I know the Darling Park Building very well. No, I don’t work there. How do I know it so well? Gina, Teena and I went on a walking tour of it this rainy Spring evening looking for Sepia in which we managed to cover every square inch of this place until we finally found the restaurant, on the outside corner Southern end of the building. A group of customers are leaving and a staff member is holding open the door. She sees us and gives a welcome smile and greeting and then so does the maitre’d. “Ahhh you’re Y’s friend?” he asks and I confirm indeed I am. Y is Lemonpi of course and she is the Pastry Chef here. I’d been dying to try my friend’s food and so fellow food loving friends and fab gal pals Gina anad Teena were joining me tonight.

The room is dark, yes bloggers the lighting is “romantic” and there are many couples here and groups of friends. We start with a complimentary glass of Stefano Lubiana bubbles which sets us girlies all in the mood.

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Justin North

The recent World Chef Showcase was exciting for me for a few reasons. One if them was getting to meet Justin North, the chef and owner of Bécasse restaurant (along with Plan B, Etch and Le Grand Cafe) and the SMH 2009 Chef of the Year. When we got to talking after the show he mentioned the Producer’s lunches assuming that I had been invited but had been too busy to come along. Not so I said and Justin promised to ensure that I’d be on the list for a future Producer’s lunch, an initiative where Justin hosts media and other guests and introduces them to the actual producers that supply the restaurant with their special produce. And sure enough, a couple of days later, I received a phone call from Justin inviting me to a very special one – one with Carlos Petrini as the guest.

Carlos Petrini started the Slow Food Movement which started in 1989 as a way of consciously combating fast food and life and preserve a quality of life in response to people’s waning interest in the food they eat and its origins and it also looks at how our food choices impact the rest of the world. He visited Sydney to be part of the Sydney International Food Festival and held a talk just a few days before at the Opera House.

Margaret Fulton

The crowd is full of media including Helen Greenwood, Lyndey Milan, Indira Naidoo as well as the guest of honour Carlos and his table of guests. Next to him is an interpreter as he does not speak English. Smooth voiced Simon Marnie from ABC 702 is hosting and just as we’re about to start, the 85 year old Margaret Fulton (and shameless flirt who told the crowd when he’d won Chef of the Year that she’d rather see North undressed) arrives, sharp as a tack. Later, when Simon can’t immediately remember the name of the Australian of the Year she names “Tim Flannery” without missing a beat. Justin in his chef’s whites introduces us to everyone and gives us a quick overview of the Producer’s Lunch concept as well as the canapes, breads and amuse bouches.

Canape: Goat’s curd, olive and lemon thyme biscotti sandwich

We start with a canape – what looks like a delicate biscotti sandwich is one speckled with black olive and lemon thyme with a goat’s curd sandwiching it together. The crunchy biscotti combined with the salty goat’s curd makes my tastebuds rather excited.

Freshly baked Becasse bread: pumpkuin brioche, stout epi and garlic Rosemary Auverge

Justin tells us about the bread which is baked every day when the baker arrives at 2am. They are still warm which is always good in my books and the pumpkin brioche is sweet, buttery and with a centre of smooth pumpkin. The stout epi is a bit hard for my taste but the garlic and rosemary auverge is gorgeous and heady in rosemary. Served alongside it is butter or an olive oil solid square – I recall seeing him make something similar at the World Chef Showcase using a product called Glice.

Amuse Bouche: Spring bay Scallop with organic radish stems, green chilli and black pepper served with 2008 Freeman Rondo rose

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