One of Australia’s greatest chefs, Dan Hunter of three-hatted Victorian restaurant Brae, is coming to the Sydney Opera House in January for a $450-per-person dining experience, in collaboration with resident chef and events culinary director Danielle Alvarez.

For four nights, Hunter and Alvarez will take over the immersive Yallamundi dining room with “Harvest of Purpose”, a six-course menu driven by the same seasonal and sustainable ethos that propelled Brae to world renown.

Brae, housed in an unassuming cottage on the outskirts of Birregurra, about 115 kilometres south-west of Melbourne, has received numerous accolades since opening in 2013, from making No. 44 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2017 to The Age Good Food Guide Restaurant of the Year in 2019.

This month, it was awarded three hats by The Age Good Food Guide Awards for the 11th consecutive year.

But while Brae relies on produce from its 12 hectares of organic farmland, Hunter and Alvarez will work with NSW producers such as Sift Produce, which farms tomato, eggplant and onion on Living Earth Farm in Young.

“I like the comfort of the home ground, so I haven’t done anything to this extent [out of state] before,” Hunter says.

“But it seemed like a good opportunity to do something within such an iconic building, during the Sydney summer, with Danielle. I really like her as a person, as well as the sentiment behind her cooking … She’s on the same page as us.”

Alvarez hails from the United States, where she cooked at acclaimed restaurants The French Laundry and Chez Panisse in California. In 2014, she came to Sydney to help found Merivale’s farm-to-table restaurant Fred’s in Paddington, where she acted as head chef until 2022.

“Dan and I have always shared the belief that food should be created and enjoyed in harmony with nature,” Alvarez says.

“We’re excited to bring this event to life and hope it inspires and leaves a lasting impact.”

Brae’s menu has always been grounded in a sense of place, and the chefs aim to capture the “sunshine and frivolity” of the harbour city.

“We’ll certainly be cooking some Murray cod, it’s an iconic Australian fish, and I’m certainly thinking about stone fruits and strawberries at that time of the year in Sydney,” Hunter says.

Each chef will prepare a snack to start, followed by a series of entrees: “ajo verde” with almonds, cucumber and melon; potato gem with broad bean and hazelnut mountain tomme (buttery cheese); and lemon cucumbers and lemon myrtle.

They will be followed by Brae Farm wheat with nut butter and cultured buffalo milk, and farm tomatoes with ricotta and eggplant caramelle. For mains, diners will be served Murray cod with king prawn and kohlrabi, crustacean butter and finger lime, and fennel-rubbed pork loin, roasted on bone, with sweet corn, whey polenta and smoked cherry jus.

Duck-liver cream with cocoa and pistachio – a variation of a dish served at Brae this year – will follow; along with summer leaves with herb and buttermilk dressing.

To finish, a strawberry gum ice-cream will be served with frozen passionfruit. “Passionfruit is maybe one of the most iconic flavours of summer in our country, and it’ll be a little nod to a pavlova, without being over-the-top,” says Hunter.

Guests will be able to choose between the classic ($265 per person) and premium ($450 per person) wine pairings, curated by Trippas White Group sommelier and president of Sommeliers Australia Louella Matthews and Sydney Opera House precinct sommelier Polly Mackarel, with Handpicked Wines. The menu will feature sustainable and organic wines, such as the 2018 Handpicked “Highbow Hill” chardonnay from Victoria’s Yarra Valley.

There will also be a non-alcoholic beverage pairing ($195 per person) from bartender and hospitality consultant Lee Potter Cavanagh.

And where will Hunter be dining when he’s in Sydney? Likely at 10 William Street (Paddington), Sixpenny (Stanmore), Ester (Chippendale) and Bar Copains (Surry Hills), he says.

Tickets are on sale now for “Harvest for Purpose – Brae at the Sydney Opera House”, held from January 17 to 20 at 6.30pm. The six-course meal is $450 per person; drink pairings are extra.