Casa Iberica - the review

It shouldn't have taken this long for me to put up the Casa Iberica review up...blame slow-moving old media.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/blind-date/story-e6frg8h6-1225872193871

Currently dreaming up the next Global Gobbler menu for a table which is quite quickly reaching capacity.

Paella - the verdict

Yes, the book is called The Body is the Barometer of the Soul. It contains pearles of wisdom such as "Sore hips? Consider your relationship with your father" and "Sluggish digestion? Maybe you should be letting go of old regrets" and my personal favourite "Smelly feet? This may be due to lack of intimacy with your partner. Shower together as a way to grow closer and save water."

Yes, we all left dinner a little wiser.


The Review

I like food, a lot. And I've eaten quite a bit of it in my time. Most of it tastes good, but usually much like something I had last week/month/at an ethnic wedding. This was super yum, and unique. Smokey....tomatoey....not fishy but marinesque somehow. Great textures, popping peas, smooth rice and creamy onion-ness.

The biggest compliment I can give it is that I've never liked mussels before. ever. I ate them all. Plus prawns: heads, brains, shells, spindly legs included. Crunchy and aromatic and somehow disturbing, but fun. Queen of prawns indeed. Superb effort Joel.

Master Chef - Mystery Box - The Review

J Ho

Ageless

Maker of all things salt. Most famously, the Salted Caramel Tart ™

Who would you trust more, someone with a crane or someone with a sharp knife?

Thanks for the review undercut – too kind of course.

The Review
Was it worth the battle?

The onion, the weather, the strange clucking animal with a disproportionately sized brain?

Well, luckily there were no onions involved and everything else was impressively creative, despite Joel asking for a harsh review. Oh, and the weather surprisingly didn’t throw me into oblivion, so, I might as well get to it.

First, the potato; presented as a rosti with rosemary oil and a white anchovy. There is a sign of someone who can cook (or possibly someone who can eat), and I believe that is someone who isn’t afraid to use salt. The rosti itself was a good platform for the anchovy and the oil, and despite what you usually get with rostis, not greasy. The only thing was that the rosti was too starchy and could have benefit from being rinsed in cold water after being grated.

The brussel sprouts were probably my favourite. Very simple and clean by being pan fried and served with crispy prosciutto, roasted hazelnuts and pan fried sage. The presentation of this became a little tricky, but negotiated in the end between a smash-pile and a bridge. The flavours themselves were very straightforward and, in lack of a better way to put it, ballsy. The saltiness of the prosciutto was cut by the freshness of the sprouts, which still held their crunch and mellowed by the nuts.

The next course I think was unconsciously presented. That sentence, though vague, can be explained. So, rocket, blackened corn, chicken which has been poached and shredded with raisins and a hard-boiled egg was presented as a nest; kind of fitting since, if you think about it, we were eating the mother and its unhatched spawn-ovum (not that this egg belonged to this particular bird). The chicken was a drier than Joel would have liked, but the corn and the egg hid that quite well. Quite a mild dish that followed such a gutsy second course, but its subtlety was appreciated.

By this stage, I was getting full, so I didn’t get to finish the dessert. Figs were cooked in a filo pastry with thyme, served next to salted-caramel walnuts and a goats cheese and vanilla icecream, presented in the skins of figs. A very impressively constructed dish, as pointed out, a play on a cheese board, so of course I liked it. The pastry was subtly sweet and ended with a savoury tone with the thyme, which went well with the salt from the walnuts and the goats cheese icecream. It seemed that no combination in this could go wrong, and had the textures and temperatures covered on all bases. The only thing is that the walnuts could have benefited from being toasted before covered in caramel, but that is only personal preference. Though, when I am full and keep going back, you know you have a gold star.

Oh, and I should probably mention this was all cooked on an electric stove and the oven broke. So, I say, thanks kid. I’ll come back when it is raining a second shower over me and blowing me sideways.

Pasta - 1st attempt - the review

Smiling happy people - review enough I think. A great group of people with many hidden talents.

