Taste Of Joburg 2015

Taste Of Joburg - The foodie event of the year, happened last weekend and I got to indulge in some pretty amazing treats!

First off, the food - this was the complete menu on the day.
1 Crown = R5
Underlined are the dishes I tried.

A la Bouffe - Chef Romuald Denesle
Mint cured kingklip, chilled cucumber veloute                                  5 CROWNS
Braised lamb flank, ratatouille, lavender sauce                                 7 "
Valrhona dark chocolate mousse (V)                                                  4 "

Eatery - Chef Shayne Holt
Smoked trout & beetroot salad, horseradish cream                                                6 CROWNS
Roasted bone marrow, brisket, pickled radish, chimichurri, toasted ciabatta        8 "
Yoghurt foam with strawberries (V)                                                                      4 "

Escondido Taps & Wine Bar - Executive Chef Martine Christian
Nori & lime dusted seared tuna loin, pawpaw & mint salsa, Ponzu sauce         8 CROWNS
Coffee roasted pork belly, parsnip puree, crispy carrot                                      7 "
Pumpkin fritters, cinnamon & sugar (V)                                                            4 "

Fusion Pantry – Chef Robert Walker
Cherry-smoked beef fillet, julienne chilli, green beans, fennel, Chilling n Lime Dressing 7 CROWNS
Potato cappalletti filled with smoked goats cheese, lemon & thyme (V)                             4 "
Sesame‘n soy marinated salmon,turmeric pickled cucumber,mashed potato,wasabi mayo  8 "
                           

                     
Gwefey – Chef Pan
Calamari Spring Rolls                                                                         4 CROWNS
Sichuan Chicken Noodle Salad                                                           6 "
Shanghai Barbecue Pork Ribs                                                             7 "

Junior SA National Culinary Team
Arancine fried, prawn risotto balls, biorganics Monarch sweet water prawn, avo salsa 7 CROWNS Slow Braised Grass-Fed Shoulder Shredded beef,sliced avo,BBQ sauce,pickled veg           6 "
Deconstructed eaton mess - chocolate brownie,chocolate berry coulis,crumble,fresh strawberries  4 "
 

               

Rabbit In the Moon - Chef Nuno Coehlo Barata
Home-made pansotti,  fiery prawns, coriander pesto                                         7 CROWNS                
Fillet tagliata,  zucchini fritti Parmigiano, rocket, caramelized potato stack      8 "                  
Tricolore Cioccolate - dark,milk & white chocolate terrine,liquors,coffee crispy wafer, fresh mint 4 "

2 Thai 4 – Chef Oya
Vegetable spring rolls with Thai sweet chilli  (V)                              4 CROWNS
Thai crispy beef with vegetables                                                        8 "
Thai Green curry chicken with vegetables                                         8 "

Spiceburg- Executive Chef Jithender Datt Saklani
Chicken, lamb, vegetable samoosas, tamarind dipping sauce         3 CROWNS                                  
Pani puri – crisp puri, chaat masala, potato, tamarind chutney       4 "      
Butter Chicken, roti                                                                          6  "                       

Hashi Fusion Sushi – Team Hashi Fusion Sushi
Earthquake Roll:Veg tempura,cream cheese,avo topped tempura prawns,spicy sauce      8 CROWNS   Vegetables tempura, cream cheese, avocado topped with tofu teriyaki                             4 "
Salmon Kizu: Cream cheese,avo in salmon,covered in tempura coat,tartar sauce & Hashi sauce  8"   Spicy Tuna - Tuna, avocado, cucumber topped with slices of  tuna,drizzled with spicy sauce      8"

TASTE  BITES
Carnivore - Serving 1 in each session
Kudu Tataki - Shimiiji mushroom,cucumber,radish, nori aioli,wasabi nuts,Asian greens   6 CROWNS Venison Tartar - Gherkins,capers,avo puree,radish rocket,Parmesan, aioli, quail eggs        6 "
Smoked Crocodile - Citrus dressing, goats cheese, cucmber ribbons, dukkah spice, orange, radish, watercress, spring onion dressing, wine glaze         6 CROWNS              

Eat – Executive Chef Philippe Wagenfuhrer with Dog & Fig
Croustillant of pork cheek,  sauce Gribiche Real Wraps Lorraine & Angelo Antonie      6 CROWNS
Falafel, humus, tahini (V)                                                                                                  5 "

Paquitos Treatery
Spanish stick churros, dipping chocolate OR Spanish ‘Porra’ filled with chocolate, Dolce de Leche (caramel)  or vanilla custard                                      5 CROWNS
                               

                                                                                                                   
Big Green Egg and Braeside Butchers
Slow Cooked Beef Tortilla                                                                  8 CROWNS
Chargrilled Vegetable Tortilla (V)                                                      7 CROWNS
Wagyu Beef Slider                                                                               6 CROWNS

The boyfriend - my model for the day! 

