What do you get when you combine great food and wine with a group of solo diners that all have a sense of humour and stories to share? Eight new foodie friends! The premise behind SocialTable is to enable those who are new in town, or have suddenly found their social circle has settled down or gone sedentary, but love to chat over good food to genuinely connect with people in a low pressure way. And put simply – it works!
Ben Stokes founded SocialTable after returning from NYC. All his mates had partnered up and settled down, which spurred him to bring SocialTable to life. This isn’t about dating, although there is always that potential, this is about going out, having a social life and meeting new people.
Whilst SocialTable has different themes and venues, their Spring Long Lunches are held at Darlinghurst newcomer Jack & Knife. The brainchild of globetrotting husband and wife team Chris and Leesa, this Stanley St spot has a stripped back aesthetic revolving around wood, subtle lighting and comfy seating. The blue tiled bar and enormous wine rack invites you to immediately pull up a stool and start discussing unique wines and whiskeys. They showcase heart-led, honest fare for sharing via an unpretentious degustation accompanied by Head Chef Chris’ favourite wines.
Lunch kicks off with a Spring vodka cocktail featuring blood orange, black pepper and burnt rosemary. Seafood courses are snapper ceviche with avocado and an elegant blueberry cured salmon with fennel and crème fraiche paired with French blanc de blanc champagne and Reisling from Eden Valley. Their famous 3 cheese toastie with beef tartare and trimmings is perfect to share with your new-found friends. The Canadian inspired vegie sides and their million dollar mac ‘n’ cheese balance out the melt-in-your-mouth 8 hour beef ribs with blue cheese, roast chicken with a cheeky gremolata and tender duck confit on lentils. Conversation would have stopped at this point if it weren’t for the generous lashings of Shiraz!
And just when you think you couldn’t squeeze another bite in, you need to kick your dessert stomach into gear because it is EPIC! A towering concoction combining all your dessert dreams into one beautiful mess will test your ability to share with new friends. Grab a spoon and dive into Tim Tams, freckles, cookies, marshmallows, meringue, butterscotch sauce and ice cream.
The formula is simple: bring eight random foodies together once a month at a cool new venue with good food and wine and your social life is now sorted (no more endless WhatsApp conversations required)! Upcoming events around Sydney feature endless French rose, Indian dinners and more long lunches. The conversation flows easily (let’s be honest, booze and great food helps) and it feels like you are catching up with people you have known for ages.
SocialTable
https://www.socialtable.co/
Jack & Knife
76 Stanley St, Darlinghurst
https://www.jackandknife.com.au/
Opening hours:
Mon – Wed: 10am – 11pm
Thu – Sat: 10am – 2am
