Masters of Modern Art X Chiswick at the Gallery

Overview

In case you haven't heard, some pretty big names in the art world are calling the Art Gallery of NSW home at the moment. The Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage exhibition features over 65 works from the late 19th- and early 20th-century's most revered artists, drawn extensively from St Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum. This is a rare opportunity for Sydneysiders to come face-to-face with iconic paintings from the likes of Monet, Cézanne, Matisse and Picasso — works which have come to define a revolutionary point in art history.

To celebrate this blockbuster exhibition, the Art Gallery of NSW's much-loved restaurant Chiswick at the Gallery is hosting a suitably artistic dining package. For $82 per person, you'll dine on a delicious two-course meal with a glass of wine or 4 Pines beer before setting off to explore the exhibition.

Dishes are prepared by head chef Tim Brindley and stay true to the restaurant's 'garden-to-plate' philosophy — with ingredients even thrown in from the garden outside. Choose from seared snapper with capers, witlof and asparagus or grilled spatchcock served with zucchini and flowers for your main, and then, for dessert, there's strawberry, coconut and lemon balm or Valrhona flourless chocolate cake with cherry liquor and cherry sorbet.

The Chiswick team has designed a series of artist-inspired cocktails to add to your meal ($20 each), too. There's the Monet, with vodka, strawberry-rose syrup and citrus, the Picasso, with bourbon, sherry, mandarin syrup and bitters, and the Cézanne, with gin, apple liqueur, citrus and bitters.

It's food (and drink) meets art and, in our opinion, the tastiest way to experience one of the Art Gallery of NSW's landmark exhibitions.

The dining series is available at Chiswick at the Gallery throughout the duration of Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage exhibition. It's available for lunch daily and for dinner on Wednesday nights until Sunday, March 3. The menu price also includes entry into the exhibition. To make a reservation, head to the restaurant's website.

Images: Rachel Kara.