I walk into the building and a gentle breeze of snow flakes wafts around me. There’s a carriage to my right and an incandescent beautiful snowy forest scene on my left. Where on earth am I? It’s cold in Sydney but surely not that cold. I’m at Opera Australia headquarters for one of their annual fund-raising dinners cooked by no other than Quay’s Peter Gilmore. Men walk by in tuxedos and women glide by in long dresses with trains and furs and an Issey Miyake Pleats Please coat sweeps past us. This is not your usual crowd.
We mingle with a glass of Joseph Perrier champagne or a glass of Vitek rose vodka which is said to be made from rose petal pressings and blended with extracted almond oils and a hint of lime. We take a little peek at the silent auction and live auction items and the eagle ice sculpture before we make our way into the main room resplendently decked out in gilt framed paintings, a traditional royal Russian table setting, lots of sweeping velvet curtains and all sorts of splendorous opulence. In fact there is about $2 million worth of props in this room.
Jill Dupleix and Terry Durack
Our masters of ceremony for the evening is husband and wife pair Terry Durack and Jill Dupleix who are themselves opera buffs. They explain the format for the evening while enrobed in Russian fur hats and coats. Each time one of these dinners are held, one of Sydney’s top chefs volunteers their time for the event. 70% of all funding for Opera Australia is from private fund raising with the government contributing 30% of them and they have three events a year. This year this means Peter Gilmore is in the makeshift kitchen busily preparing a dish mysteriously called “Borshke Meats Faberge”.
Gennadi Dubinksy
But first things first, because it is an Opera Australia fund raiser to raise money for the Moffatt Oxenbould Young Artist Program and no doubt most of the people here are opera enthusiasts, we are treated to three solo performances accompanied on the piano. First up is baritone Gennadi Dubinsky who takes to the stage and sings Mephistopheles’ Song of the Flea by Mussorgsky.
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John Longmuir
Then tenor John Longmuir emerges from another corner and makes his way around the room singing Ecco Ridente in Cielo from The Barber of Seville by Rossini. And then last is soprano Nicole Car who sings Mi Chiamano Mimi from La Bohème by Puccini and gives everyone goosebumps with her other worldly trills. At 25 years old she is one of Opera Australia’s youngest sopranos.
Nicole Car
Broshke Meat Faberge. beetroot, smoked eel egg served with 2010 Howard Park Great Southern Riesling
But I know you must be curious as to what the food is like no? We were very curious especially when Terry mentioned that timing was crucial for this course. They bring out the entrees and lo and behold we have a combination of his sea pearls and beetroot salad. On the plate is a semi egg shaped tower with smoked eel brandade in the centre and on the outside are egg pearls which taste like egg white in a pearl form topped with silver leaf and an edible flower. On the side are confit and dehydrated beetroot and shallots. It’s creamy and the shallots add a subtle but present flavour to the glossy beetroot, fish and egg.
Nicole Car and John Longmuir
In between the entree and the main is another round of entertainment. This time Gennadi Dubinsky takes an audience member for a quick whirl before he joins the other two singers on stage for a version of Those Were the Days My Friend injected with a little humour.
Gennadi Dubinsky takes a diner for a whirl
Then of course what else but a game of guess that wine. Now I don’t know if you would believe me but I knew that this was a Margaret River wine from the moment I sipped it because I literally tried so much of it when I was there. And I know how crazy that sounds but I wouldn’t lie to you. However Mr NQN is much more learned than me on wines so we did a split team and I did the opposite of him in order for one of us to stay in the game. So we didn’t win and I wouldn’t have won in any case because I would not have guessed whether it was a blend or a straight varietal anyway.
Peter Gilmore preparing the main
Boeuf Hermitage: beef, horseradish, sour cream, forest mushrooms, black bread, cabbage served with 2008 Howard Park Scotsdale Shiraz
Whilst the entree was a brief whisper of food, the main is much more substantial with sous vide cooked beef which is tender paired with forest mushrooms, cabbage and “Ezekiel’s five grains”. This is Peter’s version of boiled beef with potato and cabbage which he tells us was quite predominant in the cookbooks that he took out from the library. The beef is very soft and the puffed, crunchy grains are a welcome contrast (I do find a lot of his food is soft in texture) and the forest mushrooms are delectably slippery. Only halfway through our beef do we notice the little silver pot of sour cream that was quietly put down on the table which contains horseradish which adds a touch of warmth and sapidity.
There’s some gentle prompting to let diners know that the first lot of the silent auction is about to finish and so Myriam and I quickly pop out to take a look at what is on offer. There are a plethora of prizes ranging from almost every luxury experience possible and most of the prizes are either donated or given at a wholesale discount.
