When October swings around each year, Sydney's tastebuds perk up. Despite the slew of cancellations and postponements left in the wake of the global health disaster, 2020 has finally given Sydneysiders something to look forward to. The 22nd annual Good Food Month, headlined by the relentlessly popular Night Noodle Markets, is set to proceed as planned, albeit with some tweaks and a greater emphasis on smaller scale and more intimate experiences. It's an annual celebration of our culinarily inclined city, and all the tastemakers and cocktail shakers who shape it.
Late last year, it was revealed that the Noodle Markets would no longer be allowed to take place at its traditional home in Hyde Park, to protect the turf from hordes of noodle-seeking punters. The new format is yet to be announced, but organisers claim the markets will be “as you’ve never seen them before.” That’s guaranteed due to the new restrictions that will need to be in place, but expect a very different experience to previous years.
While 2020 won't feature the cohort of international chefs Good Food Month usually attracts, a bevy of Australian experts are throwing dinner parties and pop-ups. Two live iterations of the Good Weekend Quiz, everyone's ideal Saturday moring activity, are even popping up on Sunday October 25 and Monday October 25, paired with wine, nibbles and dinner by Rockpool.
Several headline events celebrate the cuisine of bella Italia. A mulit-course ode to pasta to mark the release of Elizabeth Hewson’s new cook book, Saturday Night Pasta, will involve a matched dinner on Saturday, October 24, set to the sultry sounds of classic jazz: think Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Nina Simone ($150 per person). Icebergs Dining Room is also throwing a Night in Napoli with a feasting style menu and drink on arrival in its gorgeous waterfront setting ($170 per person). Book in for October 21. Danielle Alvarez, head chef at two-hatted restaurant Fred's in Paddington, is throwing a lunch and dinner to celebrate the launch of her new cookbook, Always Add Lemon. You can hang out with her on Saturday, October 18 ($170 per person).
Tickets for all Good Food Month events go on sale Thursday, September 17, from 9am. Get yours online.
