Bites

The colour, vibrancy and unique taste of Croatian cuisine will be on display in Perth next week at the 10th annual Croatian Food Festival at the Esplanade Hotel Fremantle.

To be held from June 10 to 19, the festival is one of the most engaging celebrations of ethnic cuisine on the local food calendar.

Celebrated Croatian chef Dennis Vacich will guide punters through a large selection of authentically prepared produce, highlighting the ingredients and techniques that separate his native cuisine from all others.

Following the success of the event last year, both on and off the plate, the Five Chefs Dinner returns in 2005.

To be held on Tuesday June 7 at the Sheraton Hotel, this unique formula brings five of WA’s top chefs together to mix their talents and raise donations for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

In this year’s line-up, Vasse Felix Restaurant’s Aaron Carr will join Kate Lamont, Nigel Harvey from Voyager Estate, Russell Blaikie of Must Winebar fame and Xavier Pique of Origins to create a highly sought after dining experience for just 390 local generous foodies.

Making sure too many chefs don’t spoil the broth, each item comprising the five-course menu will be modelled on a signature dish selected by each of the chefs.

Live auctions, raffles and other events hope to eclipse last year’s tasty total of $150,000 for Starlight, which enabled the charity to grant more than 30 wishes of seriously ill children.

Burswood Resort and Casino has cemented its reputation as WA’s key tourism export earner with a gong at the 2005 Meetings & Events Industry Awards of Australia.

The recognition stamps out Burswood’s impressive stake in the corporate events and functions industry, reputed to be worth about $17 billion each year.

Most significant are the flow-on effects from the visitors to the complex.

Recently, the Perth Convention Bureau figures estimated that these ‘super tourists’ spend an average of $600 each day of their visit, totalling about $4,000 during their stay.

Broome’s best worst-kept secret, the Cable Beach Club Resort, is kicking its Club Restaurant into high gear with a new menu.

Executive chef Andrew Wise has partnered up with the skill and experience of Fraser’s Chis Taylor to enhance the resort’s culinary repertoire.

Seasonally influenced and driven by local produce, the menu aims to complement and add to Broome’s unique milieu.

The gastronomically delightful menu is synonymous with the exotic, diverse and tranquil surrounds of the wondrously beautiful Cable Beach ambience.