Madame Truffles débuts in Sydney, bringing a Melbourne favourite to Surry Hills.
Since its launch in Melbourne in 2011, Madame Truffles has gained a dedicated following for its range of high-quality Australian black truffles and truffle products that bypass flavour substitutes such as truffle oil for the earthy goodness of the real thing. The brand, created by Bernadette Jenner and Simon McCrudden, is also known for its truffle-centric events in Melbourne, including a recent series of tastings at Cumulus Up and the offer of truffle toasties at cafés across the city.
Customers at the Sydney pop-up will find a wide selection of choice black truffles. With prices ranging from $2.60 to $3.40 per gram, Madame Truffles’ Tuber melanosporum come freshly harvested each week during peak season (that is, June to September) from the best truffières in Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania, including smoky truffles from New South Wales’ Braidwood and oaky truffles from Tasmania’s Lower Barrington.
The opening of the Sydney store was a homecoming of sorts. “We were living in Sydney when we came up with the idea for a truffle shop,” says Jenner, “but then we moved to Melbourne, so we’re really excited to be opening in Sydney for the first time.”
The seasonal retailer’s Sydney shop will be open for 10 weeks, stocking the same range of truffles and products to its Melbourne counterpart. “There’s a lot of excitement and interest in the truffles we showcase in store each week,” says Jenner. “I think people love being able to come to a one-stop truffle shop and learn about the quality and terroir of Australian black truffles.” The products on display in Sydney range from treats (truffle ice-cream, honey and popcorn) to pasta (prawn and truffle and potato and truffle ravioli) made purely with a fresh supply of black truffles sourced from Madame Truffles’ truffières.
The company will host events in Sydney, too. The next get-together is a truffle dégustation lunch at Pasta Emilia, in Surry Hills, on 9 August featuring black Australian truffles in a menu by chef Anna Maria Eoclidi, including a dish of baked ricotta with spinach, poached egg and truffles from Tasmania’s Tamar Valley alongside parmesan crostini, and fresh tagliolini with Western Australian Manjimup truffles, thyme butter and egg yolk.
To book your place at the truffle dégustation, call Pasta Emilia on (02) 9212 1069 or email [email protected]
Madame Truffles, 9am-5pm Wed-Sun until 30 August; 259 Riley St (entry from Reservoir St), Surry Hills, NSW