-Jesse for pulling off the Don Burke beard.

-MJ for her photographer's eye.

-Jess for being most photogenic.

-Sarah for turning vinegar into wine.

-Jordan for his sense of justice.

-Annalise for seeing through Jordan's sense of justice.

These talents combined to produce an unforgettable game of Pictionary. The highlights being 'Pearl necklace', 'Pamela Anderson' and 'Psychiatrist'.

Pasta II is already taking shape...

Global Gobbler guest #15 - A cast of 4

L to R: (Princess Jasmine, Mt Everest, JennaAlyce © and a random, malnourished skinhead)

A night in Chad was enjoyed by a full-time fairy, a Casanova, a fashionista and sailor who survives on cod and cereal.

An eclectic group who survived a journey to the heart of Africa

And the stellar review can be viewed below although I am not sure if the meal deserved such generosity - particularly my failed attempt to cook a soft-boiled egg!

Until next time. Stay Global and keep Gobbling.

(click to enlarge)

Global Gobbler guests #14 - Josh, Meryn and Annie

L to R: (Josh, Meryn, Annie)

A vet and a couple of auditors - awesome guests and plenty of passion for lycra and fairways.

Thanks for review - improvement opportunities a plenty and plenty of positive reinforcement - that's what you pay consultants for...

Global Gobbler guests #13 - Grace, Meg and Amy

L to R: (Amy, Grace and Meg)

20-something trend hunters coming to a mobile near you soon.

Style to burn and ideas a-plenty.

A love for the flavours of Asia. Indian butter chicken, Vietnamese spring rolls, Japanese sushi. How would these distinct and delicate tastes go up against the untested and potentially over-bearning flavours of Argentina?

The Review
Setting a new benchmark for reviews - I was in awe after watching this. Wouldn't it be great if this formed part of a series designed for a mobile platform...?!

Check out the video above for the 'review' (doesn't do it justice!)

Thanks Amy and Meg and Grace for coming along. Glad you liked the food and hope to see you around some day.

And news just in - Chinese menu is on the verge of completion - stay tuned. GG

Global Gobbler guests #12 - Renae and Sansy

Name: Renae
Age: 19
Occupation: In the court room by day - treading the boards by night.
Favourite food: choc gelato
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: Innovative car-parking techniques deserve reward…

Name: Sansy
Age: 19
Occupation: Ripping it up at St Js
Favourite food: a double strength latte
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: She wears her boyfriend's shirt to dinner - hard to beat.

The Verdict (John Lethlean eat your heart out...)

(Entree - Sides
Main - Dessert)

Global Gobbler guest #11 - Sayher

Name: Sayher
Age: 22
Occupation: Photographer – get his autograph now
Favourite food: Ice cream
Why he deserves the Global Gobbler experience: I’ve always wanted to get my lens over the plate.

The Verdict (tasting and photographic notes)

Meal 1
This meal was pretty tasty, however I think that serving it in a smaller size would be a better idea as the beetroot was quite hard to eat. However the horseradish cream that was in it broke up the flavour. It was a little spicy but wasn't too bad.

From a photographic point of view this wasn't my favourite, I think because the colour of the beetroot didn't come up as well and compared to the other dishes it didn't have as much colour. However the simplicity of it is pretty cool.

Meal 2
This dish would have to have been one of my favourites, the avocado, and rye and poppy seed loaf was really nice. The avocado was really good with the tomatoes as it made them less intense.

From a photographic point of view, this was probably one of the better dishes to shoot as the colours were so nice. The greens from the avocado, the tomatoes and the finish on top really looked nice. The layout of the meal looked really cool as we.

Meal 3
The potato balls were pretty nice. I liked the way they were cooked and the look of them. I think there were a lot of flavours in there and there were some I wasn't a big fan of however it all worked ok.

From a photographic point of view this dish came up really well, the layout of the contents was really nice, and the colours worked well. The purples, greens and orange looked really nice.

