The intersection of the food and tennis worlds has a storied past. Strawberries and cream are traditionally served courtside at Wimbledon, as are Pimm’s Cup cocktails. Heck, even 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer is an ambassador for pasta company Barilla.
So the Australian Open’s decision to partner with some of Melbourne’s best restaurants is not an entirely left-of-court manoeuvre. During the tennis tournament’s finals weekend on 1-2 February, guests in groups of 14 can book themselves in for a weekend-long adventure of tennis and fine-dining: 10-course degustation lunches at Attica and Vue de Monde, followed by seats at the men’s and women’s singles matches. The price? $4995. Per person.
The Attica menu includes that signature Happy Little Vegemite, that exquisite bite-sized scroll filled with butter, Pyengana cheese and house Vegemite; and the “potatoes in kelp” – spuds smoked and baked in bull kelp with seaweed butter.
Over at Vue de Monde, lunch includes a marron with a curry-like sauce spiked with native lemongrass and mountain pepper, served with barbecued wattleseed damper; and the playful Barney Banana dessert.
“The Barney Banana was my favourite ice cream when I was a kid – it’s my ode to the classic,” says chef Hugh Allen. “We have added toasted kelp which has an amazing flavour that works incredibly well with banana.”
Vue de Monde’s Barney Banana dessert.
Lunch includes a cocktail on arrival plus matching wines throughout the meal. After dessert, guests will be whisked away in a luxury car or bus, then deposited at Rod Laver Area where service of another kind continues in the lower-bowl premium seats.
Importantly, the package also includes a gift bag with Australian Open merchandise (A pin! A program!) and access to the Atrium bar.
The AO’s Finals Table series also includes similar two-day packages for restaurants Cutler & Co and Marion, Atlas Dining and Tulum, and Sunda and Tea Room at the European. Prices for these packages start at $2300 per person.
For more information about the Finals Table dining packages, visit ausopen.com
