How many desserts can one eat? Hmm. Let me rephrase that question. How many desserts and glasses of Laurent-Perrier champagne can one gulp down BEFORE dinner? Well, that’s the situation that I’m talking about. A few moons ago, I attended a tasting at Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio as part of Taste of Melbourne 2013 and by ‘tasting’, I mean ‘OMG I’m mining for sugar’ kinda tasting.

If you’ve ever stepped inside Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio and succumbed to the warm, sweet smells of all kinds of sugar laden experiments, then homeboy, you had better be prepared to tackle some of the most creative desserts I’ve ever had. I work nearby, so I’m usually found deciding on which of their Belgian chocolate Magnum like (but better!) ice creams to take back to the office and dangle in front of the many dieters in the department. Their reactions are priceless.

Laurent–Perrier Champagne upon arrival that went incredibly well with everything it was scary. I was so gutted I had to drive home rather than getting an awesome UBER car like the other guests. That’s what I get for waking up late for work that day! I haven’t gotten into a cab since using UBER. Say goodbye to awful cab drivers who refuse to take you home because you don’t live far enough! Plus, they’re hella comfortable, drivers are real friendly and they give you a bottle of water and magazines to read. The best thing though, is that you get to rate the driver and vice versa. It’s a win win situation – as a consumer, we get great experiences and the drivers don’t get dumb bogans who abuse them. A fair system.

Many of their creations contain more than eight elements from velvet sprayed coconut mouse, coconut caviar to explosive chocolate coated popping candy and of course, the almighty salted caramel. Just knowing how many elements were in each creation made me appreciate every bite and like a fine wine, I took my time smelling and tasting all the nuances of flavours trying to figure out what’s what and feeling the various textures. OK, who am I kidding?  I didn’t do any of that sheeeaat! As soon as I arrived, I was already eying out and ready to pounce on my first prey –  Coconut Passionfruit, ginger+ Mint B&P Signature Tube.

B&P’s creativity doesn’t stop at just the actual ingredients but how they position it. Take the coconut caviar for example aka tapioca pearls. Soft textures from the passionfruit curd and jelly, mint jelly, velvet sprayed coconut mousse to crumbly base made up of salted oat and ginger and a hardtop made out of white chocolate and mint. A perfect play of flavours.

The most memorable part of the evening was the way it was all presented atop a table of edible soil, golden chocolate leaves and let’s not forget the pink flowers that were of course, chocolate.

Say AAAAAAHHHHHH

If there weren’t enough sweet surprises that night, Purchese asked us to come into the kitchen to unveil his latest invention, the creation of creations – the Summer Nitro Fizz as he called it.

We watched as he poached white chocolate and raspberry parfait in liquid nitrogen whilst a plethora of elements  from Laurent Perrier Champagne jelly, mousse, raspberry compote, peach meringue, lemon curd to a  tangy shortbread were all playfully plated. The result was a mixture of tart and neutral flavours without coming off as too sweet which meant only one thing, I got to have MOOOAAAR. It was meant to be.

Dessert meets science…LITERALLY!!!!

ART.

Last but not least, was a seriously gooey Salted Caramel, Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Tart. Made with Belgian chocolate it’s even sprayed with chocolate velvet marshmallow. So insane, I ate this all the way home.

And how could I not forget about these chocolate leaves that I managed shamelessly to bag on the way out. There is no same when it comes to chocolate especially when covered in edible gold brotha!

WIN 1 of 2 Double Passes to Taste of Melbourne

Keen on trying out B&P’s Summer Nitro Fizz? Good news is that it will be making it’s mega debut at this year’s Taste of Melbourne and even better news, I’m giving away two double passes worth a total of $120!

To enter, all you gotta do is leave a comment at the end of this post telling me what your favourite Melbourne restaurant is and LIKE my Facebook page.

Zee Details

Taste of Melbourne will be running for four days from November 14 – 17 making its second appearance at the lush Pelican Lawn next to Albert Park Lake. Make sure you keep an eye on YO food or else the duckies might grab it!

Opening times vary. Thursday 14th from 5:30pm – 9:30pm, Friday 15th – Saturday 16th 12 – 4pm & 5:30pm to 10:00pm and Sunday 17th 12 – 5:00pm.

You can also pre-purchase your crowns ahead of the crowds so you can jump straight in line of your favourite restaurant  otherwise, there will staff walking around be EFTPOS and credit card facilities. Last year, I headed straight to whatever was grilling (Movida) and of course, Albert St Food and Wine’s Lemon Tart. Other participating eateries this year are some of my longtime Melbourne favs; Longrain, Taxi Dining Room, Mamasita and of course, Burch and Purchese,

Zee Terms and Conditions

Available to Australian residents only

Competition closes Thursday 7 November 2013 11:59PM AEST

Winners are chosen randomly. The lucky duckies will be announced on our Facebook page and notified via email so keep your eyes peeled and leave a comment with a valid email address as I will need your postal address.

*****COMPETITION HAS CLOSED******

Thank you to everyone that entered – I wish I had more to giveaway. The lucky winners are:

John who voted –  “Blue Corn in St Kilda is easily my favourite!” Submitted on 2013/10/28 at 2:12pm

Berns who voted – “though I can’t afford it, vue de monde” Submitted on 2013/11/03 at 9:26pm

Highlights from last year’s Taste of Melbourne!

Gosh, it’s so hard narrowing down the highlights from last year’s event due to the overwhelming amount of tasty choices , but here it goes.

Draanks were ON at Rekorderlig Cider‘s hotspot fitted out with comfy bean bags where we all chilled out, sunbaked and drank Rekorderlig’s new cider range which included the orange and ginger and of course, the summer fav; strawberry and lime.

My career as a bartender may have never come into fruition, but thanks to Sensology, I got to partake in their Art of Cocktail making class where it got a little messy. You see, it was way challenging trying to make a classic mojito when trying to capture all the moments with an SLR camera and and on my mobile but it was probably the most enjoyable and educational experiences that day apart from the eating that is! I’d definitely recommend that you sign up for one of their classes at Taste of Melbourne.

Oh what, you didn’t know I also moonlight as a bartender?!

Though The Aylesbury has now closed its doors *sad face* , their Lamb Ribs were juicy as hell and well worth a second helping.

If I see a BBQ happening, Imma come running. Movida geniuses were turning tricks with these babies.

I reckon I’ve had Albert St Food and Wine’s Lemon Tart at least five times this year. Eat it and you’ll see whaaaay.

Coconuts. That’s all.

Food Rehab attended the Burch and Purchese tasting night courtesy of Taste of Melbourne and HotHouse Media & Events

Have you signed up for updates from Food Rehab? Get on the list and I’ll do my best to keep us learning about none-other than glorious, GLORIOUS food! Also, follow me on Facebook or Twitter if you have either of those addictive things.

Keep eating…LIKE CRAZAAY!

Adrian