was chasing. I didn’t mind these though.

The final hot dish we had ordered was the smoked chilli + tomato braised pork shoulder, grilled bacon, parmesan + jalapeño cornbread. We both agreed on seeing this on the menu that it just sounded amazing. The dish presented well and having the cornbread as a base for the pork was an interesting idea. However, flavourwise again we were both left wanting. The pork just had no kick. If there was chilli we couldn’t taste it. The meat itself was almost a little watery tasting. I’d have to say that of all the dishes we ordered, this one proved the most disappointing, I think because we both had such high expectations on ordering it.

Back to the ocean and dish five was the snapper ceviche, citrus avocado, grilled sweet corn + chilli salsa in fried wanton baskets. Again, pretty as a picture, but I think with a ceviche I was hoping for a real zesty citrus flavour. Really didn’t get that with this dish. The snapper itself was very nice, but again it was a little bland.

Finally and almost as a palate cleanser of sorts we finished with grilled haloumi, watermelon, spinach, pistachio, crystallised ginger + lemon dressing. It wasn’t bad. I quite liked the combination of the salty haloumi along with the refreshing sweetness from the watermelon. As far as a salady dish goes it was satisfying.

So we’d ordered six dishes and had really only loved one of them. Not the best outing. No faulting the service, our waitress had been lovely and our orders had arrived swiftly, but just the impressive appearance of the food had not, for the most part, been reflected in the taste.  As we left I was more than a little disappointed but did notice on our walk to the till that the dish of choice at other tables was the classic fish and chips. If I ventured back I’d stick with that.

Quite an interesting menu and I was intrigued by the prospect of structuring a two course Coat of Arms experience. So this meant that my entrée was to be Seared Emu fillet, Shitake mushrooms, asparagus, ginger plum jam $25 and for my main I would be enjoying Kangaroo loin, fenugreek-pumpkin puree, courgette, rosemary olive jus $38. Around the table in our group of five there was quite the varied range of choices, from the Kilpatrick oysters to the Confit of ocean trout, matcha ice cream, salmon caviar $21. Lots of dishes sounded appealing which made for some tough decisions as to what folks would have.

While waiting for our meals to arrive we were offered a selection of fresh bread rolls. I opted for an olive roll. Delicious! Wonderfully fresh and very pleasant with a generous spread of some of the butter that had been brought to the table. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, good bread and real butter is one of life’s joys.

There wasn’t a huge crowd in attendance on the day we rocked up, but it was a Monday and I suppose I was fortunate to be lunching it up on the first day of the working week

The entrees all presented beautifully and I thought size wise were more than decent. I’d only ever had emu as part of a Coat of Arms burger and while it was delicious, I can’t say it had an overly distinct emu flavour. With this dish though, emu was the star and I had the chance to really appreciate its flavour. I think I had assumed, because it’s a giant bird, that emu would taste like, well a giant chicken I suppose. It’s actually more of a red meat. It had been cooked to pink perfection and had a strong but pleasing meaty flavour. Ticking the gamey box I suppose. The inclusions of the crunchy asparagus and mushrooms, along with the sweet spiciness from the ginger plum jam really made this an enjoyable dish. It was a really pleasing and interesting first introduction to the Firewater Grille’s offerings.

Around the table folks seemed equally pleased with their choices. Boss B gave approving nods to his half dozen Kilpatrick oysters (Australian finest oysters: Half Doz $22) and even the soup, pumpkin, carrot and saffron with goat’s curd $17, was said to be a winner.

We sat and chatted and at another table I noticed that a group of ladies were enjoying high tea. Nice to know there’s a place that does high tea on a Monday. Soon enough though it was time for mains and my kangaroo hopped its way to the table. Ok, it didn’t really hop…. that would have been a worry. It was elegantly presented and I thought it looked good. Again a generous size and the kangaroo had been cooked to a pleasing pink. I have eaten roo on a few outings and it is gamey. Strong, meaty taste but with this dish I quite liked the sweetness that was matched with it from the pumpkin puree. It was lovely.

Of my entrée and main I was probably slightly more wowed by the emu but as a two course experience it had been pleasing.

Around the table folks seemed generally pretty pleased, but from what I could glean entrees had been the winners over mains.

Amelia Park lamb cutlets, mint jam, lyonnaise potato $46

Linley Valley pork cutlet, apple cider jam, colcannon $37

Treeton Farm 200g Fillet Mignon $46 - All steaks are served with gratin potato, asparagus, herb roasted cherry tomatoes and your choice of sauce with condiment service Sauces – Béarnaise/Mushroom/Pepper/Garlic cream

We had toyed with the idea of dessert or cheese but service, which had generally been ok during the meal, seemed to weaken towards the end and getting anyone’s attention was a bit of a mission. So after working towards putting a dent in the bottle of red, which again we had only ordered late because of the lack of staff to place the request with, we decided that dessert could wait for another day and we made our exit.

