If you were already starting to wonder what would become of the expansive Commonwealth Street space in Surry Hills that was home to Longrain (which closed on Sunday) for nearly 20 years, wonder no more.
Next month, Jock Zonfrillo, chef-owner of Restaurant Orana, will be closing his Adelaide restaurant for one month and bringing the entire team to Sydney to recreate the dining experience that has made Orana one of the nation’s most respected restaurants.
The pop-up, which they’re calling Orana in Residence, will run from August 16 to September 15 and serve both lunch and dinner. The menu will be exclusive to the Harbour City, but will follow the same intricate, Indigenous ingredient-driven degustation format that propelled the Scottish-born chef to fame.
“Diners can expect well over 50 Indigenous ingredients from the land, coast and waters of Australia,” Zonfrillo says. “We’re talking seeds, fruits, nuts, trees, shoots, shellfish, honey, ants, seafood – all the flavours and textures that represent this beautiful country we live in.”
The tasting menu will cost $350, with ten per cent of all profits going to the Orana Foundation, Zonfrillo’s non-profit that works directly with Indigenous communities to preserve food culture and communication.
It ain’t cheap, but this isn’t food you’ll be able to eat anywhere else – and the alternative involves catching a flight (and sometimes a pesky waiting list).
Take what you can get, we say, and lock in that table. Bookings go live next week, on Tuesday July 9.
Orana in Residence, 85 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills 2010. www.restaurantorana.com. Lunch Thu-Sun; Dinner Tue-Sun.
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