Secret Foodies celebrates Sydney Beer Week with a beer degustation dinner!
Secret Foodies guests were lured to one of the best established Thai restaurants in Sydney, Longrain restaurant, where we hosted our latest Beers in Bangkok event. Situated in the heart of Surry Hills on Commonwealth St, Longrain Sydney have injected punchy flavour combinations and flare into this vibrant foodscape since first opening its doors back in 1999.
This Secret Foodies event tied into Sydney Beer Week, a celebration covering everything from beer education classes to degustation dinners, beer pairings and tinnie festivals. Having not hosted a beer event in all of Secret Foodies 7 years, it seemed only right to bring together lovers of all things food and this glorious foamy ale.
At 5pm, guests were sent the ‘secret meeting spot’ instructing them to meet at Longrain by 7pm. Upon arrival, Ms Darlinghurst aka Alex Adams was there to great them at the door. Before long, they were then met by the first drink of the evening, a beer inspired cocktail. This fruity concoction was made with Batch Farmhouse Saison, Don Julio blanco, pineapple juice and lychees. The sweet acidity of the pineapple juice carried through, offset by the subtle bitters of the Batch beer.
With the last of the guests to arrive to Longrain, they were encouraged to take their seats. Before long, the first course of the night hit the table: betel leaf with yam bean, Thai basil, chili jam and toasted coconut. This fresh and flavoursome starter was tied with the Akasha Tradewind Lager.
As guests tucked into the delicious betel leaves and sipped on their first brew of the night, Alex introduced everyone to Matthew Denholm, a brewer at Akasha. Matt spoke of the story behind Akasha, giving guests not only the chance to hear how Akasha came into being but also the flavour notes behind the Tradewind Lager.
With palates tantalized by the first offering, it was time for the next dish of the night: filled eggnet. Visually stunning, Longrain’s signature eggnet was made with pork, prawns, peanuts, caramelized coconut and cucumber relish. To accompany this, guests sipped on the second brew of the night, the Batch American Pale Ale. As everybody tucked into this dish, Alex introduced Andrew Fineran from Batch Brewing Co. In keeping with Matt, Andrew spoke firstly about the fruition of Batch Brewing, going on to explain the distinctly fresh and balanced flavour notes of the American Ale.
A visit to Longrain is never complete with sampling one of their signature curries. Luckily, guests were treated next to the green curry of beef brisket, pea eggplants, baby corn and Thai basil. The complex aromas filled the room, causing everyone to salivate before share-style dishes hit the table. Paired with this rich curry was the Akasha Fire Within Amber Ale. This brew cleverly balances malt with the hops, resulting in a very easy-drinking beer.
Always a crowd pleaser, the caramelized pork hock was next to leave the pass. Crispy and a little indulgent, the crispy pork was served with five spice and a punchy chili vinegar. To subdue the heat of this dish, the waiters placed down stir fried Asian greens as well as Thai Jasmine rice. This spicy, flavoursome main required a suitably delicious beer. Thankfully, it came with the Stockade Brew Co. Puppet Master Thai PA. Incorporating lemongrass and kaffir lime, this Puppet Master Brew is a citrusy drop, offering a lemony aroma and grapefruit characters mixed with an herbal spiciness. Kane and Ed Clarke from Stockade Brew Co came up to talk more about this interesting beer, which perfectly complemented the pork.
With stomachs full to bursting, it was time for one last dish and beer pairing of the evening. Chilled glasses filled with coconut ash ice-cream and fresh papaya hit the table, designed to cleanse everyone’s palates and leave a delicious sweet taste in peoples mouths. The final beer was the Stockade Brew Co. Two Bridges Passionfruit Session IPA. As the title implies, this particular brew offered distinctly passionfruit notes. Guests were encouraged to pour some of their beer into the ice-cream, creating an adults spider! Slightly whacky yes, this was a match made in heaven.
To finish off the night, Alex introduced the group to Longrain’s General Manager Dan. Dan went on to explain how he paired each beer with Longrain’s signature dishes. As chief taste tester, it was Dan’s role to bring the flavours of each beer and dish to the forefront, which guests can agree he did exceptionally well.
This Beers in Bangkok event was so much fun, made all the better by the hospitable crew at Longrain Sydney and the lovely brewers who came to speak about their beers. If you haven’t been to Longrain, do yourself a favour and check it out.
You can check out more photos from the event here.
Longrain Sydney
85 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills 2010
02 9280 2888
Open lunch Friday only from 12pm.
Dinner: Monday – Friday 6pm till late, Sat & Sun 5:30pm – late
https://longrain.com/sydney