Meal 4
This dish was pretty nice. The base was quite cool; and the texture was really different. I liked the chestnut and the overall taste was pretty nice. I am a big fan of ice cream so I think it would have been nice to have some with it.

From a photographic point of view the colours were nice and the presentation was good. I think that maybe the chestnut could have been placed somewhere different as it sort of sat weird on the top of the dish.

Global Gobbler guest #11 - Janne

Name: Janne
Age: 23
Occupation: Student of the arts
Favourite food: Chocolate and coffee.
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: I have travelled from Canada and I like trying new things.

The Verdict

I was not ready for four courses and the first dish was too many flavours I think to start with. I did like the presentation of the lettuce parcels and slice of apple. Maybe it would have worked better with a few less flavours. Sometimes less is more.

The second dish was a lot better and I think and was beautifully presented. Even if the pumpkin filled my plate! The pumpkin was very sweet and soft and I liked the herb (I can’t remember its name?) I don’t think I have tasted fennel before but it was very good with lots of lemon juice.

The red pepper soup was very tasty. I thought it was tomato to start with but the flavour was very strong and sweet. The salty bean bread was good as well. I think to improve this dish maybe you could add some sour cream or cheese and more herbs. The presentation was great again and perfect for the cold temperature.

I have never tasted truffles like this before and Joel assured me that they were good for you – I find this hard to believe! The cocoa coating made me think they were chocolate truffles but once I bit into one I could taste the crunchy pecans and maple syrup. I liked the wine cherries as well and felt like licking the plate.

I am glad I came to try Joel’s food and think that if he ever opens a restaurant I will have to visit. Good luck with this experiment!

Global Gobbler guest #10 - Maria-Christina

Name: Maria-Christina
Age: 51
Occupation: Linguist, thinker, writer and mother
Favourite food: Olives, extra virgin olive oil, bread and garlic - I could live on this!
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: What better way to reward this mother on the second Sunday in May.

The Verdict

Imagine...May late afternoon....beachside....palm trees and large mature cypresses,,,a breeze blowing up from the sedately cold St. Kilda beach....sounds of traffic...a taxi ride with four large bags and assorted boxes…sitting in a park on a warm rug…no plastic or take-away food indeed…a picnic it is, only in location.

The entree of sharp pomegranate seeds layered below spicy almonds, honey cured olives all tossed in Nigella seeds and separated by a lemon slice presented in a beautiful glass. Served with a sparkling Shiraz for the occasion.

The tangy taste of the almonds, olives and seeds were delicious and combined with the pomegranate seeds made for a luscious flavour and a feast for the eyes. Being a small eater this was just about a whole meal for me! But I loved it! Particularly knowing that these olives were home-cured - they were the best - juicy and fragrant - and I would gladly buy such olives any day!

The next course...buckwheat flat bread and goats cheese, pistachio, figs with fresh tomato and basil. This was delicious....the combination of goats cheese and pistachio worked really well....and added to that some figs, it was a true palate pleaser. The buckwheat bread was very tasty...but a little too heavy given this mother's small appetite. The recipe for the muddled goats cheese please!

The main course was a lightly tossed salad with crunchy truffled potatoes with juicy roasted sweet corn, roasted hazelnuts and perfectly cooked asparagus all blended with a gentle olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing. This is the food I would like to eat all the time.

The dessert...a light almost cloud like rhubarb crème oozing tangy rhubarb flavour over a sweet banana and carrot bread made with pine nuts, juicy raisins and a subtle blend of warming spices. The bread tasted of an Oriental bazaar...perhaps cooked in the time of Marco Polo…

Each dish was memorable, delicious and healthy. One point....the feast would easily have fed more people! I will not forget this afternoon as it slowly darkened and the gleam of the beach dimmed.

Gracias hijo!

Global Gobbler guest #9 - Cathy

Name: Cathy
Age: 25
Occupation: Full-time traveller, part-time marketer
Favourite food: Japanese – simple, cheap and thankfully with a distinct lack of MSG.
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: Being a bit of a foodie and new to Melbourne I may as well start at the top of the culinary chain!

