For the past couple of months, Jerry Mai — the acclaimed chef behind Bia Hoi and Annam — has been giving the Mornington Peninsula a taste of her culinary prowess, firing up the grill for a barbecue-focused residency at Ocean Eight Winery. But if you've missed out thus far, fear not, because the upcoming weekend finale is set to be the biggest yet.
On January Friday, 22 and Saturday, January 23, Mai will be whipping up her usual storm of Viet flavours; think, fried chicken with fish sauce caramel, and coconut-braised beef rib bao. Then, from Sunday, January 24 to Tuesday, January 26, she's invited some legendary food friends to join her on the charcoal grills, slinging punchy eats best enjoyed on a picnic rug with a bright local wine in hand.
Sunday sees Mai and George Calombaris duel it out in a Greece vs Vietnam culinary battle, with Alice Zaslavsky as MC and the winning chef voted by diners themselves. Then, on Monday, Masterchef alum Sarah Tiong challenges Mai to a Southeast Asian cook-off, while TV chef favourites Diana Chan and Khanh Ong go head to head whipping up a final feast on January 26.
There are no bookings, so you just need to rock up on the day.
The Epic Summer Barbecue runs from 11am–3pm each day.
Images: Michelle Jarni and Made With Moxie