It's been a week since the Iron Chef dinner, and about time the blog entry went up. Problem is, it's been so cold these few days (imagine, it's only the second week of winter... every night has been below 10 degrees) that the mere thought of spending an hour or two, out in the living room where my computer is, away from the heater that's in my room... it's so torturous that I haven't gotten around to blogging at all. If I had the chance of staying in my room, sitting in front of the heater and hibernating the rest of winter away sleeping, I would take it.

Unless, of course, it's to see the Iron Chefs or something. Then I might consider dragging my sorry self away from the heater and withstand the dreadful cold out there. Actually, hang on a moment while I get myself a hot cup of Earl Grey tea...

From Iron Chef Event 2010

No this is not the work of an Iron Chef. That Monday, which was the 7th of June, I had placement at Strathfield in the morning, which is when I made the previous entry. Having starved the day before with little or no dinner, a big breakfast was compensation for it, and because one needs the energy when working with kids. After placement, dropped by Hello!Happy for this blueberry cheesecake because it was tt's birthday a few days ago. Yes, I was practicing with the camera, which icie gave me. Lent me. Same thing.

You will see that most of the photos taken were from icie's camera. Keep in mind though, there's no need to credit him for any of it, because they were taken by *ahem* yours truly of course. (He did the post processing work, but I helped out!) Not to say that I'm going to completely shuunnn my old camera now, because I won't. I still really like my old 7.1megapix point-and-shoot camera that takes forever to save a photo when taken with flash, but when it comes to pictures from an Iron Chef dinner, the more professional, the better right?

Wrong. That camera caused me so much trouble and grief, it's amazing I even got any pictures that are decent to look at from it. =_= Considering how icie only gave me a 15 minute crash course on how to use it the night before, and I spent maybe another 15 minutes practicing how to shoot with it around the house.... yea... I don't see myself becoming a photographer any time in the near future.

On to the event!

From Iron Chef Event 2010

The doors opened and we streamed in to a foyer, greeted by waiters with glasses of champagne. You could also have bottles of Kirin beer (major sponsor of this event), and other waiters/ waitresses were walking around with platters of finger food. Sushi with scallops and salmon above. The scallops were so good~ we had two or three of these, haha.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

I have no idea what these are, but it's some sort of beef with black bean sauce. There's something crunchy in that, which creates an interesting contrast in texture with the soft beef. That was tt's favourite, he must have had about 5 of these, but not mine. Mine's coming up =D

From Iron Chef Event 2010

The biscuit base was really nicely made with a distinct buttery flavour. Cheese on top, with something orange. I don't remember what it was.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Tada! My favourite, though we only managed to get two or three of these. They were obviously popular and went so quickly! Tempura battered oysters served in their shells with a drop of seafood sauce. I could just keep eating these by the dozens.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Entered the hall after about half an hour of finger food (we had a slight panic when we realised the tickets were left inside one of the bags which we put into the cloak room, because we wouldn't know which was our table, but we found the tickets in the end, all safe). Two giant screens were attached to the ceiling, and men playing on giant taiko drums greeted us. After that, music from the Iron Chef soundtrack was playing on loudspeakers.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Seat number.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

On each seat was an Iron Chef bag, with flyers, promotions, a photo of the chefs, a freezer bag from Crystal Bay Prawns, and random postcards. More on those later.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

On the table, we have menus set out on in front of the wine glasses. Both Sakai and Chen made one dish each, while the other courses features other chefs from well-known restaurants across Australia.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Sakai was announced onto the stage first. Dressed in the original red costume that he wore for the Iron Chef series back 10 years ago, those costumes were apparently only used 5 times since the show ended. Fuji film didn't allow them out when the Iron Chefs previously visited Sydney in 2007, but did this time. Holding a golden pear *apple*, he looked exactly as he did 10 years ago on television. It's amazing how he can keep the same appearance. Being 68 (I would never have guessed his age, never), he was extremely fit, running around and amusing both guests and other staffs in the kitchen.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