The Verdict

Entrée – there was a nice balance between all the ingredients. The grapes soaked in balsamic vinegar were not too tart or acidic, and it complemented well with the feta cheese and roasted walnuts. My suggestion would be to half the portion as it was perhaps a little rich for an entrée.

Side – This was a fantastic ‘giant ravioli’! The filling was delicious and left me wanting more, but only declined because I knew that if I stuffed myself early, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the main and dessert. I loved the way the roasted tomatoes were prepared. When I had cut into them, the fragrance of the rosemary made it really alluring. A minor tweak would be to have a slightly thinner pastry and perhaps a drizzle of premium olive oil if the chef wanted to heighten the flavour a little more.

Main – The presentation was colourful and an inventive take on the humble pizza. The roasted veggies layered over the polenta were just perfectly prepared. For the second time in the evening, I was left wanting a little more, but sadly felt quite full. The melted bocconcini had hardened by the time it reached the table, but that did not take the attention away from the other ingredients.

Dessert – Really enjoyed the hazelnut flavoured cake. The portion that was soaked in coffee was quite subtle, and would have preferred a bit more flavour. Everything else was wonderful.

Overall, I had a fantastic evening as the host is warm and friendly. He has a wonderful journey ahead of him because of his passion for food and his eagerness to perfect his meals.

Global Gobbler guest #8 - Aimee and Lauren

Name: Aimee
Age: 23
Occupation: Marketing manager and official Jagermiester taster
Favourite food: Silverbeet, I mean spinach, or maybe silverbeet…?
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: I need some evidence to back up my nightly claims about Joel’s WEIRD food!








Name: Lauren
Age: 23
Occupation: Marketing manager and and barrista stalker
Favourite food: Pop corn - Aimee-style
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: Surely my awesome taste in movies deserves a free meal.

A review from my two Kiwi friends is on the way - so I am told...

Some highligths from the evening:

• An opening statement from Aimee that she isn't that into 'spicy food' - hard to marry with Thai cuisine...
• A chilli in an eye incident - always funny unless you're the person suffering
• A classy ambience created by the background viewing...Gladiators...

The Verdict

Aimee: Considering my mouth is pretty much a hater of anything with a hot spice to it, one couldn’t help but worry with the first dish having a raw red pepper as garnish on the top. More worrying than this, was the fact that a fellow hung-over passer-by had decided to handle the chilli prior to rubbing his bloodshot eyes, the screams of pain we're errmmm encouraging on tasting the dish. However I was pleasantly surprised with the mild yet tasty combination of flavours which complimented each other nicely. Fantastic way to start this 4 course meal!

Lauren: as a lover of hot food I ate my chillies and really enjoyed them. The laska cocktail was really nice and may I add beautifully presented.

The next course looked very interesting as the combination of purple rice textured middle, garnished with fresh papaya around the edges. The centre was quite nice, very mild and plain tho, which went along nicely with the fruit. This actually appeared to be more like a dessert at first, but after sampling was indeed savoury and very filling, quite unique.

Aimee: Already full by this state, but very keen to sample as always, the rice paper rolls came out. This would have to be my favourite. The preparation for this was obvious and definitely worthwhile. Although not entirely sure at the time exactly what the combination of many colours and flavours was within, they were downed in no time. Delicious!!

Lauren: A lot of work had gone into the rice paper rolls. You could see the amount of time and the vast number of ingredients that went in. And they were extremely good - and you could also tell very good for you. A nice light meal with a really authentic Thai taste.

Lauren: I’m not usually a dessert eater and was rather full by the time this came out but this was surprisingly my favourite. To have a hot desert brought out with such a good combo of spices and currents was really delicious. 10/10 for me on that one - really good coming from a girl who doesn’t have a massive sweet tooth.

Overall a delicious and very unique combination of foods presented beautifully, well done JOEL, and thanks again for opening our eyes past the standard frozen veg mix, pasta snacks and silver beat that would usually fill our tummies!

