South Wharf Progressive Dinner

Thursday May 4th, 2017

A night of delicious food laughs and just the right amount of wine.

South Wharf’s progressive dinner was the “perfect” way to kick start my diet. I was lucky to experience first hand a truly unique gastronomic experience that included plenty of wine!

Wednesday the 26th of April was the first of this year’s five South Wharf progressive dinners. The dinner is presented by South Wharf venues; Akachochin, Meat Market, Plus 5, BangPop, Common Man & Bohemian.

South Wharf Progressive Dinner

As all good nights should, our evening began with champagne. Plus 5 is one of those moody venues with dark woods & leather couches, their bar has a great selection of spirits, I can see now why this is known as a cocktail bar. We were treated to freshly shucked oysters & Pea puree, zucchini and sun-dried tomato tartlet. It was one of those Melbourne cold & rainy evenings, but Plus 5 is a great venue to enjoy the view of the city lights in some warmth.

Then we were transported to Tokyo! Well not quite, Akachochin is a modern style Tokyo bar located right on South Wharf, they serve Japanese food in the customary izakaya way and have an amazing selection of sake.

Our sake, which just kept coming was paired with a starter of fresh Scallop, freeze dried Yuzu, Murray River salt, Tuna Tataki with Ponzu jelly, marinated seasonal mushroom & fried lotus root.

The Japanese staff completed the experience, they were extremely hospitable. I’m looking forward to returning to this venue soon to sample their sake flight & famous Wagyu beef. With a change of vibe, our next destination was Bang Pop. This colourful & fun venue has some of the best hawker style Thai cuisine in Melbourne. The ingredients are seasonal and sourced locally or direct from Thailand. Our entree of stuffed squid or Bplaa Meck Yang was paired with a delicious glass of white. One of the highlights of this venue is its social atmosphere. The long group tables make it easy to spark up a conversation with your neighbour & their quirky bar is an excellent spot to sip on a cocktail with a Thai twist.

By this time, the alcohol was starting to kick in & we were all eager to taste our mains! The kitchen at Bohemian did not disappoint, serving us up a divine Confit Duck Leg with purple potatoes, kale, apple and grapes. Once again our glasses were topped up, but this time it was red.

Bohemian is a Spanish-inspired bar & restaurant. The venue was warm and inviting, especially on this particularly cold & wet Melbourne evening. If you love wine & Spanish cuisine get this venue on your list. Our fifth & final stop for the night was Meat Market South Wharf. On my last visit to this venue, I enjoyed their famous Tomahawk steak. Quality pasture fed beef is their thing along with chicken, seafood, lamb and kangaroo sourced in Victoria & paired with great wine.

I took a sneaky look at Meat Market’s new meat locker, specifically designed for dry ageing. This gives patrons the opportunity to see “what’s hanging” and choose your own cut of meat or sausage. I will definitely be returning to appease my inner carnivore, however, tonight was all about dessert. We were treated to a Nutella and peanut parfait with salted caramel ice cream & keeping with the theme of the night, more wine. It was the definition of dessert porn & very instagram’able.

The South Wharf Progressive Dinner is an innovative way to sample five different venues each with their unique cuisine & atmosphere. The night is best enjoyed with a partner or a few friends it’s a lot of fun, paired with yummy food, wine & sake. You can experience your own South Wharf digestion on the following dates:

Tuesday 16 May 2017 6:30 pm

Wednesday 21 June 2017 6:30 pm

Wednesday 19 July 2017 6:30 pm

Wednesday 16 August 2017 6:30 pm

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