An insiders' guide: Good Food Month Sydney 2014
With visiting chefs and sensational tastes on every corner, here are 30 reasons not to leave town in October.
1. Yotam Ottolenghi, the celebrated chef-restaurateur and cookbook author, brings his brand of mod Med-Middle Eastern to Sydney. Meet him at the Sydney Opera House, or over a literary lunch and a collaborative dinner at Nomad. (October 28-29, $45-$260).
2. David Thompson and the Asia Town Street Food Festival - sample street food snacks from 10 masters of the art, with cooking demonstrations, drinks and more. (October 19, $125).
3. The Cook, The Blogger & The Photographers - behind the scenes with Good Food's Adam Liaw and a pair of expert Fairfax food photographers. (Art & Food, October 11, $80).
4. It's kids only at The Long Lunch with Rowie Dillon (Rowie's Cakes), Saskia Beer (Barossa Farm Produce) and Anneka Manning (BakeClub). First they prepare it. Then they eat it. (Kids in the Kitchen. October 12, $60).
5. Breakfast Club at Single O (watermelon shot, smoked trout, avo and poached egg with quinoa salad, honeycomb-infused cold brew) or a breakfast tasting board at Boschetto Cafe, Rockdale. (Weekdays, $20).
6. Let's Do Lunch in the city: The Bridge Room - barra, cumin and tomato broth, yoghurt, coriander, grains; or slow-cooked spring lamb with peas, yoghurt and almond at Bentley Restaurant + Bar. (Weekdays, $38 including drinks).
7. A seven-course menu - including sashimi, edamame, pork belly and dessert for under $30? Head over to Niji Sushi Bar in Kingsford. (Good Dinners Under $30, nightly).
8. Private Dining at the Restaurant Pendolino in the company of chef Nino Zoccali and sommelier Christian Casarin includes five courses and several seriously interesting Italian wines. (October 21, $195).
9. Offal at Efendy - seven courses of not-your-average lamb, beef and chicken cuts. House cocktail included. (The Main Ingredient, October 17, $79).
10. Seoul Kitchen at The Bathers' Pavilion - sous-chef Dong Lee takes over the stoves for a series of reworked Korean classics. (World Dinners, October 22; $95).
11. Surprise Saturday Lunch - a meat-lovers' spread at Alpha with chef Peter Conistis and provedore Peter Andrews (October 25, $75).
12. Family Table at Lox Stock & Barrel - a three-course sharing menu at fam-friendly hours includes making your own trifle for dessert. (Mon-Wed through October, $65 for a family of four).
13. New York's Momofuku Ssam Bar 2007 comes to Momofuku Seiobo. And no bookings! Think steamed pork buns, hanger steak ssam with kimchi. (Hats Off Dinners, October 13-18, prices vary).
14. Jamh-Ma: To Eat - native flavours take over at Berowra Waters Inn's (Hats Off Dinner, Fridays through October, $125).
15. Sari and spangles are de rigueur at Nilgiri's Diwali feast (World Dinners, Sundays through October, $37.50).
16. What rhymes with cider? Slider, of course. Try Bat and Ball Hotel's twice-cooked pork belly with apple and savoy cabbage, and a Thatchers Gold cider. (Cider & Slider, daily, $10).
17. Take a Tanq trip with Bar Hop gin-based cocktail and canape combos: Rockpool Bar & Grill's Mustardberry Blinker/watermelon and ocean trout sashimi; Vasco's Southside/gnocchi sorrentina; Cornerstone's Fresh 'n' Up/smoked ham croquettes. (Nightly, $20).
18. Crossing Teas at Sake matches tea-infused shochu and sake with tea-inspired cooking. (Drink & Dine, October 22, $120).
19. Butcher, Baker and Winemaker at Victor Churchill - meats, cheeses, Iggy's bread and fine wines from Yalumba's chief winemaker, Kevin Glastonbury. (Drink & Dine, October 8-9, $110).
20. Wagyu beef cheek and tail cottage pie with cheesy mash and brussels sprouts at The Henson, Marrickville; rabbit and wild mushroom pie at Fortune of War, The Rocks. More pies, with a Coopers Pale, at 33 participating establishments. (Good Pub Food, daily, $20).
21. Sharpen your skills and learn new tricks. Syrian food? Sashimi? Traditional Persian cooking? Instant Expert classes at Almond Bar, Sokyo, Persian Room, among others. (Times, dates, costs vary.) And there's always the annual OysterClass with Steve Feletti from Moonlight Flat, at The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay (October 14 and 28, $89) and a Taste of Food Writing - a full-immersion workshop with former Good Food writer Helen Greenwood (October 11, $295 includes lunch).
