DECEMBER 2016. Rob Cockerill at Bennelong, Sydney.
ROB'S TOP 5 EXPORT FRESH PICKS
1. Petite Bouche Carrots.
2. Micro Parsley.
3. Woodland Sorrel.
4. Micro sage.
5. Johny Jump Up's.
Rob Cockerill is the head chef at Bennelong and is the final Petite Bouche chef of the month for 2016.
Bennelong serves to celebrate The Sydney Opera House and it's extraordinary architecture by offering a culturally significant and inspiring menu showcasing a most magnificent production of Australian food and wine.
THE BENNELONG GRAND ENTRANCE
Sometime over 200 years ago, Bennelong Point was a tidal rock island in the heart of the Gadigal lands. It has been said this was a location for Aboriginal women to congregate on the rising tide, eat shellfish by the fire and tell stories.
Bennelong Point is recorded as the largest midden found in Australia. Sometime after British settlement, these midden shells were burned and crushed to manufacture lime required to build Government house.
EXTRAORDINARY ARCHITECTURE.
THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE.
Government House soon became a centre for communication between Aborigines and colonists, mostly due to a man called Bennelong who befriended Governor Phillip and was the first Aboriginal person to live voluntarily in the settlement.
Bennelong came from the Wangal clan on the southern side of the Parramatta River and was married to a woman by the name of Barangaroo. Bennelong, who was a great dancer and mimic, became a figurehead for relations between Aborigines and the colonists whom lived in a house built on this harbour-point.
CHEFS TABLE AT BENNELONG.
Bennelong Restaurant is built on a site enriched with history of communal eating and telling stories. We invite you to create your own story in one of the most recognisable buildings in the world.
HERVEY BAY SCALLOPS, ISRAELI COUSCOUS, YOUNG CARROTS, PRAWN CUSTARD, CHILLI OIL.
A COMPOSED KITCHEN PRODUCING FOOD MADE WITH LOVE.
Rob Cockerill is focused on producing dishes around seasonal and local produce. He works closely with farmers, fisherman and other primary producers to create menu's that promote Australian flavours.
ROB COCKERILL ON THE PASS.
His food is built up of simple and complexed layers that erupt on the plate to take you on a journey through texture, taste and composition. Running the kitchen of Australia's most iconic building has its pressures, but that is what brings Rob and his team together. Constantly pushing boundaries and improving the dining experience at Bennelong is a major focus of the Bennelong team.
SMOKED EGGPLANT, CRISP FALAFEL, PISTACHIO, CURRANTS, LABNE, & HOUSE MADE PITA BREAD.
At the ground roots of the menu is a desire to showcase quality, predominantly Australian ingredients in pure yet creative form. Bennelong engages a multi-layered restaurant space to present a variety of considered dining options. Performing in front of an undeniably Australian backdrop
SPRING SALAD.
GOATS MILK, SEEDS, GRAINS & HERBS.