Sydney Winter Festival, Cook and Phillip Park, Sydney

Sydney. Snow.

The two words seem at odds with each other, but for four days last week, locals had the chance to experience a winter wonderland at the inaugural Sydney Winter Festival.



For the first time in almost fifty years, an outdoor ice skating rink was erected in Sydney's CBD, set up on the forecourt of St Mary's Cathedral. Ice skating session tickets were offered online prior to the event and sold out almost instantly. Never understimate the novelty factor and the romance quotient.

When Chocolatesuze and I arrived at the festival, it soon became clear why the tickets had sold out so fast - the rink was tiny at a mere 15 metres by 14 metres. The skaters on the rink were undeterred, a happy huddle of nervous newbies, shrieking children, doe-eyed couples and the occasional enthusiastic figure skater.


Ice skates


Ice skaters

Snow machines created a sense of winter magic - all that was missing was a Christmas soundtrack and the sound of sleigh bells ringing!






Snow machine



Food stalls surrounded the mini ice rink - a great mix of cuisines with a particular focus on European winter fare. I was disappointed I couldn't find any poutine-- a Canadian snack of French fries smothered in fresh cheese curds and gravy--even though it was advertised on the website.


Paella from El Bulli

We arrived at about 11.00am on the Sunday and the quiet morning trade meant that many stalls were gladly offering samples to the wandering public.


Cassoulet from Etch Dining


Samples of organic grass-fed wagyu beef burgers from Plan B


Pretzels


Krusovice Czech beer


French crepe with Nutella from Chez Lulu


Mascot from Azuma and Ton Ton


Honeycomb Rocky Road from Voodoo Chocolate


Vietnamese snacks from Saigon Bay


Ghermez cupcakes


Ghermez cupcakes


Snowflakes

Snowflakes were the currency of the day on the cashless site, with money swapped for the blue ($10) and white ($1) discs at specific sales booths.


Hot non-alcoholic punch $5.00 incl souvenir mug

I wasn't quite ready for a breakfast of mulled wine and had the hot non-alchoholic punch instead. It tasted much like hot orange juice with cinnamon, cloves and vanilla, and was surprisingly comforting.


Hot chocolate from Voodoo Chocolate $4.00

Chocolatesuze went for the... surprise... hot chocolate. And she made a specific request for a pink marshmallow, not a white one. The stall keeper smiled, and confessed "I like it when people actually have a preference".


Warm marinated olives from Dal Forno $5.00


Prosciutto and rocket stone-baked pizza from Dal Forno $5.00



The photo of the baked brie fondue stops Suze dead in her tracks. There's a sharp inhalation of breath and in that instant, we know what we're having for lunch, a whole round of Charleston Woodside brie stuffed with herbs and baked in the oven until gooey.


Woodside Charleston Jersey cow brie (South Australian)


Stuffing the brie with rosemary and thyme


Baked brie fondue from Dal Forno $14.00

We prise at the skin of the brie to reveal a molten mass of cheese. There's not a strong flavour imparted by the herbs, and the cheese itself is quite mild, but it's a great idea I should do more often. I'm thinking it would make a perfect entree or dessert for my next dinner party.


Alpenhorn players

As we finish off the brie, we're entertained by two Swiss Alpenhorn players, a beautiful carved wooden horn that was traditionally used for communication in the alps (hence its name Alp Horn).



The notes are low and deeply resonant, a soothing sound that is calming and relaxing.

Can you say Happy Cheese Day? It certainly is for us, as we round off lunch by sharing a serve of the melted raclette cheese on offer from the Swissotel.


Raclette being grilled

The etymology of the word raclette comes from the French word racler, meaning "scrape". Half a wheel of raclette is placed beneath a special grill, heated until the top layer bubbles and turns a wondrous golden colour, before it is scraped off with a knife and eaten with boiled potatoes, gherkins and pickled onions.


Scraping off the grilled layer of raclette cheese




Swiss cheese raclette from Swissotel Sydney $8.00

The cheese is thick and stretchy, although it cools quite quickly into a pliable dairy blanket over the potato family. A dusting of paprika gives it a reassuring colour, the richness of the dish offest by the sour pickles and onions.



A great day out for young and old. Here's hoping the festival becomes an annual event that is even bigger and better next year.



The Sydney Winter Festival was held June 18-21, 2009 at Cook + Phillip Park, College Street, Sydney.