Dining among fruit and vegetable stalls, surrounded by strawberries and squash, mangoes and mandarins, under Chinese lanterns in what is the temple of fresh food in Melbourne is not an experience one has every day. From the moment of arrival at this sumptous affair, we were in for so many treats.
Christian Wagstaff designed the market tables with what appeared to be a country theme, and they were beautiful. Sprays of sunflowers, pots of edible herbs that became part of the entrees, hessian overlays on the tables and enough conviviality to sink a ship, the space was transformed to an evening in the country.
Roving the market were some very talented dancer/actor/juggling/theatrey type folk, some of whom were hard to keep eyes and hands off! They added some wonderful atmosphere to the evening as we wandered through so many courses of indulgence. French named wines from California complimented each course and I am pleased to say I saw my fair share!
The food was prepared by the stars of America visiting chefs, who had taken up residence at Crown.
Sea scallops as an entree were terrific, and snipping little pots of basil, corainder, watercress and other fines herbs over the top was part of the fun, and they all sat well with the pomegranate seeds that seemed to be everywhere this year.
Fish followed - and what a dish. Again, self service from the fish plates along with more snippy snips on the herbs allowed one to indulge one's preferences with ease.
Lamb racks came next and were accompanied by some kipfler potatoes, asparagus and other bits and bobs, some of which could have had a bit more time over the heat. Slightly raw potatoes and asparagus is not the end of the world however and the lamb itself was delicious. More wine from Coldstream Hills and California flowed with the conversations and the walking between market stalls to enjoy the company of the several hundred guests that were gathered.
Dessert is never something I indulge in, however, I couldn't stop. In an homage to cheesecake, Nonna's Torta, served with three types of Victorian honey was absolutely sublime... Crisp top, a not too sweet cheesy type filling on a crisp base with the honeys was exceptional, and my highlight of the dinner.
The crowd moved out to market square to enjoy more wine, cocktails, coffee and pastries, cheeses and all manner of indulgent goodies and before I knew, it was very late and new and old friendships were kindled over many of these goodies.
In what is always my highlight of the festival, I can safely say that MFWF and The Stars of America gave us a perfect evening of indulgence, and allowed me to start preparing my liver and other organs for next year's festivities.
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