Some were calling it the rain that stopped the nation, but despite the wet weather there was no stopping the biggest race of them all, The Lexus Melbourne Cup. The Plus Ones were invited down to experience racing’s biggest day with access to the hottest ticket in town – The Birdcage. Even with the skies opening up and pouring a huge 50mm of rain down onto Flemington, it still couldn’t stop an 83 thousand strong crowd from bringing their best fashion to the races.
A moat of rain water around The Birdcage was quickly circumnavigated by a wooden pallet bridge and the crowds filled the extravagent marquees to drip dry and sip Mumm champagne.
Our day started with a lunch booking at Lume on the top floor of the magnificient Lexus Pavilion. The South Melbourne based fine dining establishment by one of Australia’s most innovative young chefs, Shaun Quade, has been transported to Flemington for a 45 minute sitting for 76 lucky guests. Our favourite dishes included the sourdough bread with smoked eel butter and onion honey, tiny corn tacos and the Magic Mushroom Truffle that was half shiitake-wattleseed caramel, half caramelised white chocolate with lime ganache on a bed of pine needles.
This was the marquee to be in for some great celeb spotting with Ben Shewry, Megan Gale, David “Kochie” Koch, Julie Bishop, Matt Preston and many more making an appearance.
After our lunch we visited the Bumble marquee. Bumble is a location based dating and networking app where female users are empowered with making the first contact. The marquee felt like a spring Soirée, a spacious and decedent escape from the crowds, with prime location for people watching out of open partitions. The light-filled space was packed full of instagrammable moments, floral displays and even a live musician playing saxophone along to the DJ.
To catch the main race we made our way to Pace Penthouse by Pace Development Group, which was fast becoming our favourite new marquee in The Birdcage. The attentive staff pampered the patrons to make sure their glasses were always full and their stomachs never empty. The fabulous Claire Elliott was on DJ duties and got the dance floor pumping. Havana Brown then took the stage pulling out some classic bangers and performing some of her hits, making passers-by envious of the vibe which was on fire. We also managed to sneak a peak of the video showing off the panoramic views overlooking Flemmington Racecourse that you would get from the balconies of the Pace Penthouse once it’s construction is complete and it sure looks amazing.
The Plus Ones can’t wait to bring you all the hottest action from The Birdcage this weekend at Stakes Day, so make sure you link up with our socials below to catch all the action live from The Birdcage
– Tomas & Brenton
Tomas Zagoda is a filmmaker, writer, coffee addict and tall person who does not play basketball. You can follow him @TomasZagoda
Brenton can be found with Champagne in hand causing mischief across Melbourne. Follow his shenanigans on insta @SoSpinky
