05 Mar Melbourne Hot Sauce: Smoked Jalapeño
Review by Greg Wagenmakers
Product: Melbourne Hot Sauce: Smoked Jalapeño
Location of Manufacture: St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia
Ingredients: Applewood Smoked Jalapeño, Wild Rocket, Vinegar, Garlic, Spices, Sugar and Salt
Review: Melbourne Hot Sauce has certainly racked up its fair share of awards over the past 3 years; achieving 1st – 3rd for a multitude of different sauces at different events. The Smoked Jalapeño has placed very well on the local and world stage, placing 1st and 3rd respectively.
An initial look at the colour of sauce conjures up intrigue. The soupy green colour is different from ‘traditional’ chilli sauces, therefore one must expect that it taste authentic too. An initial teaspoon to savour it untainted, initially fell short of ‘amazing’ on my palette. The vinegar and garlic seemed to overwhelm the experience. Further inspection was required.
Chilli sauces are a condiment and must therefore be enjoyed ‘with’ another food to enhance the flavours of the dish. On tonight’s menu was crispy fried pork belly, lemon rice and a fried kale salad. Pork and chilli seem to go hand in hand with this reviewer, so this sauce was about to make its debut with a meal. The sauce again, did not enhance this dish and possessed too much ‘zing’ from the vinegar; the flavour of the actual chilli lost.
Refusing to accept that Melbourne Hot Sauce’s Smoked Jalapeño would be left in the fridge and the last to be emptied it needed to be tried on a good ol’ favourite- Spaghetti Bolognaise. Here, the flavours of the dish and the sauce complimented each other. The applewood smoke was able to be fully appreciated and the ‘zing’ was rather refreshing.
The Smoked Jalapeño sauce confirmed that each has its own charm and characteristics. But, they can only be truly enjoyed when they are matched with its perfect partner; like particular cheeses are to wines.
Heat wise, this sauce would rate around a 6 and as a sauce, a solid 7 is its score.
