A day at the races in style
Arriving to free flowing glasses of Moët champagne and cocktails of Passionfruit & Mint Mojito and Sangria are possibly a common sight for the celebrities and Emirates frequent flyer customers of this invite only event. An onslaught of delicious cold canapés included
melt-in-your-mouth Cherry Tomato, Fresh Basil & Mahon Empanadilla, platters of Freshly Shucked Sydney Rock Oysters and excellent quality Cooked King Prawns all deveined and ready to eat. I found the Smoked Cured Beef maybe a little dry on the almond wafer and the Chilled Almond Soup Muscat Grapes a little too unusual but rejoiced in the tasty Tarta of Figs, Manchego, Honey & Toasted Walnuts. Hot canapés included bite sized Snapper & Red Capsicum Croquettes and Dill Crumbed White Anchovy both cooked to a commendable crispness from the makeshift kitchen out back. Seared Sea Scallops with Fennel & Chilli were a good explosion of flavours and the BBQ Chicken Skewers were decently sized, tender and flavoursome.
Substantial dishes started with a tender Slow Cooked Roast Smoked Paprika Lamb Shoulder bursting with good flavour and Fresh King Crab Salad with a nice citrus zing in the dressing. I found the Coyne Bay Barramundi with Hot Garlic Sauce & Chilli Dressing lacked flavour for some reason but it was nicely presented. The Traditional Potato Tortilla was also presented well with some interesting ingredients — the addition of mint worked well for me. The charismatic Chef Miguel Maestre was in charge of the Classic Spanish Paella. Cries for desserts were heard around the marquee which were satisfied by the petit Cinnamon Dusted Churros cooked to a nice outer crispness while retaining some softness within. A decent heat kick was noticed in the Spiced Dark Mousse with Honey Comb & Strawberry Wafers possessing rich flavours. The Santiago Almond & Red Currant Tarts were an absolute winner served warm and topped with decadent lemon cream. Individual Baked Caramel Delight with Orange Caramel Syrup were silky smooth and satisfied the sugar lovers amongst the crowd.
The final stage of canapés appropriately named ‘The Soak’ consisted of small tender pieces of Calamari Fritos cooked with a light crisp batter. Veal Meat Balls were fairly good but I preferred the Party Steak & Mushroom Pies and Sausage rolls to satisfy my primal food urges. I missed out on seeing any of the Wild Mushroom & San Simon Croquettes and apparently the seven Tapas dishes were only served to those who sat at the white linen tables so I unfortunately didn’t see any of these. Live entertainment of flamenco dancers certainly kept the crowd entertained between races and the prevailing wet weather. Finishing at around 5.30 pm the heavens thankfully eased a bit for the countless number of race day attendees lining up for taxis and the free bus service for those heading back to Central Station.
SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
Video highlights
Thanks to Claire Surgeon from PPR for inviting me along to the Emirates Marquee as part of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. The large Spanish-themed marquee held tight under the torrential wet weather and arriving guests quickly filled up the umbrella stand to overflowing. I’m not a gambler due to knowing I won’t win, and my celebrity knowledge is quite pitiful, proven by the fact that I thought Kirk Pengilly from INXS was Aaron Harvie from MasterChef but my passion for food was fulfilled by the extensive menu of 23 canapés, dishes and desserts plus 7 tapas (which I unfortunately didn’t get to try) all designed by Culinary Edge catering.
Arriving to free flowing glasses of Moët champagne and cocktails of Passionfruit & Mint Mojito and Sangria are possibly a common sight for the celebrities and Emirates frequent flyer customers of this invite only event. An onslaught of delicious cold canapés included
melt-in-your-mouth Cherry Tomato, Fresh Basil & Mahon Empanadilla, platters of Freshly Shucked Sydney Rock Oysters and excellent quality Cooked King Prawns all deveined and ready to eat. I found the Smoked Cured Beef maybe a little dry on the almond wafer and the Chilled Almond Soup Muscat Grapes a little too unusual but rejoiced in the tasty Tarta of Figs, Manchego, Honey & Toasted Walnuts. Hot canapés included bite sized Snapper & Red Capsicum Croquettes and Dill Crumbed White Anchovy both cooked to a commendable crispness from the makeshift kitchen out back. Seared Sea Scallops with Fennel & Chilli were a good explosion of flavours and the BBQ Chicken Skewers were decently sized, tender and flavoursome.