Global Gobbler guest #7 - Bill and Keps (The Brothers Mince)

Name: Bill (creator of the new Global Gobbler logo - champion)
Age: 24
Occupation: Sketching the world - one face at a time and a valuer on the side
Favourite food: Mince - with pasta
Why he deserves the Global Gobbler experience: A fellow blogger bucking the corporate trend - the world needs more of them.

Name: Keps

Age: 22

Occupation: In demand jazz man and up and coming writer.

Favourite food: Mince - with rice

Why he deserves the Global Gobbler experience: The fact that he just got back from 7 months in South America was enough of a reason - i held back the envy well I think...

The Verdict

As a university student of limited finances it is a rare treat to eat out and enjoy a meal that is prepared by a creative and passionate chef, with flavours so delicate and varied that you become emersed in the experience. After this Saturday night, I am convinced that I’ve found the best four course meal-deal in Melbourne. While I came to Joel’s house on the promise of free food, I left with a whole new appreciation for the subtleties of cooking.

Having only recently returned from a holiday in Samoa, Joel shared his experiences of eating simple, plain meals. He has built on the potential that the island’s staple ingredients offer and set the scene for a modern adaptation of Samoan cuisine, complete with the key protagonists: coconut, plantain banana, taro and papaya.

The entrée, papaya with coconut jelly, had an understated tang, owing to the combination of lime juice, mint leaves and soothing texture of the coconut jelly. Served with fresh coconut juice, it was a subtly sweet introduction to the flavours of Samoa.

The fa’alifu fa’i put plantain bananas to interesting use, where they took on a potato-like role in the dish. These bananas were cooked in a spicy, creamy sauce and covered with roasted peanuts, seeds and turmeric. The nuts and seeds compensated for the lack of solid texture, adding a nice amount of chew and injecting a kick of flavour into the dish.

After eating two courses, it was a surprise to then see our main meal brought to the table! The palusamis, little bundles of flavour held together by roasted cavalo nero, combined the sweeter currants and wakame with more savoury ingredients. Taking a bite was best done slowly, to give these splashes of flavour an opportunity to be fully explored. The coconut-roasted taro chips were an interesting addition.

The humble pancake was given a makeover for the dessert. Melted palm sugar, roasted coconut and cocoa coconut butter replaced the ice cream and maple syrup, creating a rich and indulgent conclusion to a spectacular meal.

Meticulous attention to detail, creative presentation and an exciting variety of flavours and colour. Thanks for a very enjoyable meal, Joel.

Global Gobbler guest #6 - Klara

Name: Klara
Age: 23
Occupation: Globalist and legal eagle
Favourite food: Chocolate – milk not dark
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: Who better to test a Spanish menu than a native. Listening to poorly pronounced Spanish is also a lot easier when accompanied by good food…

The Verdict (roughly translated from Spanish...)

If it had to describe to the supper by Joel with three words I would say original, light and excellent.

Gazpacho to start was excellent, and although the colour was not the red I expected this did not alter the result. Although I do not understand much of gazpacho I believe that the presentation was perfect and the flavour was smooth but intense simultaneously. Perfect like first plate.

The salad was a surprise and the mixture was one that I would have never imagined. Every ingredient played a role and it was so original that I was hooked. I do not like heavy plates and I prefer the variety so this second dish was ideal.

To complete the meal, the last dish was charming. Although it seems to me it is not a word that is not used to describe food, the suitable one to transmit this dish would be pretty. And without repeating myself, the ingredients were combined perfectly and the resulting flavour was a success.

Summarizing, it was an excellent supper made by a boy with so much talent. If he were to open a restaurant I would definitely rate it a ten!

Global Gobbler guest #5 - Remy-M

Name: Remy-M
Age: 31
Occupation: Teacher as well as a protector of Indonesian monkeys
Favourite food: Apples
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: Well, i'm never going to get to Afghanistan to sample the produce so maybe this will make do?

