Thursday, March 10, 2011

3 Wise Men - The Big Dinner Part 2: The Dinner

The professional setup

The refreshing French Lemonade cocktails made by Ralph and Vaughan

Sharon and Bronwyn

Lee and Ang


The First Course
Sashimi tuna
marinated in soy/mirin w edamame beans salad and a wasabi dressing
Had no idea what edamame beans were until now...

Chef C applying the finishing touches

The colourful plating of the tuna...mmmmm! 

Yee Manor transformed into fine-dining heaven

The 3 Wise Men sit down to feast on their hard work...the start of a long night boys!


The Second Course
Paua fritters
w baby rocket and spicy chilli dressing
Paua fritters came at the price of a destroyed blender

Plating the paua fritters...rocket had to go on top or it would have been crushed

Paua fritters courtesy of Chef Chicken's mate! Thank you!


The Third Course
Caramelised sea scallops
on cauli purée served w baby peas
The Chefs had a big debate over how many scallops to plate...4 seemed right but 4 is bad luck in Chinese. Braz suggested "3 and a half!". Good one Braz!

My personal favourite of the night!


The Fourth Course
Oxtail ravioli
and crispy pancetta w wilted baby spinach and a rich beef jus

And the obsession with microgreens continues...

Beautiful presentation - looking sooo much better than the Test Kitchen trial!

Ready to eat!

The Fifth Course
Tea smoked duck breast
on wild mushrooms w deep fried julienne of leek and an orange sauce reduction
Heavy-handed Braz strikes again...

Crisped to perfection

Chef Chicken in the zone...A+ for effort and diligence

Braz genuinely believing he is Jamie Oliver

Sharon reassures Colleen that Greg and C are not having an internet affair despite them both sending pxts to each other at 12am, 2am and 4am in the morning...

Much to C's disappointment, Chicken and Braz banned Whitecliff from the kitchen

Antipodes...water for the pretentious

This time the fried leeks were actually fried and not burnt

A very generous helping


The Sixth Course
Beef fillet
and a beef port jus w poached prawns and a mango and avocado salsa
Everyone wants to be a Masterchef...

Eye-fillet cooked to perfection

The girls and Merv

The final main dish...a good old surf and turf.


The Seventh Course
Coconut pannacotta
w Seatoun vanilla bean ice cream 
Presentation by Murray and Lee

Always have a second stomach for dessert! Chef Chicken's home made ice cream was very impressive!

Colleen's home made macarons (yeah right!)

The 3 Wise Men and their lucky guests

3 Wise Men, 2 long months of preparation, 1 night to put it all together...And what a brilliant night it was. Great food and great company, I don't think any of the Chefs could have asked for more.

The night kicked off with a glass of French Lemonade, a refreshing cocktail now mastered by Vaughan after Ralph's quick training. 

The first course got underway with a little speech from Braz, who for maybe the first time in his life actually THANKED Shaz "because she says I never thank her...". Braz you probably should have mentioned that Shaz went out and brought all the ingredients, cleared the lounge and even moved in the tables, i.e. everything that was Braz' responsibility, Shaz took care of.

The wine started flowing, and it didn't take long for some of the girls to get a bit pissy, evident from the rising volume levels and shrieking laughter (Lee!). Stories from the past and accusations were flying...but we'll just say what's said on the table stays on the table.

Each dish was beautifully presented and well-received by all the guests. My personal favourites were the scallops with the yummy cauli puree, and the oxtail ravioli which was a refreshing change from the 'hunk of meat + garnish + sauce' formula. Although I can't get over how gross cooked spinach makes your teeth feel, so I had to avoid that!

If there was one criticism to be made, the portion sizes were slightly too big for a 7-course meal; by the end some of the girls were struggling to get through their plates. Big ups to Greg who consistently licked his plate clean!

Overall a highly enjoyable night was had by all...bring on the next one! Rumours are its in Jafa-land!

Coming Soon:
3 Wise Men - The Big Dinner Part 3: Bloopers - The Not So Wise Moments...


2 comments:

  1. Seriously thanks to Sharon and Brian for a great day and night, just damn lucky we can all put up with the slander that goes on, but we all know each other pretty well and how to push each others buttons. A huge thanks to Char and her big guy V, incredible work horses and we couldn't have done it without ya...we have gone from 4 courses to 5 to now 7, next we're going for 10! Thanks again all, and next time Chicken chill!

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  2. Yes big ups to the workers Vaughan & Char who cleaned, cleared and generally kept the Chefs on their toes all day .....on reflection a great night...the test kitchens and stuff done the night before really paid off me thinks...but a good 3WM TEAM effort.We hope Braz gets some new frypans before the next do in Jafaland...onwards and upwards!

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