Melbourne Cup Carnival swaps cult rooster sandwiches for foie gras burgers and croc monsieurs

Basic rooster sandwiches will not be a staple of the food and drinks providing on the Melbourne Cup Carnival with punters set to snack on foie gras burgers and zucchini flowers as a substitute.

With Crown taking up the catering on the racing carnival, Peter Rowland’s white bread mayonnaise-laden chicken sandwiches are being changed.

Peter Rowland used to serve greater than 20,000 rooster sandwich factors on the Melbourne Cup carnival, sufficient to circle the observe greater than two-and-a-half instances laid end-to-end however the caterer is not a part of the Victoria Racing Membership’s line up. 

A spokeswoman for the VRC mentioned Crown will serve its personal model of a rooster sandwich.

After a two-year hiatus as a result of Covid pandemic, the company marquees in Flemington’s Birdcage are again and so they have huge identify cooks on board with Rosheen Kaul (Etta) at Lexus, Joel Bickford (Shell Home, Sydney) at Mumm and Clinton McIvor (Amaru) at Villa Paradiso.

Within the Landmark by Lexus marquee, friends on the 80-seat restaurant by Etta will eat from a Japanese-inspired menu created and cooked by Kaul together with prawns with zucchini flowers and steamed Murray cod with purple shiso and citrus. 

“The menu is only a actually wonderful method of showcasing our nice Australian produce through my Asian Australian perspective,” Kaul mentioned. “It is actually lovely snapshots of what we do [at Etta].”

Kaul might be cooking at pace serving three sittings of 80 friends at a time from what she mentioned is “extra of a present kitchen” on the marquee. 

“Company are solely imagined to be there for 45 minutes [dining] so it will not actually take away from the races of your complete breadth of expertise both.” 

To complete the meal there might be a dessert trolley from Koi Dessert Bar with wild strawberry mille-feuille and oolong tea sorbet. 

To mop up the booze on the finish of the day Lexus is serving mini brisket and foie gras burgers from superstar butcher Victor Churchill.

Over at G.H.Mumm, the champagne might be flowing andchef Joel Bickford is cooking a “French backyard occasion” themed menu, that includes croque monsieur with a twist and coal-roasted marron.

Bickford has created a “croc monsieur”, a croque monsieur with a “French Aussie spin”. “Fairly than having cured ham in there, I assumed ‘Why do not we do the French notes with brioche, buttery goodness, comte, mustard white sauce and all of that?’,” Bickford mentioned. “Why not make my very own ham and make it crocodile?”.

Bickford cured the crocodile for a few days, smoked it, then air-dried it. 

“I believe it is good to provide the individuals going [to the races] one thing a bit totally different to recollect,” he mentioned. 

For dessert he has created ice-cream sandwiches made with Malfroy honey from the Blue Mountains, calendula, marigold, and elderflower.

Mumm expects to serve greater than 2,500 bottles of champagne and 15,000 canapes in its most important marquee throughout Cup Week, and is promising roaming oyster shuckers and champagne cocktails. 

The VRC can be opening its personal 350 seat restaurant within the Birdcage known as ‘Villa Paradiso’ with Clinton McIvoras the visitor chef throughout all 4 days. 

McIvor might be serving up a seven-course menu with matching wines from G.H. Mumm and Penfolds.

In Flemington’s most unique space, the Chairman’s Membership – the place politicians and CEOs rub shoulders with the VRC board – Crown could have Alessandro Pavoni (Ormeggio, Sydney) serving Yellowfin tuna crudo and wagyu tenderloin tagliata.

Crown’s Guillaume Brahimi (Bistro Guillaume) is at The Byerley within the Member’s Membership Stand and Johnny Di Francesco (400 Gradi) on the Straight Six. 

Within the common admission space meals choices embrace Merrywell, Gradi, Oriental Tea Home and Hella Good by Stalactites. 

In Flemington’s Park precinct foodie locations embrace Dos Amigos, Goldie Boy Co, Hochi Mama and Terminus plus the retro motel-themed Pony Bar.

The VRC is describing the choices as a “vital meals and beverage enhancements” to what was beforehand out there at Flemington. 

“Racegoers might be spoiled for alternative with conventional race day favourites reinvented, alongside new choices from a few of Australia’s most interesting culinary expertise utilizing produce that’s virtually all sourced from Victoria,” VRC chairman Neil Wilson mentioned.