Bistro CBD Tasting Event, Sydney CBD
15 Years of Dining Excellence
A last minute invitiation from Melanie at Merivale saw a group of food bloggers huddled outside of Bistro CBD in honour of their 15 years in service. Merivale seems to be really stepping up their game this winter, firstly with their Winter Feasts menus and now Bistro CBD celebrations. Having never had the chance to eat at Bistro CBD before I was curious to see what their food would be like.
Apologies in advance for some of my photos! Using flash in a restaurant is usually a taboo I try to avoid, but in canape gathering type situations the flash inevitably comes out of my bag. My settings are somewhat all over the place at the beginning of the night resulting in what must be one of my worst food photos yet… a photo so dark that the platter looks like it is floating in midair… I promise you that somewhere in this photo is the arm of one of the servers.
Duck Rilette & Beetroot En Croute
Oh dear. To its credit the dish tasted much better than my photo gave it credit, the Croute gives a satisfying crunch and being a fan of Duck I enjoy the beetroot/duck combition.
St Agur and Fig on Lavosh
The cheese combo is probably the biggest disappointment of the night, while I cannot find anything wrong with the cheese or fig, the Lavosh is rather stale putting a damper on the mouthful. Later in the night I venture another try and am pleased to find that the Lavosh seems fresher, indicating the first batch may have simply been plated up too early.
Freshly Shucked Sydney Rock Oysters
The Oyster table is a big hit on the night, and looking at the table it’s not hard to see why. The combination of Champagne, *cough* I mean Sparking Wine and oysters sees many of the punters return again and again to the table.
Chicken Liver Parfait on Brioche
Liver is a bit of a hit and miss dish for people I’ve spoken to, you seem to either love it or hate it! In my case I can’t get enough of it, the crunchy Brioche makes for a satisfying mouthful with the strong liver taste.
Crisp Skin Jewfish, Romesco Sauce
The fish is undoubtedly my favourite dish of the night and sees me returning for seconds… thirds… fourths… and maybe too many times for me to mention without feeling slightly embarassed. Perfectly cooked mouthfuls of fish topped with a sliver of crispy skin all on a sweet chilli base. Bliss.
Roast Beef Open Sandwich
The chefs behind each of the tables are working double time as they are still plating as the the punters start to crowd the stands. Watching the chefs work their butts off I can’t help but appreciate the work they’re putting in on the night. My marathon sessions of Top Chef and other miscellaneous cooking reality shows has shown just how hard chefs work to cater for these events.
At first sight the Roast Beef sandwich seems a strange choice for the night, the huge pieces of bread seem a bit too large for a canape, however biting into the bread reveals just how soft it really is and it seems to vanish much quicker than I had thought!
Double Chocolate Brownies
Chef Simun Dragicevich
Our savory cravings sated we quickly move onto the desserts table and first on my list are the chocolate brownies which have quietly been calling my name. The brownies on first taste don’t really seem like anything special, this all changes when Chef Simun Dragicevich comes around to the table with blaster in hand transforming these previously benign brownies into gooey goodness.
Bianchi - Mini Pavlova
The mini pavlova are undeniably adorable and actually conceal a nutty centre.
White Chocolate Tarts
What I initially take for lemon tarts actually turn out to be White Chocolate Tarts. I find myself a little fascinated with the tart shells and am still wondering how they are shaped. The chocolate is nice and smooth but this dessert is nothing compared to my favourite of the night…
Caramelised Banana Cake
Caramelised Banana Cake! Chef Simon attacks each of these cakes along with the brownies and swiftly caramelises the banana topping to make each piece a sweet sticky mouthful that keeps me close to the dessert table for the rest of the night.
Congratulations to Bistro CBD for 15 years of service, here’s hoping for another 15!
Eat Show & Tell was a guest of The Merivale Group at the Bistro CBD Tasting Event on the 28th of July, 2009.
Bistro CBD
2001/75 York St
Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 8297 7010
Web: http://www.merivale.com/cbd/bistro
Author
By Minh
Minh is a food, photography, tv loving girl who on occasion likes to think that she can cook. I can't hold my drink for what its worth and have an unhealthy obsession with green tea products.
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This article was written on 07 Aug 2009, and is filed under Dinner, Events, Modern Australian, Sydney, CBD.
Current post is tagged
bistro cbd, blogger event, canapes, Dinner, merivale
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oh that banana cake totally rocked my world. so awesome. i reckon i couldve eaten the whole platter. with ease.
.-= chocolatesuze´s last blog ..chef lex =-.
Man oh man that banana cake looks so good! I need to get myself a blowtorch so I can do that to ALL my cakes haha!
.-= Steph´s last blog ..Pinot & Pie @ Gazebo Wine Garden, Elizabeth Bay =-.
I remember that chocolate tart from the Winter Feasts launch party. It was oh-so-good… *drool*
.-= shez´s last blog ..cauliflower & broccoli soup =-.
oh if only platters filled with canape really did float in the air! i like the illusion. don’t destroy it please
.-= Helen´s last blog ..Kaizen BBQ, North Ryde, Sydney =-.
nice work on your photos. i really like your one handed Crisp Skin Jewfish spoon shot. so many oysters, so little time!
.-= Simon Food Favourites´s last blog ..BKK Shopping Centre: Rainbow Drink (Che), Cabramatta (2 August 2009) =-.
oh wow! I love canapes, they always look so special!
*drooling over the desserts* I wouldn’t know where to start if I was there! haha
I noticed the same thing with the plates being held by the waitresses. Though it you didn’t say anything, it could have been passed off as an effect.
Those waitresses must have hated us for making them hold those heavy plates out for extended periods of time
The fish spoon and the banana cake really rocked!
You photos are awesommme! and floaty plates of canapes are the best kind
Mann I stuffed myself silly that night everything was so tasty but esp the banananana
.-= FFichiban´s last blog ..Aroma Festival ‘09 – The Rocks, Sydney =-.
[...] 2x E,S&T, Simon Food Fav, Citrus and Candy, Chocolatesuze, Lonefoodie, Grab Your Fork and I sneaked up the back route to come in contact with a warm and tasty welcome of platters of canapes! The room was soon full of flashes, camera clicks and temporary blind staff members but then the other guests were welcomed up and we all dug in! Here Comes the Food [...]