Company wise no complaints and I quite liked the dishes that I had tried, but I think Firewater needs some improvement on the service front to match the plush surroundings and to lift this from just a “hotel” restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, service had been friendly, it could just have been slightly more attentive. There’s always next time.

Adding to the magic from previous years, this year there are also some interactive events added to the calendar including the Maggie Beer Morning Tea, Fisher & Paykel’s Yum Kitchen and the LifeStyle FOOD Chef’s Table. Based back at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, the foodie faithful have the chance to explore new and exciting products and sample quality morsels from both local and national food and wine from over 150 exhibitors! Something to keep everyone happy with such a vast line up! So what are some of this year’s new additions?

• Riedel A+ Australian Wine Bar – Introducing the new Riedel A+ Australian Wine Bar. Enjoy masterclasses highlighting quality Australian wines, presented by some of the wine industry’s most reputable and knowledgeable characters.
• Fisher & Paykel’s Yum Kitchen – Like lime to a ceviche, Fisher & Paykel’s YUM Kitchen will add that extra kick to your foodie weekend. Cook alongside dynamic demonstrators at the Good Food & Wine Show’s first hands-on cooking experience, run by Australia’s most-loved cooking schools. When you’ve finished in the kitchen, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour with a matched wine at the YUM Kitchen dining table. Cook, create, laugh, learn, nosh and toast all at the Fisher & Paykel YUM Kitchen.
• LifeStyle FOOD Chef’s Table – Designed for lovers of delicious food, specialty wines and a desire to learn from some of the world’s best chefs, LifeStyle FOOD Chef’s Table is a treat for the senses. You will enjoy three tasting dishes with paired wines from one of your favourite celebrity chefs in this intimate and interactive event. Plus you’ll leave with a generous LifeStyle FOOD goodie bag.
•  VIP Packages – Tempt yourself with Good Food & Wine’s exclusive VIP packages. Ranging from $60 to $100, these passes are a fantastic way to experience all the show has to offer.  They are also a great opportunity to entertain business associates and friends.

And I’m very fortunate to be able to offer Perth Munchkin readers a special code to receive $10 off the price of general admission tickets – that takes it down to $26 instead of $36! Bargain

The code word is BLOG and just head to the link below to secure your tickets. Just select general entry ticket, choose the day you’d like to go and then enter the code when prompted. http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=GOODFOODP&view=gfws And enjoy! This year will be my first visit to the Good Food and Wine Show and I’m a little bit excited about finally checking it all out

Perth is a wonderful place to live and I find it so special when I am fortunate enough to be introduced to a local business doing some lovely things on the food front. Particularly when the food is cheese. I do enjoy cheese

Such was the case when Teezy Cheese came a knockin’ on my door one fine Saturday afternoon. A friend of a friend who knew the Teezy Cheese crew asked if I was interested in sampling some of what Teezy Cheese offered. I couldn’t say no! I had expected maybe a few small samples, which I would have been stoked with, but I was slightly overwhelmed when this platter was presented to me.

I mean look at it!! It’s brie in the shape of Australia – talk about impressive! And King Island South Cape Brie at that! And then dotted around the platter were a range of other cheese varieties – a wonderfully bitey and crumbly cheddar, several varieties of blue including an Ash Blue which had an interesting flavour and then there was the brie, which was just so indulgently creamy. It was very helpful having all the little flags to explain what each type was. What a delicious afternoon it was as GG and I worked to put a respectable dent in the expansive platter. Hard to pick a favourite but it was the first time I had tried triple cream blue and I loved it! The perfect balance of decadent creamy goodness along with the salty kick from the blue – winner! There was also some King Island Smoked Cheddar that rocked my world – long time fan of smoked cheeses. And I suspect I ate at least a Queensland sized piece from the Aussie shaped brie

 Amazing – my thanks to Teezy Cheese for the opportunity to indulge in one of my favourite foods! Very spoilt!

 “Dessert without cheese is like a beauty with only one eye”
― Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Now let me know tell you a little about Teezy Cheese. It’s a family run business – with the name coming from the first letters of the four business owner’s names, with extra E thrown in to round out Teezy

Teezy Cheese has a stall at Manning Farmer’s Market every Saturday (8.00am til 1.00pm) and on Sundays (8.00am til 1.00pm) you can find them at Kalamunda Farmer’s Market. What the team love most is the social aspect of heading along to the markets and selling cheese to their customers. It’s a nice change from the 9 to 5 jobs during the week, I can definitely appreciate that A very diverse range of cheese is stocked, with some of those different varieties that can’t be found in supermarkets. Teezy Cheese aims to try and source Australian made cheeses, but in the interests of maximum variety there are some international cheese on offer as well.

