Grey Goose Taste by Appointment @ Automata

What’s your favourite flavour profile? Is it sweet, sour, bitter, umami or is it a trigeminal experience? Grey Goose Taste by Appointment is an immersive experience designed to reveal to guests their personal taste through a sensory dinner.

Except where indicated, Photography © by Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.

Held at Automata in Chippendale, Grey Goose Le Fizz cocktail was served on arrival, a refreshing mix of Grey Goose Vodka with St Germain Elderflower liqueur, fresh lime juice topped with soda water. Upstairs in the dining room, Andry Wren, Australian Grey Goose Ambassador led a sensory evening that was as much as much a personal discovery as a culinary experience.

In-house baked wholemeal bread was served with unsalted butter, highlighting the use of salt to enhance flavour.

Next a trio of amuse bouche was served: Wagyu beef, enoki mushrooms, saikyo miso for sweet, Tomato, sesame leaf, umeboshi for sour, and Grilled red witlof, violet mustard for bitter – each highlighting a personal preference which led to guests making their own bespoke Grey Goose Vodka cocktail.

The next course was a celebration of umami flavours with Smoked Beef Tri-tip, burnt eggplant puree, shiitake, romanesco brown butter and tamari sauce paired with a sensational cocktail created by Head Chef Clayton Wells. Grey Goose Martini was stirred with tomato water, French vermouth, lemon juice and a dash of spice finished with wakame seaweed oil – a super savoury Martini style cocktail that was delicious on its own and made a perfect accompaniment to the dish.

Dessert concentrated on trigeminal sensations with Buttermilk ice-cream, pear, black sesame, freeze dried plum, truffle paired with Frozen Grey Goose La Poire. To finish, a trio of Trigeminal Chocolates highlighted the citrus, lemon, Sichuan pepper and Chilli notes.

The formal part of the evening concluded with a tasting of Grey Goose VX (Vodka Exceptionelle), a hybrid spirit with Grey Goose Vodka and Cognac from the grapes of the Grande Champagne cru. Bottled at 40% ABV, the spirit exhibits oak notes along with hints of Cognac that make it a fine spirit to sip on at the end of the meal.

Once guests were armed with knowledge about their flavour preferences, it was back to the bar where Brand Ambassador Loy Catada created individual bespoke cocktails based on each guest’s preference.

Taste by Appointment is hosted annually around the world in fine dining locations and is an event by invitation only.

Taste by Appointment at Automata was held on Tuesday 2 August 2016.