Was the F-Word appropriate?

On Tuesday night, Jules Heaton, Millgate, Karla and myself went to some random restaurant in Woolloomooloo for the filiming of a new Channel 7 reality TV show. Further to my post about setting goals, this was my first exercise to get on every commercial TV station in Australia by year's end. At the very least, I'll be in the background of a conversation between Evan and Bella from My Restaurant Rules' Pink Salt.

The producers were even so kind to move our table so that the camera men could have better access to the 'star' couple. Either way, we had an unobscured view of the kitchen (as you can see above).

Aside from Jules, Millgate and Karla, other stars in attendance included Anthony Callea and Wil Traval (Dr Quade from All Saints). Elton John was busy.

The show is modelled on Gordon Ramsey's UK version, The F-Word, where three amateur chefs cook for a restaurant of 50 people. In our episode there were three butchers.

Chef Matt Moran (not the Slavic soul-party vibraphonist-composer) needed seven takes just to high five his team of three amateur chefs for a job well done. Regular TV, shit talent, or just a 1st class wanker? I'll take votes.

The menu...

Entree - Salt & Chilli Squid w Bok Choy

Mum, you would have loved this one.

In my opinion, the squid was beautifully cooked, perhaps a little overwhelmed by its sweet ginger and chilli sauce - a personal taste, but I would have liked a little more chilli to balance out the strong sweet ginger flavours. The baby bok choy was of a high quality and had the right snap/soft textural balance. After this one, I was thinking that this dynamic could really work for TV and we were in for a night of great taste.

Main - Pork w Kifler Potatoes, Honey Baby Pears, Broccolini & Caper Butter

Unispiring, yes. The pork cut was just divine though.

As I mentioned to my table, when the caper butter resting over your broccolini hasn't even begun to melt, you know there must be something wrong with the vegetable kitchen-plate-table process...a little too cold, considering we were 2.5 metres from the kitchen. Perhaps a group of Iraqi insurgents disrupted the convoy? I don't know.

The pork cut though - sweet mother - amazing. Loved it! There was some consternation at the level of cooking it had had, however in my mind, its medium-medium rare tenderness and texture proved an absolute hit with my tastebuds. The 'crackling' was about 25 minutes undercooked - quite chewy really. But that's not really Moran's fault. He only showed up 5 minutes before filming started.

I was one of only 20 out of the 50 patrons who agreed to pay for the pork. Yeah, sure the vegetables were sub-standard, but a cut of meat like that, which Matt Moran later told us was Kurobuta Pork, was truly a unique experience.

Another diner/blogger suggests that the reason it may not have scored very highly was because not many people dig pork. Seems like Australian Pork Limited still have a bit of work to do...

Desert - White Chocolate Pannacotta w Citrus Salad

This dish was a little like a trip to the Western NSW wheatbelt. Simple, refreshing and a little grainy.

It was simple because I felt, again, the dish was relatively uninspiring. I just wasn't excited when they plonked it down in front of me. In saying that, it would be a great dish if you had kids with you - the jelly wobble of the pannacotta and the simple fruit flavours would have been a hoot for any 5 year-old.

Refreshing for a few reasons. Firstly because I have never experienced a rose water/citrus combination like this. And what about the oregano garnish - now that's novel. Lastly, I couldn't agree more with Millgate's comment that the pannacotta proved to be a wonderful complement to some rich flavours experienced in the entree and main courses.

And grainy - the pannacotta, whilst its flavour proved a treat, its consistency and texture was somewhat disappointing.

Verdict

All in all, it was a great experience. I loved the company, with 3/4 of my table trying to make eyes with buff camera men, tanned waiters and Tony Callea. Sitting down for 5 hours nearly gave me DVT - I think we could have done with about another four bottles of wine.

Would I go again? Probably not. The thrill really was in seeing the magic of TV and having the excitement of a sound man's boom hovering over your face whilst you discuss the different elements of the food. I think I'd rather take Clare out for a pasta, icecream and romantic stroll down woolloomoo wharf for $40.

Shiny, happy people laughing...