On the screen with Harunobo Inukai from "BlancHaru", and Saeko Nemoto, owner of restaurant "Ten" in Gold Coast. Of course, Iron Chef Chen appeared too, but I couldn't get a good photo of him till later.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Tomo commentating in the kitchen. Sakai's actually very good at hogging the camera. You can tell, he loves being in front of the camera and it was funny to see Chen at the back running around working on dishes while Sakai's at the front with the camera smiling and chatting.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

We were shown a short video of how Sakai prepared this before being served the first course- Iron Chef Sakai's chilled seafood on cauliflower mousse with mango dressing, with complementing wine, 2009 Mt Difficulty Estate Pinot Gris.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Look at the layers of mousse, mango dressing and the seafood on top. The mousse was very light in flavour, which accentuated the natural sweetness of the seafood. Pieces of abalones and prawns with vegetable pieces and mango dressing atop smooth slippery mousse combine together to form this masterpiece.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Next was Chef Okazaki's dish. He's the owner of the restaurant "Rise". I didn't manage to take a photo of him, but frankly, he looks like someone from the yakuza. It's not meant to be an insult, because he's pretty good-looking actually (haha), but he frowns all the time! Even his photo in the menu book shows him with a frown. His dish is a trio of tuna made in different ways, accompanied by 2009 Kanppstein 'Three'- Gewurztraminer- Riesling- Pinot Gris (some kind of wine, don't ask me, I'm no specialist in wine). The one shown in the picture is tuna tartare with spicy miso in wanton cup.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Tuna rice paper roll.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Tuna tataki, asparagus and lemongrass tomato salsa.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

All three on one plate. Loved it!

From Iron Chef Event 2010

So Sakai had finished playing around in front of the camera, and Chen decided it was his turn to chill and take it easy in the kitchen. This was what he was doing while other chefs were busy preparing dishes.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Apparently he's really good at golf and uses it as a relaxation technique. A few guests were taken on stage to see who can golf the best, and the winner gets a free dinner at "Ten". The winner jokingly asked if he gets a plane ticket to Gold Coast too, since that's where "Ten" is located..

From Iron Chef Event 2010

What's this?~

Introducing Chef Haru from "BlancHaru", his dish was a spatchcock (read: small chicken). I found this dish really interesting because he encased the whole bird in a salt crust made of flour, thyme and rock salt. A lot of rock salt. He came out to the hall and demonstrated on the stage. It was so pro, seriously, he cut out perfect shape for the wings in a split second, shapes the head with cloves for eyes and covers the whole bird with pastry before sticking on the wings, head and brushing the whole thing with eggwash. Done in mere minutes.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

The final product that gets brought to the tables are just the thighs from the spatchcocks, though I would have loved to see it in its salt crust (it was seriously so cute!). So there we have Chef Haru's Spatchcock en croute de sel a la Haru, with 2008 Stonier Estate Chardonnay.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Sprinkles of truffle. I really liked this dish. I might actually try making this one day- encasing a chicken or something in a salt crust made from flour, thyme and rock salt. Of course, not being a high caliber chef like Haru, it would probably turn out to be a mess, but it sounds so interesting. The spatchcock was really juicy and truffle tastes like mushrooms =) There were many chefs involved in dishing up each plate, with some putting on the mash, some putting on the spatchcock, but Chef Haru's job for his dish was to sprinkle on the truffles.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

This was next- what I personally was looking forward to a lot. Iron Chef Chen's lobster. He planned to make every single one of those lobster balls for all 250+ guests, with the help of his son,  Kentaro.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

The accompanying wine- 2006 Argyle 'Reserve' Pinot Noir.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

The mantou that serves as a bread to mop up all that szechuan sauce.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

And out it comes! Lobster with chili sauce Szechuan Style, surrounded by a ring of melon and strawberries. I cannot imagine the effort it must have taken to set up a plate like that, placing each slice of melon and strawberry into a perfect ring. He made the sauce with tobanjan, ginger, onion, ketchup, rice and egg (I couldn't remember all the ingredients and had to "google" it. tt got the Iron Chef Chen cookbook though, signed by the man himself, so I shall look it up in the book next time!) The spiciness, sourness and sweetness was well-balanced and the lobster meat was juicy... it stays as my favourite seafood! Along with prawns and all the rest of them.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Chef Gary is the head chef of Hilton Hotel, sponsor of the event too. His dish was wagyu veal cheek. When icie was going through my photos, he was appalled that "wagyu" was braised for hours on end. Marinated for two days and cooked for 6 hours or so, all aspects of it being "wagyu" were lost =(

