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Eat Now, Melbourne CBD Food Delivery

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28 June 2015

Melbourne has always been known for its great restaurants, with a huge variety of food on offer across the city and a wide range of cuisines from across the world represented, Melburnians are spoiled for choice. One thing that has been missing however is the ability to order takeaway from Melbourne’s best restaurants. When we visited New York a few years ago, we were impressed that many of the city’s best restaurants had a constant stream of customers coming in to pick up takeaway orders. Great restaurants offering their full menu as takeaway was something that we thought was a great idea and we wished that more places in Melbourne did the same thing.

Fast forward to 2015, and our wish has been granted. Over the past few years, the number of restaurants in Melbourne offering their full menu (or close to it) as takeaway has increased significantly, and one of the businesses that has assisted in making this a reality is EatNow*.

EatNow is one of Australia’s leading online food delivery services and operates in over 4,400 restaurants Australia-wide. In Melbourne, they have an extensive offering, especially for Melbourne CBD food delivery. Whether it’s on the EatNow website or using their app, it’s easy to search for local restaurants, order, pay and pick up your food or get it delivered.

One of the best things about EatNow is that it covers a lot of cuisines so there really is something to satisfy any craving on there. A few of our favourite Melbourne restaurants which offer takeaway through EatNow include.

Shizuku Ramen

Shizuku Ramen offers a range of traditional and modern Japanese menu options for those in the mood for some quality Japanese dishes. Our recommendation is the deliciously indulgent lobster roll with kewpie, salad, pickled carrot & daikon and of course, the signature tonkotsu ramen, which uses a creamy a broth that takes 24 hours to prepare.

The Voodoo Jerk Truck

Hidden at the back of Smith Street Bar Los Barbudos is the Voodoo Jerk Truck and thanks to EatNow you can get the tasty Caribbean-Jamaican inspired jerk chicken that they serve up delivered to your house. Our recommendation is the Island Fried Chicken, which is marinated in a light jerk coating and served with rum-pickled vegetables, preserved lemon, mint yoghurt and chilli sauce.

Izakaya Chuji

Izakaya Chuji is one of Melbourne’s original Izakayas and to this day, is one of its best. The sushi is great and there is an extensive range of Izakaya options on offer, ranging from Karrage to Takoyaki, Tempura to Tonkatsu and a whole lot more. It’s one of our default go to places when eating out in Melbourne’s CBD and it’s great that their menu is available on EatNow.

Meatballs & Sons

As the name suggests, Meatballs & Sons specialise in meatballs using the best quality ingredients. It’s not just traditional meatballs that are offered here, with interesting combinations such as Thai chilli chicken and skewered bourbon-glazed pork sitting side by side with more traditional options. A small selection of other foods are also offered such as burgers, sliders, salads and sides and there is also a small selection of very good desserts to choose from.

The Brass Coq

The Brass Coq opened recently in Melbourne’s CBD and has already generated quite a bit of buzz for its authentic Vietnamese food and great laid back atmosphere. While you might not be able to bring the atmosphere of the upstairs bar home with you, there will be no complaints when ordering from their great menu. The braised pork belly bun and rice paper rolls are a must try.

*This post was sponsored by EatNow.

10 Tips You Should Know Before Visiting Iran

Paul

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28 June 2015

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10 Tips You Should Know Before Visiting Iran

Iran is one of the most misunderstood countries in the world. From the Islamic Revolution in 1979, through to the Iran-Iraq war between 1980-1988 and the dubbing of Iran as a member of the “Axis of Evil” by US President George W Bush in 2002, people in the West have never really had the opportunity to know what Iran is really about. There might be a lot of geopolitical tensions between Iran and the United States, and a lot of accusations being thrown around by both parties, but in recent years, access to Iran has become easier than it has been in a long time. The doors to this ancient country are opening slowly and when the opportunity arose to visit in May this year, Lauren and I didn’t hesitate to say yes.

There is a lot of information about Iran out there, however most of it is either false or out of date. As a visitor to Iran, there are several things that you want to know before you arrive. There’s a lot to discuss, and over the coming months we will be putting a lot of Iran related content up on The City Lane. We loved our time in Iran and want to show you the country through our eyes, dispelling many myths and misconceptions along the way.

In our first Iran article, we want to share with you our top 10 tips you should know before visiting Iran.

