Good food blooms at Southgate

A cascade of edible flowers will transform Southgate’s precinct of 13 restaurants and bars during Spring Racing’s Melbourne Cup week, from October 31 until November 8.

If you’re struggling to decide where to drink and dine this Spring Racing season, stroll along the river to Southgate for race day dining and barhopping to taste an incredible array of edible flowers brought to life through a range of dishes, desserts and cocktails.

Edible flower specialist Lauren Richardson has been working with Southgate chefs and bartenders to concoct a menu featuring a range of sweet, spicy, herbal and delicate seasonal spring flowers.

Ms Richardson, who has previously supplied edible flowers to the Fat Duck Melbourne and is renowned for working with the city’s best chefs, said edible flowers added both to the aesthetic and flavour of a dish.

“With the current trend in fine dining and gastronomy, food is fashionable, chefs are becoming more creative and food is becoming an art,” she said.

“Edible flowers contribute to the colour palate and architecture of the plate and add something special to the visual creation of a dish.”

“More recently, we’re also seeing chefs order flowers not just for the visual element, but for the unique flavours and textures they bring to a dish.”

“Some flowers have more flavour than others, some are more suited to savoury and some are more suited to sweet. Nasturtiums, for example, are quite spicy and have a similar flavour to mustard or wasabi, which work well in savoury dishes like BearBrass prosciutto salad with figs and almonds.”

Kicking off on Saturday, October 31 to coincide with Derby Day at Flemington, Good Food Blooms will feature three very special Moveable Feasts spring lunches on Sunday, November 1, November 3 for Cup Day and Sunday, November 8 after Emirates Stakes Day.

Guests will be able to experience edible flower dishes and cocktails at three different restaurants, with participating restaurants including Pure South Dining, Tutto Bene, BearBrass, Miyako, Artusi, La Camera Southgate, Red Emperor, Hophaus and Bluetrain.

Southgate’s acclaimed new cocktail bar, Waterslide, has also created Princes Court, a herbaceous long drink mixing Tanqueray Gin, whole lemon, lavender syrup and soda finished with lavender and lemon thyme.

Good Food Blooms dishes and cocktails will be available on lunch and dinner menus daily.

Online bookings for Good Food Blooms Movable Feasts are essential so book early to avoid disappointment. For more information and to see what other mouth-watering offerings are available visit
www.southgatemelbourne.com.au