During the exciting hustle and bustle of Fashion Week, made by Fressko visited one of the world's most sustainable bars, Re, where we hosted our Fressko x Re lunch to celebrate our partnership with Afterpay Australian Fashion Week.
Located within the historic Eveleigh Railway Workshops in Sydney, Re stands as a testament to the vital community hub that once thrived in this space. It seamlessly connected the lives of workers, their families, and social and recreational activities—an ideal backdrop for our Thursday afternoon gathering.
And more recently, they were even shortlisted for the Best International Cocktail Bar - Asia Pacific (APAC) award.
At first glance, Re appears as a stunningly designed bar, but upon engaging in conversation with the head chef, Josh Donachie, we discovered that its true beauty lies beyond what meets the eye. We learned that the table tops were crafted from recycled milk bottles, diverting an astonishing 82,000 from ending up in landfill. Furthermore, the seat leather is ingeniously made from pineapple leaves, the chairs from recycled wood and plastic composite, the floor from flaxseed and oil, and even the artwork on the walls incorporates charcoal from the 2019 bush fires.
Re's commitment to sustainability permeates every aspect of its operation. They prioritize using "ugly carrots and chicken feet caramel" and even transform bread into champagne. Their current cocktail menu showcases 10 innovative drinks that ingeniously incorporate the world's most wasted ingredients:
Rice, Bread, Tomato, Banana, Chicken/eggs, Leafy Greens, Root vegetables, Apple, Seafood shells and Dairy
These ingredients, along with house spirits and basic pantry items, combine to create an extraordinary and conscientious menu.
For our special lunch, the talented team at Re crafted a bespoke cocktail exclusively for Fressko. The Fressko Fusion cocktail blended Fino Sherry, Gin, and a delightful fruity cordial, elegantly served in chilled Nick and Nora glasses.
Following our cocktail reception, we settled down to indulge in an array of culinary delights. Our journey began with a trifecta of roasted carrot hummus, accompanied by carrot leaf pesto and finished with pickled carrots, served with toasted sourdough to scoop it all up. We then savoured the simplicity of salami and pickles before digging into an up-market of the British classic: chips and curry sauce. Re's version featured twice-cooked shoestring fries, katsu curry sauce, and a drizzle of beer vinegar.
Once we had indulged in the curry-soaked carbs, yakitori chicken skewers arrived at our tables, accompanied by cured egg yolk majo togarsh—a true explosion of flavors. To balance the palate, we enjoyed chargrilled broccolini served with inverigro herb salsa and yoghurt. To follow, we indulged in a comforting cheese toastie made with AP bakery bread, kimchi, and aged cheddar. And to To finish we delved into the cheese, of course, with pickled onion and lavosh.
We can’t even explain how good this meal was, if you’re in Sydney Re is a must visit. Say hi from Fressko.
If you’re interested in hearing more about Re and what they do you can find ithere. Or follow their journey on Instagram here.