William Street Long Lunch

What a stunning sunny day for the William Street Long Lunch! 5 courses, 5 matching drinks and five locations – progressive deliciousness!

What is the William Street Long Lunch you ask? For just $75 Sauma, Bivouac, No Mafia, La Cholita and Shadow Wine Bar teamed up to provide us with a dish and matching drink each. You start at Sauma, finish at Shadow Wine Bar, and wander delightfully from one to the next.

Sauma: Tandoor roasted green chicken tikka, mint and fresh pomegranate. Sunset Spritz.
A generous and succulent piece of spiced chicken tikka with lovely bursts of fresh pomegranate and mint. Sitting outside in the autumn sun with Sunset Spritz in hand this was an excellent way to start the day!

Bivouac Canteen & Bar: Baby eggplant sabich, amba, tahini gribiche, herb and pickle salad. Mistelle Mule.
We loved how the spicy start at Sauma transitioned into the smokey roasted tahini flavours in the next dish that followed at Bivouac. This was actually quite apparent of the whole lunch, the organisers and chefs has really thought about the order of the meals and drinks and how one flowed into the other. The Mistelle Mule was refreshing and light and with drink number two done we were starting to feel that happy buzz.

No Mafia: Beetroot cured salmon, watercress, sea leaves, Campari. Rosé.
This was my favourite of the savoury dishes. I loved the meaty, salty salmon with the fresh citrus (salty and sweet is my favourite flavour combination) and I enjoyed the simplicity of this dish.

La Cholita: Spicy duck taquitos, red onion, tomato, feta, avocado paste. Mexican Lager or La Paloma.
After the light but awesome dish of salmon (and 3 drinks down), we were ready for something heartier. Rich pulled duck wrapped in a crispy fried tortilla, I added plenty of spicy green salsa verde and washed them down with my beer. Looking out over the tables, it became apparent we were one group of many clearing enjoying the long, long lunch.

Shadow Wine Bar & Dining Room: Almond sponge, burnt butter crème, roasted grapes. Amaro.
Yum – that is what I have to say about this dish. I swear it wasn’t just the cocktails, wine and beer messing with our taste buds, this dessert is something special. The grapes were plump and as they were roasted, extra sweet. The almond sponge reminded me of baklava without the pastry and the burnt butter crème melded the grapes and nutty, honey almonds together perfectly. Can I have another please?

Also – how pretty was the sunlight streaming through on our glasses of Amaro with fresh orange? Such a lovely way to spend a long afternoon with friends and certainly looking forward to doing it again in future.

More info on the William Street Long Lunch here.

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