The Verdict

The presentation was effective. The aromas were balanced and the plate was full of colour. I loved the merging of sweet corn and earthy parsnip and spicy cumin, almost too much (!) but saved by the fresh coriander – perfect balance on the palate! The condiments were not required but were perfect all the same – a tasty jam and thick sour cream.

The three citrus rinds gave this a marmalade-y flavour without the overpowering sweetness. And what a yummy salt! The almonds could have been a bit less finely chopped – and my first, and definitely not last, experience with metallic nigella seeds.

And this is where Remy's review ended...a combination of the hot sun and beverages consumed the evening prior were to blame - and not, I am promised, my cooking! My housemate enjoyed the toils of my hours in the kitchen but was hesitant in providing a photo.

So you will have to rely on my completely biased chef notes!

And the final comments from Remy: "When I asked Joel what they ate in Afghanistan he kept on telling me goat. There was no goat but I didn’t mind at all! Osama would be proud of you Joel. Thank you. Remy xo"

Global Gobbler guest #4 - Jordan

Name: Jordan

Age: 27

Occupation: Budding Kofi Annan – in the early stages of becoming a property magnate

Favourite food: Squid and harissa

Why he deserves the Global Gobbler experience: With a background in hospitality and an inherent understanding of flavour composition garnered from a lifetime of consumption of different cuisines on several continents, I felt that I was a perfect candidate for one of Joel’s intriguing meals.

The Verdict

Whether or not there is the absolute comprehension of disparate flavours that talented chefs sometimes display, experimentation with food must always be applauded, especially when the intention behind the experiment is to offer an enthusiastic health-oriented alternative, that is based on ingredients not commonly found in the Australian pantry. In the search for a new experience or the opportunity to impart some hard-won insight, perhaps there would be a mutual benefit discovered over a glass of wine and some nouveau cuisine.

To begin, Joel served a fresh salad of nectarine, wakame and radish with honeyed ginger and sesame oil, tamari coated seeds, and raisins. The dish had a lot of potential, particularly the pairing of the nectarine and wakame, but may have been better served by the use of daikon rather than radish. It should be noted, however, that daikon had sadly been unavailable at the markets that day. I found the seeds and raisins to be an interesting component, and certainly very tasty, but I am not sure that they added anything to the salad itself, which was complicated enough. Better, I think, to use them as a pre-appetiser. In all, however, with a bit of fine-tuning, this could have been an excellent dish.

Next we had a personal favourite of mine, soba noodles, of which I have many fond memories, invariably alongside warm sake and cold nights in Tokyo. Flavoured with miso and coconut oil, the noodles had a pleasant oiliness and were very more-ish, but were a touch overdone. Typically soba should be quite firm to the bite. With three side dishes, the dish was intricate and interesting. The first, sesame and soy marinated white cabbage was just right; the second, pickled ginger, always welcome; and the third, soy and wasabi flavoured granny smith apple puree, extremely adventurous and well worth the effort. It could only have been improved with the use of firmer apples, more experimentation and perhaps a touch of mirin. Again, all that was needed here was a little bit of refinement, and more confidence with cooking times.

The third course was nori hand rolls filled with avocado and hatcho miso paste, pureed pumpkin, red capsicum and cucumber. Probably too complicated, but valiant. The dish would have been better had the nori been toasted, and the pumpkin not pureed. The high water content of pumpkin almost guarantees excessive absorption by the seaweed. The avocado was excellent and I would have preferred a simpler mix of ingredients with that as a base.

For dessert Joel served up a cherry and mint jelly with fresh smashed cherries and a coconut milk granita. Points have to be given for a first experimentation with agar-agar, but unfortunately this did not turn out well. Coconut milk is such a strong flavour that care has to be taken with its use and I am not sure of the wisdom of using it as a sole ingredient. I also find cherries to be invariably better when fresh and unadulterated.

On the whole, this was a worthwhile exercise that certainly allowed me to experience flavour and ingredient combinations that I have never contemplated before. My only words of advice would be to caution against unnecessary complication. Japanese food, as in Japanese culture, is a celebration of the appearance of simple perfection. For those, such a myself, without the ability or inclination to aspire to such a lofty ideal, it is better to stick to simple ingredients prepared simply. However, without experimentation, the world would be much duller place . . . .

