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Taste of Sydney

 

We sent Australian travel influencer Chloe Barry-Hang to Taste of Sydney to see how she enjoyed the Diners Clubmember experience. Here, she describes her time at the festival.

Whenever I’m asked which city has the best food scene out of all the cities I’ve travelled to, I always answer, Sydney. Biased I may be, but the multiculturalism of this city runs deep and touches on all aspects of Sydneysiders’ lifestyles, and one of those aspects is food. Whether it’s eating a cheap dumpling in China Town or enjoying a three-hatted restaurant overlooking the Harbour, Sydney has it all and is accessible to all, which is why it’s my number one. When I had the opportunity to visit Taste of Sydney with Diners Club® International, I was excited to experience all of the flavours of Sydney under one roof.

Taste of Sydney focuses on all five senses to create a unique culinary festival, bringing together 32 renowned chefs to showcase unique dishes that aren’t available at their flagship restaurants. As Diners Club® International was a key sponsor of the event, it meant that cardholders like myself could experience some key Clubmember benefits. As the festival ran over four-days at the Cutaway in Barangaroo, each day there were eight different chefs at the Collective Kitchens. Chefs worked side-by-side in open-style kitchens, providing inquisitive guests an insight into the work that goes on behind the scenes with some of Australia’s, and the world’s, most creative chefs.

The chefs themselves were handpicked by Mark Best, and thanks to Diners Club, I was able to not only interview some of the chefs but to also meet Mark Best himself. Located in the centre of the venue and above one of the Collective Kitchens, Diners Club had its own VIP Lounge, an exclusive area for Diners Clubmembers to relax and observe the craziness around us. The lounge offered an open bar, including a featured wine list, as well as an array of events and private meet-and-greets. On the opening night, the VIP Lounge hosted Mark Best, where I had the privilege of meeting Mark and receiving a signed version of his latest cookbook.

Feeling a little bit starstruck, the VIP Lounge then hosted a sausage-making class with Chrissy Flanagan, whose energy and humour made us all appreciate sausage sandwiches more than any of us expected. Personally, the highlight of my night was interviewing Lauren Eldridge and Mitch Orr, two young and brilliant chefs on the Australian food scene. Lauren is the head pastry chef at Stokehouse, and brought with her two seasonal dessert dishes. Her passion for minimal environmental impact through cooking is something to be inspired by, and her two desserts that night were a small glimpse of that. Mitch is the head chef at one of Sydney’s trendiest restaurants, ACME. Mitch puts a different spin on food, and is passionate about dining being an experience that’s shared with friends and to not take things too seriously. It was no surprise the two dishes by ACME at Taste of Sydney were exactly that—interesting, creative and fun.

The chefs at Taste of Sydney make you re-evaluate your food, and help you understand how all the senses work together. A big thank you to Diners Club for providing its members with the ultimate experience of the festival, and one that has cemented my appreciation for Sydney’s food scene.

See more from Chloe, here: https://www.instagram.com/chloebarryhang/

The information provided herein is sponsored by Discover® Global Network. It is intended for informational purposes, and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice. All views expressed in this post are that of Chloe Barry-Hang and do not necessarily reflect the views of DCI.