If you have been following me for a while, you would probably know that when someone says hellmouth, my first thoughts are Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And in this case, the correlation is not so thin.
Netherworld, a gaming arcade and geek bar in Fortitude Valley, is a great venue that plays host to lots of fun events, including their seasonal Hellmouth Feast. The first one was in December, with the second just last week. I went with another foodie friend, enticed by the photos from the last event and sneaks for the upcoming degustation. We were not disappointed entering the venue last Monday!
We were greeted by some staff, dressed in robes with thorny crowns and led down a path of candles, with a pentagram on the journey and long tables at the end. Each table seats 4, so we were placed with another lovely couple and the feast began! The courses covered the below:
The Autumn Feast
First Course: beetroot, green apple and Spanish onion tartare w/ pickled carrot, avocado cashew cream & toasted pumpernickel
Second Course: pumpkin croquettes w/ smoked eggplant & miso puree, Nishiyama peanut dukkah & pumpkin tendrils
Third Course: lightly flamed mirin glazed watermelon w/ wasabi mayo, shiso jelly, black sesame & wasabi peas
Fourth Course: grilled rice paper dumplings stuffed w/ oyster mushroom, ginger & eschalot duxelle w/ sweet miso sauce & pickled slaw
Fifth Course: tofu agedashi in mushroom tsuyu broth w/ pickled daikon & assortment of mushrooms
Palate cleanser: Kool Aid of cucumber & mint (this came with a little show from the staff! Read about the Kool Aid reference here)
Dessert: vanilla bean & coconut milk pannacotta on yuzu curd w/ gingerbread crumb, and pomegranate sorbet, black sesame ice cream in classic waffle cones
This event is very popular and usually sells out the day tickets are available thanks to it’s reputation for being such a great experience, as well as being one of the few entirely vegan degustations in the area. I will definitely be grabbing tickets to the next one, so let me know if you’ll be joining me! And if not, check out Netherworld any other day, it’s one of my favourite dining, drinking and all-things-geek venues.
The Hungry Sidekick 