Oh I know, I may have scared you with the mere idea of this salad but hopefully you’ve already seen it in cookbooks (Nigella has a version using olives) and at restaurants. A friend of mine Nic tried Nigella’s version and pronounced it unpalatable so I was put off eating it for the longest time although I had never tried it myself. Until one blisteringly hot night we had this at Perama in Petersham and it seemed the answer to all of our culinary prayers.

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The skies are looking ominous…

I look up at the sky and one moment it’s sunny and five minutes later it looks grey. Not the most ideal weather for an outdoor food festival but I’m hoping the gods of fashion look after me and ensure that I don’t get wet. For tonight is the opening night of the Taste of Sydney Festival held in nearby Centennial Park!

From left to right: Matthew Kemp, Justin North and Warren Turnbull

I get there at 4:30pm to see the preparations backstage. I’m expecting the first hour before opening to be frantic much like the final hour before the guests arrive at a dinner party where activity is fraught with panic. Instead, everyone looks casual and relaxed. Justin North from Becasse, Matthew Kemp from Restaurant Balzac and Warren Turnbull from Assiette stand casually chatting before the guests arrive. This year’s Taste of Sydney is 20% bigger than last years and thankfully we see some more places to eat with stand up astroturfed bar tables as well as places to sit and eat. The VIP stand where we’re headed once we have something to eat is full too and closer to the centre of the event. Savoury dishes range from 8-12 crowns and desserts are mostly 8 crowns.

George Francisco unmolds the pannacotta

We head towards the Jonah’s stand where George Francisco shows us how he puts together the famous “wobbly booby” pannacotta. Even after making it for 8 years it still gets a reaction from diners. He shows us the mold, a simple plastic martini glass, slightly higher and taller than a regular one to produce the desired effect. He tells us of how he used to make these using the traditional wide champagne glasses which also appeared like women’s breasts.

At the last Taste of Sydney he sold 2,400 plates of these and it features all year round on the Jonah’s menu at Whale Beach. This means that each week the kitchen has to adjust the recipe slightly to accommodate the differences in temperature. During Summer it melts quicker so it needs slightly more gelatine than in Winter.

Jonah’s: Vanilla Pannacotta with Lavender Honey and Fresh pomegranate 12 crowns

He asks us if we would like a taste and we eagerly dig in. It’s as good as we remembered with just the right amount of crunch from the pomegranates, yielding softness from the wobbly pannacotta and the sweetness from the honey against the tartness of the pomegranates. True to form, later that evening when we see someone else walk past with one, heads turn “What the hell…” someone asks and they all take turns shaking the pannacotta and ogling at the vanilla bean nipple. And they were all girls!

We go to the Becasse stand to check out how they’re doing. They’re making a chocolate souffle for dessert. A souffle? At an outdoor event I ask Justin? “Absolutely confident (fingers crossed) it is a fail safe, twice cooked souffle recipe. We use a very, very unique and amazing local chocolate in the base called Zokoko – it is the best souffle ever!” and invites us to come by later and take a look in the kitchen when they’re busy.

Matt Moran from Aria

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When I was a child the only pet that I was allowed until a certain age was a goldfish. Cats were too much like a fully grown organism for my parents to handle (and therefore for us to handle as children) and my parents have never been dog people although I desperately wanted a cat or a dog. So my first pet was a goldfish. We had a rectangular fish tank that sat on the wall unit and we’d buy the goldfish in a plastic bag and bring it home. I used to find the transporting of the fish in the plastic bag the most exciting part of fish ownership. It seemed the closest I’d ever get to taking a fish for a walk.

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