Global Gobbler guest #3 - Sten

Name: Sten
Age: 25
Occupation: Architect and general style queen
Favourite food: Cheese
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: My last healthy meal before slumming it in London on mushy peas, bacon sarnie and Yorkshire pud.

The Verdict
Joel’s healthy vegetarian French is comfort food balanced with freshness prepared with a whole lot of imagination.

The sometimes matching, sometimes contrasting of textures which marked the beginning of the meal continued through the courses, crescendo-ing (true!) to the ice cream which is not ice cream.

It was radical! The entrée, a stuffed zucchini, was more a dessert! Sweet, sticky, warm. The world needs more vegetable puddings served with pinot.

The real applause for this dish goes out to the texture of the zucchini – cooked to perfection with a melting firmness which ensured the contents, prunes, peas, mint and red onion combined without losing their individual flavours.

The second course was the stand out for visuals, acid green on dark claret. The flavours were also the most bold – earthy beetroot and tart lemon wedges, perhaps fighting, perhaps dancing. I can see the mash trend in culinary circles definitely heading in the purple direction.

The comfort food settled down for the main. This was the dish I’d been most looking forward to as I love a fritter. But does cauliflower have a flavour? If it does, buckwheat owns it. But the fritter’s texture was outstanding; moist and melting with the bite of nutmeg and coriander the lift of chives.

Perhaps after such a flavourful ‘small’, the fritters should have been smaller, so there was less volume and more crispness to contrast with the fritter interior.
The rosemary capsicum relish was delicate and not too sweet and the goat’s cheese and chive spread Moorish.

The dessert was a revelation as I generally eat dessert only under obligation. Lets leave the un-announced cameo of pistachio and balsamic frozen bites to one side (a strange experiment which would be ideal in smaller quantities as a drinking snack). And the stuffed and grilled fig, deliciously sticky and sweet with the crunch of walnuts and fresh hit of sage, was also lacklustre in the company of my first and without doubt best experience with fresh figs.

Fresh ripe figs served with what I call the most delicious ice cream but what Joel calls goats vanilla cream. The action of scraping juicy fig pulp and scooping tangy sweet ricotta onto a spoon was glorious. The use of vanilla beans as opposed to essence lifted this dessert from outstanding to truly memorable.

The meal on reflection was nicely balanced, volumes not overdone and each dish retaining its own very distinct character. Did I experience the upper echelons of French dining? My taste buds thought so, while my waist escaped to a health retreat – during the same meal.

Thankyou Joel

Global Gobbler guest #2 - Cat

Name: Cat
Age: 24
Occupation: Creative genius – too good for acting school
Favourite food: Anything Thai
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: I've eaten my way around the world, love everything involving food and i'm food critic waiting to happen!

The Verdict

I’ve been to a lot of places in the world and eaten a lot of different sorts of food but Denmark is somewhere I’ve never quite gotten to, nor have I any experience of Danish food, save for the token pastries, back in the good old gluten days.

I’m not convinced that Saturday nights meal has brought me any closer to experiencing the delights of Danish cuisine, however, I certainly experienced a creative array fusion dishes, containing many of my favourite foods presented in captivatingly adventurous ways.

My main criticism of Joel’s experimentation has nothing to do with the ingredients used- so many marvellous flavours ingeniously combined- it rather lies mainly in the presentation and portion sizes- small things I know, but definitely aspects worth perfecting for a special meal.

The soup was lovely and thick, delicately flavoured with thyme, and the sweetness of the fig and crunch of the walnuts gave great texture to the dish. The caramelized onion could perhaps have been finely sliced and stirred through rather than blended with the soup to make its presence more obvious. Perhaps try experimenting with another herb so that the thyme in the soup or garnish has something to complement it? Sage with the figs? Garnish with black cracked pepper and salt.

