Earth, fire, water, air. We experience the elements every day but never before have they been experienced it this way.
The Elements Dinner was a night of celebrating and tasting the four elements, with a four course meal, each couse inspired by a different element. Held at beloved North Bondi venue Shuk, we were warmly invited into the marketplace style restaurant, who serve Israeli food with a modern twist.
As guests arrived, they were handed an Aperol Spritz, as they enjoyed the last embers of the day fade away into night. We took our seats at the long table, that was truly surrounded by the elements as we took in the sounds, sights and smells of nature all around us.
The table was decorated with four science beakers, each resembling a different element with sand and water straight from Bondi Beach, a flickering candle for fire, a bare beaker for air and a single yellow flower in soil for earth.
After a lovely welcome from host Ms Darlinghurst, the dinner begain with an entrée of homemade bread and traditional dips as guests got to know one another.
Our first course was encapsulating the essence of earth and the likeliness was uncanny! The quinoa and teff salad truly resembled soil with with fresh vegetables of crunchy baby carrots, asparagus, heirloom tomatoes and more sticking up through the “dirt”. Mixed into the quinoa was a tangy sheep yoghurt to compliment and it all went down well with a glass of Cake Wine Rose 2015.
Second course was water, with the chef gaining inspiration from the sea. The dish named “From the Ocean” involved fish served two ways, with cured salmon with soy lemon grass and cucumber and a king fish ceviche, both paired with The Prodigal Son Semillion Sauvingon Blanc 2013. This was a winner around the table, as our forks effortlessly glided through the cured salmon and king fish, two perfect little canapé style dishes that disappeared very quickly.
Fire was up next and boy, did it burn the house down! Out came “From the Pit”, a mouthwatering lamb kofta served with mint yoghurt. Paired with a Israeli salad and chicken and Mediterranean vegetable skewers, the guests loved the cleverness of the dish as they drank their Prodigal Son Cabernet Merlot 2012.
Air was certainly the hardest element to interpet, but the team at Shuk didn’t let us down. Incorporating elements of liquid nitrogen, the dish was “frozen air” – a perfect, thin chocolate dish surrounding a caramel inside, floating in a bowl of coconut foam. They also created Orange Blossom Air, a smoking orange aroma which heightened our senses and really enhanced the dish.
What a wonderful night out experiencing the Elements and making new foodie friends in the Bondi breeze! We look forward to the next one.
Shuk Bondi
2 Mitchell St, North Bondi NSW 2026
0423 199 859