22. Delve into the hidden dishes of Sydney's emerging communities - from Africa, south and east Asia and the Middle East - at Flavours of Auburn (October 25, $10-$20), part of the Community Festivals program. Or explore the sweeter side of the suburbs at Casula Powerhouse's Sweet As Festival, with desserts from the diverse food cultures of the Liverpool area. (October 11, from $2).
23. Table for Ten at Ozharvest HQ Kitchen. The food-rescue charity marks its 10th birthday with a series of star-chef dinners, housed in its brand-new warehouse. (Pop-ups & Parties, October 13-17; $150).
24. Village Food Adventures - get out and about in the food precincts: a Bohemian Food Crawl in Glebe (October 7 and 21, $120); a degustation dinner in Potts Point's Llankelly Place (October 11, $140); or a small-bar tour of Surry Hills (October 8 and 15; drinks on consumption).
25. Sausage Sizzle and Spring Picnic at The Sydney Morning Herald Growers' Market with Good Food recipe writers Adam Liaw, Frank Camorra and Jill Dupleix. (October 4, free).
26. Omnivore World Tour - ''La jeune cuisine'' comes to Sydney with guest chefs Pierre Sang (Paris), Julien Burlat (Antwerp), Gita Seaton (Montreal) and Morgan McGlone (Melbourne). (October 2-5, see omnivore.com/sydney). And more young chefs' action at the annual Young Chefs Dinner, this year at Mr Wong. (October 21, $200).
27. Smooth Festival of Chocolate. Across The Rocks. Say no more. (October 4-5, see smoothfm.com.au).
28. For more sweet things, try Bishop Sessa's chocolate and wattleseed parfait, Flying Fish's strawberry gazpacho and mozzarella ice-cream; Black by Ezard's rhubarb cheesecake. (Let's Do Dessert, nightly after 9pm, $20 with a glass of Yalumba dessert wine.)
29. Combine history, native ingredients insights from pioneers Ray and Jennice Kersh, and a bush barbecue. Colonial Gastronomy at Vaucluse House. (Down to Earth. October 19, $90).
30. Night Noodle Markets - bigger, brighter and more bountiful than ever. Seventeen nights in Hyde Park, including Sundays for the first time. Star turns include Longrain, Mamak, New Shanghai and Melbourne hip and hit eatery Wonderbao. And ordering is made easy through the Citi Concierge. (October 10-26, free entry).
P.S. You can also take a night photography walking tour of the Night Noodle Markets with Clique Photographers Association (October 14-16, 21-23, $65). Get snapping and snacking - Asian tapas included.
10 reasons to roam
1. Let's Do Lunch at Port Macquarie's The Corner Restaurant: bento box of braised wagyu, pickles, agedashi tofu. ($38 with drinks.)
2. Sunday Family Lunch at Caveau, Wollongong includes traditional roast pork and pav. (October 12, $55, $25 for under 12s).
3. Fairfax dinner at Woodford Academy. Head to the Blue Mountains' oldest building for a contemporary Hats Off Dinner in the Grand Dining Room, with Grant Farrant of Restaurant Como (October 5, $150).
4. Taste Riverina Festival Paddock-to-plate events, 100-mile feasts, food and wine trails, cooking classes, celebrity chefs, alfresco dining and family events. (Oct 1-31, tasteriverina.com.au).
5. The Ultimate High Tea at the newly refurbed Hydro Majestic Hotel, Medlow Bath (October 25, $75).
6. Tour the garden at Roberts Circa 1876's Garden Party in the Hunter Valley, plus lunch with executive chef George Francisco. (Kitchen Garden. October 19, $75).
7. Barbecue Madness at Temporada: it's wood-fire only for this three-course dinner at Canberra's latest hotspot. (October 28, $80). See also canberra.goodfoodmonth.com.
8. Cool-climate wines in abundance at the Orange Wine Festival Night Market. (Community Festivals, October 24, free entry)
9. Lunch in the Hothouse at Biota Dining: go back to basics as head chef James Viles air-dries, cures and charcoal-pit cooks your lunch. (Surprise Saturday Lunch, October 25, $160)
10. Dinner with Frank at Parlour Wine Room. Canberra's NewActon precinct is the place to be. Especially when Frank Camorra is cooking dinner. (October 22, $140)
Good Food Month presented by Citi gets under way on October 1. The full program is online at goodfoodmonth.com.
Correction: The original version of this story listed an incorrect price for Let's Do Lunch at the Bridge Room and Bentley Restaurant + Bar. The price has been amended in the article.