Getting A Visa

As with any country, the visa requirements for entry into Iran differ depending on the passport that you hold. If you are from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, The Netherlands, France, or Japan, things are really easy – you can either apply for a 20 day tourist visa from the Iranian embassy in your country or you can get a visa on arrival. That’s right, Aussies and Kiwis can rock up to any airport in Iran without a visa and get one then and there.

If you are a citizen of the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom, the visa on arrival option isn’t available to you. The only way you’ll be able to get a tourist visa is by taking part in an “official” tour of Iran. I could go into more detail on the specifics of visa requirements for visiting Iran but there’s no need as my friend and fellow travel writer Nate has covered this in a rather extensive article over on Yomadic, which you can read here.

If you find that you’re having too much of a good time in Iran and that you’d like to spend more time in the country, you can easily get your tourist visa extended at an immigration office in one of Iran’s major cities. By all accounts the immigration office in Shiraz is one of the best for this.

Also a word of advice to Australians, the Iranian embassy in Canberra do not like to answer their phones or respond to e-mails. Just make sure that you fill in the paperwork correctly and you’ll be fine. When we received our visas the embassy actually spelled Lauren’s surname incorrectly. We tried to contact the Iranian embassy several times (87 times in fact) but this was to no avail. In any case, we arrived in Iran and the mistake on the visa was a non-issue – Lauren got into Iran no with problems.

Money

The currency used in Iran is the Iranian Rial. It’s a currency whose exchange rate can vary wildly and what I write today could be completely inaccurate in a few weeks time. When we travelled in May 2015, the official exchange rate was USD$ 1 -> IRR 29,234. The thing is, you never pay attention to the real exchange rate. Most currency exchanges we visited, including one at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, were offering a rate closer to USD$1 -> IRR 33,000, which was significantly better than the “official” rate.

There are 2 places where you can get your money changed in Iran. The first are currency exchanges just like any other country while the second are black market currency dealers – you’ll see these guys on the sidewalk with briefcases full of cash open and a hive of activity around them. They aren’t dodgy as such but they aren’t technically official either. Our advice is to shop around and get a rate that you feel comfortable with. You’ll get an idea very early on as to what a “good” rate is and you should use this as a ballpark guide for the rest of your trip.

On the topic of currency, things can get confusing because of the exchange rate (it takes a while to get used to the fact that USD$35 makes you a millionaire) and because there are 2 measures of money used. Although there is only one kind of note, the Rial, prices are sometimes expressed in Rial and other times in Toman. 10 Rial = 1 Toman. This does cause some confusion – the best we can say is to use your judgment. If a price seems too good to be true, that’s probably because it is. When in doubt, the safe bet is to assume that the price is listed in Rial – if you hand over what you think you’re meant to be paying in Rial you’ll soon be corrected, and at that time you can choose whether or not you want to continue with the transaction.

There are banks, automatic teller machines, and credit card facilities everywhere in Iran but unfortunately these can’t be accessed by foreigners due to US sanctions. As a foreigner you’ll need to bring cash, and the best currency to bring with you is US Dollars or Euro. How much cash do you need? Well as a guide, not including accommodation, you shouldn’t need to budget any more than USD $35 per person, per day at the aforementioned exchange rate. That’s right, Iran is a very cheap country to visit. We didn’t hold back on what we spent while there for 2 weeks and we returned home with more than half of the money that we’d brought over.

Dress Code

Most of the information that you find on the Internet about the dress code in Iran is quite vague, and often incorrect. The reason for this is that the rules keep on changing. Currently, things are better than they have been in the past. For men, the dress code is simple – jeans or trousers and any kind of top. I was in jeans and either a t-shirt or collared shirt for the entire trip. The main thing that’s important for men is that the legs are covered – no shorts guys. Footwear can be whatever you like – open shoes such as sandals are perfectly acceptable.

For women, things get a bit more complicated. As a general rule, relatively loose fitting tops that cover your arms and come down to your mid thigh or knees is what’s required. Trousers are essential. Your hair must be covered with a headscarf, however your face is allowed to be fully exposed – the burka is not commonly seen in Iran, and it’s usually a headscarf or hijab that you see, along with the chador in more conservative areas.

