Black Caviar Restaurant at Caulfield Racecourse | Caulfield Cup Carnival
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With well-respected and “hatted” chef, Ian Curley at the helm, Black Caviar Restaurant is set to impress racegoers at the Caulfield Cup Carnival.
Possessing all of the requisite elements to deliver all your race day wants, impress and network with clients and connections, the restaurant combines unsurpassed views and exemplary service with gourmet dining and an extensive range of beverages. The restaurant was also awarded a wine goblet at the 2016 Gourmet Traveller Wine List of the Year Awards, recognising the restaurant as having one of the finest wine lists in the country.
Curley cooks behind the scenes in the Black Caviar Restaurant on race days and delivers an elegant and beautifully crafted menu designed to please.
Ian relocated from London to Australia more than 20 years ago, and has since grown his hospitality empire to become one of the most respected chefs in Melbourne – a city full of some of the strictest food critics. Ian is the man behind Melbourne institution The European on Spring St and also splits his time between Black Caviar at Caulfield, Kirk’s Wine Bar, The French Saloon and the soon-to-be-opened Kirk’s Public Bar.
We loved tasting our way through Black Caviar's menu over a beautiful bottle of red, selected from their well curated wine list.
We commenced our dining experience with a beautifully presented dish of salmon crudo. The citrus cured fish was embellished with oyster cream, and Yarra Valley salmon roe. The pickled burnt cucumber added a wonderful touch to what was an enlivening combination of ingredients.
The entrée of pumpkin ravioli continued to please. We loved the al dente pasta which encase melt in your mouth sweet pumpkin combined with amaretti, walnuts, sage, buerre noisette and mustard fruits - Each element of the dish matched the other in the most moreish manner.
For mains we could not go past the duo of beef (eye fillet and cheek). The accompaniments of onion textures and sauce Barolo worked wonderfully to draw out the robust beefiness of the two different cuts of beef. A light searing ensured that the eye fillet was lined with a thin crisp layer packed with caramelised beef flavour while the cheek was intense with a deep earthy richness.
Before you go on to dessert, we recommend ordering the cheese plate to enjoy while you finish your bottle of wine. Each carefully selected from Curley's Spring Street cheese cave, they are simply divine!
A duo of desserts concluded our visit on a sweet note. Showcasing Curley's versatility, both were superb. The visually attractive polenta and lemon syrup cake was a magnificent layered creation. The mixture of the gritty polenta cake, together with the intense richness of the ricotta cream and tartness from the lemons and crunch from the candied walnuts produced a balanced and delectable dessert.
The pecan pie on the other hand was everything you would want and expect. Making wonderful use of America’s native nut, the dessert was all about those delicious nuts and was served with whisky and a decadent scoop of ice cream for contrast. We loved the rich crumbliness and complementary nuttiness of the pastry which perfectly contrasted its gooey richness.
Here’s a sneak peek of the Black Caviar menu on Caulfield Guineas Day:
Menu - Black Caviar - 8 October 2016
Amuse Bouche
Fraser Island Spanner crab and Olsson’s smoked red gum salt brioche buns
Entree
House made Charcuterie selection, mixed seasonal pickles and homemade mustard
Selection of hot and cold Tasmanian and South Australian oysters
Cock-a-leekie chicken broth, shaved late season black truffle, baby vegetables and tortelloni
Main
Assiette of Borrowdale free suckling pig, salt baked apple, mustard potato salad
Cape Grimm Scotch Fillet – textures of onions, sauce bourguignon and truffle potato puree
Pan seared Yarra Valley brook trout, squid farcie with chorizo, padron peppers and a saffron rouille
Dessert
Broken Black Forest - milk chocolate mousseline, poached morello cherries
Caramelised Pineapple Bombe Alaska, shaved fresh coconut
Layered espresso and white chocolate cremeux with textures of coffee
Afternoon Tea
Selected cheese from the spring street cheese cave with homemade lavoche and fruit paste
Caulfield Cup Carnival
The Caulfield Cup Carnival comprises Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas Day on Saturday October 8, Catanach’s Jewellers Blue Sapphire Stakes Day on Wednesday October 12, and BMW Caulfield Cup Day on Saturday 15 October.
This year, the folks at Caulfield are revolutionising all things racing including having Australia’s best live bands and DJs all day, not just in the last half hour of the day; an all-new Fashion precinct with photography studio, high-end runway shows and roaming fashion illustrators; as well as having Melbourne’s hottest pop-up bars and restaurants! Picture the kind of food you usually eat in a sports stadium, and now imagine the exact opposite – that’s what you will experience at Caulfield Racecourse this carnival.
Offering the best of Melbourne’s foodie options, this carnival will blow your tastebuds away – from fine-dining courtesy of Estelle by Scott Pickett right through to pop ups from Mamasita, Mr Miyagi and loads more, you can take in all the live music and sport in style, with a cold Crown Lager and some fantastic food in hand.
Find out more information about dining at the Caulfield Cup Carnival here: http://mrc.racing.com/spring-carnival/food-and-dining or head to mrc.racing.com for tickets and other information.
