On eating and drinking

Wine and food matching have a long, illustrious history. But why, asked Owl House sommelier Amir Halpert, don’t we expand our horizons to include all manner of wonderful, subtle, complex beverages available to us? Let’s re-invigorate the wine and food marriage with beers, fine spirits and cocktails. The result has been The Owl House — a restaurant for those who take their imbibing as seriously as their dining, and the matching of food and drink as of eminent importance.

The food trails concept

The intrepid Owl House team is driven by a sense of curiosity and excitement in designing menus, and this exuberance comes across in each and every dish. To achieve this chef Roy Ner is keenly aware that the restaurant can only be as good as the produce available to him. So Roy and Amir have taken the next logical step. They have outlined and begun a series of journeys to the source of their local produce — country New South Wales.

Every month in 2013 the pair will travel to a different region to meet the growers and producers that supply The Owl House, sourcing fresh, sustainable produce along the way. For Roy the exercise is about developing a deeper understanding of the raw ingredients, while Amir sees it as a treasure-hunt, where opportunities exist to discover the elusive terroir in the regions that they visit, to better inform The Owl House menu. Their adventures will culminate in a very special end of year dinner, showcasing the highlights of their odyssey.