A cracking day was had in Melbourne on Saturday.

Flemington racecourse was a hive of activity and melting people in 30+ degrees Celsius, but Derby Day is always worth it.

I flitted between the Crown and Lexus Marquees – from freshly shucked oysters, cured ocean trout and Squid with romesco at Crown…to the Rockpool Bar & Grill’s signature Wagyu sliders at Lexus, the crowds weren’t short on a good bite to eat.

I’ll be back again for Melbourne Cup tomorrow. Giddy up!

Quail Tarts, Chirashi Zushi spoons and Wagyu Sliders

Wednesday morning walking through the Pordenone markets and shops was such a treat, lots of beautiful things for people to take home and create dinner or a snack.

It is easy to see why fast food hasn’t taken hold in Italy. You are surrounded by amazing food that is fresh, beautiful and good for you. Panini, pizza, rotisserie chickens, salads, small goods, lots and lots of beautiful food all within reach and so convenient.

I love the fruit shop with all its wonderful greens and lettuces, not to mention fruit and yummy looking vegetables. All I could think of as I was walking through the streets is how much I wanted to cook in this fantastic place.

We had a rocking time at the World Chef Showcase over the weekend.

Rainer was amazing with his wonderful Zuma philosophy and some yummy cooking. The Robata grill was a big hit, smelt great and the scallops came up a treat.

Lots of other great chefs cooking; David Thomspon, Cheong Liew, Alexandre Bourdas, Sergi Arola and my personal favourite the wonderful Fuchsia Dunlop, she is the most incredible source of information on Chinese cooking and a great person to boot.

Overall  it was a fantastic success for the first one in Sydney. Watch out for the World Chef Showcase next year, it will get bigger and bigger.

Sydney’s Best Chefs Help Feed Millions For OzHarvest

OzHarvest, the official charity partner of the Sydney International Food Festival (SIFF) and NSW’s exclusive food rescue charity, is launching the One Million Meals Campaign at the Paddington Uniting Church on Monday, 19 October 2009. 

Arguably Sydney’s best chefs Neil Perry (Rockpool, Rockpool Bar and Grill, Spice Temple), Matt Moran (Aria), Steve Manfredi (Bells at Killcare), Robert Marchetti (Icebergs Dining Room and Bar), and Jeremy and Jane Strode (Bistrode), will join forces for one night only to help OzHarvest kick-start their One Million Meals Campaign where they hope to raise $1 million dollars to feed one million people by July 2010. These chefs have a total of 10 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Chef’s Hats between them.  For most it is the only time they will cook during the Festival. 

This invitation-only fundraiser, held at the Paddington Uniting Church, a beneficiary of OzHarvest, will see major corporations and supporters of OzHarvest cook alongside Sydney’s greatest cooking talent in what could be Australia’s poshest soup kitchen. Not only will the participants don aprons and clean up afterwards, they will also assist each chef with their chosen course. So imagine a CEO assisting Neil Perry with his three-shot chicken and rice, or his or her CFO plating up Matt Moran’s slow-cooked rib of beef? Priceless. 

All money raised on the night goes to OzHarvest, a not-for-profit organisation that rescues unwanted food from restaurants, retailers, food outlets and corporate kitchens across Sydney, Canberra and Wollongong to feed communities at risk. Each ticket costs $500 and the event is already sold out. The MC for the evening will be SBS Food Safari presenter and OzHarvest ambassador, Maeve O’Meara. 

Since 2004, OzHarvest has delivered a staggering 4.2 million meals with 5000 meals distributed every day to 162 charities. Not only does OzHarvest help the disadvantaged, it also diverts good food from being dumped as landfill. 

Corporate heavyweights signed up for the soup kitchen extravaganza include Macquarie Group, AMP, ANZ, Aldi, Coca-Cola Amatil, Gadens Lawyers, Minter Ellison, and Toga Hospitality, Vodafone and Woolworths. Each company will send along a group of ten who will cook at each chef’s station.

 OzHarvest ambassador, Neil Perry, who is leading the brigade of chefs, is delighted to be involved. “OzHarvest is doing an amazing job helping the hungry, homeless and needy. Just one dollar feeds one person so why shouldn’t we all help a young person falling through the cracks?”

