#MFWF | THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE

Hanoi Hannah, Tokyo Tina and Saigon Sally. Three hotspots in Windsor and our three fuelling stations for The Golden Triangle #MFWF. 

We kicked off our roving lunch with Vietnamese canapes at Hanoi Hannah making new friends over cocktails.  Then ventured down Chapel Street with our gorgeously rambunctious hosts to Tokyo Tina for hawker-style mains and wine

The final dash down Duke Street for dessert at Saigon Sally, certainly the highlight. I'd heard rave reviews of pastry chef (and Thermomix fan) Felix Goodwin's gluten free desserts! Thermomix tells me the gluten-free doughnuts are the bomb. Next time!

We ended on the playful 'Tira-mi-Sally'. Layers of condensed milk, coffee parfait and peanut brittle, between two triangles of macaron 'bread'. This dazzling riff on the Aussie Vegemite and cheese sanger, marked the finale of my eating adventure as Thermomix's Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Insider! Over and out (and FULL) ! x 

#MFWF | CONSCIOUS DELICIOUSNESS - GRUB FOOD VAN

A hive of six chefs came together to celebrate pollination to plate on a chilly Sunday night at Grub during #MFWF.  

Grub is an eccentric urban oasis in Fitzroy dotted with bric-a-brac, plants and gnomes. Grub serves up an all-day menu and is a hotspot for breakfast goers. With Head Chef, Scott Blomfield, at the helm, Grub likes to do things a little differently with strong roots in sustainability and farm to plate. 

Conscious Deliciousness shone the spotlight on Melbourne's best sustainability focused chefs and produce suppliers. With ethical farming practices and sustainability at the forefront, each dish was created to ensure little wastage across the board. 

Collaborating chefs:
* Scott Blomfield - Head Chef Grub
* Alejandro Saravia – Owner / head chef at Pastuso Restaurant
* Jesse Gerner – Owner executive chef Anada, Bomba, Green Park Dining
* Daniel Giraldo – Head Chef Maha Restaurant
* Pierre Roelofs – Pastry Chef and creator of the Dessert Evenings
* Thiago Miranda – Finalist on Electrolux Appetite for Excellence and former head chef at Church Street Enoteca
* Paolo Tancredi – Chef and creator of Speak as you Eat
* Cam Smith (3RRR – Eat It) - MC

Kangaroo Tartare - Scott Blomfield

Chickpea clouds, spinach pollen - Alejandro Saravia created ever so light 'clouds' using the Butterfly in the Thermomix

Airdried Hirmasa kingfish, smoked pepper, preserved lemon and native green - Daniel Giraldo 

Carnaroli risotto, cime di rapa, green peppers and grilled scallions - Paolo Arlotta

Tea smoked eggplant with white miso, furikake, rice crisps, mushroom dashi and burnt eggplant puree - Scott Blomfield

Gippsland natural beef bud aged in hay for 30 days - Alejandro Saravia  

Underrated veggies - Alejandro Saravia  

Chocolate, lemon, avocado and raspberry - Pierre Roelofs

Eating up a storm for Thermomix as the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Insider.

#MFWF | THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

After 17 years EZARD is entering a new phase with Head Chef Jarrod Di Blasi at the helm.

Through the Looking Glass shared a hint of Ezard’s bright future with five courses beautifully paired with matching wine, sake and even beer! Before the magic happened, I snuck into the kitchen to chat with Jarrod and take a pic of him with his trusty Thermomix.

We can expect even more great things from Good Food Guide's 2017 Young Chef of the Year. For more on Ezard, check out Thermo-celeb Dani Valent’s recent review on Good Food. 

