Dinner at Ariane's

I would like thank Ariane and Crash for a memorable dinner.
The company was warm and welcoming and the food exquisite.

In the past I have not been all that experimental in my culinary pursuits, so much so I had been turned off trying a lot of seafood, partly because of the fishy smell of some poor experiences and partly because of the perceived squishy texture of a lot of seafood. I have always been more of a meat man, and still am, but when turning 30 recently I have decided to try a lot of things I otherwise would not have touched with a 10 foot barge pole. Only weeks ago I had not even tried: lobster, crab, moreton bay bugs and now more recenty Calamari.

I have decided to use this new blog page to talk about my cooking and dining experiences, and showcase some of the better food or recipes I have tasted or created. This blog will hopefully reflect my passion for food.

Ariane made a delightful Calamari and pasta salad, and the texture of the calamari was fantastic.
That why I enjoy meat so much because of the texture is so much more appealing, but the calamari Ariane served up had a terrific texture, and it seemed to work well with the flavours in the salad.

For the main a twist on the many splendid duck recipe was served, this time the many splendid spatchcock lol It was sooooo tender and melted in the mouth. She also served one of my fav greens alongside it, "broccolini".

The dessert was superb, the flavours addictive. A roasted or poached pear in marsala had me wanting to lick the bowl clean lol

Not only were the courses so delicious, the wines which complemented each course were fantastic. As I have been told I must have commented on the buttery and vanilla flavours of the Chardonnay to Nerida in the car 20 times on the way home lol. The Pinot was lovely, the bubbly, even the strawberry one was nice and the port was profound lol I couldnt help using "profound" since Nerida hates me using it within a food context lol. I will say though, it was a profound dining experience.

I felt privileged to be invited to such a fantastic dinner experience and the hosts were so generous with their wine. I not only enjoyed the food and the company but also received an education in wine appreciation too :) lol
Crash was so generous in offering me refills all night lol I did well to keep my composure and not reach for the bottle several times lol I would wait PATIENTLY to be offered another refill lol

Perhaps I am a true alcoholic at heart :P but the wine really complemented the experience tremendously well.

Special thanks goes to Nerida for not only being my designated driver to ALLOW me to enjoy such a splendid evening, but for also putting up with repetitive compliments all the way home in the car lol.

Stay tuned for some reviews on some recent recipes which I tested out... lol