In the big cities like Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan, you see women pushing the limits of what’s allowed in the country. Don’t be fooled by what the western media tells you – Iranian women are strong willed and independent and like to push boundaries. You’ll see women wearing the mantou – a sort of fitted coat, bright shoes and head scarves that only cover the back half of the head. Look around to see what the local women are wearing and dress accordingly. We’d read a lot about the “fashion police” in Iran, who patrol the streets looking to scold women who don’t dress conservatively enough however during our 15 days in the country, we only encountered these police on one occasion. In a very conservative rural town in the middle of dessert we were waiting outside of a mosque and the women in our group were instructed that they needed to pull up their head scarves so that all of their hair was covered. Just like any other country in the world, things get more conservative as you leave the bigger cities.

Internet

There’s no argument here – the Internet in Iran is pretty terrible. In the major cities things aren’t too bad when they are working, and sometimes you can get a connection that’s about the same speed as an ADSL1 connection. Unfortunately, these connections aren’t stable and you can expect dropouts several times during your browsing session. Outside of the major cities things get even worse and you’ll be longing for the day when you can get a full 10 minutes on the Internet at a decent speed which can happen, but is a rare occurrence.

The poor Internet in Iran is exasperated when you use a VPN. There are several sites that are banned in Iran, the most obvious for Westerners being Twitter and Facebook (Instagram is allowed). If you want to access these services while in the country you’ll need a VPN. It’s no secret that Iranians do access these services and it’s not unusual for locals to give you their Facebook details so you can connect with them. It’s one of those situations where the government officially bans the services but turns a blind eye to the fact that they are being used. I won’t give advice on which specific VPNs you can use for obvious reasons however when you get to Iran finding out this information will not be an issue – just be prepared for the fact that things will be slow.

Alcohol

The rule when it comes to alcohol in Iran is simple. It’s illegal, it’s banned, don’t think about it. Officially recognised non-Muslim minorities are allowed to produce alcoholic beverages for their own consumption and for religious rites (for example Armenians and Assyrians) and interestingly statistics show that alcohol consumption in Iran is the third highest in Middle Eastern, Muslim dominated countries behind Turkey and Lebanon. Make of this what you will but our advise is to neither drink nor seek out drink- it’s really not worth the risk.

What you will see in every drinks fridge in cafes and restaurants across the country are non-alcoholic malt beverages. Popular brands include Istak, Delstar, Hey Day and Shams. The original flavours are pretty bad tasting however the fruit flavoured options, such as lemon, peach and tropical are actually quite tasty, although they have more in common with soda rather than beer. The bottles/cans and labels certainly look like beer, but beer this is not.

Safety

Despite what the mainstream Western media tells you, Iran is not a dangerous place full of terrorists who want to kill you. The famous 12th century Sufi poet Sanai once said “Know him as a gift from thy lord, when a guest suddenly shows at your door”, and this attitude permeates the Iranian mindset. Iranians are friendly, really friendly, as in the friendliest people we’ve met on our extensive travels. They want to know about you, why you decided to visit Iran, what you think of the country and how you’re doing. They are genuinely nice people and love to chat to visitors about anything and everything. Tourists are rare in Iran for a variety of reasons and when Iranians see a visitor, they want to make sure that that visitor feels welcome.

Walking through the streets of Iran’s cities, we were surprised at just how safe we felt. Money changers sit on the sidewalks, openly displaying cases and boxes full of cash, there are people everywhere going about their lives and it’s not uncommon to see families out enjoying themselves and picnicking (a favourite pass time of Iranians) late into the night, every night. We felt safer in Iran than we have in most other countries that we’ve visited.

Iranians will offer you gifts out of the goodness of their hearts and expect nothing in return however you might be surprised at the extent and value of the gift that they offer you, which leads to the next point…

Taarof

Taarof is a Persian form of civility that encompasses a variety of social behaviours. Where visitors will encounter taarof is when at the shops or talking with a local about an object that they admire. Essentially a person (offeree) is obliged to offer anything another might want, and the person receiving the offer (offeror) is equally obliged to refuse it. This goes back and forth several times (generally 3) before the offeror and offeree finally determine whether the offer and refusal were real or simply polite. It’s confusing and you kind of just have to roll with it.

We encountered taarof several times during our stay in Iran but one example really illustrates it nicely. On our first day in Tehran we were waiting outside of our hotel when we spotted a really nice vintage car. One of our friends was admiring the car when a hotel employee walked out and indicated to us that it was his car. He asked our friend if he wanted to sit inside the car and take a look, which he did. When it was obvious that our friend really liked the car, the employee offered him the car. He handed over the keys and said “take it, it’s yours”. In this situation, taarof was clearly at play.

