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Overview
One of the tastiest bites on this week's culinary calendar is The Dining Table — a ten-night pop-up in Surry Hills that involves some of the city's best chefs creating three-course masterpieces matched with beer. The entire event is sold out, but if you didn't manage to nab a spot, we have some good news. There's a pop-up bar dedicated to walk-ins, and it's peddling beers and bar snacks from the chefs on show that night.
We're not going to give the entire menu away, but we can tell you that you could be sampling deliciousness from chefs heading up kitchens at Porteño, est., ACME, Buffalo Dining Club or The Apollo. To kindle your interest, here's the low down on a few of the dishes that were already served last week by the likes of Bodega 1904, Cho Cho San, LP's Quality Meats, Bar Brose and Good Luck Pinbone — plus a peek at what's to come this week.
First up, Adam Wolfers — who has just recently ended his stint at Bar Brose — served up malawach, a Yemenite Jewish flat bread that not only tastes good with beer, but is made with it, too. Wolfers' take came with trout roe and smoked sour cream, and he also whipped up pumpkin latkes with goat's cheese and bush tomato. Meanwhile, Good Luck Pinbone's Jemma Whiteman and Mike Eggert served their Pinbone chicken sliders and crispy tuna tostadas, and Joel Humphreys of Bodega 1904 dished out white corn arepas with queso freso, pickled jalapeño and burnt tomato, as well as a butter and bran bun with poached prawn, Argentinean salsa golf and fried potato scallop.
So, what's to come? For those hankering for something spicy (beer and spice usually get along well, after all), Marcelo Garrao and Peter Kypreos of Buffalo Dining Club have you covered with their mortadella with pistachios and spicy Quindilla peppers, as well as the 'Spanish roulette' Padron peppers, which tend to be mild, except for the rogue few containing a fiery kick.
est.'s Jacob Davey pays a visit to Asia via albacore, yuzu Kosovo, wild rice and sesame laver, as well as reinvents an Australian classic in the form of lamb rib, honey, anchovy and yoghurt. Then, Porteño's Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz head to Latin America with beef empanadas and smoked chicken wings with adobo sauce.
Each and every dish is designed to work beautifully on its own and even better with beer. So at the bar, you have a choice of James Squire Hop Thief American Pale Ale or Hahn SuperDry on tap.
If you're new to beer and food pairing (you're definitely not alone), then take a tip from Joel Humphreys and keep it simple. To match delicate flavours, go for a pale ale or session lager; to team up with lamb or beef, try a dark, malty stout. "For seafood, I'd suggest something that's refreshing and easy to drink," he says. "Something that complements its lighter style."
Mike Eggert adds that it's a good idea to go with your preferred tastes. "If you enjoy a certain type of beer, then go with that," he says. "Some people want opposing matchings; not everyone wants sweet with sweet, or sour with sour. The truth about matchings is that if you believe it, then it's true. If you enjoy drinking something, you'll enjoy drinking that with the food you're eating."
The Dining Table's pop-up bar welcomes walk-ins this week on Wednesday, September 6 to Saturday, September 10 from 5pm.
Images: Letícia Almeida.