Recently I was lucky enough to attend a Sushi Masterclass at Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast, as a guest of Queensland Holidays, and Palazzo Versace. What an amazing experience! It was truly out of this world. I'll try and let the pictures talk for themselves but I seriously can't help gushing a bit, so buckle up.
For a start, this is the most luxurious and opulent hotel I have ever been to, and in fact it is the only one of it's kind in the world. The attention to detail is astonishing, and everything is just so beautiful. There are acres of inlaid marble, fresh flowers, crisp linens, polished wood, and the iconic Versace design everywhere, from cushions to vases to salt and pepper shakers. Some might feel this is over the top but I was instantly smitten with the ocean motif, the gold and gleaming turquoise.
The foyer. I left this photo uncropped so you can appreciate the scale of the chandelier. We left the foyer and took a short stroll to the seafood market around the corner, where our host Yukio Itaba, Head Sushi Chef was to give us a lesson in selecting seafood. Yukio is well placed in his profession - as well as studying the art of Sushi for over 30 years, his name literally means Happy Flying Chopping Board. Plus! He is a really nice guy!
This is Peters' Fish Market, and it has been servicing the Gold Coast for over 40 years. It has a well deserved reputation for the freshest seafood in town. It was super clean and didn't even smell! As a girl that has spent a lot of time at Sydney Fish Market I was duly impressed. The variety was impressive, with 4 varieties of reef cod sharing a display, and spotted crab, which I had never even heard of before, among many others.
When our lesson was over, we left via the back door and where greeted by this vista. Stunning, yes? I can certainly see why Peter's seafood is so fresh! It was just a short and very pleasant stroll back along the boardwalk to enter Palazzo Versace from the waterfront.
Palazzo Versace holds many different Master Classes through out the year, with different cuisines highlighted. Some Master Classes are hosted by celebrity chefs, and are the perfect experience to share with a group - a corporate event or a hens party, for example. They book out fairly quickly, so don't leave it to the last minute!
Each of our places contained just about everything you would need to create your own sushi. Sadly, I forgot to bring my talent along, but you don't really need it. Yukio and his second in command, Rainiar, are excellent teachers.
Master Tip Number 1.
First, rice. This needs to be perfect as it is the foundation of good sushi. Soak sushi rice in water, refreshing the water at least 5 times, to stop the grains from breaking. Cook rice in 3 times the volume of water. So 1 cup of rice, cook in 3 cups of water. After it is cooked, wait until it is cooled before you use it.
Master Tip Number 2.
Wrap your bamboo mat in glad wrap. This is genius! Makes it much easier to roll the perfect Nori roll!
Master Tip Number 3.
Place Nori shiny side down. Sounds basic, but everyone in the room had an Ah ha! moment. True.
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| Expertly made sushi. |
Creating the Inside Out Nori Roll.
Old School Method - lightly water hands, smack to reduce water to the perfect amount. This will stop your hands sticking.
New School Method - wear gloves, and lightly rub hands with mayo, to stop rice sticking to your hands. Rub some mayo on your bamboo rolling mat for good measure.
Of course I went old school which was a big mistake, I was almost wearing a rice glove. I was also warned against using too much rice, but guess who's sushi ended up looking like sushi for truckers? Yes, mine. (no offense to any truck drivers reading)
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| Inexpertly made sushi. |
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| The lovely Mel Kettle from Cooks Notebook being very supportive. Yukio let me use his $600 handmade knife from Tokyo! |
Ta-da! Delicious, generous sized sushi! It was actually very nice. No, really!
We also learnt some chopstick etiquette. Firstly, there are no left hand chopsticks. If you are left handed, you will use your right hand to use chopsticks. Also, it's a bit rude to rub your chopsticks together, as it implies that your host has given you inferior chopsticks. (Maybe only do this in a food court, to stop yourself getting a splinter.) Apparently it's also improper to mix soy and Wasabi in a dish, and pickled ginger is only used to cleanse the palate.
After we had exhausted ourselves making sushi, we sat back with a glass of champagne while Yukio got a chance to show off his skills by whipping up a Sashimi Camellia. I had to take a photo of the giant container of Wasabi; I carry an emergency sachet in my handbag at all times* but this was 750 g! That is a lot of horseradish, people!
Yukio then made an amazing seafood salad that had us all swooning, quite literally. Extremely tender sea scallops, barely cooked; with prawns, Diakon and seaweed that had been salted and rinsed, topped with a drizzle of Ponzu (sugar, salt, soy, bonito stock and lime juice).
For a sushi lover like me that loves to cook, this Master Class was, quite simply, heaven. Many, many thanks to Queensland Tourism and Palazzo Versace for letting me be your guest.
www.queenslandholidays.com.au
http://www.palazzoversace.com.au
http://www.petersfish.com.au
xx
* Why do I carry emergency Wasabi in my handbag? I'm glad you asked. Because once I ordered sushi and the store was out of Wasabi. I know! I couldn't believe it, it was horrifying. I never, ever want to go through that experience again.