The “Religious Thing”

Iran might be an Islamic republic but one thing that was surprising even to us is that it didn’t feel like an overly religious place. Sure there’s the strict dress code, the ban on alcohol and photos of the 2 Ayatollahs all over the place but when it comes down to people actually living their lives, everything seems quite normal. Iranians follow the rules that are set down of course, but walking down the street you don’t feel like anything is being shoved in your face and beyond the obvious things, it’s all very subtle and the street scenes that you see could be that of any other place in the world.

Quite simply, in the major cities in particular, Iran just doesn’t feel super religious. It’s clear that the majority of Iranians live with the restrictions placed on them because they have to, not because they want to. Yes it’s simplifying the matter but as a visitor to Iran, you’ll be surprised.

Persians Aren’t Arabs

Persians have a long and proud culture, which dates back thousands of years. Persians are proud of their culture and who they are and its important to note that Persian culture is distinct from Arab culture. On several occasions we were told that one of the biggest insults that you can throw at a Persian is to call them an Arab. It’s the misrepresentation of Persian culture that is offensive – for example Iranians were highly offended by the false depiction of ancient Persians as barbarians in the movie 300, as ancient Persian was in fact a highly civilised and advanced culture.

Numbers & Letters

Although you see European numbers in some places, by far the most common numeral system used in Iran is the Hindu-Arabic numeral system. Knowing the symbols for numbers 0-9 is essential. Thankfully they are really easy to learn.

Shops often only use Farsi in their signs, which can make pinpointing a specific place difficult however navigation is made easier by the fact that most street signs are bilingual, and contain street names that use both Farsi and Roman letters. This gives visitors a shot at being able to read maps and find their way around. When it comes to menus at restaurants and cafes, you’ve got about a 50/50 chance of getting an English menu. Thankfully, the super friendly Iranians will do all they can to make sure you can order something that you want.

Keep these 10 tips in mind when you travel to Iran and they will set you in good stead when you arrive. If you’ve been to Iran and have any tips you’d like to share, please let us know in the comments section below – I’m sure our readers would love to know.

Mocan & Green Grout, Civic

Chris

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27 June 2015

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Hidden behind a hotel and next to another hotel in Acton, Canberra is Močan & Green Grout, a small but lively café that thankfully shares little in common with the fare of its neighbours.

This cafe, which was already bustling when I arrived a little after 7am, was on this occasion filled with a combination of joggers, business people, and people like me who were attending the conference at the nearby hotel. I looked around in my half-asleep state and made for one of the vacant tables near the wall.

On opening the coffee menu I was greeted with the usual suspects including regular and large sizes, and choices of an extra shot or soy. There was also a selection of teas, juices and soft drinks, but given the hour of day, I ordered a large latte.

Large Latte ($4.00)

When it arrived, it was nice to see the latte art, but I was a little disheartened to see it in a cappuccino mug instead of the expected tall mug or glass. It’s a small thing, I know, but I did find my Melbournian soul a little irked by it. Although despite this niggling mug choice, the coffee was smooth and flavourful with just a hint of bitterness. With the caffeine beginning to kick in, I picked up the breakfast menu.

The wait staff were patient as I read and re-read the menu before finally deciding on the dish that called itself the Savoury Avocado Granola. How did I choose this over everything else on the menu? I’ll admit, I chose it mostly out of a real curiosity of what it would taste like. It was a gamble of course, and I wondered if my random methodology might result in something less than satisfactory, but thankfully, when I mentioned it to the wait staff they seemed very pleased with my choice; although that could have just been because I had finally chose something.

Savoury Avocado Granola ($14.00)

When I first looked at it, I was a little confused. There was bread, greens, half an avocado, a red flower, and spread throughout, granola coated in a layer of red spice. After carefully putting aside the flower I made a start, still cautious and wondering if I was eating it right. Was I supposed to eat the flower? Were the greens were just ornamental? I let go of my fears and combined the granola, avocado, and bread onto the fork and took a bite.