You can donate by going online at www.ozharvest.org 

OzHarvest Founding Director, Ronni Kahn, said this week, “By July 2010, OzHarvest are determined to raise $1 million to feed one million people. This event will certainly give us the headstart we will need – bravo to the chefs of Sydney!” 

For more information about OzHarvest, or to arrange an interview with OzHarvest Founding Director, Ronni Kahn please contact: Sally Lewis at Liquid Ideas on sallylewis@liquidideas.com.au, 0410 311 501 or 02 9667 4211.

Phil and I are just back from Cape Kidnappers in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand where we did a wine dinner with Dry River Winery. It was a great night and the wine and food were very well received by the guests. They all enjoyed a weekend of golf, wine, food, relaxing and a cooking class by me on Saturday morning.  It is the first one I have done in years and I hope that they learnt a bit more about eating well at home by the end of it. Phil and I had a couple of long hard days in the kitchen to get the 5 course dinner out, but were ably assisted by Dale and his kitchen team. They have a really good group there and some of the best food I have eaten in NZ was over that weekend. Dale made us a really lovely dinner on the Thursday night with some local seafood and lamb as the main, all washed down with a few glasses of Stonyridge.

The day of the dinner was long, but really rewarding as the food came out just as Phil and I wanted, so in the end, satisfaction. The wines were terrific and I think I may have had one glass too many of the 01 pinot. The paua and xo salad and scampi dishes were winners as was the quail pie,.. it only took all of Friday to put that one to bed. The lamb was perfectly cooked sous vide at 67 degrees. Kori the pastry chef did a cracking job on the custard apple and mascarpone cake so the meal came to an awesome end.

Unfortunately I had to come back the next day after some Tunisian eggs and a book signing. I can’t wait to get back there as it really is one of the most beautiful places on earth and all the staff were fantastic to work with.

Media Release

The Rockpool Group’s four restaurants win
Wine Spectator awards

3 August 2009: Rockpool, Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney and Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne were three of 727 restaurants worldwide and only nine in Australia to receive a “Best of Award of Excellence” in Wine Spectator’s recently announced 2009 Restaurant Awards.

Spice Temple also achieved an “Award of Excellence” for its interesting and exciting selection of exactly 100 Australian and imported wines.

A “Best of Award of Excellence” is granted to restaurants that clearly offer a well-chosen selection of quality producers along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style.  Their wine lists also display vintage depth, with vertical offerings of several top producers from major regions, or excellent breadth over several winegrowing regions.  They also typically offer 400 or more selections, along with superior presentation.

An “Award of Excellence” is Wine Spectator’s entry-level award, for lists that offer a well-chosen selection of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style.

Directors Neil Perry, Trish Richards and David Doyle were thrilled with these four prestigious awards and commended Sommeliers Paul Gardner (Rockpool), Sophie Otton (Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney), Christian Denier (Spice Temple) and David Lawler (Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne) for their outstanding expertise and experience in wine list management.

“We have some of the country’s best Sommeliers and these awards are testament to their exceptional knowledge and dedication,” says Neil.

Rockpool and Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne have received numerous awards for their contribution to Australia’s dining scene and are recognised as two of the country’s premier restaurants, and since Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney and Spice Temple opened their doors early in 2009, they have established a solid reputation for their unique design, superb food offering and extraordinary wine lists.

With Neil Perry and Trish Richards’ focus on quality food, service and ambience as well as David Doyle’s passion for wine, the Rockpool Group of restaurants have become true wine destinations and world class dining experiences.

For further information and media inquiries:

Contact Michelle Campbell, Minc Communications

T 0410 614 433, E michelle@minccom.com.au

Wine, Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney

Welcome to the Neil Perry and Rockpool blog! Enjoy fossicking through recipes, news, restaurant updates and random stories on all that we do and love. The 4 restaurants in Australia are roaring along and we are now looking forward to a couple of openings in LA, the city of angels, in late 2010. In the meantime…have fun with this and let us know if there is anything further you’d like to hear about. Happy reading till then.
Cheers,
Neil