What is the Taste of Melbourne?
If you’ve never been, but you love good Melbourne food, you need to get there. There are a few different components to the event, and all are deliciously good.

Live Cooking Stations from Top Melbourne Restaurants

The likes of Longrain, Maze Bar and Grill, The European, Sarti, Stokehouse and Melbourne Wine Room (among others) will transport their kitchens to the Exhibition Buildings for the event. Each featured restaurant will offer an entree, main and dessert course for sampling. The idea is to graze, picking a course from different restaurants and is a great way to try them out without blowing $300 on a dinner. Tastes are available at a cost of between $8-$12. You need to purchase these using Crowns, which I’ll explain later.

Great Gourmet Exhibitors

In addition to the live cooking, there is a mammoth selection of great gourmet and food products to peruse. Stroll your way through the stands, sampling as you go and pick up some bargains while you’re at it. Everything from salmon to cheese to great-quality alcohol is available.

The Bars!

Lots of bars, wine and liquor companies are on show and also making cocktails and pouring glasses for you to enjoy too. These start from $6. Look for the cocktail making stands, they’re the best value!

Live Demonstrations

The Bacardi Bar, Wine Tastings, Chats with Chefs and more. You’ll need to get in early to get to these, they pack out fairly quickly!

What Else Do I Need to Know?

You will need to purchase Crowns to get the full benefit of Taste. Crowns are the festival’s currency. You can buy a book of 30 Crowns for $30, which will get you a Taste each. You’ll probably need to spend a bit more while you’re there to add drinks and things (i.e. This is not a $30 Date Night for two, but at least we’ll save you the $55 entry fee!). Some stalls will accept cash for their product but not the major restaurants.

I’ve been to this event the last two years running and really enjoyed it. My hot tip is to suss the crowds out when you arrive and ask them (and the stallholders!) what the best dishes are from the restaurants. Every year, there seem to be some standout dishes and if you’re going to eat, you may as well eat the best!

Allow a few hours, relax and take your time wandering around, get down all the little rabbit warrens of stalls and see what’s on offer. Try to avoid the Friday and Saturday night crowds if you can! It can get hectic in there.

To enter, comment below and let us know your favourite food-based date for two – Do you love a romantic picnic? Breakfast in bed? First five in, best dressed!

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My dear friend Jason Grech is the talented fashion designer behind JASONGRECH White – and I’m not even exaggerating when I tell you they are the hottest new brand on the Melbourne bridal scene. I was lucky enough to have Jason create my wedding gown for me last year and I could not have felt more beautiful in the design he made just for me:

He has since launched a full line of stunning designs and has contacted me to help arrange, courtesy of Melbourne Bride Magazine, some double pass giveaways for The Melbourne Bride Magazine Wedding Expo, being held next weekend at the Exhibition Centre!

Bride Magazine only run this exhibition once a year and they do an amazing job of it. I went last year to see Jason’t debut collection.

The 45-minute, pure couture catwalk show is to die for – featuring Mariana Hardwick, JASONGRECH White, Izaro, Baccini & Hill, Dimitria, Annette of Melbourne, Gulderen Sivasli, Mathieu Salem and Anna Campbell.

And you will love chatting to the prestige Melbourne exhibitors who have so many wonderful ideas for planning your special day. It’s a perfect day out for a bride-to-be and her Maid of Honour.

Here is a pic from Jason’s collection shown last year at the expo:

The Expo runs next Saturday 19 June and Sunday 20 June and I have ten double passes to give away, valued at $40 each. Plus! The first five winners will receive a copy of the latest, hot-off-the-press glossy issue of Melbourne Bride Magazine. Divine!

Every bride who attends the 2010 Melbourne Bride Magazine Wedding Expo will go into the draw to win a couture gown by Jason Grech and an all-inclusive honeymoon package at the beautiful Namale Resort and Spa in Fiji. Need I say more?

Comment here to win and tell us who is getting married and when! The first five commenters will receive the new edition of Melbourne Bride along with their double passes. First in, best dressed! (more true than ever if you do win that gorgeous gown!). Competition open until Wednesday 16 June 2010.

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Here is the preview for it:

If you want to enter and you live in Australia, just leave a comment here on this blog post. I’ll be randomly selecting the winners this Friday and we’ll post out your passes out to you. AND if you go to $30 Date Night and set yourself up a free account, I’ll put a second entry in for you so you have twice the chance of winning!

You can comment on the preview, the blog in general or even the Sperm Shortage in Australia that I wrote about the other week. You can even comment on J.Lo’s hair. We don’t mind!

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The nights will run over the next three Mondays and cover French, Italian and Spanish wines.

Says the Ben and Wine Site:

The courses are for beginners, and they are designed to give you an overview of the four countries easily and accurately. Come along and learn about the country, the wines, and how you go about choosing them for yourself when you are out in the world. Who knows, you might even find something that will change your life!

What you need to know.
Discussion will include the history, styles of wine, wine making techniques and taste and sensory evaluation.
Single classes: $75 per person $30 Per couple for the first three lucky $30 Date Night couples!
Class time: Monday nights 15, 22 February and 1 March, 6pm – 8pm
Venue: La Vita Buona, City Square, Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000 (under the Westin Hotel).
Visit Ben and Wine for more information.

Courses will be run with a minimum of seven and a maximum of 13 participants. Costs include all wine and GST.

As far as a date night goes, it ticks all our boxes. You learn something new together, indulge in fine wine and get out of the house!

First in, best dressed! Email Ben Knight to grab your tickets. First in, best dressed!

Happy Dating, Lovers!

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