It could have been the hour of the day, it could have been the coffee, it could have even been the atmosphere, but either way, the flavour was something quite incredible. It was unorthodox certainly, and spicy enough to rival a solid Mexican dish, but really amazing all the same. This was so much so that I wound up finishing it at a speed I was worried would lead to indigestion. But to hell with the consequences, it was worth it.

There is also a lot to like about the look of Močan & Green Grout. Like many Canberra venues, the café faces the challenge of trying to appear old and rustic while at the same time being located at the bottom of a newish residential and hotel area. It cleverly takes on this task by using a combination of a wood-lined interior, plants on the counters, and surfaces covered in gold-coloured polished metal, to make you really feel like you’ve stepped away from your surroundings and into somewhere entirely new.

Overall, despite feeling the sting from with my latte mug pedantry, Močan & Green Grout’s location, atmosphere, and of course it’s food, make for a really great and unique café experience. If you’re staying at one of the many hotels in the area, I recommend skipping your hotel’s breakfast and coming here. It will most certainly be a more interesting option.

Močan & Green Grout

1/19 Marcus Clarke Street
New Acton South
Australian Capital Territory 2601

Phone: (02) 6162 2909
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.mocanandgreengrout.com

Open
Mon: 7:00am to 4:00pm
Tue – Sat: 7:00am to 9:00pm
Sun: 8:00am to 4:00pm

S01E13 – Season 1, Episode 13

Chris

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26 June 2015

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PODCAST | In this very special episode we revisit the best bits of season one and visit places as far flung as a pirate bar in Western Australia, Moon Dog Brewing in Richmond, and even a quiz in South Melbourne.

Note: These specially chosen highlights were recorded in many different locations, so the background noise will vary. Do adjust your volume at will.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Brunswick Beer Collective Craft Beer Dictionary

Beer

Chris

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26 June 2015

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Brunswick Beer Collective Craft Beer Dictionary

Here at the Brunswick Beer Collective we mention a lot of things, and every now and then an idiotic joke will emerge that seems to linger far longer than it probably should. So to save you having to listen back to every episode again (although we obviously recommend it) here are a few of the more prominent terms you might hear in the episodes to come – our craft beer dictionary you might say.

The Kristoff Scale

Whenever we drink a beer on the show we always check it in on Untappd, an app that allows you to comment on a beer and provide a 1-5 rating. While a beer’s rating can swing wildly, one thing that is always consistent is that if Paul thinks a beer is average (he’d drink it again, it was perfectly acceptable, but nothing special), he will give it a 3.5 out of 5. This has since become known as the Kristoff Scale and is often referenced if any member of the Collective gives a beer a 3.5.

Untappd has since introduced the option to rate beers in 0.25 increments, meaning there is the potential for the Kristoff Scale to swing to 3.25 or even 3.75, but so far this hasn’t swayed Paul greatly. There was, however, an average beer in Iran which Paul rated 2, thus potentially breaking the scale, but this was non-alcoholic so we think can be largely ignored.

The Nap List

Jeff is notorious for falling asleep at venues, and this has since become a running joke among almost everyone who knows or meets him. On the Nap List are venues that Jeff can fall asleep at without being mercilessly thrown out onto the street. You can read the full list in detail soon.

The Banned List

If a venue has done Jeff wrong, it will often end up on his Banned List.

This wrong could be anything from their staff members not knowing what beers were on tap, to the beer list being woefully out of date, to the venue being out of beef ribs. Whatever the reason, Jeff will only return there under sufferance, and he will go out of his way to ensure any one he knows will also not return to these venues, unless they want to risk also appearing on the banned list themselves.

It’s a complicated and often internally inconsistent system, if we’re honest, and from certain angles it shows all the traits of being a potential plot for a Marvel comics villain, albeit one of the sillier ones.

The ‘Fabled’ Macaroni and Cheese Burger

One of our favourite venues is the Park Hotel in Werribee, just outside of Melbourne. It’s great for a few reasons, but the one that continues to linger in our taste buds is its Macaroni and Cheese burger. It’s pure carbohydrates (plus thick cut bacon, which makes everything better), and probably terrible for anyone with anything remotely resembling a heart condition. However, if you’re medically sound, then the Collective can’t stress enough how much we recommend this burger. Check it out.

