You make a booking for dinner without knowing the venue, the menu or who your company might be. Sounds risky, right? Well fear not, you and about a hundred other people are in the same boat. But come the evening of the event, you get a text message with an address, and instructions to be there at 7pm. And where are you off to? To a Secret Foodies event, of course.
Born from the idea of the guerrilla dining scene, Secret Foodies is exactly as the name suggest, a secret event for foodies! Founded by Alex Adams of Ms Darlinghurst fame, they host both private and public events across the country. We were lucky enough to attend a dinner entitled Taste Of The Barossa in partnership with Grant Burge Wines. At exactly 5pm, we received a text with an address, and a little bit of Googling revealed that we were off to dinner at The Craft & Co!
Upon arrival, we were ushered up some stairs into a beautiful function space where the canapés were plentiful and the champagne was free flowing. We started off with some rich fig shortbreads with goat’s cheese, and some pumpkin and gruyere arancini. Both these dishes were designed to pair with the 2006 Grant Burge Helene Sparkling and it was clear we were in for a great night.
We were seating soon afterwards in a large dining hall at long communal tables which encouraged everyone to interact. Given that everyone there was in a similar position we all quickly bonded over the surprise element of the night as well as our love of food.
Starting with an appetiser of a cured salmon, apple, fennel and cucumber salad served with Barossa bark lavosh and the entrée of gnocchi with braised duck, gremolata and cranberries, we were finally onto the main course of roast porchetta served with roasted heirloom vegetables, pan juices and condiments.
The 2015 Grant Burge Miamba Shiraz which was paired with this course was one of the wine highlights of the night, showcasing the big bold flavours the Barossa shirazes are known for.
We were lucky enough to hear a few words from both the winemaker and the chef, each sharing their stories, with their passion for the industry shining through.
Whilst we went into the night with Secret Foodies not knowing what to expect, we turned out to have a very fun evening filled with great food, delicious wines and endless laughs.
– Moni
Moni loves food. No really, she LOVES food. She spends a lot of time eating, cooking, photographing or writing about food. She believes the only way food can be improved is if it is accompanied by wine.
For more information on future Secret Foodies events, visit www.secretfoodies.com.au. Their next event is Christmas in July on Sat. 29 July — buy tickets now.
