Good Food Month, Citibank Moveable Feast

Dear Sydney food lovers,

It’s that time of the year again!

For the seventh year in a row, Citibank is delighted to partner with The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Month, offering its customers exclusive access to world-renowned chefs and the prestigious #CitiVIP area at the festival’s Night Noodle Markets throughout the month of October 2014.

To kickstart, Citi is hosting an intimate food blogger event to give our readers a taste of what to expect during this month of food extravaganza with Citibank Moveable Feast ~ a restaurant-hopping, 3-course dinner at three different restaurants in Sydney.

Thanks to the lovely ladies at Haystac PR & marketing communications agency, Mysaucepan and I are with esteemed fellow food bloggers Simon Food Favourites, Food Booze & Shoes, Jeroxie and Eat Show & Tell to sample the culinary delights of

The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room
Chefs Gallery Wynyard
Sokyo

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The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room ~ First venue of Citibank Moveable Feast

Located right in the heart of Sydney CBD at the corner of Grosvenor and George streets,  The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room is the first venue for our moveable feast.

A popular place for lunch, after work drinks and dinner, this restaurant offers a range of freshly shucked oysters from farms along the coast of New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.

Each year in the month of August, this restaurant holds an Oyster Festival where a selection of fresh Australian oysters are priced at $1 each between 6 – 7 pm daily.

And this evening, Fiona Barbary, Marketing Manager of the restaurant has arranged for us to sample a selection of oysters and entrées.

As we tuck into fresh oysters, Linda Duncombe, the Managing Director of Marketing, Digital Banking and Customer Experience at Citi Australia said Citi is delighted to once again be the national presenting partner of Good Food Month.

“As part of the partnership, we are excited to offer Citi customers many fantastic offers and preferred access to Good Food Month events right across Australia” she says.

Ms Duncombe said good food and wine is an integral part of the Citi customer lifestyle.

“We know our customers love great wine and eating out, which is why Good Food Month continues to be the perfect fit for us. Not only are we rewarding our customers in a way that appeals to them, we’re also able to support the Australian food and wine industry. It’s a win-win” she adds.

Micky Zucker tells us the role of Haystac PR agency in helping Good Food Month get the word out about the festival’s program which include more than sixty participating cafes and restaurants all over metropolitan Sydney.

The oysters are super fresh though there are a few pesky bits of shell fragments. I love the intense mineral flavours of the iconic Sydney rock and Tasmanian Pacific with its distinctive gold band around the rim of the bottom shell. These oysters are rich, creamy and full of briny ocean flavours.

As I pick out bits of shell from my oyster, Ms Zucker explains some of the attractions of the festival.

If you are a Citi customer, you have the chance to meet star chef Yotam Ottolenghi at an intimate dinner, meet celebrated chefs David Thompson and Peter Gilmore in Quay’s executive Upper Tower and experience a Hats Off dinner at MoVida with Festival Director Joanna Savill.

Citi is also offering customers exclusive access to its #CitiVIP area at Good Food Month’s signature event, the Night Noodle Markets, where customers can bypass the queues and order food from the Citi Concierge team without having to leave their seat.

Guests will also be treated to an exclusive noodle making master-class from popular Chinese restaurant Chefs Gallery.

Crab & Lettuce Tacos are fresh and crisp with bursts of salty brine from salmon caviar and spicy kick from fresh red chilli.

On previous occasions, we have tried the duck fat chips which are one of the most popular bar snacks at The Morrison as they are light and crispy though some larger batons are a little soggy tonight.

Taking food photos in dimly-lit restaurants is always a bane of food bloggers.

Edwina Pickles, a professional photographer with Sydney Morning Herald gives us a few useful pointers and tips on how to tackle this perennial issue facing bloggers.

Chefs Gallery Wynyard ~ Second venue of Citibank Moveable Feast

The second venue of our moveable feast is a short walk from The Morrison to Chefs Gallery Wynyard at the corner of George and Jamieson streets.

This modern Chinese restaurant has been wooing its customers with its wide ranging menu that offers noodles, rice and classic Chinese dishes at a very competitive prices. Housed in a modern and comfortable dining room, guests have full-on view of the open style kitchen showing off the skills of its noodles and dumpling chefs.

