PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Shane Delia's Spice Journey-Series 1 (2013)

Shane Delia's Spice Journey-Series 1 (2013)

If you create a user account, you can add your own review of this DVD
Released 7-Aug-2013
Cover Art

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

Details At A Glance

General		Extras
Category	Cooking Show	Main Menu Audio & Animation Deleted Scenes
Rating
Year Of Production	2013
Running Time	250
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu	Cast & Crew
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Max Bourke Josh Martin Max Bourke Josh Martin
Studio Distributor	SBS Madman Entertainment	Starring	None Given
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual	Starring	None Given
RPI	$29.95	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No	Miscellaneous
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

There have recently been two cooking shows on local TV with the word Spice in the title, Spice Trip from the UK which was showing on the ABC and this (much better) one, Shane Delia's Spice Journey which is showing on SBS.

Shane Delia is a young Melbourne based chef and restauranteur of Maltese heritage. He has run an award winning restaurant in Melbourne for a number of years and appeared as a guest on a number of local food related shows such as Masterchef. Recently he has made this television series for SBS which is his first role leading a television production. This show consists of ten episodes and is a travelogue combined with cooking show. He travels to his native Malta but also through other areas of the Middle East such as Lebanon and Iran looking for interesting food experiences and inspiration for his own recipes or variants on dishes he experiences in those countries. The show includes both scenes of his travels and food experiences in the Middle East and cooking scenes in his kitchen back in Melbourne.

The show is made up of 25 minutes episodes spread across two discs. This set is titled Series 1 so I assume another series is in the works. Delia is a good host with an interesting, self deprecating style which makes his entertaining to watch. He combines his obvious love of food from the Middle East with a keen desire to learn more. The show gives both an insight into the areas of the world he travels into but also have more than enough cooking to satisfy foodies.

Recommended.

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Transfer Quality

Video

The video quality is very good.

The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio.It is 16x9 enhanced.

The picture was clear and sharp throughout. Shadow detail was good.

The colour is very good.

There were a few minor MPEG compression artefacts and some minor aliasing.

There are subtitles in English for the Hearing Impaired for the episodes.

There were no obvious layer changes.

*Video Ratings Summary*
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

The audio quality is good.

This discs contain an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo.

Dialogue was generally easy to understand throughout but the subtitles were useful for accents.

The music sounds good and adds to the show.

The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used.

*Audio Ratings Summary*
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

Lots of extra segments.

Extra Scenes (146:00)

Over two hours of extra cooking scenes are included mostly of Delia in his home kitchen. There are some interesting things here, however, as they have not been edited for the show some scenes go on too long. Certainly those looking for more detail on recipes and techniques will find them here.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

This set only seems to be available in Region 4 at the moment.

Summary

A quality travelogue/cooking show from SBS.