“Life is great. Cheese makes it better.”
― Avery Aames, The Long Quiche Goodbye

And if you liked the look of the platter above then you can order them. Their platters have been growing in popularity in recent times and they offer different “Themed Platters’, where they endeavour to work with the customer and ensure the platters are presented so they both look and taste very appetising. They are keen to “push the creative limits of cheese to the edge”. Having been presented with brie in the shape of Australia I think they are achieving this goal. Definitely something to keep in mind for a cheese fan in your life…. A pretty platter could be the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, Australia Day, Grand Final Day, Tuesday… tehehe you get the idea. They are great for any special day of the year

And I know last year when GG and I had our special day, we did toy with the idea of replacing a more traditional wedding cake with a cheese tower. We stuck with mud cake in the end but if you would prefer to go down the cheese route then Teezy Cheese can assist. An artful stack of cheese as your cake would no doubt be quite the talking point!

So if you are in the market for some quality cheeses then keep Teezy Cheeses in mind and be sure and head along to their Kalamunda or Manning Market stalls to say hello one weekend soon

“Give me a good sharp knife and a good sharp cheese and I’m a happy man.”
― George R.R. Martin

So how does it all work? From May through to September there will be six classes held by six West Aussie based Italian chefs, all of whom have been awarded the Italian Government’s quality seal, Ospitalità Italiana. And what is Ospitalità Italiana? It is a quality seal, the certification in hospitality recognised by the Italian Government. It was created to promote the traditions of Italian agricultural and food products and value Italian gastronomic culture. Examples of the criteria that are assessed include:

• The use of certified ingredients of Italian origin
• The presence of personnel able to interact with clients in Italian and other typical Italian elements
• A menu and wine list that contain traditional certified products including extra virgin olive oil
• At least one person in the kitchen who can attest experience and proficiency in Italian cooking

This certification is limited to restaurants and more than 1000 have been recognised worldwide. Despite 2011 being the first year that Italian restaurants in Australia were considered for Ospitalità Italiana certification there are now eleven certified here in Western Australia!

• Galileo Buona Cucina (Shenton Park) – Vincenzo Soresi
• Gargano (Nedlands) – Mario Gorgoglione
• Italians (East Perth) – Luca Galaverna
• Maretti Caffe’ Cucina (Mosman Park) – Matteo Maretti
• Maurizio Restaurant (Perth) – Maurizio Di Ciano
• Millioncino (Perth) – Maurizio Quaquarelli
• Modo Mio (Burswood) – Andrea Tranchero
• Osteria dei Sapori (Nedlands) – Mario Tolardo
• Paradiso Restaurant (Attadale) – Giuseppe Anastasio
• Perugino (West Perth) – Guiseppe Pagliaricci
• Villa D’Este’ (West Perth) – Enrico Moschetti

The six different classes will cover a range of both traditional and modern Italian cooking styles each week in an Italian designed kitchen. A selection of fabulous imported Italian products will feature from European Foods, Gusto Italia and Single Vineyard Sellers, and also Terranova fresh meat.

Specific details of each of the classes can be found and places booked here:

http://www.icci.asn.au/activities_detail.asp?id=253

From the food I was fortunate enough to sample last night was divine and I can only say I can’t wait to sign up to a class and learn some of the tricks of the trade from these Italian masters!

And as noted by Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Secretary General Marco Mari, “Guests will learn techniques and specific Italian dishes, and they will also taste all the dishes and sample matched Italian wines, so we advise guests to come along with an empty stomach!”

My kind of class! Learning and eating

He also added that, “For the same price as eating out at a good restaurant, guests have the added bonus of taking home new skills, making it exceptional value for money.”

All demonstrations start at 6.30pm and the cost per class is $90 or $500 for the series of six. Class numbers are limited to 30 participants.

And in case you need further inspiration here’s a few happy snaps from the dishes prepared last night by Egidio Squillace from Event Style and Guiseppe Pagliaricci from Perugino Restaurant.

My big thanks to the ICCI and Pronto PR for the invitation. Bellissimo!

(Very hard to pick a favourite dish but for me it was a tough call between the indulgence of the deep fried mozzarella balls, the gnocchi was pillow soft and just so decadently creamy and the lamb chops were cooked to pink perfection – yum!)

Prawn and pesto sauce

Scallop carpaccio with mango

Pumpkin and smoked cheese dumpling

Bacala (cod) and potato fritters or Bacala (cod) fritters (without potato)

Herbed Focaccia

Prawns and pancetta with balsamic

Crostini with Italian sausage and cheese

Crostini with cheese and truffle

Deep fried mozzarella balls

Gnocchi with gorgonzola, apple, parmesan and pine nuts

Ravioli filled with potato, cheddar, and proscuito di San Daniele with a pumpkin sauce and a dash of béchamel

Rack of lamb cooked with olive oil, lemon juice and oregano

Chicken with olive oil, mint, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper AND Rabbit with black olives and white wine

Macadamia panna cotta with white chocolate sauce or Pistachio panna cotta with berry sauce