Nama Kitchen opens again at Austin’s Wines

Nama has settled in at Austin’s Wines for the warmer months, crafting show-stopping Asian fusion alongside the locally-made vintages.

The Nama boys, lead by co-founders Geoff Marret and Raphael Hyams, are known for their pop-up kitchens and private dining experiences.

Wherever they go, Nama matches wines, sakes and cocktails to out-of-the-box Asian fusion, with recent pop-ups at Leonardo’s Pizza Palace, Freddys, Stan’s Deli, and Leonard’s House of Love.

After running a pop-up kitchen at Austin’s Wines earlier this year, the Nama boys headed off on their first international tour, taking over four restaurant kitchens in Singapore and Malaysia.

Now they are back and have officially made the move to Austin’s Cellar Door for the next six months, ready to connect with local producers to ensure quality, fresh ingredients and foods paired with the wines from the Sutherland’s Creek vineyard.

Austin’s Wines business development and events manager Liz Gant said diners could expect a revolving menu shifting between different styles of Asian fusion from month to month, with the exception of the popular and unique twist on ebi (prawn) toast, which features their own Nama-made Vegemite known as “namamite” and is such a favourite it is a constant on the menu.

“Each month they’ll do a different Asian fusion style. This month is Singaporean style because they’ve just come back from there,” Gant said.

“We’ve done Mexican-inspired Japanese, all of the different fusion menus. It’s wild and interesting and the food always tastes amazing.”

She said the team had a brilliant ability to match food to the Austin’s Wines range.

“We’ve created the menus with them in order for the food to pair really beautifully with all of our wines, which is why it’s always such a pleasure dealing with them. They take our wines into consideration when preparing the meals, they’ve always got that at the back of their minds.

“Our curated off-dry Riesling is perfect with all of the food; the Chardonnay pairs really well with the ebi toast, it’s very buttery; and there’ll always be something to match with the Pinot Noir.

“There is a Hainanese chicken dish at the moment that’s really popular, all the sauces are on the side so great option for the kids on weekends.”

The Nama boys said they always come back to the word ‘hospitality’ and what that means.

“If we are having fun, customers will be too.

“It’s not just about trying to deliver tasty and honest food but also running a smooth service so that the customers feel welcome and taken care of.

“Solid preparation means we can put out the food we love and deliver the service that we want.”

From now until the end of summer, the pop-up restaurant will be open for dinners each weekend from Fridays to Sundays.

Austin’s Wines and Nama will also be hosting private events on days they are not open to the public, with the Austin’s Cellar Door available for private bookings and Christmas parties for 50 to 150 guests, with wine and food packages available and customisable to suit budget.