GAME, SET, SNACK
While the international players are the major drawcards of the Australian Open, the wider precinct is once again set to sizzle thanks to some tasty appearances by interstate and local chefs.
This year, Sydney-based Josh Niland will bring his hero dishes from Fish Butchery and Charcoal Fish to Melbourne Park. Between sets you can smash his much-loved double yellowfin tuna cheeseburger, which recently gained global attention thanks to its appearance on Netflix’s Down to Earth with Zac Efron. “It’s a summary of six years of work that we’ve done here,” says Niland. “It’s dry-aged. It’s offal. It’s whole fish cookery. So in one handful you’ve got a whole lot of thinking behind it, without pushing someone into a corner saying, ‘You must respect the whole fish.’ It’s just a delicious, tangible, sustainable product.” Punters can also try the Murray cod and gravy roll; or vegetarians can get around a roast pumpkin salad with honey mustard, dukkah and sage. Dishes will also be served on Green My Plate, reusable plates to redirect waste from landfill. Alongside cooking, Niland will also spearhead the first of the new AO Talk Series, which brings to stage talent from across the organisation and experience. Here, Niland will share more about his sustainability ethos and cooking wisdom too. But most of all, Niland is excited for the people of Melbourne to try his food. “It’s nice to fly the Sydney flag down in Melbourne,” he says.
Another chef who is already flying that flag is Jacqui Challinor, who relocated from Sydney to Melbourne to open the second Nomad restaurant this year. It will be Challinor’s first appearance at the event, and she even joined her local tennis club when she found out she’d be cooking at the
AO. Expect rock oysters with Nomad Worcestershire; prawn sandwiches; mushroom and bone marrow empanadas; and house-made charcuterie including salami, ocean trout basturma and duck mortadella. Andrew McConnell will also host Supernormal; and Shane Delia will be doing snazzy snack boxes from Maha, while the Penfolds Restaurant and Rockpool Bar and Grill will both return. Bookings are encouraged, but many of the venues will have casual bar offerings alongside more formal set menus.
Either way come hungry for the sets and the snacks.
January 16 to 29, Melbourne Park, ausopen.com