FROM STAGE TO PLATE: A CULINARY JOURNEY

Tumbling down the rabbit hole with each bite of smoked duck breast and pickled mushroom salad. Being whisked to a white Christmas in Europe with the aromas of sweet and spicy ‘Mon Blanc’ desserts. Being seduced by rich and tender morsels of homemade duck terrine bruschetta with black truffle, and caramelized figs.

With each production from The Australian Ballet and Opera Australia that graces the stage at Arts Centre Melbourne, the talented team of in-house chefs are able to demonstrate their creative skill. Inspired by the story and themes of the upcoming 2019 program, the chefs at Arts Centre Melbourne have been busy dreaming up new concoctions and interpretations to continue the narrative journey from stage to plate.

For upcoming season highlight, Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland^©, the chefs have created a menu that’s surprising, a bit quirky and beautifully bold. The party of smoked duck breast and pickled mushroom salad is brought together with a punchy Madeira and black garlic dressing. Seafood crepes fagottini are finished with ‘Wonderland hollandaise’. These complex yet harmonious flavours invite guests to allow their palate to be taken on a journey.

To fully immerse audiences in the festive spirit, a menu that celebrates sweet, buttery and spicy flavours and aromas has been developed for traditional Christmas favourite, The Nutcracker Caramelised onion tart with maple roasted beetroot evokes a sense of warming comfort. While the pan fried ocean trout, celeriac and pancetta galette, with lime butter sauce gives the festive menu a modern twist.

And for Opera Australia’s upcoming season, dishes have been developed to ignite all senses. Throughout the courses these dishes aim to build on each operatic movement. Peppered tuna loin served with avocado mousse, micro celery finished with a splash of green onion olive oil is the opening dish for Verdi’s Rigoletto. Refined and elegant, with rich undertones, the menu perfectly complements this cinematic opera. Likewise, the starring plate in the menu for Cosi fan tutte; applewood smoked ocean trout, pommes duchess, saffron fumet, brussel sprouts, chased by a crisp glass of sauvignon blanc, is designed to seduce its diners. It’s the perfect edible embodiment of an opera that centres around seduction, love and complex relationships.

With a tasting menu that reflects the nuances of each production, audiences will be able to experience the performance on an extra sensory level.

And to coincide with the 2019 program, private event planners will be able to sample and opt for these culinary delights. Throughout next year, the Conferences, Meetings and Events team will be featuring these dishes on private function menus. Guests can experience a culinary journey to Wonderland, or to the castle of Rigoletto’s master, fully immersing themselves in a time and place far from home.

If you like the sound of this unique culinary experience, book your next event at Arts Centre Melbourne. Allow the Conferences, Meetings and Events team to work with you to deliver a wonderful dining experience for you and your guests.

To enquire about your next event at Arts Centre Melbourne, please call the Conferences, Meetings and Events team on (03) 9281 8350 or email events@artscentremelbourne.com.au