Main photo // Christopher Arblaster, Calum Hurley
Together with Smokelovers bar and Linh-Chi Nguyen (aka LC), Homebound’s inaugural event on Saturday May 17 will bring a day time dinner party, celebrating seasonal and homegrown.
Round up your friends and join us around the table from 11:30am to 2:30pm, as LC serves a four-course, Vietnamese-inspired long lunch in East End’s sanctuary, Smokelovers.
Expect hours of live local music, fresh local produce, paired local drinks, and clinking glasses with your best friends.
The Autumnal Long Lunch will mark the first time full food service is offered at Smokelovers (if you exclude the generous serve of olives in their martinis).
Housed in the heart of Rundle Street in the bones of a former tobacconist store, Smokelovers has specialised in classic cocktails and nostalgia since its inception three and a half years ago.
“It will be classic Smokelovers vibes, but maybe a little bit more tasteful in the daytime. More tasteful, literally through food and wine,” says Smokelovers’ frontman Hamish Tregeagle.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. The natural expansion for Smokelovers is the full experience: food and drink.”
For the long lunch, LC will cook in a pop-up kitchen space amongst the diners where attendees will be amongst the action.
The four-course menu will focus on Vietnamese-inspired share plates, showcasing the freshness of seasonal produce sourced no more than a few hours away.
LC, who you may recognise from her residency at LOC, explains her aim is to share traditional Vietnamese food she remembers from her travels, and dishes she grew up on.
“You know, the stuff you don’t really see around. It’s nostalgic food memories — like grandma used to cook.”
Highlights for Autumnal Long Lunch menu include Bánh ít (sticky rice) dumplings; beef tartare with toasted rice, cured egg yolk and prawn crackers; and rainbow trout with vermicelli, rice paper and nước chấm (fish sauce).
“It’s the kind of food I cook for friends,” LC says. “Actually doing it in such an iconic space and bringing more people into the bubble — it feels really special.”
Hamish and LC are old friends. He’s been lucky enough to sit at the table of her dinner parties and is excited to share this experience with his guests.
“It’s super bright and fresh,” Hamish describes LC’s cooking. “The way she plays on her cultural heritage and grounds it in Adelaide — it’s delicious.”
Hamish is crafting a surprise cocktail for the soirée to welcome guests upon arrival. The long lunch will kick off with a live jazz duo by musicians Wil Davies on saxophone and Kallan Francis on guitar, followed by local DJ Brigitte taking over with a two-hour set of soul, house, and techno.
Lunch will be paired with inclusive wines from local producers Hills Collide, and an unreleased Moorak drop.
After the tables are cleared and bellies are full, doors will open to the general public from 3pm for a free afterparty. A limited selection of Moorak’s new to be released range will be on offer, where guests can enjoy a first taste of what’s to come.
Those who miss out on long lunch tickets will still get the chance to clink glasses filled with the special Homebound cocktail and relish in the autumn afternoon with friends — until sunset and beyond.
Limited-edition Homebound x LC x Smokelovers totes will be available on the day, created with Adelaide screen printer Aidan Berry of Pure Ink.
“It’s going to be so wholesome, bringing our little community together,” LC says. Lock in for food, wine, friends, getting fancy and getting tipsy.
Tickets to Autumnal Long Lunch are limited. Book now to secure your seat at the table.
Autumnal Long Lunch: Saturday 17 May // From 11:30am // 244 Rundle Street, Adelaide 5000
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