March into Merivale Launch Party
5 March 2009
13 Comments
A preview of March into Merivale
March into Merivale is about to march it’s way into our wallets with it’s very own addition to the food and wine and event list in Sydney. Each of Merivale’s nine restaurants will offer a series of $33 meals throughout the month of March. Before all this kicks off, Justin Hemmes and company threw a surprisingly well organised launch party at The Establishment in Sydney. With the promise of free drinks and canapes from each of the nine restaurants participating in March into Merivale, it was no surprise when it seemed like half of the Sydney office workers turned up to this event.
I wasn’t prepared for this event at all and subsequently forgot to bring my spare battery. To make things worse, I think I have lost my battery charger for my camera whilst I was in Japan. As a result of relying on whatever battery was left from my Japan trip, I ran out of battery half way through the evening and couldn’t capture all the great food and gorgeous bar maids.
Oh … and the event was also made even better when I got to catch up with a few other food bloggers. Making an appearance were spicyicecream, citrusandcandy, onebitemore, grabyourfork, atablefor2 and simonfoodfavourites.
Mad Cow
I missed out on the wagyu sirloin steaks which was a shame, the line ended up too long by the time I went back. The great thing was they had a bbq out the front freshly cooking everything and the chefs behind were assembling all the canapes on demand.
Ucello
Prosciutto
There was one lady who’s sole job for the night was slicing this little piggy. I had atleast six portions of these freshly shaved morsels. They were delicately soft and just salty enough for seconds , then thirds, then fourths and so on.
Happy piggy
Porchetta
The crackling was absolutely crunchilicious. I’d goto Ucello just for this dish.
Bistro CBD
Freshly shucked rock oysters with golden shallot dressing
What’s better than freshly shucked oysters ? Oysters that are shucked in front of you by Bistro CBD Chef Simun Dragicevich. The oysters were very fresh and juicy, might have something to do with being chilled in a Moet ice bucket.
Sushi-E
Sushi rolls were being made to order by this Chef from Sushi Choo Sushi-E (Thanks for the correction Billy!). He showcased his sushi making craftsmanship to the crowd which was great.
Kingfish
Unfortunately I didn’t get the full name of this, so you might have to visit a few of the other blogs to get the full run down of its contents. I can tell you this much, it tasted amazing. A dash of soy sauce topped with coriander and jalapeno, simple but tasty.
Teppanyaki
Ocean trout sashimi with ponzu sauce, caramel syrup, chives and red basil
One of my highlights of the night. The salmon was fresh but it was the contrasting effects of the ponzu sauce and caramel syrup which did it for me.
Soft shell crab on betel leaves
The soft shell craba when partnered with the betal leavesh gave a constrasting taste of sweet and soft crab with the crunchiness of the betal leaves. Surprisingly jam packed with flavour too.
EST
Tartare of aoraki salmon, cucumber, wasabi and ponzu
Not only did these look top notch, the ingredients all matched very well. There seems to be an obsession with ponzu lately I noticed.
Ash St Cellar
Chef doing prep work
King Fish ceviche with shaved fennel, dill and lime
This was my last photo of the night and it ended tragically. By the time I finished taking the photo, all six spoons were gone. It was a sad way to end my evening, but it was only a minor blemish on a well organised night with plenty of food to go around. The upside to my battery dying was that I could just enjoy the food and not have to worry about taking photos for once.
Was this launch party enough to convince me how good March into Merivale could be ? I think it did, all the food was delicious. With the Taste of Sydney also just around the corner, Sydney food and wine lovers are about to be severely spoilt with such a great selection of events to attend. Maybe I’ll see some of you there ?
March into Merivale is being held throughout March, 2009.
For more information and bookings visit : http://www.marchintomerivale.com
Sorry to hear that the camera dropped out mid event. Some appetising shots all the same.
Did you have a favourite of the night?
you did well with what battery you had left! (did you find it yet? or is it still off skiing in japan?) pity about missing the gorgeous bar maids.
and go go go to uccello! and have their desserts
shez’s last blog post..super quick scones
yeah it was a constant dilemma whether to take photos or take the sample! some great shots nevertheless and hope you find your battery recharger soon!
Helen’s last blog post..March Into Merivale Launch Party, The Establishment
It’s sad you missed tasting that last dish because of your obligation to photography! Putting your photographic duty above your stomach is always a hard one for a food blogger
Arwen from Hoglet K’s last blog post..No Dig Potatoes (and how to turn them into Gnocchi)
some gorgeous looking shots there man, shame your battery ran out. Not sure the piggy is being happy, but he sure was deliciously crunchy. Btw, the sushi chef is from Sushi E, sushi choo is the one next to him with Astroboys.
billy@ATFT’s last blog post..March into Merivale Launch Party
Too bad about the battery! Wish I could have tried the soft shell crab – looks so good.
Suzie’s last blog post..Better Than A Snickers Bar Pie
Hahha I am still so jealous! SO much great food and great photos mmmmm I am sure the piggy is happy… gave its life to a greater cause.
FFichiban’s last blog post..Adriano Zumbo Café Chocolat – Balmain, Sydney (5)
Simon : Yeah the battery was a bummer. My fav was probably Ucello, simple offerings but flavours were awesome.
Shez : I’ve found my charger finally, it was wrapped in my clothes (I still havn’t fully unpacked yet). Ucello was my fav, I’m definately going there!
Helen : I found it! Lucky, because chargers and batteries are so expensive.
Arwen : Agreed! Especially when certain food should be eaten at a certain temperature. Taking photos can be a hassle heh.
Billy : Thanks dude, but I feel the lighting was a bit off on some of my photos. Thanks for the correction btw!
Suzie : Soft shell crab was great, but there was so much food it was a challenge to try it all.
FFichiban : There is no greater cause than our stomachs
Whoops – late and tardy as usual! You still got some amazing shots despite the lack of battery! Photography lessons Howard *hint hint*
Great to see you again (despite the lack of catchup). Hope you get a charger soon!
Karen’s last blog post..Sydney Cellar Door 2009
Looks amazing and once again fab photos Howard! Shame I missed it. Really looking forward to Taste next week!
[...] that went but I missed out on catching up on were One Bite More, A Table for Two, Grab Your Fork, Eat Show & Tell and Spicy Ice Cream. So go check out their much awesomer photos and great coverage of this magical [...]
[...] couple weeks ago on Twitter, I asked whether anyone was going to the March into Merivale launch party. As expected, I had a mixed response of yes’s, no’s and maybe’s. Either way, I [...]
Wow, congrats on managing to take so many fantastic photos the place was packed! I think after lining up for Sushi-e and a taste of the Bistro CBD fare I gave up and decided to dedicate myself to drinking as everyone was acting like rabid dogs. Still great night ran into some people i used to work with and had a great time!