03 Aug 2024
Beginning with an intimate lunch at LVN Restaurant in the Adelaide Hills, a two-day event celebrating the arrival of Bird in Hand’s 2022 Syrah at Raes on Wategos will showcase a co-curated menu by executive chefs Jacob Davey of LVN Restaurant and Jason Saxby of Raes Dining Room. The local produce from each restaurant’s surroundings will be a key focus, alongside Bird in Hand wine varietals selected to complement the menu by senior winemaker, Sarah Burvill.
United by a shared culinary ethos and the characteristics of Bird in Hand’s newly released 2022 Syrah, the first event on Sunday, August 25 will welcome friends of both brands to privately preview the 8-course, 14-plate menu at the winery’s LVN Restaurant in the Adelaide Hills. The second event, held at Raes on Wednesday, August 28 is an open invitation to locals and visitors of Byron Bay to join the exclusive one-off lunch.
Chefs Davey and Saxby will introduce guests to the courses they’ve prepared, while senior winemaker Burvill will discuss the flavour profiles of each wine. Bird in Hand’s founders, Andrew and Susie Nugent, will also be in attendance. “Bird in Hand is poured at some of the most well-known bars and restaurants around the world. Our partnership with Raes expands on this, and we are exceptionally proud to see the Bird in Hand label now listed for guests to enjoy at the iconic beachside hotel,” Andrew Nugent says.
He adds: “With Jacob Davey joining Bird in Hand upon the opening of LVN Restaurant earlier this year, it’s a privilege through this partnership with Raes to share his culinary approach beyond the Adelaide Hills. By collaborating with chef Jason Saxby, we are excited to bring a touch of our beautiful winemaking region to Wategos, and vice versa, first with this special event and then ongoing with our 2022 Syrah appearing on the Raes wine list.”
Guests purchasing tickets to the special lunch event at Raes are set to embark on a culinary journey, beginning with a series of ‘snacks’ such as wallaby tart with quercus truffles, and nannygai skewers with pickled fennel. Representing the tastes of both Byron Bay and Adelaide Hills, the experience will feature menu highlights of both venues, including Davey’s wild venison smoked over bunya branches, and Saxby’s Australian Bay lobster glazed in fermented chilli.
The progression from standalone small plates to multiple complementary dishes – a signature of LVN Restaurant’s service style – will culminate in petit fours like lemon meringue bombe Alaska with lemon myrtle ice cream. Over the course of the lunch, the flavours of the region and artistry of both chefs will be seamlessly complemented by Bird in Hand wines, including an exclusive preview of the soon to be released méthode traditionnelle pinnacle cuvée, Nest Egg Joy 2020.
Tickets for the LVN Restaurant at Bird in Hand x Raes on Wategos lunch, hosted at Raes in Byron Bay on Wednesday, August 28, are priced at $195 per person (all inclusive). Purchase via Seven Rooms here. 12.30pm start. Reservations essential.
Sample Menu:
Wallaby tart, section 28 la saracca, quercus truffles (LVN)
Nannygai skewer, pickled fennel, fermented chive butter (LVN)
Cornetto – dashi cultured cream, preserved finger lime skin, yolk jam, ‘100s & 1000s’ caviar (Raes)
XO pipi – Ballina pipi, shellfish, nduja XO, crisp potato noodles (Raes)
Tuna, fermented capsicum, macadamia, smoked tuna bone dressing (LVN)
Fregola pasta, sweet corn miso, spanner crab, native curry, dessert lime, bottarga (Raes)
Australian Bay lobster glazed in fermented chilli, bisque, carrot, native ginger, bergamot (Raes)
Wild venison, smoked over bunya branches, celeriac, cocoa, pickled muntari (LVN)
Lemon meringue bombe Alaska – lemon aspen sorbet, lemon myrtle ice cream,
white chocolate curd, almond shortbread, burnt meringue (Raes)
Hot apple jam, Jerusalem artichoke sabayon, salted hazelnut – barley koji ice cream, native thyme (LVN)
Sweet potato cannoli, quandong, rhubarb, bay leaf (LVN)
Sheoak salted caramel (LVN)
Iced VoVo – sable, vanilla, Davidson plum, coconut (Raes)
Baci di dama – hazelnut & bunya cookie, dark chocolate & malt cremeux (Raes)
(LVN) indicates menu items prepared by Jacob Davey of LVN Restaurant.
(Raes) indicates menu items prepared by Jason Saxby of Raes Dining Room.
Following the event, Raes on Wategos will continue to pour Bird and Hand’s 2022 Syrah and ‘O’ Sparkling for guests to enjoy, with the sparkling also listed aboard luxury yacht, M.Y. Sea Raes.