**Jumping the Left Shark**

One of the great and legendary beers made by the Melbourne-based Moon Dog Brewing is Jumping the Shark. It’s quite strong, and it deserves to be set down for a while before being drank. Like the brewery’s other fabled beverage, the Bad Boy Bubbly, this beer has been known to be the welcome hitchhiker a drinker might meet on the road to ruin. You can find out what the term, Jumping the Shark means here.

Left shark, on the other hand, is a term in the popular zeitgeist that refers to a dancer at Katy Perry’s 2015 Super Bowl half-time show, who, while dressed as a blue shark, was unable to keep up with the moves of the other dancers and instead chose his or her’s own way of dancing. You can see the show below, and an excellent fictional diary of Left Shark’s life is also out there, thanks to The New Yorker.

It has long been the campaign of the Brunswick Beer Collective for Moon Dog Brewing to rename their 2015 Jumping the Shark beer to be Jumping the Left Shark. We think this would work because it is the almost-perfect interception of a unique beer and the ‘left-shark’ ineptitude it brings to anyone who drinks it.

If you would like to help the Collective in this campaign, use #jumpingtheleftshark on social media and help us convince the good people at Moon Dog Brewing of the idea.

The Noosa Effect

In episode 12 of season 1, our frequent guest host Ben commented on being in Noosa in Queensland, Australia and searching craft beer but being completely unable to find any trace of anything that even remotely resembled it. We all mused on this for a while and came to the obvious conclusion that the craft beer revolution must not have happened yet in Noosa. This delay has since become known as the Noosa effect, where a part of popular culture is delayed in arriving at certain geographical locales.

Mark Twain (apparently) said a very similar thing:

“When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it’s always twenty years behind the times.”

So we think we are onto something here.

Last updated 26 July 2015.

Gorgonzola Arancini: Recipe

Lauren

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26 June 2015

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Arancini may be humble in origin but when you combine left over risotto with oozing blue cheese, a sliver of black truffle and encase it in a crispy outer shell it becomes a little slice of heaven. This indulgent and gooey Gorgonzola arancici recipe can be made with or without the black truffle however the truffle adds an additional earthiness to these already spectacular balls.

Preparation: 15 minutes / Cooking Time: 5-7 minutes / Serves 6

Ingredients

300g left over risotto
1 x 58g egg
100g plain flour
180g breadcrumbs
50g Gorgonzola cheese, cut into 2cm cubes
3g black truffle, shaved (optional)
100-150ml rice bran oil for frying (any neutral, low smoke point oil will do)
Kewpie mayonnaise to garnish
a pinch of truffle salt

Method

Combine the leftover risotto with 60g of breadcrumbs. Mix well.
Scoop about 1 tablespoon (15g) of mixture and form into a ball.
Make a hole in the centre of ball.
Add a piece of Gorgonzola and a slither of black truffle.
Press the top of the ball together so that the filling is surrounded by a layer of rice.
Repeat, until all the mixture has been used up.
Place your egg in a shallow bowl and whisk lightly.
Place the flour and remaining bread crumbs on separate plates.
Roll each of the balls in the flour, then the egg and finally the bread crumbs.
Heat the oil in a frying pan.
Add a drop of water to the oil. If the oil bubbles vigorously you are ready to start frying.
Place the arancini in the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes until they have turned golden brown.
Remove from the pan and place the arancini on kitchen towel to drain.
Place a dollop of kewpie, a shaving of truffle and a sprinkle of truffle salt (or regular salt if you don’t have truffle salt) on top of each arancini.
Serve on a bed of lettuce, with a few slices of pear coated in a little verjuice (optional).

Notes

I would recommend using a mushroom based risotto as your leftover rice as mushroom and Gorgonzola work very well together.

If you don’t want to eat the arancini immediately you can reheat the balls in the oven for 10 minutes at 180ºC (or in the microwave on high (1200 watts) for 1 minute.

Finally, a word of warning. These are extremely moreish and never last long, so tuck in before they are all gone.

Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS) 2015

Chris

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25 June 2015

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The Melbourne and Sydney Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular, or GABS as it’s known, has really come of age. It’s still a beer festival, there’s certainly no escaping that fact, but the difference is that it is now also a memorable beer experience.

I was recently looking through some old cupboards and I came across several glasses I had collected from previous beer festivals. There was one from the Great British Beer Festival in London, two from Montreal’s Mondial de la Biere, and one from Melbourne’s own Beertopia, and I have to say that none of them were as memorable as GABS.

