TRUFFLES FESTIVAL IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA WITH CHEF WAN 30 TO 31 JULY

kee@fswmag.com

Black truffles look bland, ordinary, even boring to the uninitiated but to connoisseurs, their fragrance, taste and texture are worth their weight in gold!


FEW ARE AWARE WESTERN AUSTRALIA IS NOW A MAJOR PRODUCER OF TRUFFLES---ONE OF LIFE'S MOST DELIGHTFUL, DELICIOUS AND PRICIEST DELICACIES!

The world's top chefs in the finest restaurants all use truffles in their menu the same way Chinese restaurants offer abalone, shark's fin and bird's nest soup. Divine is the word that comes to mind! Just ask these top chefs Geoff, Alain and Wally!


MERCIFULLY, THE AUSSIE BLACK TRUFFLES, KNOWN AS 'BLACK DIAMONDS' FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, COST LESS THAN THOSE FROM PERIGORD, FRANCE AS SADLY PROVEN BY THE SCANDALOUS PRICES IN PARISIAN RESTAURANTS.

MAKE A BEELINE TO MUNDARING, 45 MINUTES FROM PERTH FOR THEIR ANNUAL TRUFFLE FESTIVAL...WITH MALAYSIA'S TOP CHEF DATUK WAN AKA CHEF WAN!

Malaysia's superstar Chef Wan will be Guest Star at Truffle Festival as he plans to dazzle guests to a truffle-flavoured smorgasbord of Malaysian dishes!

A truffle-laced lunch at the Long Table is a highlight.

Exquisite truffles paired with Western Australia's finest wines result in heaven on earth

All sorts of delights await visitors to Mundaring's Truffle Festival!


TRUFFLE SEASON IN WA FROM JUNE TO AUGUST
Annual Truffle Festival with Chef Wan 30-31 July

Western Australia is so truffle mad, there is an annual festival held in Mundaring in the picturesque Perth Hills, just 45 minutes away from the city to celebrate all things truffle!
Tourism Malaysia‟s Food Ambassador, Datuk Chef Wan, will be at the Mundaring Truffle Festival 2011 on the weekend 30 & 31 July to excite visitors with the unique flavours of Malaysian cuisine.

Chef Wan will include truffles into Malaysian cooking as Char Kuay Teow with slivers of truffles and sotong sounds divine! Or Nasi Lemak rice infused with fragrant truffles! But the recipes are still top secret so you will have to fly to Perth to see and taste what Malaysia's top chef is cooking but for sure he will be cooking up a storm like he always does!

Sponsored by Tourism Malaysia, The Malaysian Experience venue with seating for 100 people will feature Chef Wan presenting two free demonstrations of truffle-themed Malaysian dishes each day with audience tastings. Fancy being to eat Chef Wan's dishes for free!

Colourful traditional dancing and other cultural activities will be part of the vibrant Malaysian stand. So you will be able to feed your mouth and eyes and all sensory organs!

Chair of the Mundaring Truffle Festival Committee, Megan Griffiths, said Chef Wan would bring another dimension to the Festival and organisers were very excited to have someone of his stature in the food celebrity world as part of the Festival.

“We know Chef Wan's energetic character and love of food will be infectious and he offers a quality international flavour to the Program,” said Ms Griffiths.

Chef Wan's new book, "The Best of CHEF WAN‟ will have its Australian launch at the Festival. Visitors can purchase a copy and have it signed.

Now in its fifth year, the annual Festival attracts over 21,000 local, national and international visitors over the weekend. There will be more than 30 chefs in action, including Australia‟s doyenne of food Stephanie Alexander, highly awarded chef and acclaimed Melbourne restaurateur Philippe Mouchel, and Alain Fabregues, owner of The Loose Box and creator of the Mundaring Truffle Festival . Visitors can meet them at the Buy West Eat Best Cooking Zone, Food for Thought panels, daily Long Table Truffle Lunches, Truffle Masterclass, The Hub cooking demonstrations, Licensed Food Piazza, Watershed Café and other venues.

TRUFFLE TASTINGS
Of course you must try the Aussie truffles which are as good as the French black truffles since they are of the same species. However, as expected, the prices are higher than Hungry Jack's!

Here are the samplings of what is available;
Long Table Truffle Lunch on Saturday 30 July 2011; A$ 149
4-course meal with premium wines from Severine Logan.

Truffle Masterclass on Saturday 30 July 2011; A$ 169
The Festival's signature 3-chef Truffle Masterclass with tastings of each course with premium Perth Hills wines.

Long Table Truffle Lunch on Sunday 31 July 2011; A$ 149
4 course meal with Watershed Premiun Wines.

For more information go to: www.mundaringtrufflefestival.com. Ticket prices start from
A$12.50.

TRUFFLE HUNT JUNE – AUGUST 2011 AT Manjimup Wine and Truffle Company

Another rising star on the gourmet scene, the highly successful black truffle industry produces more of the world's most edible commodity than the rest of Australia combined, exporting produce to some of the most prestigious restaurants around the world including Quay in Sydney, Vue Du Monde in Melbourne and the French Laundry in the Napa Valley (US). In the region, Singapore is also one of 14 countries that imports these truffles which are from the French Perigord variety - tuber melanosporum.

The 2011 season has just opened with the largest truffle found to date weighing in at 348 grams. The perfect weather conditions this year prompted an early start to this bumper season of superior French black truffles that will see The Wine & Truffle Co export over 2,500kg to chefs around the world.The largest truffle producer in the Southern Hemisphere, The Manjimup Wine and Truffle Company conducts daily 2.5 hour truffle hunts using trained dogs from June to August on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at A$95 per person and protective clothing is provided. www.wineandtruffle.com.au

Manjimup is located in the lush south west of Western Australia, named by Lonely Planet as one of the top 10 regions in the world to visit. Truffles are not the only gourmet produce to sample in the area, boutique wineries are dotted throughout the area and marron, a freshwater crayfish, is a local delicacy that can be found in the area‟s growing restaurant scene.

Work up an appetite on the mountain bike and walking trails through the towering jarrah and karri forests or time your visit for September when carpets of wildflowers bloom across the southwest. Manjimup is 4.5 hours drive from Perth (capital of Western Australia) and only two hours from the world-famous wineries and waves of Margaret River.