In addition to its first outlet at Town Hall (corner of George and Bathurst streets), Chefs Gallery has since opened this new outlet at the Metcentre in Wynyard with plans for another one in Macquarie Shopping Centre in Sydney’s North Ryde.

Crispy deep fried wanton skin takes on a spicy and salty taste that’s made for beer.

A 2010 Picante Espana Costa Atlantico Blanco is an easy-drinking, gulp-it-down-if-you-want kind of white from Northern Spain.

Macanese style mini burger comes with a slice of deep fried pork fillet, pork floss, lettuce & sweet chilli mayo dressing.

Our party is seated in a horse-shoe shaped arrangement to showcase the skill of Chefs Gallery’s noodle master.

Marketing consultant Yardley Kyling explains that noodles are more widely consumed by the northern Chinese as it is relatively more difficult to grow rice in northern China.

A noodle chef starts twirling a piece of dough and with just seven multiple folds of this dough ( 1 – 2 – 4 – 8 – 16 – 32 – 64 – 128), he has split it to become one hundred and twenty eight individual strands of noodles.

The noodle chef then invites us to try and make hand-made noodles of our own.

Chefs Gallery is among one of more than sixty partner restaurants for this year’s Good Food Month.

Citi Dining Program ambassador Gary Mehigan will once again be part of the festivities, appearing at the launch of the Sydney Night Noodle Markets on Friday, 17 October 2014.

Sokyo at The Star, Pyrmont ~ Third venue of Citibank Moveable Feast

The third and final venue for our moveable feast brings us to the contemporary Japanese restaurant which showcases The Culinary World of Chase Kojima, Executive Chef of Sokyo at The Star in Pyrmont.

Jean-Baptiste Robert, General Manager of Sokyo at The Star has arranged chilled bottles of McWilliam’s Morning Light Botrytis Semillon to accompany a selection of some of Sokyo’s fine desserts.

This rich, opulent wine is crafted from hand selected fruit and matured in the finest French oak. Dried apricot and creme brulee aromas are beautifully supported by almond and biscuit characters.

An elegant, intense palate is defined by layers of lemon marmalade, dried apricot and mango, while a lovely balanced acidity provides weight and length to this luscious wine.

The desserts at Sokyo is nothing short of an outstanding interpretation of fine pastry and baking artistry. They are among some of the most exquisite in any Sydney restaurant, Japanese or otherwise.

Towards the end of the evening, conversations become lighter as we are feted with some of Sydney’s finest desserts and McWilliam’s stickies by JB and his front-of-house team.

A cheesecake made with Philadelphia cream cheese is given a lighter dimension with soft tofu paired with thyme sugar and strawberry consommé.

Marinated strawberries in balsamic with a sheep’s milk sorbet are refreshing while strawberry meringue is light and crumbly around toasted milk powder.

Salad burnet, pineapple sage and baby shiso lift the flavours of this dessert.

Mysaucepan’s favourite dessert at Sokyo is still the Goma street.

Chocolate and black sesame ice cream is paired with a swoop of black sesame paste akin to Japanese calligraphy announcing its key ingredient.

A tower of dark chocolate discs are interspersed with sesame mousse and crystallized black sesame pops while a scoop of smooth black sesame ice cream nestles around crumbly bits of sesame caramel.

Our sincere appreciation goes out to Fiona Barbary, Yardley Kyling and Jean-Baptiste Robert of The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room, Chefs Gallery Wynyard and Sokyo respectively for hosting our Citibank Moveable Feast.

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ChopinandMysaucepan dined at The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room, The Chefs Gallery Wynyard and Sokyo courtesy of Citibank and Haystac PR & marketing communications agency.

We received complimentary gifts and admission vouchers to #CitiVIP area with complimentary food & wine for the launch of Night Noodle Markets to be held at Hyde Park, Sydney in October 2014.  All views and opinions on this blog post are our own.

