Rockpool and new ‘AO Village’ for Australian Open
LIKE a side of steak with your summer of tennis? Then you’re in luck. Next year’s Australian Open is set for a major food makeover and here’s what’s on the menu.
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TENNIS fans are in for a treat with a new food and restaurant hub coming to next year’s Australian Open.
Two of Melbourne’s biggest passions — food and sport — will combine with up-market restaurant Rockpool Dining to be added to the smorgasbord of entertainment at Melbourne Park in January.
Celebrity chef Neil Perry will bring the award-winning steakhouse to a site overlooking Grand Slam Oval as one of at least nine restaurants serving hungry fans.
Collingwood Football Club’s Glasshouse function facilities will be used to cater to the foodie set with pop-up restaurants from Gippsland, Sydney and the Grampians offering ace off-court experiences.
In another initiative, a precinct dubbed AO Village will offer indoor and outdoor hospitality spaces, with bars, eateries and “pamper stations” near Garden Square.
Perry said it was the first time the internationally acclaimed restaurant had teamed with such a sporting showcase and a specially crafted menu would be designed for the tournament.
“We are very much looking forward to showcasing the best of Australia’s homegrown produce and delivering it to tennis fans with the attention to detail and finest execution that we are known for at Rockpool,’’ he said.
Rockpool will be housed in an elevated space at HiSense Arena with a balcony overlooking the Open crowd.
It will take bookings and offer a walk-in service, depending on availability.
Australian Open hospitality head Enda Cunningham said the deal would bring a new level of culinary experiences to tennis fans.
“We are pushing boundaries in the food and entertainment space, with our hospitality experiences continuing to grow and evolve, providing a unique platform for fans to enjoy world-class tennis,’’ he said.
He said the AO Village was designed as a “hospitality hub’’ to provide “a fun, relaxed environment for tennis enthusiasts’’ with a strong focus on food, music and entertainment.
Some of Melbourne’s best restaurants are also expected to operate stalls at Grand Slam Oval, between Rod Laver and HiSense arenas.
Diners will be able to use private dining rooms and lounges at Melbourne Park.
The Laneway Club, an area modelled on Melbourne’s laneways, will open metres from centre court.
And fans who prefer pies, sushi or fish and chips will have the choice of more than 140 food and drink stalls.
Spectators munched through more than 6600kg of pork shoulder, 10,000 fish fillets, 2500kg of beef and more than 500kg of yellow fin tuna at this year’s Open.
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