Ever wondered why The Hidden Glasshouse is The Hidden Glasshouse?
Not food musings, Belgian cook, master chef Ariane or other obvious names.
I still remember back in the old days when I was just discovering the gastronome world, innocent, young and naïve I read about this mythical “restaurantâ€: http://www.zingaracucina.com/
 A secret location, sharing dinner with strangers, all just there for the love of food. It’s not listed anywhere just mouth by mouth publicity, on invitation.
The experience of something secret, hidden and unique combined with good food. Isn’t that what we are all looking for in life? To be or not to be precious?
It seemed like the ultimate dining experience to me. So I started to dream. The ability to create something like that for people seems like the ultimate chefs job.
You are notdealing with
-picky customers who have an allergy for pretty much every essential ingredient,
-anorexic bulimic ladies who “have just eaten†before their lunch date and now only want half a bowl of clear soup or some salad leaves.
-smug guys trying to impress their date by sending back a screw cap bottle of perfect shiraz
-corporate-expense-account guys who just drink to much and don’t care how long it took you to get that braised tender lambshank with home made pasta.
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| Picture courtesy of Minus 8 |
You are onlydealing with an interesting mix of people who are there because
-They care enough to do the research to find you
-They know people who love you, have been there already and recommend you
-They have been following you for a while and now finally found a date that you are hosting and they don’t have to work
-They are willing to travel to unknown terrain just for you
-They are interested in your stories behind your dishes
-They are enthusiastic and passionate about food and will actually taste before they swallow
-They are a geek just like you are
That’s why The Hidden Glasshouse is called The Hidden Glasshouse. One day…
And of course I have been dreaming of attending one of these dinners for years. Â
Last Saturday my dream finally came true.
Together with two partners in crime we attended a Minus 8 (www.minus8.com.au) underground dinner somewhere in the rugged suburbs of Sydney.
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| picture courtesy of Minus 8 |
A sms and password was all we had to get there. One table, 12 guests, 1 chef and 2 hostess to organize a perfect symphony of flavours and cultural experience.
The passion Anton has for everything from sourcing and growing to creating and fine tuning is enticing. One of the courses for example was a roasted potato. Nothing else. Banal one would say. Not at all, absolutely enchanting! The potato is delivered from the grower in the soil. The potato stays in the soil. When he is preparing his dish he digs the potato from the warm moist flavorful soil and it goes straight to the kitchen. He cooks it over Japanese charcoal. You get a potato that’s worthy of it’s name spud! Brilliant!
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| Picture courtesy of Minus 8 |
And he did this very interesting thing where he explains the dish before it comes to the table. It lets your imagination go wild, it tingles your tastes buds and when the dish is served you actually eat it warm rather than cold. It’s brilliant.
His love for Japanese cuisine brings interesting dishes not only perfection of classics such as tempura but also unknown discoveries.
The evening from beginning to end was grant.
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| Picture courtesy of Minus 8 |
Minus8 looks awesome.. do you need a referral, or can anyone go?
It took me 2 years to get a booking at Zingara.. far from mythical, worth the wait.. and still running. If you can get in!
you don’t need a referral. You can go just subscribe to their mailing list. Thank you i hope to get to zingara one day!