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Secret dinner societies: Underground dining in Sydney
To gather around a table in an historic house or a secret location for experimental food, you need to be in the loop
Who are they, where are they and what are they about to eat?A sense of intrigue, mystery and palatable surprise awaits in Sydney's underground, guerrilla-dining scene that is giving new meaning to the evening meal.
It goes something like this: you pre-purchase a ticket and just a few hours before the dinner is scheduled to start, you’re sent the address via text or email. You arrive at the venue to dine and wine with strangers.
The venues change as much as the people, and the food is always experimental.
This exclusive and secret dining scene caters to a fraction of food enthusiasts around Sydney, but the culinary speakeasy is en route to replacing the predictability of fine dining.
It requires no advertisements or marketing teams -- it’s a slave to word-of-mouth -- but you have to get in quick to secure a spot.
Secret Foodies
A secret foodie pigs out.
With a literal covertness in its name, Secret Foodies has been popping up successfully for 18 months in restaurants around the inner west and eastern suburbs.
“But we don’t just pop up at a restaurant,” says Adams. “We like to challenge our chefs to cook us something unique, like cooking lamb in seven ways or using produce within a 100-kilometer radius of the restaurant."
Popular amongst interstate travelers and corporate workers, Secret Foodies has created a bit of a name for itself.
Secret Foodies, ticket under $100 for weekly sessions, +61 (0)422 667 488, www.secretfoodies.com.au
Minus 8
Traditional Japanese from local ingredients at Minus 8.
This Japanese-themed underground dining caters to only 12 people per mysterious sitting and promises “real Japanese food.”
“It frustrates me to think that people go out to eat what is tagged ‘authentic Japanese’ and then pay for tinned food,” he says. “Everything from dressing, sauces, to toppings, is pre-frozen and exported.
“I use local produce and everything that goes on my plate is fresh.”
This Eastern journey runs via a mailing list. If you’re not on it, you’ll have to miss dinner for the night. Apologies.
Minus 8, monthly pop-up dinner is BYO; $80, to get on the mailing list, contact info@minus8.com.au, www.minus8.com.au.
The Table Sessions
Table Sessions: the welcome secret that cooks anywhere.
Known to cook in less obvious spots, the liberty and flexibility to cook anywhere is what originally lured Robertson into this business idea.
“I quite like the idea of a barbeque in a fine dining restaurant. I also once held a session on a cliff and another in a flower shop,” he says.
The Table Sessions can contacted via Facebook, Twitter or the company’s website.
The Table Sessions, monthly dining sessions $100 upwards, for more details email darren@thetablesessions.com.au, www.thetablesessions.com.au.
