First ever Vivid Sydney Dinner

Dan Hong and Mike Eggert

Great food, love letters to Sydney, music, wine and light will combine to create an effervescent feast for the senses on Saturday 4 June, at the first-ever Vivid Sydney Dinner. This unmissable event, held in the ivy Ballroom, will see two of Sydney’s most-revered chefs, Dan Hong (Mr. Wong, MuMu, Ms G’s) and Mike Eggert (Totti’s), join forces to deliver a bespoke NSW-inspired menu featuring local produce.

Vivid Sydney, the annual festival of Light, Music and Ideas which transforms Sydney’s CBD into a fusion of creativity, innovation, and technology, will celebrate the essence of the city’s soul in 2022 with a re-imagined line up. Introducing a fully immersive food event for the first time and harnessing local culinary talent as powerful advocates of Sydney’s dining scene, will further elevate the city as a global dining destination.

Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, Minister for Tourism and Sport and Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the inaugural Vivid Sydney Dinner in the ivy Ballroom would be a sensory symphony celebrating all things Sydney.

"For the first time, Vivid Sydney will tantalise our tastebuds, harnessing the expertise of Merivale Executive Chefs, who will work their magic with some of NSW's finest local produce. This unique event aligns with the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 and our ambition to provide world-leading food and wine experiences,” Mr Ayres said.

"After a couple of difficult years, we are ready to celebrate and what better way than to experience the culinary delicacies prepared by Executive Chefs Mike Eggert and Dan Hong at the biggest and most immersive Vivid Sydney yet. Sydney is Australia’s culinary capital and this is set to be an evening to remember. I encourage everyone to get their tickets while they can.”

Festival Director Gill Minervini added: “Incredible food and dining experiences are at the beating heart of the city, just as Vivid Sydney is. The Dinner is hosted by actress and TV presenter Justine Clarke, with artist Ken Done and respected journalist Julia Baird sharing their moving ‘love letters’ to Sydney. Guests will be treated to a wide range of live music, from singers Ngaiire and Virginia Gay to jazz aficionado James Morrison AM and DJ Kate Monroe. All set against the backdrop of an incredible bespoke lighting treatment created by the Vivid Sydney team.”

Merivale Executive Chefs Mike Eggert and Dan Hong, drew inspiration from the abundance of innovative local producers across regional NSW to create this four-course menu*:

Canapes:

• Pecora Dairy sheep’s milk cheese with a fragrant NSW truffle tartlet (Southern Highlands NSW)
• Crostini seaweed butter and local sea urchin (Wollongong, NSW)

Entrée:

• NSW coastal sashimi platter with a selection of locally sourced fresh fish, served with ginger and shallot dressing. Fish selection includes:
• Tuna and Bonito (Ulladulla)
• Sydney Rock Oysters and local Lobsters (South Coast)
• Snapper and wild Kingfish (Bermagui)

Main:

• Master stock glazed Rangers Valley beef cheek served with Li-Sun Exotic Mushrooms grown in Mittagong’s disused railway tunnels, rice from the Murray River/Murrumbidgee region (New England, Southern Highlands, Riverina NSW)
• A fresh, mixed herb salad from Newcastle greens and new season roasted Brussel sprouts with fragrant herbs and a ginger, chilli, fish sauce dressing (Hunter Region NSW)

Dessert:

• Burraduc buffalo yogurt panna cotta with roasted quince (Bungwahl, Barrington Coast, NSW)

Dan Hong shared: “My family and I look forward to attending Vivid Sydney each year to take-in the Light Walk and see a few Music gigs. So working with Mike to create a bespoke menu for the first-ever Vivid Sydney Dinner has been a special experience for myself and the whole Merivale family.”

Mike Eggert continued: “Dan and I created a menu that will really put NSW-produce in the spotlight. The coastal waters and rivers of NSW are just brimming with incredible seafood - I love that you can go diving for sea urchins just off Wollongong. We’ve also included a local buffalo cheese from the Barrington Coast and some incredible mushrooms grown in disused railway tunnels in the Southern Highlands.”

Tickets to the Vivid Sydney Dinner tickets are on sale at https://moshtix.com.au/v2/event/vivid-sydney-dinner/135543.

Vivid Sydney 2022 runs for 23 nights from Friday 27 May to Saturday 18 June. For the full Vivid Sydney program across Light, Music and Ideas go to www.vividsydney.com.

*Note: The menu is subject to change without notice and will depend on the produce available.