But what makes one beer festival better than another?

Everyone’s Beer Starts Out Equal

It’s often the case with these types of festivals that brewers will serve their tastings from their own stands, surrounded by their own promotional paraphernalia. What this often means is that the heavy hitters of the industry tend to attract the most attention, leaving the smaller breweries fighting to be heard. At GABS, while some brewers had stands you could visit; every beer tap was in one of two locations with no promotional material or favouritism to speak of. This may seem like a small thing, but it can really mean the difference between taking a chance and finding a new beer, and sticking with one you might have had before.

As we like to say, once in paddle form, reputations and scale go out the window and the the only thing to differentiate one beer from another is taste – which is what really matters at the end of the day.

The Queues Were Short & Efficient

Beer festivals work off timed sessions, so there is a finite period where as a seasoned drinker you can sample the beers on offer. This means it becomes imperative that the lines work efficiently, and so to do the staff. As anyone who has been to a music festival will know, efficient bar lines can really be the difference between a great experience and a lousy one. Thankfully, GABS did queues particularly well in two ways.

The first was to give patrons the opportunity to not only see the beer lists well ahead of time (they were in an extensive booklet available at pubs and bars across Melbourne and Sydney), but also to provide an app where patrons could prepare their tasting paddles. This combination meant that people could prepare in advance and minimise the number of queues that needed to be visited for a single paddle, and that the queues could be faster and more manageable.

The second was that the staff were well-picked and well-trained, meaning they were efficient and for the most part, accurate with what they served. They may not have known a lot about what they served, but as people were there to learn for themselves, they really didn’t need to.

There Was Something For Everyone, Even Non-Beer Drinkers

In some cases, a beer festival can be a like marathon, an endless stream of paddles and samples that slowly and surely whittle down even the most seasoned drinker to be nothing more than a blithering alcoholic. This is the case at a lot of beer festivals, and for the some of the craft beer only population, this can be perfect. However, there are always certain things that can make one beer festival stand out from another, and for me, that thing was to provide something other than beer.

Take the brass band for example, a group of jolly musicians wandering between the benches and playing popular songs to the masses, namely us. It may just seem like a distraction, but the band was something that really didn’t need to be there, but by being there, it helped to make the entire event something more than just a festival.

Adding to the community feel of the event was a ‘market area’ in the middle of the venue separating the taps at either end of the venue serving beers brewed specifically for GABS to the ‘beer nerds’ in attendance, where beer drinkers and non-beer drinkers alike could gather, chat, and even engage in a game of beer pong.

Other Aspects

For the food, well full disclosure there, we didn’t eat at GABS, choosing instead to visit the excellent Belle’s Hot Chicken in nearby Fitzroy beforehand. However, from what we did see, there seemed to be ample food available at the festival for anyone who chose to line their stomachs as they went. The official app even contained beer matching options for a lot of the food that was on offer which was a unique and useful touch. Vendors this year included Uncle, Huxtaburger, Mr Claws, Meatmother, Milk the Cow, and B’Stilla just to name a few.

There were downsides of course, such as finding the token stands or finding the bathrooms. There was also the lingering fear that the beer you had chosen would, due to limited supply, have run out. But these are all relatively minor concerns and are easily overlooked when the event is considered on the whole.

In the end, GABS really does achieve everything that makes a beer festival great. It’s fun, it’s interesting, has a great atmosphere, and like us, sees that beer is far more than just beer, it’s an experience that should be shared with one’s friends, and we know we’ll be back for more next year.

Did you visit GABS in Melbourne or Sydney this year? What were your highlights? Let us know in the comments section below as we’d love to hear what you thought.

Soft Egg, Goats Cheese & Tarragon Butter Ravioli: Recipe

Lauren

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24 June 2015

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This soft egg, goats cheese & tarragon butter ravioli recipe takes a bit of time at the start, but once you taste it, we know you’ll agree that it was worth it. I actually designed this recipe at the start of the Southern Hemisphere’s truffle season, with the presence of black truffle elevating the dish to another level.

This ravioli is very decadent, with the al dente pasta, butter, goats cheese and soft egg all providing a unique something in each tasty bite. Add the black truffle, and the depth of flavour increases even further, with just the right balance as not to overpower everything else.

Preparation/Waiting Time: 90 minutes / Cooking Time: 10 minutes / Serves 4-6