I love the layout of the celebrity theatre this year. Last year we had tickets on the side and the way the stage folded up at the ends was a little irritating. This year it's nice and open. What I didn't like about this year was that they didn't give the recipes to the dishes the chefs cooked in the celebrity theatre. What's up with that? Last year it was awesome to get the little booklet with all the recipes, I even made one of them!
Tobie made a selection of dishes inspired by his new show and new cookbook. Because I was so slack in posting this, I can't remember exactly what he made. I think I remember that one dish involved watermelon and another involved fish in a tomato based sauce to be served over pasta. The pasta dish was the one I most wanted to try at home, and my eagle-eyed mother found the recipe in delicious. magazine for me. When I dig up that particular magazine, I'll post it here.
I really enjoy watching Tobie present, he's really natural and enthusiastic and he makes you enjoy the food. I wish we had Foxtel so I could see his show.
Show Restaurant
This year they have introduced a show restaurant which lets you choose from a selection of dishes from a range of chefs. You have to change your money into "Restaurant Dining Currency" at a booth outside the restaurant and then you just hand over your tickets. An entree with a matched glass of wine was $14 or 2 tickets, a main with a matched glass of wine was $21 or 3 tickets and a dessert or coffee/muffin or a glass of wine was $7 or 1 ticket. The line was the currency conversion booth was crazy long all day. We finally braved the queues at about 2pm and each bought three tickets. After we had eaten, I really wanted to try a dessert, but the line at the booth hadn't changed at all and I didn't want a dessert that much.
I love the idea of the show restaurant, I loved having the opportunity to try all of these fantastic meals that I really don't get a chance to try because we don't really go out to those kinds of restaurants. It was great being able to see what kind of flavours these chefs like to go in for and the dishes they chose.
Dominique Rizzo was one of the chefs who had a selection of dishes in the restaurant. I really like her style of cooking on Ready Steady Cook and I was quite excited to see her there serving people herself. Alastair McLeod was another chef that I really enjoy seeing on Ready Steady Cook, and I've always wanted to visit his restaurant Bretts Wharf. Alastair was in the restaurant proper while we were eating, so I gathered my courage and went and said hello to him. He seemed very nice and he was quite chuffed when I told him he was my favourite chef on Ready Steady Cook. I mean, who doesn't like to hear stuff like that? We told him that I was abandoning my mother at the airport tomorrow just so I could come back to the show in time to see him in the Celebrity Theatre. I'm such a bad daughter.
For lunch, Mum chose to have Ainsley Harriott's aubergine and potato dhansak with roti bread. She really liked it. I thought it was very very good, nice and light with a great flavour.
I chose Alastair McLeod's Roasted Flinders Island lamb with green bean and fennel salad, and a tomato and chilli jam. This was amazing. The lamb was tender and beautifully cooked, the fennel went so well with the lamb and the tomato and chilli jam. It was fresh and tasty and so good!
Ainsley Harriott in the Celebrity Theatre - Saturday
Mum said that Ainsley put on quite a show, so we went back on Saturday so I could see him. I don't remember any of the dishes that he cooked and it's not even because it's been a month, I didn't remember what he had made once we left the theatre. What I do remember was his enthusiasm and excitement. It was so great to see, he made the audience laugh and have fun and he really engaged everyone. I had had a few wines before this and Mum was definately a little on the tipsy side, but I'm sure that wasn't the only reason we enjoyed the show.
Ainsley likes his audience participation member to be a guy, to help them see that they can cook and do stuff in the kitchen too. I wish DD could have come to one of his shows, I think it would have been great to see him up there. I'm sure he's equally glad he didn't come to one of these, because I know he wouldn't have enjoyed being in the spotlight. The guy Ainsley had come up in this show was a great sport, he really got into it and he was just as funny as Ainsley. It was a great show.
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