Cooking Up Something New: Gaggenau Tuesday Test Kitchen Back For Another Year

The popular Tuesday Test Kitchen series at acclaimed three hatted restaurant Sid at The French Café is back and promising to delight diners once again in 2023.

Still known as the Gaggenau Tuesday Test Kitchen , the restaurant’s collaboration with the premium German kitchen appliance brand Gaggenau continues. This very special dining occasion offers up a tantalising taste from all three of chef Sid Sahrawat’s restaurants – Sid at the French Café, Cassia, and newcomer KOL, which opened in late October.

The degustation format remains, with a six-course tasting menu, plus canapes to start. Two innovative dishes will be presented from each of the three restaurants - modern Indian cuisine (Cassia), contemporary New Zealand cuisine (Sid at The French Café), and Indian-influenced cuisine cooked over fire, from the most recent addition to the Sahrawats’ stable, KOL.

The Test Kitchen concept launched in 2020 and was originally designed for Sahrawat and his chefs to push the boundaries of flavour while innovating new dishes in a relaxed format.

The dinner is ideal for those keen to enjoy a little off-menu cuisine and see how the dishes are prepared.

Usually taking place on the first Tuesday of each month, the event begins with champagne and canapes, followed by dinner. Guests are seated at communal tables of 10 in Sid at The French Cafe’s beautiful private dining room, The French Kitchen.

Over the course of the evening, diners get to see Sahrawat and his team cook, plate, and introduce each dish in an intimate environment designed to encourage interaction, both with the chefs and other diners.

Sahrawat says the Test Kitchen concept has proven popular for groups, as well as couples wanting to experience something a little different.

“We’ve been really pleased that, three years on, there is still huge demand for these dinners,” he says.

"It’s also great to be able to update it by bringing another restaurant into the mix with KOL.

“The chefs love the opportunity to bounce different ideas around for these dinners. Not all make the cut, but it really gives us a chance to be agile and create a dish just days out from or sometimes on the day of the event.”

The menu for the Gaggenau Tuesday Test Kitchen changes each month, depending on the seasonal availability of produce and what happens to be inspiring the chefs.

Priced at $190 per person, the Gaggenau Tuesday Test Kitchen includes canapés, the six feature dishes, and the choice of a glass of champagne, Seedlip non-alcoholic cocktail or beer on arrival, as well as water. A wine match is available for an extra $140 per person.

The Gaggenau Tuesday Test Kitchen resumes for 2023 on February 7 and will continue on March 7, April 4, May 2, June 6, July 4, August 1 September 5, October 3, and November 7.

Bookings are now open.

Some dietary requirements are catered for, but diners must check before booking.

The French Kitchen will open from 6:30pm for a prompt 7:00pm start for each event. Tickets for each session are limited to just 30 guests and can be booked via the restaurant’s website www.sidatthefrenchcafe.co.nz.

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