Gold Coast adventures and #PBevent

I can’t believe it’s nearly a month since I zoomed down the M1 to the QT Hotel on the Gold Coast for the fabulous ProBlogger Event (#PBevent for those of us on twitter and instagram).

I can fairly safely say it was one of THE best conferences I’ve ever been to. I learnt a massive amount, met some awesome people, and caught up with friends, some of whom I known for years via twitter but never actually met!

A highlight for me was the foodie pop-up event on Sunday that was organised by Tourism and Events Queensland. Despite living in Brisbane for over 14 years, I can pretty much count on one hand the number of times I’ve been to the Gold Coast for fun. And I have never explored the food experiences on offer.

We met our fearless leader, Jess Heym, from Tourism and Events Queensland, at the QT Hotel at 9.30am. I had successfully managed to miss breakfast, so was desperate for coffee and sustenance. Our first stop was Black Coffee Lyrics, a funky little cafe in Surfers Paradise.

From there it was a quick drive to Palazzo Versace where we were given a quick tour by our host, Stephanie Manning. I haven’t been to this stunning hotel since it opened about 13 years ago, and I had forgotten how beautiful it is. One of my favourite parts of the tour was a visit to the fish markets next door, to learn what to look for when choosing fresh fish and other seafood.

There were many highlights in this day. Being taught how to make sushi for the first time by Sushi Master Yukio Itaba was definitely one of them. I was proud of how my sushi turned out, however I suspect if I had to make the rice it would have been far less successful! Read Emma Stirling’s post, Secrets from a Sushi Master, on how to make perfect sushi rice.

I could have gobbled all my sushi, made with THE most amazing wasabi I’ve ever eaten, but luckily we were reminded of lunch that was coming up at Vie Bar + Restaurant.

Lunch was a bit of a meat fest (that wasn’t a complaint!), accompanied by sensational polenta. And a few veggies. They were not the focus of the meal! I have a definite fondness for polenta, especially when it’s made with vast quantities of butter and cream, as I suspect this one was. Fortunately for my rapidly-becoming-too-tight-clothes, our serving wasn’t overly large. While the polenta was amazing, my lunch favourite was the chicken , as it came from Burrawong Gaian. I often talk to Beth from Burrawong Gaian on twitter, and met her last year in Brisbane. Their poultry has won many awards, but I hadn’t ever been fortunate enough to try it. It was divine. Seek it out readers, seek it out. Mmmmm…..

Our day’s finale was a cocktail making class with Jack from The Hilton Surfers Paradise. I cannot tell you how much I wished I didn’t have to drive home that day. We made all sorts of fancy-pants cocktails, from the traditional cosmopolitan to the Long Island iced tea, and the British Summer Garden cocktail, with cut grass essence for added aroma!

A huge thanks to Jess from Tourism and Events Queensland for showing me a little bit more of #thisisQueensland and for introducing me to Gold Coast experiences that are more than just sand, sun and surf.