There are things such as five nights for 12 people at Bells at Killcare starting at $3,000, a pack of 40 Herbies Spices, a Creme de la Mer pack worth $2,000 starting at $600, three nights at Daintree Eco Lodge plus plenty of wine. Interestingly the wines have a lot of bids but some items like the $2,500 Electrolux voucher were up to $750 the last time we looked so there were certainly some great deals to be had.
Then the live auction begins for the big ticket item where a diner can win a business class trip to St Petersburg worth $35,000 (nabbed, for a steal at around $20,000). A Royalty Prussia European Porcelain clock goes for $2,800 with a retail price of $12.800. Bargains darling I tell you! 
Peter Gilmore on right
Peter Gilmore comes out to have a quick talk and he explains that cooking Russian themed food was a new challenge for him. He says that when he first heard of the theme he as glad as he immediately thought of caviar but being that it is a fund raiser, some of the more luxurious items had to be forsaken in the name of charity. And yes whilst it wasn’t an over the top opulent degustation dinner the fact that the point was to raise funds is taken.
Royal Pashkas served with a De Bortoli Deen Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon 2006
The dessert comes out and it is glistening in a martini glass. Made with vanilla sour cream, an ever present Russian ingredient, it takes the form similar to a syllabub with layers of fresh raspberries, sweetened cranberries, tiny cubes of rose jelly and a pool of sweet raspberry puree at the bottom. The light, creamy texture and the sweet and tart fruit were a great combination. One note was that while the wines were good, many of us at the table felt that they weren’t well matched to the food. I tried this wine which was lovely and then tried it after the dessert and it clashed.
Petit fours
The petit fours came out next and I’m sure someone will kill me for saying this, but they taste and looked just like Easter eggs with a hard candy shell!
The clock almost strikes midnight and it’s a late night for many. We sweep past the snow scattered carriage and Winter scene and climb into our pumpkin coach…
So tell me Dear Reader, are you an opera or musical fan? And do you have a favourite opera or musical?
NQN and Mr NQN attended the event as a guest of Opera Australia
Opera Australia
http://www.opera-australia.org.au/
Quay
Upper Level Overseas Passengers Terminal Circular Quay West, Sydney NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9251 5600
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47 Comments | Add your own
Very opulent! I am a fan of opera. I remember my first experience of going to see Abuduction from the Seraglio. The audience was quiet and the theatre was dark – and I fell asleep on the shoulder of the man next to me. Hehehe. But I do love opera – an amazing experience.
What a beautiful event!
Wow this looks utterly magical, i have not experienced Opera but i do really love musicals, wishing I could go to mary poppins…..
How gorgeous! It’s my fantasy dinner. I don’t like all opera, but a little here and there is ok. My favorite operatic song is Time to Say Goodbye.
Love the decadence of the night.
Those petit fours are so cute, lol I was thinking they looked like Easter eggs too.
That would have been divine! The Pearl Fishers has to be close to may favourite opera (soe beautiful). Carmen always gets me excited as well!
What a glorious story you have told! For me a delightful trip down memory lane, thanks to you. Yes, for thirty years + this was my world, so to speak: I am not just an opera fan but an opera ‘freak’ – won’t say more than that I was hugely privileged to have been at the very first dinner at the ‘Bennelong Restaurant’ for ‘Friends of the . . .’ – climbing over workmen’s rubble in the Forecourt! Delicious to go back in history! Favourite operas: ‘Lakme’ perhaps or the ‘Pearl Fishers’? Since I started my ‘opera career’ at six in Europe, some of other people’s favourites don’t appeal as much any more. Oh, do love the first act of ‘Tosca’, however often I do see it! Thanks for the post.
Hi Lorraine, another visual treat, thank you thank you!!
Isn’t Nicole Car lovely, and a super talented singer too? I recently saw her sing as ‘Mimi’ in La Boheme and that was a definite treat, something I’d recommend to opera fans and newcomers alike (and to the foodies out there, there’s a really gorgeous street hawkers scene in the show!)
Anyway, I’m really glad you enjoyed the evening
Oooo yes I’m a big Opera fan, in fact my favourite opera is La Boheme. So much so that I was going to sing Mi Chiamano Mimi for my year 12 music exams, but learning a song in another language was another degree of difficulty that I didn’t have time for…and it wasn’t the same in English
Don Giovanni and Marriage of Figaro, both by Mozart. They’ve got everything – great music, lots of humour, and only the villain dies at the end!
Just fantastic! I have no other words except you have the life!
Oh WOW! What an incredible time!!!
Wow! What a gorgeously themed dinner! I love all the props they used… that carriage is stunning!!
I’m a huge fan of musicals..opera, not so much, but musicals – yes please!! I have a hard time picking just one. “Kiss Me Kate” is fantastic, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat” is as well…
What a beautiful evening! And the Duracks were there too! I love their writing for the SMH.
