The world-class chef will be swapping his chef whites for racewear as he invites guests at Brisbane’s premier racing carnival to enjoy a taste of Southeast Asia trackside
Executive Chef at The Star, Luke Nguyen has been appointed by Brisbane Racing Club (BRC) as Culinary Ambassador for its famous racing carnival, The Star Stradbroke Season 2023.
Having stood at the helm of Fat Noodle, an Asian-fusion restaurant at The Star’s Treasury Brisbane property for the last 10 years, Nguyen has made a name for himself locally by plating up dishes full of bold flavours, fragrant herbs, fiery chilli, succulent, charred meats and moreish sauces.
Now, in collaboration with the BRC’s multi award-winning hospitality team, Nguyen will be taking some of those incredible dishes to a new home trackside – adding some of his favourite recipes from across the Southeast Asian continent to key carnival event menus to create a once-in-a-lifetime culinary race day experience.
“One of my biggest passions is sharing my heritage and love of food with people. At Fat Noodle, we hope to provide Brisbane’s foodies with a taste of the authentic culinary journey they would experience walking through the winding streets of Bangkok or Hanoi. I’m so excited to be partnering with the Brisbane Racing Club to hopefully recreate a small piece of that magic trackside – bringing something fresh, flavourful and punchy to the race day dining experience.”
At Eagle Farm Racecourse on Channel 7 Oaks Day (Saturday 3 June) and The Star Stradbroke Day (Saturday 10 June), guests in the St Leger Marquee, the Moreton Dining Room, and the Star Suite will be invited to enjoy a line-up of bespoke new recipes that pay homage to Luke’s Vietnamese heritage while also heroing some of Queensland’s best seasonal local produce.
Fresh, juicy Franklin Harbour Pacific Oysters topped with a traditional tamarind nuoc cham and fried shallots, smoky Grilled Lemongrass & Chili Calamari with mango and mint salsa, and sweet rich spoonsful of Vietnamese Coffee Creme Caramel will take pride of place on tables at all three trackside venues. Moreish bowls of Wok Tossed Black Angus Beef with vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs, and a colourful Chicken & Purple Cabbage Salad with Vietnamese mint and perilla, round out Luke’s Southeast Asian inspired menu selection.
For those unable to make it to Eagle Farm, Nguyen and his team will also be serving up a matching menu of his bespoke race day dishes at Fat Noodle for a limited time throughout carnival week, from Thursday 1 June to Sunday 11 June.
Brisbane Racing Club CEO Tony Partridge said the Club was excited to welcome Nguyen as a Culinary Ambassador across The Star Stradbroke Season to provide a unique and exciting hospitality experience for racegoers and food lovers.
“We are delighted to have as part of our partnership with The Star one of the entertainment group’s best chefs in Luke Nguyen adding his talents to our culinary team for the season. His famed Southeast Asian dishes are sure to tempt the tastebuds of our race day guests.”
The Star Stradbroke Season 2023 runs over six race days and sees the best trainers and jockeys from Australia and New Zealand competing for a record-breaking prize pool of more than $20million, highlighted by 37 black type races, including seven at Group 1 level.
For more information on the dining experiences Luke Nguyen will be curating for The Star Stradbroke Season 2023, please visit: brc.com.au