The hollowed cucumber certainly looked impressive when it was served, and I would have been impressed by anyone who could have managed a whole plate of this dish. Delicious, yes, but far too big- especially with the expectation of desert limiting my capacity to consume savoury items.

The filling of the cucumber was really interesting and inventive, the consistency could have been more solid for my taste, perhaps add more avocado? I liked the cucumber’s texture and colour in combination with the filling but perhaps find a way to combine the two in a way that makes it possible to finish the whole plate.

Chickpeas are a real favourite- especially when you can tell your host has gone to the trouble to do all the soaking themselves. The best part of this dish was the nigella seeds that add an interesting quality to the standard combination of spinach and chickpea.

The garnish-like addition of tomato was like a meal in itself- knowing my inability to consume large amounts of raw tomato I spread the garlic (yum!) mix across just a few slices of tomato. Slicing the tomato more thinly without altering the quantity of garlic used would look attractive and be more realistic for a small stomach! Maybe look for a larger variety of tomato that gives wide slices that can be thinly sliced.

Talk about saving the best till last! This desert is ingenious. All the flavours combine well to make a desert that is rich in flavour but not heavy- sweet but not sugary and seemingly decadent without being sinful.

My suggestion for these combinations would be to stir the macadamia nuts through the carob coconut oil mix rather than through the yoghurt and set in a conical shape. That way you can really get a good mouthful of the mix- and it draws the eye upward- which is uplifting for the spirit too! There should be more food feng-shui! The quantity of the yoghurt mix rather overpowered the carob part in the horizontal fashion that the desert was presented- literally smothering it, my preference would have been to drizzle a small amount of the lavender infused yoghurt as a sort of dressing that would complement the carob rather than compete with it. Top the conical mould with honey comb and garnish with lavender and I am in heaven!

Thanks Joel for combining great food and great conversation- and for inspiring me to get inventive in the kitchen, and really think seriously about the marathon!

xx

Global Gobbler guest #1 - Mary-Jo

Name: Mary-Jo
Age: 29
Occupation: Chinese medicine practicioner
Favourite food: Olives
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: In exchange for all those needles and cups!

The Verdict

The photo at the start of the ‘Imagining India’ post isn’t the way I’d imagine India – I think Indian food and I think of dahl, curries, pappadums even. The India Joel imagines is fresher and more deconstructed, you can see and taste each separate ingredient, even as you appreciate their sometimes unconventional combining.

We started with a thin slice of nashi pear, its cool crunch contrasting with smooth blended avocado, cumin and tahini, topped with carrot, plump currants and spiked with mint leaves. This is visually appealing food, with bright colours more evocative of India than the food itself – bright orange carrot against avocado green and the white disc of pear

The side was visually spectacular. A pale red yoghurt accented by greens of cucumber and mint. It also tasted amazing, the roasted tomato and paprika yoghurt was the perfect accompaniment to thin ribbons of cucumber, red onion, mint, and sneaky green chilli lurking to give a cool heat. There were also cumin-roasted cashews, again a balance of smooth and crunchy, cool and hot, red and green.

I managed to eat both of my grilled eggplant steaks and the sweet potato mash flavoured with tamarind and coconut milk, though I was filling up at this point, maybe my fault for bringing wine and beer along! The texture of this course was great, the potatoes grated then slowly cooked rather than simply boiled and mashed yet remained creamy thanks to the coconut milk, and freshened by the fresh coriander garnish.

Dessert was so good I ate it all - what I thought was almond cake turned out to be lemon-infused millet with coconut shavings. Sweetness was provided by a slow-cooked sauce of crushed dates, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg and star anise that had spent all day simmering. The dessert maintain a fresh taste through the bed of fresh mint it was served on and the lemon zest garnish.

A lot of effort went into designing and creating this food, and all I had to do was appreciate it…. it was so good I even did the dishes! The outdoor setting was perfect for a Melbourne summer’s night, althoughthe mosquitos also had a tasty meal.

Global Gobbler is a once in a lifetime experience I (my belly in particular) won't forget in a hurry. Now to organise my ticket to India...