Cairns Convention Centre has debuted a new menu championing sustainability and celebrating regional producers, whilst taking guests on a gastronomic journey of Tropical North Queensland, Australia.
In response to changing industry trends and client requirements as well as the Centre’s own ethos, the new menu focuses on fresh, local produce. It showcases tantalising and unique flavour combinations inspired by the Centre’s location between two of the world’s greatest wonders – the Great Barrier Reef and the world’s oldest rainforest, the Daintree. On offer is sumptuous seafood, homegrown Tablelands vegetables and local dairy products.
The new menus have been developed by Executive Chef, David Hart, supported by his talented culinary team.
“Sustainability is important to us and since we’re surrounded by so many natural assets, it’s a no-brainer that we would reflect and celebrate that in our menu,” says Hart. “We’ve used an array of local ingredients and are giving our guests a unique culinary experience with different flavour combinations.”
“We are very fortunate to be surrounded by an abundance of seafood and an incredibly vast array of produce on the Atherton Tablelands, including dairy products, vegetables, micro-herbs, rainforest fruit products, coffee, chocolate and tropical fruit, plus many more.”
“We have been able to create a menu that caters for all types of events – from international conferences and large-scale banquets to board-room meetings, dinners and workshops – keeping food miles to a minimum and giving guests a taste of Tropical North Queensland. As a large convention centre, we’re acutely aware of our environmental impact and strive to do what we can to lessen it. While we have always championed local produce, our new menu prioritises locally sourced ingredients – particularly those from the North Queensland region – more than ever.”
Strong local partnerships are the driving force behind the Centre’s new sustainable menu. “Not only are we extremely fortunate to have so much incredible fresh produce on our doorstep, but our relationships with local farmers, producers and suppliers have enabled us to provide a world-class dining experience for guests,” says Ben Boudard, Culinary Services Director. “We work closely with them to create new and exciting menu items with interesting ingredients.”
Some highlights from the new menu include:
- Prawns with shredded cucumber, red papaya with kaffir lime and coconut dressing
- Crispy confit pork belly, pickle paw paw salad and pear gel
- Sumac seared yellow fin tune with mango salsa and fresh micro cress
- Flamed grilled portobello mushroom, lemon thyme polenta, olive tapenade with chimichurri salsa
- Tropical granola parfait with Coyo coconut yoghurt and seasonal tropical fruit
In addition to the new culinary menu, the Centre has added new local suppliers to the beverage menu. Wolf Lane and Mt Uncle, for example, are local distilleries providing a selection of tropical gins and award-winning rums and whiskeys.
“We look forward to sharing our new menu and commitment to sustainable fine dining with our clients,” commented Boudard.
The Cairns Convention Centre new menu is now available via: https://www.cairnsconvention.com.au/plan/menus/
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