New recipe Sunday has really gone down the gurgler recently! Looking back on my photos from when I last updated you, there is an awful lot of eating out being a social butterfly and very little cooking!! Since I am meant to be packing to head back to my hometown I better make this short, plus you all have better things to do than sit down and read this on Christmas Eve I am sure!
Last time I wrote I was getting excited about heading to Prospects which is the University training restaurant. Anyone can go as it is open to the public but it is only open at certain times during the academic year so check out there website for details. I would definitely recommend it as it is very cheap for a three course meal that is up to scratch with the good restaurants in town and probably even above some. There were 4 choices on the menu for each course and I choose pork dumplings, green curry with crispy salmon & chocolate gateau. I think my biggest complaint was how large each course was. Don't get me wrong, the food was great but I felt the courses could have been smaller (the salmon alone was double the size I would normally serve) and perhaps a little more effort on getting the quality to exceptional instead of on getting a lot of ingredients out. Certainly one I will try again as they often have buffet style theme nights and I have heard these are great.
Some of you may know that November was good food month in Ballarat and there was a lot of food things happening throughout the month. The girls and I tried to get involved as much as we were free but our schedules were not lining up as well as we had hoped. We did manage to fit in two events during the month one being a walking food tour of Ballarat. Eat Drink Share Ballarat has been running now for a good 6 months or more and I have been hearing about it and reading about it for some time. It is a 3 hour tour over lunch time where you visit between 6-8 different locations and get to taste test some of their best food or beverages while meeting the chefs and seeing behind the scenes so to speak. I love fresh produce and the tour visits places in Ballarat that make a point of using local produce. It was great to visit some places I have never been before (and some favorites, including pizza from The Forge) and to hear some stories about local produce and the passion behind the scenes. My only complaint was that we visited two locations out of six that were coffee based and not to put down all of you coffee drinkers out there but a pet hate of mine is peoples ignorance or dislike that I, and I am sure many many others, do not drink coffee. When I told one gentleman I wouldn't try his coffee and as I don't like coffee he couldn't seem to understand why and was certain that I therefore must drink either coke or red bull to make it through the day...he certainly didn't believe that I could just be surviving off water on a daily basis.
While the tour wasn't really part of good food month, as we did it in November, I am counting it! The one we actually did during the month was an 'experience the region dinner' at Jackson's & Co. In the past I have had hit and miss meals at Jackson's, some excellent and well above the average for Ballarat but others have been close to inedible so I was a little worried as to how they would go cooking for a 100 people and ensuring that the food was exceptional. Much to my delight they hit the exceptional mark and I don't think I can give you a favourite, they were all delicious. One thing I did thoroughly enjoy was having a wine paired to the dish. I love to drink wine but I generally stick to what I know and don't venture into reds as I have never enjoyed them. It was a huge surprise to me that I could drink a full glass of red and really enjoy it with a meal, something I would consider trying again in the future although I think I will have to stick to recommendations to match the meal.
As I keep scrolling through photos on my phone to see what else I should fill you in on I see pictures of pizza (including dessert pizza) from The Forge, chicken parma's from The Mallow, Spanish omlette's from Open Pantry, a very weird cinnamon calamari on a trip to Melbourne to have our annual 'family' Christmas with my uni friends , trips to Bendigo for birthday surprises with gooey chocolate brownie, work Christmas parties but the one that stands out the most for December is a bowl of gnocchi. Dylan and I have been trying to have date night for what feels like months. In reality I mentioned that we should go out for dinner about 3 or 4 weeks ago and after making plans week after week and having to cancel them for one reason or another we finally headed out for a meal together. I can't remember the last time we ate out together so I always rate the experience fairly high on the sheer fact that we made it out! This time we ended up at The Lane after a few failed attempts at venues that were closed. I have eaten here before but probably not in the last year or so. For those that haven't been it is a venue that aims to be classy. The food they do is good and the actual venue itself is pretty cool but for the price you pay and the vibe they try and make you really expect exceptional, not good. I decided on the gnocchi and they immediately get bonus points for making their own fresh gnocchi, as it seems harder and harder to find somewhere that makes their own pasta, but I honestly think I have made gnocchi just as good, if not better..not to blow my horn or anything! If you haven't been you should definitely give it a go but just be prepared that it is not quite up to standard with what they market their venue as.
I think that has to be a wrap for me as I have a lot to do before I hit the road at about 11am. Yesterday we spent the day with Dylan's family for a delightful Christmas meal and afternoon with the kids ripping into presents and not knowing what to play with first. Christmas is a cheery time of year where we all enjoy catching up with friends and family but I also like to take the time to remember those that can't be with us. So remember to look around the room tomorrow, appreciate the ones you can see as you never know what the next 12 months will bring. Merry Christmas to all and I look forward to getting back on the new recipe Sunday bandwagon in the New Year. Be happy, stay safe and always keep smiling xx
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