SSG xxx
Hi Lorraine, not at all an opera fan, I have tried to like it, but it just does not catch me at all ! In saying that, i loved phantom of the opera !!!!!The dinner certainly looked great …
I love the oppulance ofthe props! They should have had one of those incredible tea samovars, they can so beautiful.
What a shame you missed out on the caviar darling, and surely they could have given some Faberge Eggs as souvineers?
I adore classical music, but am more of an operetta fan than opera proper.
WHAT a decadent night indeed, TRUE!
WHOO HOO!
Phantom of the Opera makes me cry EVERY time I view!
Saw Michael Crawford in original production in New York, with dad,
NOW I look back, the experience we shared…am “beyond words” glad!
wow! sour cream , forest mushrooms beef etc…superb! thankyou
What a truly magical evening but did you feel a little out of your depth? I know I would have, I think it’s a totally different world with people that experience a certain lifestyle and events such as these that the mainstream don’t or can’t try.
Even though Peter Gilmore’s food always looks impressive, he could have let his head go a little more, don’t you think Lorraine?
Musicals over Opera only because they’re more accessible but I am absolutely drawn in when I hear such greats as Pavarotti, I get goosebumps all over! The very first musical I saw was Jesus Christ Superstar with John English and Marcia Hines etc. It just blew me away , the whole experience was fantastic and gave me a real appreciation of the people who grace the stage. Recently saw Dr.Zhivago at the Lyric theatre, I went with a little apprehension because the movie was so great and I thought difficult to interpret on stage but I was totally entertained, loved it!
This looks A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!! Man, I wish I could get an invite to these types of events! The decor, the food.. breathtaking.
Looks like it was a lot of fun. Looks oh so lavish! $2 million worth of props, wow! The petit fours sure do look like easter eggs! Hope they tasted good.
~~Magic. Decedent. Exquisite. How many more adjectives can I add to this fabulous night, Lorraine?
Even if I did not care of Opera…I would make a point of being part of this Great Event, Silent Auction, & sublime food. PS. those were little easter eggs with chocolate in the middle! xxx My fave. Musical is “My Fair Lady.”
I’ve never been to the opera but I do love musicals. My favourite so far would have to be the Lion King.
Oh wow! This reminds me of the Heston Christmas special…but on a much bigger scale!
It looks like an amazing experience
Thought seeing the ballet at La Scala in Milan last year was fabulous,your opera experience would be on par!!! excellent photos,thank you.
Dear Lorraine, thank you for your kind comment – we’re glad you and Mr NQN had a great evening.
Nic > actually you’re right, the whole evening looked like a page out of Heston’s Amazing Feasts’ book!
Nomsie > go girl! ‘Mi chiamamo Mimi’ is also one of my favourite arias now, so beautiful… I got to listen to it many times in April when we opened La Boheme in Melbourne, I never get tired of it
For people who are not familiar with the aria yet, I’d definitely recommend coming to see La Boheme at the Opera House (12 July – 24 Oct) with the beautiful Takesha Meshe Kizart as Mimi (no less than Tina Turner’s great niece, talk about music running in your blood…). Info on http://www.opera-australia.org.au
One day, I hope to dine in such places and listen to opera too. I’m a huge fan.
Stunning! And look at the petit fours! Wow.
I studied music when I was younger, and adored both opera and musicals. Now I find most musicals cliched, and almost cringey; and actually, I have a hard time at opera too. I have no idea why that is; I studied classical music and used to love it. Perhaps I overindulged when youger, as one tends to do …
What a magical evening – great food and great opera!
Oh, how magical! While I’m more a musical than opera fan, music in any form sears straight to my heart. Favourite musical, though? That’s impossible! I adore everything from Gene Kelly musicals to Sondheim’s Assassins and Into the Woods to Wicked and Mary Poppins and Disney and…
What a wonderful experience, amazing!
Hi Theresa -hehe what a cute memory!
I love the drama of it all! 
Wow, that dinner sounds incredible! And from the age of six is quite amazing too, you definitely know
Hi Lisa-It was!
Hi muppy -Oh yes it seems so many people I know has seen Mary Poppins!
Hi Cakelaw-I know what you mean, the fantasy element was magical! Oh yes a classic there!
Hi Dumpling Girl -It was very decadent indeed! Haha I’m glad it’s not just me!
Hi Jo -Oh yes the Pearl Fishers is lovely I agree! I love the passion in Carmen
Hi EHA -Thanks Eha!
your stuff!
Oh yes they’re all wonderful! 
xxx
The dinner was delicious 
Hi Myriam -thank YOU! I can imagine that she would be wonderful as Mimi. I had a wonderful time!:)
Hi Nomsie-wow, that would have been a huge challenge singing it in English let alone Italian!
Hi Margie-Haha I like how you’ve chosen and summmed them up!
Hi Maris-Hehe it feels like I do yes!