Substantial dishes started with a tender Slow Cooked Roast Smoked Paprika Lamb Shoulder bursting with good flavour and Fresh King Crab Salad with a nice citrus zing in the dressing. I found the Coyne Bay Barramundi with Hot Garlic Sauce & Chilli Dressing lacked flavour for some reason but it was nicely presented. The Traditional Potato Tortilla was also presented well with some interesting ingredients — the addition of mint worked well for me. The charismatic Chef Miguel Maestre was in charge of the Classic Spanish Paella. Cries for desserts were heard around the marquee which were satisfied by the petit Cinnamon Dusted Churros cooked to a nice outer crispness while retaining some softness within. A decent heat kick was noticed in the Spiced Dark Mousse with Honey Comb & Strawberry Wafers possessing rich flavours. The Santiago Almond & Red Currant Tarts were an absolute winner served warm and topped with decadent lemon cream. Individual Baked Caramel Delight with Orange Caramel Syrup were silky smooth and satisfied the sugar lovers amongst the crowd.
The final stage of canapés appropriately named ‘The Soak’ consisted of small tender pieces of Calamari Fritos cooked with a light crisp batter. Veal Meat Balls were fairly good but I preferred the Party Steak & Mushroom Pies and Sausage rolls to satisfy my primal food urges. I missed out on seeing any of the Wild Mushroom & San Simon Croquettes and apparently the seven Tapas dishes were only served to those who sat at the white linen tables so I unfortunately didn’t see any of these. Live entertainment of flamenco dancers certainly kept the crowd entertained between races and the prevailing wet weather. Finishing at around 5.30 pm the heavens thankfully eased a bit for the countless number of race day attendees lining up for taxis and the free bus service for those heading back to Central Station.
SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Excellent variety of quality canapés and drinks, Checking out the fashion and celebrities, Live entertainment, Nice comfortable décor and seating for a marquee
CONS: Toilets were only accessible via wet weather outside, Incredibly long queues for taxis and buses after the event, Losing your money if you’re not a good gambler
MUST TRY: Finding the names of all the celebrities I took photos of to add as captions
—
Video highlights
The drinks
Moët & Chandon champagne
Passionfruit & Mint Mojito cocktail, Sangria
Spiced nuts
Cherry Tomato, Fresh Basil & Mahon Empanadilla
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)
Cooked King Prawns with Herb Aoili
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)
Smoked Cured Beef on Almond & Queso Iberico Wafer with Tomato Fennel & Raisin Jam
Tarta of Figs, Manchego, Honey & Toasted Walnuts
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)
Chilled Almond Soup Muscat Grapes
WORTH TRYING :-)
Seared Sea Scallops with Fennel & Chilli served in Shell with Caper Breadcrumbs & Lemon Butter
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)
BBQ Chicken Skewers Marinated with Paprika & Oregano & Lime Citrus Yoghurt
Slow Cooked Roast Smoked Paprika Lamb Shoulder with Potato Purée
WORTH TRYING :-)
Fresh King Crab Salad, Avocado, Citrus Salad & Gazpacho Dressing
WORTH TRYING :-)
Coyne Bay Barramundi with Hot Garlic Sauce & Chilli Dressing, Quinoa Grains & Sautéed Zucchini
Traditional Potato Tortilla with Artichoke and Salad of Broad Beans, Mint, Parsley & Shaved Murcia al Vino Lemon Dressing
Classic Spanish Paella: Sautéed Chicken with Garlic Prawns, Green Lip Mussels & Saffron Rice
Desserts
Desserts
Cinnamon Dusted Churros with Chocolate Dipping Sauce
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)
WORTH TRYING :-)
Santiago Almond & Red Currant Tarts, served with Lemon Cream
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)
Calamari Fritos with Lime Aioli & Shoestring Fries
WORTH TRYING :-)
Party Steak & Mushroom Pies and Sausage rolls served with tomato sauce
The chefs
Chef Garan Groves in charge from Culinary Edge
Chef Miguel Maestre cooking up the paella
Sascha and Chef Miguel Maestre
Bianca and Maria Venuti
Sammy Jakubiak (right) - My Kitchen Rules contestant
David Potter, Robyn Lucas - MiSociety
Claire Surgeon - PPR
Emma Jager
April Rose Pengilly (left)
Kate Waterhouse (right)
Hadnet Tesfai
April Rose Pengilly, Kirk Pengilly - INXS
Mel Cook (left)
Barry O'Farrell (left) - NSW Premier, Barry Brown (centre) - Emirates Vice President Australasia
Halcyon Powe (2nd from right), Mitch Furlong (far right)
Luke Ricketson (right)
Giovanni De Lemos, Ryan Stokes
Sally Fielke - CEO Australian Hotels Association, Barry O'Farrell - NSW Premier, Sally Edwards - GM Events NSW
Inside Emirates Marquee
Welcome drinks and Emirates hostess
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