If you’re into rum cocktails, multi-course degustations, lush table settings, or animal-free feasts – you won’t want to miss this. Continuing the mindful momentum built around Earth Day in April, Alibi Bar & Kitchen has teamed up with premium Venuzealan rum distiller Diplomático to host two exclusive dinners this May.
Time Out was lucky enough to chow down at a special preview event for this sustainability-minded dinner, and we can vouch that it is an experience to remember, whether you’re a full-time vegan, a non-biased foodie, or just curious. And that’s not only because the table settings – rock gardens assembled with moss, succulents and candles – are drop-dead gorgeous.
The banquet begins with an aged beetroot tartare, complemented with what can only be described as the vegan equivalent of a prawn cracker (“popped carrot” is a surprisingly adaptive alternative), before moving on to slow-roasted heirloom carrots with a green cardamom custard. These ain’t no minuscule portions either, by the time the main event arrives, fable mushroom pithivier (think a fancy pie, or circular answer to the beef wellington with an earthy, mushroomy filling) we were needing to pace ourselves – but it was too damn good to leave a bite behind. The next dish is an entire half eggplant, served smoky with romesco sauce.
Of course, decadent cocktails are served between each dish. If you were ever trying to get a non-rum-drinker onto the brown spirit, the smoothness of Diplomático is exactly the concoction to lure them over to the dark side. Leaning into the sustainability challenge, whole fruits are incorporated into the pineapple-inspired Air Mail and Banana Old Fashioned – the latter of which, with its chocolatey edge, we can attest is the most drinkable Old Fashioned we’ve ever tasted. Incorporating dehydrated elements and working with oleo saccharum (a syrup simmered from citrus peels), this menu proves how multi-faceted sustainable dining can be.
Situated in the funkily furnished, bunker-like space on Woolloomooloo’s infamous Finger Wharf, Alibi is Australia’s first 100 per cent plant-based hotel bar and restaurant. Meanwhile, Diplomático not only makes damn fine rum, but is one of the only liquor companies in the world to have earned the ISO 14001 certification, a prestigious recognition for companies delivering on their environmental responsibility. This collaboration is a natural pairing, and the result is proof that you don’t need to sacrifice luxury and flavour to get experimental with food choices that are better for your body and the planet.
Reserve your seat at the Sustainable Dinner Series, on Wednesday, May 4 or Wednesday, May 18, with tickets available for purchase here, for $150 per person.
