Welcome GLASS Restaurant

Apart from the great menu and excellent service, this restaurant is all about Location, Location, Location!  Perfectly situated beside the Marina, you can dine and dream with the Gold Coast Hinterland serving as a stunning backdrop.  Inside the restaurant there is a view of another kind and another of my favourite features of GLASS.  The open air kitchen allows you to watch the chefs in action; prepping, sauteeing, frying, plating and straight to your table.  I love this aspect as when you're on display, it ensures hygienic working conditions, professionalism and true talent to work under the pressures of a kitchen without taking short cuts or losing your cool!
Recently serving celebrity diners Harvey Keitel, Guy Sebastien and Ronan Keating, this fine dining restaurant offers an elegant and enjoyable experience but be sure to book in advance as they often host large events and their popularity sometimes makes a reservation difficult to secure.

GLASS Restaurant will feature on our newest WALKING TOUR to be run lunch and dinner, 7 days a week!  For more information call 0460 783 596, visit our website http://www.goldcoasttastingtours.com/ or http://www.glassrestaurant.com.au/

Weekend Blues!

Another week comes to an end at the Brokerage!  Dinner at http://www.1two3restaurant.com.au/ with friends amongst the Blues Festivities. Beef Cheek for Sebastien, Sumac Beetroot Salad & Blueberry Caprioska for myself!  Early to bed.  Early to rise.  Sailing Lessons with Sebastien @ Southport Yacht Club on a Laser near Crab Island.  Laugh at Sebastien capsize his boat.  Thank my lucky stars it wasn't me!  Lunch at Accordian, Harbourside Markets.  Too much cream on the Pesto Gnocchi.  Ponder the enormous size of hamburgers these days.  Prep for INSIDE  TASTE function.  Crawl through roadworks from Surfers to Broadbeach.  Receive a whole lot of love from the Swan Family - curled and girled Monique in particular.  She gets it from her Mum!  Rock up a storm on the guitar, bongo's and flute - Johnny on vocals.  Adele's Someone Like You his encore.  Appreciate REAL music from new discovery, The Tom Richardson Project with SEWELLE.  Dine on the best Spicy Chicken Quessadilla's  East of GC at Guzman & Gomez under the Oracle Building.   Drive home to bed.  Dream about music.  Awake thinking of music!  Throw on The Doors whilst I vaccuum and fold washing.  Leave Taste Tours brochures on car windows at Kurrawa Surf Club Carpark.  Free Advertising.  Yay!  Introduce Sebastien to The Tom Richardson Project.  Introduce Sebastien to Guzman & Gomez Burritos.  Meet friends for event highlight DIESEL.  Share a bottle of Merlot.  Inspect the Moon's craters and Star Clusters through high powered telescopes at Australian Geographic's Star Gazing night. Meet passionate and interesting characters Norman and Kent.  Get a quick lesson on the South Celestial Pole and Regal Kent - Star, not new friend.  Put on calendar to attend again next month!  Back for my third lot of Quesadilla in 2 days.  Loving Black Beans.  Plan to make a Chilli or Daal with lentils, black beans and kidney beans.  Fall asleep doing required physio stretches.  Jampacked fun fueled weekend.  Expectations for more of the same this week!

Welcome The Wine Barrel Restaurant!

Taste Tours are honoured to introduce The Wine Barrel Restaurant, Mudgeeraba - the latest restaurant addition to join our existing Partners! The Wine Barrel is a family owned and operated restaurant located on Railway Street in Mudgeeraba. The Tapas menu compliments the A La Carte menu nicely and therefore the variety is plentiful. All produce is sourced locally and organic and free range produce is used wherever possible.

I have dined at The Wine Barrel on several occasions securing our favourite corner table by the fireplace. I highly recommend them for their creative menu, talented chef and the excellent service! Usually Sebastien and I are eager to try whatever is new on the menu, otherwise we usually go for a few of our favourite Tapas dishes to start and finish off our bottle of red over a shared main.

Right now is the time to take advantage of this hidden gem, with the winter fast approaching, cosy up to your bottle of red by the stone fireplace and share a tapas or two! New seasonal additions to the menu include: Crispy Skinned Confit of Duck with Colcannon Mash and a Port Wine Glaze and Soft Centred Chocolate Pudding with Candied Mandarin and Double Cream!

Visit their website, http://www.thewinebarrelrestaurant.com.au/ to peruse the menu and check out their gallery!

Sticky Date Pudding!

So, in preparation for an upcoming INSIDE  TASTE experience, 'Le Chef' Sebastien has been perfecting his recipe for Sticky Date Pudding - my second favourite dessert of all time!  Needless to say, several quality checks were done on this batch!  For this event we are providing our Finger Food Menu (still to be added to the website) so we cooked up regular sized puddings as well as the mini's!

For those new friends not up to date with Business, INSIDE  TASTE is an off side to TASTE  TOURS.
INSIDE  TASTE offers the ultimate in VIP dining bringing the service and expertise of our fully qualified chef direct to your door and in the comfort of your fully serviced holiday apartment or home.  All culinary creations are prepared on site with fresh local seasonal produce.  Perfect for any family whilst on holiday, intimate dinner party, anniversary or just a great excuse to take the night off from cooking and spoil yourself!

