They had me at "edible". When I read that email about a series of pop-up dinners exploring the culinary history of immigration to Australia, I knew I had to go. Well, if I managed to secure a seat, that is. A couple of days of anxious waiting later, here I am in a private apartment in Sydney's Eastern suburbs, mingling with eleven other like-minded (lucky) foodies.
As I'm sipping the excellent rum cocktail I was offered on arrival (rum was the drink of choice for the first settlers and was even used as a currency in the early days of the colony), British food & design duo Rachel Khoo and Francesca Unsworth tell us about the concept behind tonight's menu.
"We wanted to explore the influence of the various waves of immigrants that have shaped Australia's culinary landscape, from the early days of the penal colony to the gold rush and arrival of the first Asian immigrants," Rachel explains.
The lovely Rachel tells us about tonight's menu. Each guest is asked to read out loud a little note explaining the why's and how's of each dish.
Rum cocktail | Sneak peek into the kitchen
The six-course dinner starts with a bush-tucker inspired mise-en-bouche, followed by a lovely kingfish carpaccio served in a seashell (fish was a staple item in the Aboriginal and early settler's diets). Then we're served Malaysian squid satay and the most exquisite cups of tea, with hand-made tea bags containing an aromatic mix of herbs and spices, and a skewer of marinated crocodile (the dish is as tasty as it is beautiful - very Alice in Wonderland-ish).
The last savoury dishes include a bushbride's ration pudding with Granny Smith pickle and a hand-made pie with caramelised mushroom puree to die for.
Hand-made savoury infusion with crocodile skewer | Lemon and lager frozen cocktail
What a fabulous night we had! Two very talented hosts, delicious food, a beautiful table and lovely foodies around the table. And we learnt very interesting things about Australia's culinary history along the way (a bit shameful it had to come from two Brits... but all the more credit to Rachel and Francesca for helping us explore our own heritage!).
Big debate over the pavlova | Rachel and Frankie making fairy floss
If you're visiting Sydney and are interested in unique dining experiences, pop-up dinners and off-the-beaten-track foodie destinations, my bespoke tour company Mytinerary can create tailored itineraries just for you. We're here to help, so don't hesitate to leave a comment below or email me at myriam[at]mytinerary.com.au if you have any question or special request.
And if you want to find out about Rachel and Francesca's next food venture, you can visit their websites here and here.
So tell me, dear reader, if you were to time-capsule the most iconic Australian dishes ever, what would you pick up apart from the usual Vegemite, mince pie, Arnott's cookies biscuits (thank you Simon for pointing me in the right direction!) and pavlova??
sounds great. i've yet to experience a pop up dinner.
Posted by: Simon Food Favourites | 03/18/2010 at 01:43 AM
What a beautiful evening and interesting way to explore Australia's heritage. As for iconic dishes, you can't go past hamburgers with beetroot, fish and chips at the beach and lamingtons and vanilla slices for dessert!
Posted by: Helen (grabyourfork) | 03/18/2010 at 09:13 AM
Oh wow. I have always wanted to go to a pop up dinner! Thanks for the superb blog post
Posted by: Mardi | 03/18/2010 at 05:05 PM
Mardi > Thank you Mardi - looking forward to our next chat at #nscm!
Helen @grabyourfork > Thanks for sharing Helen! You're spot on with your iconic Aussie food! I remember when I first asked what a Lamington was, shortly after arriving in Australia, and some of my colleagues couldn't believe I hadn't tried a Lamington before. The next day, before you know it, at least 3 of them had brought me a slice of home-made Lamington so I wouldn't have to live another day in ignorance!
Posted by: Myriam | 03/20/2010 at 11:15 AM
It was fun wasn't it? Great to meet you that night Myriam! Thanks for posting the pictures - you've reminded me that I have to try and make that lovely vegetable tea!
Posted by: Trissa | 03/20/2010 at 06:34 PM
Ooh great recipe Myriam! A reader emailed me about this but the timing didn't quite work. Glad to read all about it here instead! :)
Posted by: Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella | 03/20/2010 at 08:09 PM
You had me at the marinated crocodile. And I love the way the menu is presented with the cutlery!
PS J'adore le nom "barbe a papa". Ca me fait toujours rigoler!
Posted by: Gourmantic | 03/21/2010 at 12:00 AM
I always love the idea of secret dinner, i think is the adrenalin rush that show up at a stranger's house and dine with 6 other like minded strangers, with a diverse conversation topics to share. I m yet to experience it... seems like you had a great nite.
Posted by: billy@ATFT | 03/22/2010 at 11:36 AM
Gourmantic > yep, these 2 girls are great stylists and the table looked superb!
Billy @ATFT > exactly, you never know who you're going to meet at these secret dinner parties. Turned out the people there were really lovely, we're even staying in touch with some of them. And there were a couple of other bloggers as well, Trissa from www.trissalicious.com and and Peter from www.souvlakifortheSoul.com. Really great night!
Posted by: Myriam | 03/24/2010 at 12:28 PM
this culinary story of immigration to australia was really great, wonder if can post more about another countries!
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