Swordfish cured in aged mirin, cultured cream, white soy, pink peppercorn, puffed rice

2016 Guthrie 'Wild Gurner' Gruner Veltliner, Adelaide Hills, South Australia

Salad of fermented cucumber, stracciatella, burdock root, toasted black sesame, dill 

Risoni 'risotto', pickled golden enoki, broccolini creme fraiche, mushroom floss

1999 Giovanni Dri 'Roncat' Rosso, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

Chinese style duck, tempura eggplant, young lotus root, fermented chilli dressing, spring onion

2016 Mukai Shuzo 'Ine Mankai' Junmai Genshu, Kyoto, Japan

Dark chocolate sphere, chocolate cream, smoked peanut caramel, plum wine jelly, blackberry

Henriques & Henriques Malvasia 10 Year, Madeira, Portugal

#MFWF | A TASTE OF THE OCEAN

It's not often you hear you'll be enjoying tail to fin. This rollicking seafood feast was hosted by seafood guru and author John Susman. Bringing together chefs Josh Niland (Saint Peter, Sydney), Brent Savage (Cirrus, Sydney) and Ben Williamson (Gerard’s Bistro, Brisbane) for a communal long table feast celebrating hand dived, sustainable and wild caught seafood.  

Eating up a storm for Thermomix as the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Insider.

#MFWF | HOAXED - THE PRESS CLUB

A samosa in a Greek restaurant? April fools!

You’ve been hoaxed by The Press Club! On Saturday night for Melbourne Food & Wine Festival The Press Club was transformed. A touch of Bollywood, saris and Indian inspired cuisine merged with George Calombaris' acclaimed Greek fare. From mango lassi or curry infused whiskey cocktails to samosas and paneer disguised as haloumi, it was a feast for the senses. 

Spanakopita Samosa

Prawn Saganaki Puri Puri

Crab Lime Corn

Fava and Naan

Horiatiki, Tandoori Paneer

Cod, Apple, Curry Butter

Knives engraved with old Greek proverbs rolled out with our mains. My darling roommate translated over text: I have it engrained in my history to offer knives, to people whom I not only respect but distinguish from the rest. In other words... I trust what you will do with this knife - it's only given to the chosen ones. 

Flinders Island Lamb Thali

Yoghurt, Apple, Cardamom

Coconut, Coriander, White Chocolate

Eating up a storm for Thermomix as the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Insider.

#MFWF | THE HOUSE OF FOOD & WINE

At the heart of Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is The House of Food & Wine. During the ten days 1000 £ Bend has been transformed into the festival hub. Warehouse style lavish parties take hold of the main event space and  laneway whilst the pop up bar and eatery sits proudly at the Little Lonsdale entrance. Local legend Morgan McGlone, the Kiwi chef behind Belles Hot Chicken in Sydney and Melbourne, has crafted a menu inspired by #MFWF MasterClasses of old. Don't miss out on these cleverly created dishes. 

Venison Scotch Egg - inspired by Brett Graham (The Ledbury London), MasterClass 2012

Bean Tamale, Charred Red Tomato - inspired by Enrique Olvera (Pujol, Mexico City), MasterClass 2013 

Grilled Swordfish, Parsley, Mussels - inspired by Christian Puglisi (Relæ, Cophenhagen), MasterClass 2012

Beef Short Rib - inspired by David Chang (Momofuku Ssam Bar, New York), MasterClass 2010 

Potato, Plums - inspired by Rosio Sanchez (Hija de Sanchez, Copenhagen), MasterClass 2012

#MFWF | MELBOURNE FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL

An abundance of exceptional food adventures across ten days with World's 50 Best smack bang in the middle of it all. Melbourne Food & Wine Festival takes over Melbourne from 31 March to 9 April. The world's greatest chefs, restauranteurs from near and far, food journalists from all corners and food lovers will gather, eat and drink their way through the #MFWF program.

I'm thrilled to working with Thermomix as the #MFWF insider! I'll be getting behind the scenes, attending masterclasses, chatting to chefs and getting the scoop on what's hot, trending and why the pros can't live without their Thermomix. Oh and did I mention I'll be eating up a storm?! Can't wait to share it with you via Insta-stories on both @lauramaymoseley and @thermomixaus.

Thermomix offers a helping hand in commercial kitchens across Australia - it's the sous chef that never answers back! Follow hashtag #ThermoKitchenStars for a celebration of  kitchens and chefs who love Thermomix.