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Month

Signature event ~ Night Noodle Markets

Citi customers can enjoy access to reserved seating and a dedicated bar at the centre of the Night Noodle Markets, making this the perfect place to enjoy all the markets have to offer without the hustle and bustle of the crowds.
~ Where:           Hyde Park North, Elizabeth street, Sydney
~ When:             10 – 26 October 2014 Monday, Tuesday 5 – 9pm, Wednesday 5 – 10pm, Thursday, Friday 5 – 11pm, Saturday 4 – 10pm, Sunday 4 – 9pm.

Beat the queues and order food and drinks from the comfort of the VIP area through Citi Concierge without leaving your seat.

The first ten customers to place an order through Citi Concierge each night will receive a free copy of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2015.

Exclusive Citi offers

Reserved seats at Young Chef’s Dinner at Mr. Wong
Citi has 30 reserved seats for customers at this sell-out event
~ Where:           3 Bridge Lane, Sydney
~ Cost:               $200 per person including matched wines
~ When:             6.30pm – 11pm 21 October 2014
~ How:               Call +61 2 9240 3000, quote ‘CITI’

Win an evening with the Festival Director at MoVida

You and a guest have the chance to join Festival Director Joanna Savill for a very special Good Food Month Hats Off event ~ MoVida Iron Chef
~ Where:          MoVida, 50 Holt street, Surry Hills
~ When:           6.30pm 27 October 2014
~ How:              Go to www.citibankdining.com.au/events/sydneygoodfoodmonth 2014

Win tickets to a Mediterranean feast with Yotam Ottolenghi at Nomad

The private dining room at Nomad will be reserved exclusively for seven lucky Citi winners and their guests who wil also receive a copy of Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook, Plenty More.
~ Where:          Nomad, Foster street, Surry Hills
~ When:           From 7pm, 28 October 2014
~ How:              Go to www.citibankdining.com.au/events/sydneygoodfoodmonth 2014

Meet David Thompson & Peter Gilmore ~ Nahm at Quay

The first 30 Citi customers to purchase tickets to this event will gain access to Quay’s exclusive Upper Tower and have the opportunity to meet David Thompson and Peter Gilmore.
~ Where:         Quay, Overseas Passenger Terminal, Hickson road, The Rocks
~ Cost:             $350 per person for 5 courses including wine
~ When:           From 7pm, 20 October 2014
~ How:              Call +61 2 9251 5600, quote ‘CITI’

For more information about The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Month, please click here. 

Note: Please confirm accuracy of information on Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Month with the relevant parties. ChopinandMysaucepan is not responsible for any errors and/or omission of information pertaining to this event.

The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room
225 George street, Sydney
New South Wale

Tel: +61 2 9247 6744

Opening hours

Monday to Wednesday 7.30 am – 12 am
Thursday 7.30 am – 1 am
Friday 7.30 am – 2 am
Saturday 11.30am – 2 am
Sunday 11.30am – 10 pm

Note: A surcharge of 10% will be added to you bill for groups of 8 or more.

The Chefs Gallery
Metcentre Ground Floor
Shop G24 (Entry from Jamieson street)
273 George street
Sydney, New South Wales

Tel: +61 2 9247 8888

Opening hours: Lunch Monday – Friday 11.30am to 3.30pm Dinner Monday – Wednesday 5.30pm – 10pm, Thursday – Saturday 5.30pm – 10.30pm.

Sokyo, The Star
Level G, The Darling
80 Pyrmont street
Pyrmont, New South Wales

Tel: +61 2 9657 9161

Opening hours: Lunch Friday 12pm to 2pm Dinner Monday – Wednesday 5.30 to 9.30pm, Thursday to Saturday 5.30pm to 10.30pm. Closed on Sundays.

Sokyo Bar & Lounge

Opening hours: Monday – Wednesday 4pm to 11pm, Thursday – Saturday 4pm to 12 midnight, Friday 12pm to 12 midnight. Closed on Sundays.

A surcharge of 2% apply to all credit card transactions including when selecting the “credit” option for a debit card.

Groups reservations for 8 diners or more attract a surcharge of $10 per person. This surcharge does not apply to private events and functions.

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