Catering for all dietary specifications including celiac, gluten free, vegan etc. was high on our priority list for INSIDE  TASTE.  It is something that is more and more sought after when dining out and codes: gf, v etc. becoming more and more prevalent on restaurant menus.  The industry is improving, but we've still a long way to go accommodating all allergies and diets.  This is why INSIDE  TASTE  is such a fantastic option. A Gourmet menu catered specifically to meet dietary requirements AS  WELL as being delicious and exciting for the palate!

Sticky Date Puddings fresh from the oven!  Serve warm with caramel sauce, vanilla ice-cream and why not add cream as well for that truly decadent datey delight!

INSIDE  TASTE  experiences offer 2 courses with Amuse Bouche from $85pp and 3 courses with  Amuse Bouche from $95pp.  Menu's can be viewed online at http://www.goldcoasttastingtours.com/.  Please contact 0406 783596 to check availability and make your reservation at the restaurant that comes to you!

Weekend in a Nutshell

Finished week 4 of 7 at the Finance Brokerage where I'm helping friends establish their business . . . . and they mine!  Night spent rugged up on the lounge in the company of 'Friends' and a glass or 2 of shiraz!  Awake, rollover Sebastien and out of bed sneaking a kiss on my way to the bathroom.  8.30am coffee meet with FLASHIMO's for a conference I'll be driving around next week.  Pick up TEAMKITTEN for an afternoon in Byron Bay.  Meet 3 restaurants for potential collaboration.  Stay posted for start date of Byron Bay tours!  Enjoyed Glen Eldon Shiraz and a delicious polenta with sauteed mushrooms, rocket, pecorino and truffle oil for lunch at THE  BALCONY.  Dream and drive around Wategos's Beach.  Catch up on celebrity gossip whilst relaxing on the sand.  Discuss entrepeneurial endeavours.  Finish 2 sudoku.  Shared a laugh with a glassy at the Beachy.  Recommend Tijuana Cartel to 2 french backpackers looking for something to do on a Saturday night.  Dye hair, brunette to red.  Celebrate SEWELLE's 34th birthday bash at a local Indian.  Mmmmmm, Makhani Daal!   Stimulate the brain with discussions on global warming, alternative fuels, salt and the mining industry in Australia.  Sleepytime with happy heart and stomach.  First sleep-in since March.  Surprise visit from a beloved relative.  Relaxed champagne lunch with a girlfriend at Northcliffe Surf Club.  Another solo evening with classic film The Cutting Edge and some sour straps.  Now sipping on a chai latte, listening to Nicki Minaj Starships.  Looking forward to my evening walk date and Taste Tours brochure drop with gal pal!  Love and light, T x

Featured Article on EatDrink

Good Afternoon on this Sunshiney day!

Recently I was contacted by a journalist in Sydney who wanted to do a feature article on me and my Bizo in the Sunday Mail.  It obviously got bumped for something more newsworthy (and lets face it, probably more grim too) - so I did a lil research with the limited SEO skills I have and to my utmost surprise, I found it!  It is pretty much just my standard Press Release but if you haven't read that yet, take a glance, let me know your thoughts and any positive comments you leave on their feedback form will be greatly treasured and appreciated as they will contribute to raising my business profile to the masses!

http://www.eatdrink.com.au/2012/05/all-thats-new-and-exciting-on-the-gold-coast/

Broadbeach Bluesfeast

Blues on Broadbeach is one of my favourite Gold Coast Festivals - it's free fun for all ages, there's a variety of stage settings and sounds from emerging artists as well as old favourites and it's a fairly intimate affair ensuring a good stage view and sound quality from most anywhere. 

So, to get involved, I have devised our "Broadbeach Bluesfeast" tour running May 24-27!
Book a sideline table at Blues on Broadbeach - A feast for the eyes, ears and mouth!
3 delicious courses at 3 top Restaurants and right amongst the action!
Featured musical acts include The Wiley Reed Band, Dallas Frasca, Jon Stevens, Diesel and local favourites Mason Rack. Tours run with 6-12 guests so book now as seats are limited!

$99pp incl beverage package.                        Ph: 0406 783596 or email tastetours1@gmail.com

Hello friend.....

Welcome! to this, the first official blog from an L plate blogger and avid procrastinator when faced with the prospects of Social Networking! With this blog I hope to post recipes from Inside Taste's French Canadian Chef, Update followers with my business adventures, tours, challenges and hopefully, somehow, inpsire others to follow their hearts desires and make all their dreams come true. Starting a business at 33 has been a challenge. Self motivation is high on the list of continuing problems when disheartened or waiting for the business to increase. Constantly inventing creative ways to promote and advertise the business. . . For free or as cheap as possible of course! And then there's the unending financial expenses, staffing, documentation, legal requirements, long long hours. At 33, I still desire the backpacker experience in foreign lands, immersing myself in unknown cultures but a business chains you down for a while. But. . . . Give it a while, my hard work, dedication, time, creativity and using my mind as a magnet to attract all the successes i wish for, may just allow me the freedom to travel, and retire early! I will have a successful business! I will offer tours to suit all Tastebuds! I will open a tour in Byron Bay before 2013 I will host one large event at Skypoint before 2013 I hope in the future you can be part of a Taste Tour or Inside Taste experience and look forward to receiving your comments and feedback along with photos or videos from your experiences with us! L Plater - it's a roller coaster but i'm enjoying the ride!