The Taste of Sydney Festival was held for the first time this year, between the 12th and 15th of March in Centennial Park. I had been excited about the festival since the launch party provided a sneak peek of some of the amazing dishes on offer from some of Sydney’s top restaurants. Sydney is diverse and eclectic, and span so many different cuisines because it is such a multicultural city. I thought this was reflected well in the variety of food available.

With newly purchased crowns in hand, we headed straight to Bécasse for one of Justin North’s famous wagyu burgers (12 crowns) that I had been dreaming about since the launch party. I wanted to get in quick because I knew they would be popular – in fact I think the official number was about 5,500 burgers in four days of the festival. It was just as delicious as I remembered – the meat absolutely melts in your mouth, but it seems very small indeed when you are sharing it!

Nearby was Berowra Waters Inn and I had mentioned to my sister how wonderful the arancini (10 crowns) was at the launch party – I can’t even remember how many I ate. It was wonderfully crispy on the outside, giving way to a beautifully cooked truffle risotto and buffalo mozzarella center. The striking green sauce that accompanied it was made from tasty spinach and fennel. The flavours complemented each other so well, and I think this is a really great, balanced dish.

Next up was the pie from Bird Cow Fish (12 crowns). Originally advertised as braised beef cheek, roasted onion, Jerusalem artichoke and red wine jus, we are told that today they have used oxtail instead. I thought that the pie tasted just a little too strongly of wine, which overpowered some of the other more subtle flavours like the artichoke. However the meat was beautifully tender and the pastry was deliciously flaky.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a very good photograph of the Wagyu Beef Bourguignonne with truffled cauliflower and onion rings from Restaurant Balzac (10 crowns). The flavours were incredible and all worked so well together. The pastry was so crispy, giving way to a melt-in-your-mouth meaty filling, and Beth and I agreed that it was our favourite dish of the day.

Another favourite was the beautifully presented Love Cake with cinnamon cream (8 crowns) from Flying Fish. I didn’t know that love cake was a Sri Lankan dessert, and a good friend of mine has offered to give me her family’s recipe so I can try it myself. It had a texture similar to pudding and I loved the warm cinnamon flavour.

And last but not least, we managed to score a table right near the Lindt stand, which was a temptation we couldn’t resist. For only 6 crowns, I got a cute heart shaped waffle with a big scoop of Lindt white chocolate and vanilla bean ice cream, and a generous drizzling of Lindt chocolate sauce. Anyone who has been to the Lindt cafés in Sydney knows how amazing their ice cream is, and this was so delicious I wanted to lick the plate clean.

So with full tummies, a Gourmet Traveller magazine showbag, and slightly sunburnt arms we left to find a shady spot under some trees. I really enjoyed the day, though most of the servings were on the small side. Centennial Park provided a beautiful backdrop to the festival, which was well organised and easy to navigate. Even the weather co-operated for us, having been a little unpredictable in the days before, it was beautifully sunny on the day that we were there. And a huge, big thank you to Prue from The Mint Partners for the tickets!