See what’s on offer in each marquee in the new-look Birdcage at Flemington
THIS is how Melbourne’s movers and shakers wine and dine trackside. Take a look inside each of this year’s most luxurious Birdcage marquees and see which celeb guests are set to make an appearance.
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THIS year’s Flemington Birdcage marquee designs are literally out of this world, from a rocket ship and gravity defying champagne to a new world of luxury at Lexus.
Melbourne’s movers and shakers will wine and dine in style trackside at the 2018 Melbourne Cup Carnival, feasting on celebrity chef creations and enjoying make-up rooms, orchestras and views.
This is the first time we will not see the key players from previous years including Emirates, Myer and Lavazza, but there’s newcomers including networking app Bumble and property development company PACE.
WHERE OUR TOP CHEFS LOVE TO EAT
TURNING A LOVE OF ART INTO A CAREER
LEXUS
Theme: Utopia
Menu: Ant lamingtons by Ben Shewry; more than 55,000 ants will be used over the course of the carnival, Neil Perry canapés and Lume restaurant on the third floor
Guests: Elle Macpherson, Megan Gale, Emma Freedman
Features: The Letterettes hand painting race books, Mecca makeup rooms, mirror ceilings, plumbed toilets and future ice cream treats.
MUMM
Theme: Space Odessey; an out-of-this-world installation — the Mumm Rocket — takes pride of place in the avant-garde French champagne house’s new two-level marquee.
Menu: A selection of luxurious space-themed menu items, including breakfast gels, a hi-tech creation involving egg, bacon and tomato on obulato cracker, the ‘astronauts’ breakfast, freeze dried fruit salad and pearls in obulato triangle, and a dessert of titanium white ‘apple’ mousse sitting on Mumm red raspberry ‘spaghetti’ and champagne foam.
Guests: Nathalie Kelley, Elyse Taylor, Jodi Anasta.
Features: A 12 metre high custom-built space rocket in celebration of the recent launch of Mumm Grand Cordon Stellar — the first champagne bottle designed for space travel, making it possible for astronauts and other space travellers to enjoy champagne in the challenging surroundings of zero gravity. With space travel set to become the next frontier of luxury tourism, Mumm Grand Cordon Stellar will be the drink of choice for those daring enough to explore this innovative new territory. The Mumm Space Odyssey Orchestra will be performing a mega-mix of space-themed songs daily including Rocket Man by Kate Bush, Space Oddity by David Bowie and Intergalactic by the Beastie Boys.
TABCORP
Theme: Full bloom; floral installations inspired by Flemington’s gardens and taking over 400 hours to construct
Menu: An exclusive collaboration with Adam D’Sylva and Epicure will be serving up dishes from his new culinary adventure, Boca including a Mozzarella bar, cacio pepe pici pasta served out of a parmesan wheel along with some of his other signature dishes from Coda and Tonka. A burch and Burchese sweet station including an edible garden.
Guests: Max Gawn, Tom Hawkins, Michelle Payne
Features: Floral installations by Victoria Whitelaw, 25 metres of track frontage, 25 TVs so you never miss a race, monogrammed leather race books for each guest, daily punters previews where guests will hear from connections of the leading contenders.
KENNEDY
Theme: House of Kennedy; a members’ only club hidden behind the facade of a luxury boutique
Menu: Peter Rowland canapés including bite-sized eye fillets along with more substantial dishes including confit salmon, spanner crab brioche fingers, chicken sandwiches and a Kennedy-hallmarked croquet monsieur. Marie Antoinette inspired dessert trolleys in a custom collaboration with Brunetti. Signature coloured cocktails reflecting the florals of the day
Guests: Julie Bishop, Montana Cox, Tom and Hoda Waterhouse
Features: Showcasing over $2 million dollars’ worth of watches and jewellery there is a watch cog feature wall, an outdoor “bloom bar” which evolves and interchanges on each race day, a baby grand pianist and balcony
FURPHY
Theme: The watering hole
Menu: Designed by The Mess, and serving hearty pub-style food using only local Victorian produce including Port Philip bay scallops, lamb shank schnitzel and sunny ridge strawberries plus furphy braised beef
Guests: Elyse Knowles, Josh Gibson, Kris Smith
Features: Old Victorian celebrating the heritage of the brand dating back to the 1800s including an original Furphy tank. Furphy Refreshing Ale is the official beer of the 2018 Melbourne Cup Carnival. The largest birdcage marquee holding up to 400 racegoers. Floor to ceiling glass windows with view of the track. A sawtooth roof and exposed bricks paying homage to the ale’s original mill in Geelong. A 10 metre bar with 13 taps
VRC MEMBERS
The birdcage offered plenty of options for its flock of VRC members including The Perch marquee, as well as its elaborate 1 Oliver Place marquee and a new “Birdbath” drinking hole complete with a pool.
PACE
PACE is promising a trackside experience like no other in a fully fitted out double-story penthouse apartment including lounge room, master bedroom with $50,000 bed, a powder room providing touch ups from L’Oreal Professional and Lancome and an outdoor terrace that wraps around the structure with a champagne bar overlooking the Birdcage.
BUMBLE
Theme: Female empowerment.
Menu: A bespoke menu from Peter Rowland, including decadent cheese and honey tasting station, and cocktails including an espresso martini with honeycomb crumb.
Guests: Rebecca Judd, Lauren Phillips, Hugh Sheridan, Lara Worthington
Features: A golden bee-embellished throne which reminds guests to “Bee the CEO” plus a mini horse carousel.
1 OLIVER ST
Theme: Greatest party within the greatest party
Menu: Christy Tania, founder of Glace’ has created sweet treats in the form of citrus fruits. The canape menu has been provided by Peter Rowland, and will be a selection of decadent and indulgent morsels. The menu includes items such as gin cured salmon, creole spiced beef and hiramasa kingfish.
Guests: Bella Heathcote, Olivia Molly Rogers, Georgia Connolly, Elliot Garnaut
Features: Based on the splendour of Lady Helena Cavesson-Brown’s mansion, a fictitious character who throws parties, guests will be treated to impromptu performances.
THE BIRD BATH
Theme: Palm Springs
Menu: It will offer three cocktails — the Humming Bird, Love Bird and Song Bird plus Peter Rowland chicken sandwiches.
Guests: VRC Members
Features: A one of a kind “bird bath” that draws inspiration from birds in flight.
SEPPELT
Theme: History of wine making and sophisticated elegance
Menu: Signature desserts created by chocolatier Deniz Karaca of MasterChef fame — designed to pair perfectly with Seppelt Sparkling Shiraz
Guests: Rebecca Harding, Andy Lee, Dyson Heppell
Features: A two metre sparkling wine tower to celebrate the inaugural year as naming rights sponsor of Seppelt Wines Stakes Day. It features 167 glasses — one for every year since Seppelt was founded
HERALD SUN
Theme: Herald Sun Sports Bar
Menu: Catering and cocktails by Peter Rowland
Features: DJ playing greatest classic rock songs across each race day, TAB kiosk with operator, Punters.com.au predictor demo, florals by Victoria Whitelaw.
LEXUS MARQUEE TO WOW AT NEW-LOOK BIRDCAGE
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