Following the announcement of the Melbourne instalment last week, Big Day Out has revealed the culinary superstars who will be making their presence felt in their new food spin-off – Chow Town – for the opening leg of the festival in Sydney.
The BDO’s ʻCulinary Outlawsʼ – Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz – have secured some of Sydney’s best chefs to produce amazing gourmet festival food at the event, which will be held at the Sydney Showgrounds on Friday, January 18.
First up to the plate is Longrain’s Louis Tikaram, who will be delivering a festivalised version of the restaurant’s mouth-watering blend of Thai and Chinese influences. Louis is Longrainʼs head chef and protege to executive chef Martin Boetz. Martin in 1999 joined forces with sommelier and restaurateur Sam Christie to open what is now a Sydney institution.
Mark LaBrooy, Shannon Debreceny and Darren Robertson from the recently-hatted Three Blue Ducks will bring the best culinary treats from their restauraunt, which has become the talk of Bronte. Menu highlights include black pudding and fried duck egg, calamari and smoked corn, parsnips, artichokes and almond, and rare duck breast with rhubarb and liquorice.
Joining Mark La Brooy and his crew at Chow Town is Gregory Llewellyn. Gregory, an American national and his Australian wife, Naomi, are the culinary might and brains trust behind Hartsyard – a ʻseed and feedʼ restaurant featuring produce-led, comfort food nestled within the Newtown neighbourhood. Llewellyn describes the menu as his take on modern-day comfort food, featuring dishes such as Oyster Poʼ Boy, Cold-smoked Fried Chicken with buttermilk biscuit and low country sausage gravy, and the drool-worthy Poutine with hand cut beef chilli, cheddar, ranch and hot pepper vinegar.
For a taste of Greece, Jonathan Barthelmess from The Apollo will bring a festival version of his Greek share plates to Chow Town. The majority of the dishes are cooked over wood-fire and served with an accompaniment of Greek yoghurt, or the ʻfull Greekʼ with mullet roe taramasalata and slow cooked lamb.
And finally, Avoca’s Rojo Rocket is bringing a Mexican bonanza to Chow Town. Led by Head Chef Alejandro Urbina, Rojo Rocket is promising a tantalising menu of tapas, tacos y ensaladas, and mains that are interchangeable.
Tickets to the Sydney Big Day Out are still available; however, a few weeks ago, head honcho Ken West said the event was close to selling out – so if you want your mix of awesome bands and awesome food, you better hop to it!
BIG DAY OUT 2013 – CHOW TOWN SYDNEY LINEUP:
Ben Milgate & Elvis Abrahanowicz – Porteno / Bodega
Louis Tikaram – Longrain
Mark LaBrooy, Darren Robertson & Shannon Debrecency- Three Blue Ducks
Gregory Llewellyn – Hartsyard
Jonathan Barthelmess – The Apollo
Alejanandro Urbina – Rojo Rocket