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Chef Gary's braised wagyu veal cheef on green pea and wasabi  mash with cabernet juis, accompanied by 2008 Petaluma 'The Hundred Kube' Cabernet Sauvignon. I think everyone was getting full by now, and this was a huge dish. It definitely needed some salt and pepper, which weren't working on my table!! I would have loved to cover this with pepper (I tend to get overexcited when it comes to pepper on meat like steak). The mash was lovely, though I cannot pinpoint what it tasted of- definitely not wasabi. The peas were fresh, not frozen, handpicked by Chef Gary's many apprentices. Loved the pumpkin chips too.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

The last dish was definitely out of the world. Created by Chef Saeko, the only female chef of the event, she made a dessert that was inspired by the universe- planets and stars. This shows her preparation- agar agar milk chocolate, and a dome of mousse.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

The final product, so beautiful it could have passed as a masterpiece artwork. Smoked chocolate and 'DELAMINA X.O.FALE&DRY 25YO' mousse with agar-agar of milk, chocolate anaglaise sauce, with 2004 Kanppstein Vintage Fortified Shiraz. The chocolate has been smoked in her restaurant's smoking machine, and it can be distinctly tasted in the high quality chocolate used for the mousse. The centre of white chocolate and cognac had some chocolate bits that provided an interesting contrast to the airy and light mousse, beautifully decorated with a ring of white chocolate, edible gold, toffee tuile and dotted with "stars" of chocolate sauce. If I weren't so full, I might have been able to properly enjoy it for everything it's worth. This was an amazing dish, and if I ever go to Gold Coast, I'm definitely going to "Ten".

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Final appearance of the iron chefs and guest chefs, Sakai came out with taiko sticks and started drumming his heart out. You'd think: he's 68 years old? Not one bit. No sign of a frail man at all. Coffee and tea served out in the foyer, where we could take professional photos with both iron chefs and get autographs if we didn't swarm them already during the course of dinner.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

No Chairman Kaga, though I think those sleeves might bear a small resemblance to the ridiculous outfits Chairman Kaga wears.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

A real picture of Iron Chef Chen! Oh, the guy on the far right!! That's Yakuza Hideki! =D

From Iron Chef Event 2010

A wonderful picture of Chef Haru, taken by a kind man sitting next to me at the table.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

And one of Chen, also taken by the nice kind man =) Thank you for sending them to me!!

From Iron Chef Event 2010

We took photos with both Iron Chefs, and I conveniently cropped us out so you get to see just Sakai =) With his drum sticks.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

My 18th birthday present from all my dear high school friends.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

Now priceless because I personally went up the Iron Chef Sakai and Chen and requested for an autograph, which they happily obliged to.

From Iron Chef Event 2010

In the iron chef bag are promotions to the restaurants Rise, Ten and BlancHaru. Will be visiting Rise soon!!

From Iron Chef Event 2010

A truly memorable event. One I won't forget anytime in the near or far future. HUGE thank you to tt for taking me there. Managed to see and touch two iron chefs!! AND got to taste their dishes. It was awesome.

Of course, the night might have been ruined by a certain someone at our table who couldn't stop complaining about everything. It was just ridiculous- she could not appreciate anything, giving sour comments such as "this taste like plane food", "I can cook better than this!" and "This is just horrible, how bad is this!" and leaving dishes barely touched. Really, there are such people in this world, with such pessimistic outlook on life, it must be terrible being her. She went with her partner, who was just knocking back glasses of wine, one after another. I don't blame him.

However, nothing could really ruin the night for me. Unless one of the iron chefs didn't show up or something drastic like that. So, feeling rather sorry for that lady who could not enjoy herself and wasted her partner's effort of bringing her to such a treat, I myself enjoyed the event thoroughly.

=D