Vibe Entertains cookbook launch, Vibe Hotel Sydney

Lychee and midori cocktails

What does a hotel have to do with a cookbook? I'm not sure, but I'm guessing that the new Vibe Entertains cookbook by the Vibe Hotel group is all about promoting a lifestyle that is one part party to two parts glam (try saying that after three cocktails).

In order to find out more, Chocolatesuze and I attended the "exclusive launch" of said cookbook at the Vibe Hotel Sydney on Goulburn Street last week. Free food, drinks and goodie bags had nothing to do with our rsvp of course.

We arrived to find the ground floor bar cleared of furniture and filled with cocktail-sipping guests mingling the room instead. The lychee and Midori cocktails were a fluoro green, poured in sugar-rimmed martini glasses with flashing multicoloured stems. It felt very New Years Eve.

After downing our first cocktail, we gathered around the demonstration tables to watch a few recipes put into action.

Squeezing lime juice into pork mince

Pork and rambutan canapes

Slicing the pepper-crusted seared tuna

Peppered tuna salad

Much more entertaining was the cocktail-making session, an impressive display of balance, showmanship and crowd-pleasing fire.

Not quite a flaming Moe

Breathing FIRE!

We kicked on with more cocktails, canapes and desserts, all from the cookbook of course.

Vibe sunset cocktail with white wine, strawberry liquer and soda water

Tempura vegetables with chick pea dip

Crystal bay prawns with wasabi

Crystal Bay prawns with chilli voda shots

Crystal Bay prawn and hokkien noodle stir fry

Blue cheese and blueberry bites; shortbreads with mascarpone and toffee;
and cinnamon-dusted mini pavlovas

The Vibe Entertains cookbook will be included with Vibe Entertains accommodation packages.

Vibe Hotel Sydney
111 Goulburn Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 8272 3300

10 Comments:

At 12/02/2008 12:02 am, Anonymous said…

I have to be honest, the idea of a budget hotel releasing a cook book leaves me completely cold and just seems like a money grab in an environment when releasing a cookbook without a celebrity endorsement at Xmas time may see it being a little difficult to shift units so I guess if it's a value add to a room stay, fair enough. That said, I have to ask - why would you do it from a cost/benefit perspective.

Also, the photo with the lychee and pork canapes - they're using the outer spiny skin of a rambutan. Are you sure they wern't rambutan and pork?
At 12/02/2008 12:23 am, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Benn - It's an intriguing lateral marketing concept. Although the cook books do have a retail value, I expect they'll be included as "free gifts" for customers and used as a marketing tool. I haven't had a close look at the final copy (they were still at the printers at the time of the launch) but it does include promotion of their various hotels around the country. I guess it's a novel way to ensure that customers value and keep "marketing material" on their bookshelves, presumably referring to it for a recipe and then thinking "hey, isn't it about time we had a holiday, and how about we stay at a Vibe Hotel?" lol

And yep you're right about the rambutans (now corrected). That's what you get when you keep staring at pictures of lychee cocktails.
At 12/02/2008 12:31 am, claire said…

Happiness is just a Flaming Moe awaaaaaaay... :)
At 12/02/2008 7:29 am, Anonymous said…

7am now. Those drinks have me licking my lips.

No stiff drinks before lunch but is it too early for a cocktail? They are made with fruit, so we could consider them a liquid breakfast.
At 12/02/2008 10:08 am, Anonymous said…

lol i regret not partaking in more free alcomohol... heh im surprised you didnt include a pic of the squishy toy?
At 12/02/2008 5:16 pm, Anonymous said…

Woow sounds and looks like a great night and the food yummm so very very hungry haha
At 12/02/2008 5:57 pm, Anonymous said…

Oops I thought at first this sounded suss from the name Vibe (which still has me giggling like a schoolgirl).
At 12/03/2008 12:06 am, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Claire - lol.

Hi Veruca Salt - The cocktails were pretty strong, but yes, I think the fruit definitely qualifies them as "health-giving".

Hi Chocolatesuze - Hehe, I didn't even take a photo of them, although I have two of them posing cheerfully on the bookshelf as I type :)

Hi FFichiban - It was a fun night. Good company always helps of course :)

Hi Lorraine - Dearie me, that thought didn't even occur to me! Tut tut! Perhaps they might introduce a few more gift ideas with that thought trail in mind! lol
At 12/17/2008 8:58 pm, Sarah said…

Lol @ Flaming Moe!!

xox Sarah
At 12/22/2008 12:41 am, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Sarah - lol.