5 Hungry family members + 5 top chefs cooking tasting portions = a great outing

The maths seemed easy, so we headed off to Port Elizabeth’s first Taste of PE exhibition at the Boardwalk for Saturday night dinner. The first thing I spotted was mini Wagyu beef burgers, with biltong and Bearnaise sauce – that would surely be winner x 5, so I suggested we tuck in as a starter, but the family said no…lets rather look and see first.

Having a look around Taste of PE

Armed with books of tickets, we strolled around to see what was on offer, before tucking in at Mellas noodle bar with a family portion of dim sum – very yum.

Mellas delicious seafood dim sum with chilli oil

Now that we were right on the opposite side of the exhibition ground, the boys decided it was time for a burger, so we hightailed it back to the entrance where Ralph and the boys swapped 6 crowns each for a dainty burger. And what a tasty little treat – melt in your mouth Wagyu beef on a sesame bun with some soft biltong, creamy sauce, fried onions, garnish and tomato sauce – everything you expect in a great burger.

The delicious dainty Wagyu beef burger

On the way back to the other end again, I couldn’t resist exploring why Hendrick’s Gin bills itself as curious and peculiar, so I exchanged some of my crowns for a plastic cup filled with Hendrick’s G & T and a couple of cucumber sticks. Well I never… it truly was deliciously different. Wow, the best G&T I have ever had. I was happy to sit at the Hendrick’s tent for the rest of the evening, but the kids’ tummies were growling, so I was reluctantly dragged away.

Heavenly Hendrick’s G&T

Next up, a venison meatball with tagliatelle from the Colonial Kitchen, together with a date stuffed with marscapone on a ginger biscuit with a little tot of craft beer. As I have always been of the opinion that dessert should come first, I started with the little date and beer combo. Incredible! Who would have though beer could pair so nicely with food?

Colonial Kitchen’s dessert and pasta main

Then Luke went for the seared tuna and I tried some grilled octopus from Kiplings. Jacob was in heaven when he spotted the giant macaroon stuffed with strawberries and cream at Muse. After a couple of veggie samoosas from Rassoie, our crown ticket books were looking quite sad, and the consensus was to spend the rest of them on the wagyu burgers from the beginning.

Muse’s strawberry & cream stuffed macaroon

By this time, most of the patrons seemed to have discovered the little Wagyu delights and the queue was around the bend. People seemed to be tired of the tiny taster portions, and were ordering portions of 3 and 4 burgers each. After almost an hour wait, we got our final burgers – the perfect way to end off a great evening.

A loooooong queue for the Wagyu burgers

Our family’s favourite Taste of PE dishes:
Ralph – Wagyu burger
Sarah – Hendrick’s G&T
Jacob – Muse Macaroon
Luke – Wagyu burger
Cian – Wagyu burger

So its official – Makoy food truck / Flair catering’s Wagyu burgers won hands down! If you missed the Taste of PE – look out for the Makoy food truck around town (they might just have the little Wagyu delights on their menu). (www.facebook.com/makoyfoodtruck)

Having fun tasting the dishes