For me the best dish of the day was definitely the churros from Paquito’s Treatery. They were really well priced, DELICIOUS and not too sweet which is always important for me
(I am a diabetic after all).

Churros, one of Spain’s most loved comfort foods had never been available to the South African public, they are a deep fried pastry which are served with a dense hot chocolate for dipping or drinking. A the first of its kind in South Africa!!

And now for the copious amount of alcohol that was available on the day - One of my top booze filled drinks of the day was the pina colada  from Original Iced Cocktails. It was a 'not too sweet' blend of icey coconut and pineapple flavours - very enjoyable and perfect for the hot weather! 

The wines were all pretty delicious and to be honest I tasted a few too many to select a favourite. However, I did think this picnic wine glass concept was rather cool - 

Amongst the many, MANY wines and craft beer was a little hidden gem - Socks CRAFT TONIC. This tonic is handmade and contains less than 5% sugar (compared to about 40% sugar in commercial tonics). I've had this tonic before in other cocktails and it really does add so much more flavour to the drink! If you want to know any more about SOCKS then please contact me. 

And now I hand over to my 'guest blogger' Travis, who did all the beer tasting on my behalf. I'm not a fan of beers but I do enjoy ciders and must say that SXOLLIE was definitely a winner, it's an apple based cider and apart from it's great taste, I really loved the whole look and feel of the brand! 

Sxollie: A very interesting design of their bottle and branding which was immediately eye catching. This is an apple cider that is, from my understanding, made up of natural sugars from the apple instead of refined sugars. I’m a big fan of this. Very tasty and can quite easily give its bigger cider competitors a solid run. Big glass filled with ice, topped with a bottle of Sxollie, you’ll be cooler than cool and feeling ever so refreshed. Need to get my hands on more.

Two Okes: If you’re a fan of an Ale, I found the Irish Ale to be a winner. Personally I’m not big on the ales but this flavour wasn’t over powering and went down quite easily. The setup of their Beer Pong Table was a nice touch to reel in some supporters. Next time I’ll have to challenge the Two Okes Team.

Soweto Gold: I’m a fan of the Soweto Gold Original and I really enjoy things that are apple flavoured so seeing a Soweto Gold Lager that tastes like Apple, I immediately jumped onto that one. A serious burst of apple flavour and goodness on the first sip, ice cold on a hot summers day, this one will go down singing hymns all the way, only criticism I have is that it’s a bit too sweet which will make having a lot of them difficult and you’re gonna want a lot of them.

Brothers Brewery: I opted for the light Beer rather than the Gold. This one was great tasting and considering the heat on that day, it went down like Thors Hammer, fast and aggressive. If you’re looking at a Craft beer that won’t leave you so bloated, Brother Brewery Light at a 4% alcohol content is a winner. Their Mobile bar set up was pretty cool to.

Castle Milk Stout: I’ve had Stout beer many times and saw that Castle has mixed it up and introduced a Chocolate Infused Milk Stout. It was definitely very different and surprisingly tasty. Not something I could have a 6 pack of but can be a nice break in between Original Castle Milk Stouts.

Swagga: I chose the Swagga Red which is a red ale but what I found interesting is that even though it’s an Ale, it was surprisingly light on the stomach and didn’t bloat me. Filled with flavour, it is an Ale I will be trying again.

Overall Taste of Joburg is a great experience but if you look at how many crowns each taster costs you can see that it is a rather pricey day out! I love Taste of Joburg but I wish they had smaller samples available for ONE crown a taster and then people can taste more and spend extra on a larger portion on dishes they really want to try.

Thank-you to Taste of Joburg for having us! 

Also a big thank-you to Travis for helping me with tasting all the beer ;)