Image credit: Steven Woodburn
Chiswick at the Gallery has opened its doors to coincide with the return of its renowned ‘Archibald Dining Package’.
This year, Chiswick at the Gallery has collaborated with three Archibald finalists – Jonathan Dalton, Tianli Zu and Jane Guthleben – to create dishes inspired by their unique experiences during lockdown, for a menu that marks a seminal moment in time. Matt Moran and Head Chef Tim Brindley have selected the best in-season produce from the Chiswick kitchen garden to create dishes inspired by what the finalists were eating, cooking and looking forward to eating post-lockdown, as well as dishes inspired by their favourite food memories.
“After a rollercoaster year for both hospitality and the arts, this year’s Archibald Dining Package feels particularly significant for us. After months of constant setbacks, it’s been heartening to flip things on their head for a moment and try to find some inspiration out of such a difficult time. We feel fortunate to be able to offer up an experience that draws on the sense of camaraderie we’ve found over the last few months, and create an experience that allows the community to go out and really ‘make a day of it’ – lunch and a show all in the one place, celebrating one of Sydney’s most loved moments in the arts calendar,” says Matt Moran.
Reflecting on a time where comfort food has felt more important than ever, Matt and Tim communicated with each of the finalists via phone and email during lockdown to discuss what was keeping them occupied, such as baking, and some of their more personal food memories. Their responses form the basis of the three-course menu.
Jonathan Dalton became a new dad during lockdown, and spent a lot of time baking with his family. Inspired by this, Matt and Tim have created a house-made focaccia with Jonathan’s favourite cooking ingredient – garlic.
Tianli Zu reflected on fond memories of her grandmother cooking when she was a child, teaching her that “cooking is like any other art – you need to find balance”. Whilst Tanli has not been able to travel much this year, the food she looks forward to enjoying whenever she is in Australia is seafood and in particular her favourite, barramundi. Tim and Matt have created a balanced and beautiful dish featuring barramundi paired with the best vegetables spring has to offer – zucchini and broad beans.
Finally, Jane Guthleben grew up on a farm with fond memories of chocolate in her childhood. Now that she calls Sydney home, her fond memories of chocolate remain and so Matt and Tim have created a decadent Valhrona chocolate mousse with almond and orange, sure to fix any chocolate craving.
‘Archibald Dining Package’ | Menu
~ Nibbles ~
Rosemary focaccia, garlic, chilli oil (v) *inspired by Jonathan Dalton
Barra-masalata, crispy bits (df, nf)
~ Main ~
Barramundi, zucchini, broad bean, sorrel (df, gf) *inspired by Tianli Zu
OR
Roasted pumpkin, spiced pecan, kale, whipped yoghurt (vg)
~ Dessert ~
Valrhona chocolate mousse, almond, orange *inspired by Jane Guthleben
OR
Coconut sorbet, caramelised pineapple (gf, df, vg)
~ Additions ~
Chiswick green salad (vg, gf) 12
Seasonal greens, lemon oil, black pepper (vg, gf) 12
Crunchy chips, ranch dip, celery salt (v) 12
Chiswick at the Gallery reopened on Friday, 25th September, and will remain open ongoing every Thursday to Sunday, 12–3pm. The Archibald Dining Package will be available in venue from 26 September 2020 to 10 January 2021.
- Two courses available for $64 (Main + Dessert + Ticket to the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2020 exhibition)
- Three courses available for $72 (Nibbles + Main + Dessert + Ticket to the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2020 exhibition)
Tickets are available here.
Chiswick at the Gallery
Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney NSW 2000
02 9225 1819