Canberra Times Good Food Month 2016: 10 hot events
From a tequila degustation to visits from award-winning chefs, here are some highlights.
Matt Moran
The celebrity chef is heading to Canberra for a special garden party at Pialligo Estate's Farmhouse restaurant. Moran will host a summer lunch party on the grounds of Pialligo Estate with dishes taken from his new book Matt's Kitchen Garden.
Thursday, March 13 at noon; $190
Ross Lusted
Chef Ross Lusted owns the three-hatted Bridge Room in Sydney and his restaurant was named Restaurant of the Year in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2016. He'll be cooking at Aubergine with Ben Willis. It's your chance to taste dishes from one of the most lauded modern Australian chefs.
Friday, March 18 at 6.30pm; $180; 6260 8666
Moon Park
When classically trained chefs Eun Hee An and Ben Sears opened Moon Park, their restaurant in Redfern, they soon gained a following for their sleek modern take on Korean dishes, including shrimp brined chicken wings and the "Moon Pie" dessert. Get a taste of their intriguing menu when they come to Canberra for one night to showcase their work at Temporada in Civic with chef Chris Darragh and Sun Hwa Jang, who works as sous chef at Aubergine.
Monday, March 7 at 6.30pm; $55-$95; 6249 6683 or info@temporada.com.au
Monster
It's a family collaboration that we've been wanting to see for a while, Sean McConnell from Monster cooking with his chef brothers. Now Matt McConnell of Bar Lourinha in Melbourne is heading to Canberra to do a Sunday lunch with Sean - they'll each do signature dishes with matched wines.
Sunday, March 27 at noon; $100-$170; monster@hotel-hotel.com.au
Apple dinner
This is an intriguing idea from Pod Food - a five course meal which celebrates the apple season and also pays tribute to Pialligo's many orchards, where you can still go apple picking to this day. The dishes will all feature apple in some way, and they'll be matched with a range of ciders and wines.
Friday, March 4 at 7pm; $120 including beverages; 6257 3388 or info@podfood.com.au
Sake degustation
This was a popular event at last year's Good Food Month and it's back again this year. Mamoru Aizawa from Iori in Civic has joined forces with a sake sommelier to create a seven course high end Japanese dinner matched with some very premium sakes.
March 3 and March 10 at 6.30pm; $115; 6257 2334 or book@iori.com.au
The great Canberra wine dinner
Join wine writer Nick Stock and our own Bryan Martin, winemaker at Clonakilla and owner of Ravensworth Wines, as they feature wines from eight of Canberra's best winemakers at Bicicletta in the Peppers Gallery Hotel at NewActon.
Thursday, March 10 at 7pm; $100; 6262 8683
Tequila degustation
The Elk and Pea takes you on a journey through the world of tequila with this five course meal. Tequilas from the "golden triangle" of tequila production in Mexico will be matched with a South and Central American banquet.
Saturday, March 19 at 7pm; $55-$95
Coffee-matching breakfast
For many of us it's not breakfast without coffee, but you've never had a brekkie like this one - four courses with four matched coffee drinks, ranging from filter to cold drip, in the leafy surrounds of Pod Food. The coffee is from Red Brick Espresso in Curtin, who will be joined by Fleur Studd from Market Lane in Melbourne to discuss techniques and origins of the beans.
Saturday, March 19 at 9am; $60; 6257 3388 or info@podfood.com.au
Lunch on the lawns
Parlour Wine Room hosts drinks and canapes on the terrace followed by a long outdoor lunch on the lawns of the John Avery Gardens at NewActon. A perfect way to enjoy the last of summer with a selection of white, rose and sparkling wines from a Canberra vineyard.
Sunday, March 20; $55-$95; 6257 7325 or hello@parlour.net.au
Clarification: The original version of this story listed the Matt Moran event as sold out. More tickets have since been released for this event.