As it’s been previously reported, the Big Day Out is going to be joining the world’s elite festivals this Summer by introducing Chow Town to their festivals – a celebration of some of Sydney’s finest food. These are the sort of restaurants you couldn’t get bookings to even if you tried (and believe me, I have), and so for many this will be a cost effective way to find out what they’re all about. Sydney media were treated to a six course taste of what this will indeed be all about, and so we’re going to give you a bit of a taste of it, too…
Our first course was courtesy of Rojo Rocket and featured a series of miniature tostadas, filled with everything from a basic (but delicious) guacamole, to chili prawns (tostada de aguachile) and raw tuna (tostada de atun). These miniature samples were reduced versions of what Big Day Out punters will receive (this was the first course of six, after all) and were nothing short of delicious. Fans of the Mexican food craze that has swept Sydney in particular in recent years will not be disappointed.
The Apollo, meanwhile, went straight for your taste buds with fried cheese (a form of goats cheese we were told, that tastes and feels like a chewier version of Haloumi) covered in honey and oregano. Not quite sure how they will plate this at the festival, but definitely quite the tasty snack.
Hartsyard in Enmore is one of the hottest restaurants in town, so their inclusion in the Big Day Out Chow Town will come as a joy to many fans of their menu. The dish was a delectable fried chicken with hot sauce. Perfect for a festival, though I for one am never a huge fan of that much grease without air conditioning. Nonetheless, it works in New Orleans so it damn well better work well at the festival. A must try.
Porteno, who were kind enough to hold the function for us today, served up BBQ Brisket sliders with coleslaw. They were a phenomenal treat and will no doubt be hugely popular at the festival. As will Longrain’s soy chicken skewers (below), served with lemongrass and cucumber. Served in a foil bag, I imagine that was one of the best examples of how the restaurants intend to mass produce and serve these treats.
Finally, we ended the feast with Three Blue Ducks’ chili duck salad with fried eshallots and roasted cashews (pictured below). The sort of dish the restaurant can mass produce the night before and serve cold, it makes perfect sense for the festival, and was my personal favourite dish of the day. On a hot summer day I could think of fewer things to treat myself to than this. I know I’ll be first in line come January 18th.
Following my experiences at Austin City Limits and New Orleans Jazz Fest earlier this year – both of whom pride themselves on their local food selections, hence forming, in part, the basis for the concept of Chow Town – the above meals have the prospect of becoming a popular mainstay at the festival. Serving food in this mass style has been proven to work but it will be interesting to see how the restaurants cope on the day.
With Sydney looking to be a guaranteed sell out by the time the festival rolls around, will punters be drawn in by the new concept or will they stick with what they know? And most importantly, what will the restaurants charge? Keeping the costs affordable will be the key to this project’s success, as it has been in other countries.
After this delicious feast I eagerly anticipate what will come of festival day. I hope we have whetted your appetite just a little bit more too…
More information on Sydney’s Chow Town and plans for other states can be found at http://www.bigdayout.com/