Hi Simply Life -I had a great time
Hi Liv -I know, I wanted to climb into it so badly
Hi Sydney Shop Girl -I know, you’re a big fan aren’t you!
Hi Lindaf-ahh well at least you’ve tried!
Hi InTolerantChef-I know, it was very over the top. Oh a Samovar service would have been a great idea! Haha sadly not I’m
afraid!
I felt quite comfortable there and everyone was very nice. There was a mix of people
Hehe yes I liked Rebecca’s suggestion of the Samovar service above! I don’t go to enough musicals but when I do I adore them. I really should go and see more! 
They were good although they did taste like Easter Eggs! 
Yes it was fun even in itself, I should have really bid more! 
Oh I love that too! xxx
Hi Joanne-It was a really decadent time-it’s not every night that one is surrounded by such elaborate props! You must have somelovely memories of that and ones worth reliving
Hi Anna -I know, wiht those ingredients it was bound to be sumptuous!
Hi Matilda -Oh no not really!
too so it wasn’t all billionaires
Hi Cappucino-They’re amazing events to attend I have to say!
Hi Dressed and Eaten -I know, I made sure that I didnt bump into anything!
Hi kim-Thank you Kim darling!
Hi Claire-Aww you know I’ve never been to that or seen the movie. Isn’t that terrible?
Hi Nic-Haha you are so right!
Hi Jan-That sounds wonderful! You’re more than welcome!
Hi Opera Australia -We had a wonderful time thank you very much!
Hi Michelle-I’m sure you will one day Michelle!
Hi joey-Hehe yes so they don’t look like Easter eggs to you?
Hi bronnie -Oh no really? What a shame! Perhaps it was overindulgence. Have you been to one recently to see whether that has changed?
Hi Gourmet Chick -Thanks! It certainly was!:D
Hi Hannah-Hehe well seeing as we’re both singers it’s no wonder we love musicals and operas! And I luuurve Wicked!
Hi Jenny-It certainly was, thanks!
So elegant!
I keep meaning to go and experience an opera “in the flesh” because I think I’d have a different take on it then. At the moment it’s musicals for me. I’m just back from London where I saw The Wizard of Oz which was amazing… and the spectacular Michael Crawford was The Wizard… just brilliant!
God that looks so grand! What an amazing event to go to. Lucky you
I’m not a big opera or musical fan although i’ve been wanting to see Wicked since it first came out. Maybe next month when it’s back in Perth i’ll finally get there!
I think the petit fours look like easter eggs too, they’re even served in a nest!
What an amazing evening for you–and what a setting! And all for a worthy cause. A win-win.
I am a fan of musicals thanks to my high school drama teacher. Back in the day, I loved Cats and used to listen to the soundtrack! Sounds like a really fun evening despite the wine pairings not being the best.
What an amazing evening! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Velva
Lorraine, what an awesome evening…great food and music. Thank you so much for sharing the pictures. Have a great week
Oh my god what an amazing night,
I found out that the props in the event are all from Royalty Prussia .. Did you see that out of this world dining table .. how long did that take to make?? it is amazing i have never seen any think like it in my life. we did contact Royalty prussia with interest to buy it but unfortunately it is a sold, we were in there Royalty Prussia and used our 50% off card we got at the end of the night i got amazing stuff from the shop they are such nice people a must see its on william st darlinghurst.. enjoy..
Hi Blond Duck-It certainly was!
Hi Kirsty-Yes listening to the opera “in the flesh” is such an extraordinary experience! Oh that sounds fantastic! That’s one of my favourite films
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Hi emm-Thanks, it felt very grand indeed I have to say!
Hi Phunk-Oh Wicked is amazing! That is my favourite musical
Haha very true!
Hi Victoria-Absolutely, perfect put Victoria!
Hi Lisa-Ahh great!
Cats is such a classic isn’t it! It was a great night 
Hi Velva-You’re very welcome! Thanks for reading!
Hi Juliana-Thanks Juliana!
You’re very welcome and have a great week too!
Hi david-Yes I’m not sure how long it took to make. Oh what a shame it was sold. I’ve driven past the shop, it looks very opulent!
One of the things I regrettably didn’t do on my recent trip to New York was see a show on Broadway … I’m sure I’ll be back though. I’ve heard The Book of Mormon is meant to be hilarious. This event looks fantastic! What do you wear to something like that?!!
Wow, what a magical night! I love the opulence, what a fundraiser!
I’m not an opera fan, but I do love musicals – though my favourites aren’t traditional… Moulin Rouge is my ultimate, followed the The Sound of Music. Do Disney animations like The Lion King count too? I loved the stage show too. Hehe :F
I love the peacock painting featured at the end of the post? Was that part of the auction?
What a splendid evening, Lorraine. I am an opera fan, but I really only like it when I can see the whole show as opposed to a solo song. I think this chef had his challenges, though, to present food where auction prizes went for $20,000.
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