Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2010: World's Longest Lunch and Death by Chocolate at Koko Black

Five words you don't ever want to hear?

"Your flight has been cancelled."

It's a small dampener to the spirits of Billy and I, and even though the next flight is full, and the one after that is delayed by 40 minutes, we're still rather jubilant when we land in Melbourne three hours behind schedule.

We're a little excited you see - two food bloggers flown down from Sydney by Tourism Victoria for our first ever taste of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.


The World's Longest Lunch

We head straight from the airport to the Festival's premiere event, the World's Longest Lunch, a gathering of some 900 diners for a three-course al fresco lunch seated at a snaking 400 metre-long table.

The location of this event changes each year - this year the lunch was held outside the National Gallery of Victoria in the St Kilda Road Arts Precinct.


Entree: Three Emperors
Soft shell crab with black beans, four seasons dumpling
and chilli spiced duck salad

We arrive to find the lunch already underway, the table stretching for what seems like forever, and patrons all a-chatter as they bask in the brilliant sunshine of a glorious day. Our late flight has meant we've missed entrees--soft shell crab, a four seasons dumpling and a chilli-spiced duck salad--by five minutes although a waitress does eventually find a sample for us to photograph. We're explicitly banned from eating it though, as it's been sitting out for some time. Comments and tasting notes about its deliciousness from our seated neighbours are both helpful and somewhat torturous.


Main: Modern Magnolia
Braised lamb with soy, star anise and Shaoxing wine
with gingered sweet potato puree, wok tossed peas,
pomegranate seeds and fried leeks

We're more than ready for mains, a modern Asian take on the classic roast meat and three veg. In this version, a fan of braised lamb slices are soft and fall-apart tender, aromatic with soy, star anise and Shaoxing wine. A bed of sweet potato mash adds nuttiness and pale pink pomegranate seeds are refreshingly tart.


Dessert: Study of Fruits
Coconut sorbet, mango brulee with lychees,
poached peach and raspberry coulis and sesame tuile

Dessert is a spectacularly plated affair, plumes of dry ice shrouding a terracotta tea pot that holds a scoop of coconut sorbet in its upturned lid. The coconut sorbet is refreshing in the heat, although the sun does reduce the toffee disc on the mango brulee to a puddle of sauce rather quickly. The peach is the only disappointment, more crunchy than poached, but overall we found the catering impressively complex for such a large scale event.


Chinese dancer

This year's lunch had a Chinese theme, and diners were treated to a roving series of entertainers and performers.


Chinese parasols


World's Longest Lunch longest supporters

The World's Longest Lunch also has its longest supporters. The group in the rice paddy hats attended the very first World's Longest Lunch in 1993. They've attended every one of the World's Longest Lunches since then, and always dress up according to the theme.


Lion dancers


Lion dancers

Death by Chocolate at Koko Black Chocolate


The following evening, Billy and I attend the Death by Chocolate event at Koko Black Chocolate. Whilst the Melbourne Food & Wine revolves around gustatory pleasures, the idea of hosting a Who Dunnit Event within a chocolate tasting adds an interesting element of theatre.


Koko Black Chocolate on Collins Street

We enter the Koko Black Chocolate store on Collins Street to find an elegant saloon adorned with mouthwatering displays of handmade chocolates.


Chocolate gelato

We're offered our choice of a miniature chocolate dessert on arrival - Billy's chocolate mousse is intense in flavour yet light in texture. My chocolate gelato is velvety smooth with a pleasing cocoa hit.

The premise of the evening is that all guests are student detectives who must unravel a whodunnit murder mystery by piecing together clues and interviewing suspects.


Suspects in the chocolate room

The suspects are all actors, and we must interview them to find out who was the murderer, who was their intended victim, and what was the motive.


Evidence trays for each suspect

The back of the room holds evidence trays for each suspect, and our detective books are used to record notes are we rifle through and thoroughly inspect wallets, purses and assorted paraphernalia.


Evidence

Everyone takes the task of questioning reasonably seriously, and it's fascinating to watch not just the actors, but the interrogations themselves. It's a complex case with interwoven storylines that slowly emerge. A noticeboard allows people to share snippets of new information uncovered so the mystery can be solved collectively as a group.

Billy and I, on the other hand, are somewhat more interested in finding out where is the next tray of sample chocolates being circulated?


Clockwise from front: Caramelised coconut, hazelnut clusters,
almond praline, and walnut on hazelnut praline chocolates

The gleaming silver platters of chocolates are a fun way to explore the Koko Black range. My favourite of the evening is probably the mango and vanilla, a ganache made with mango puree infused with vanilla.


Clockwise from bottom: Chai tea,
Leatherwood honey, ginger and dulce de leche chocolates

Ginger-infused ganache and the dulce de leche are also highlights. The exterior shells of each chocolate have a wonderful snap and there's a smooth finish that gently lingers on the palate.


Chocolate moulds


Chocolate moulds


Event guests collaborating on their theories

The evening ends with a group debrief on the clues uncovered and a vote on the murder theories proposed. We are given a web address to consult after the event where more clues will help us uncover the identity of the murderer. As one person we chatted to said, it's much harder than it looks on TV!


Taking notes


The World's Longest Lunch took place on Friday 12 March 2010.

This year's festival runs from 12-23 March 2010. For further information on events check out the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival website.

Grab Your Fork attended the World's Longest Lunch and Death by Chocolate at Koko Black as a guest of Tourism Victoria for the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.

**Don't forget that all Australian readers can enter the draw to win double passes to see My One and Only featuring Kevin Bacon, Chris Noth and Renee Zellweger. Entries close tomorrow, Tuesday 16 March at 5.30pm AEST. More details...

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> Read the next Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2010 post (The Edible Garden)

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