With Luke Nguyen being announced as Culinary Ambassador for The Star Stradbroke Season, the world-class chef will be swapping his chef whites for racewear as he invites guests at Brisbane’s premier racing carnival to enjoy a taste of Southeast Asia trackside
Executive Chef at The Star, Luke Nguyen has been appointed by Brisbane Racing Club (BRC) as Culinary Ambassador for its famous racing carnival, The Star Stradbroke Season 2023.
Having stood at the helm of Fat Noodle, an Asian-fusion restaurant at The Star’s Treasury Brisbane property for the last 10 years, Nguyen has made a name for himself locally by plating up dishes full of bold flavours, fragrant herbs, fiery chilli, succulent, charred meats and moreish sauces.
Now, in collaboration with the BRC’s multi award-winning hospitality team, Nguyen will be taking some of those incredible dishes to a new home trackside – adding some of his favourite recipes from across the Southeast Asian continent to key carnival event menus to create a once-in-a-lifetime culinary race day experience.
“One of my biggest passions is sharing my heritage and love of food with people. At Fat Noodle, we hope to provide Brisbane’s foodies with a taste of the authentic culinary journey they would experience walking through the winding streets of Bangkok or Hanoi. I’m so excited to be partnering with the Brisbane Racing Club to hopefully recreate a small piece of that magic trackside – bringing something fresh, flavourful and punchy to the race day dining experience.”
At Eagle Farm Racecourse on Channel 7 Oaks Day (Saturday 3 June) and The Star Stradbroke Day (Saturday 10 June), guests in the St Leger Marquee, the Moreton Dining Room, and the Star Suite will be invited to enjoy a line-up of bespoke new recipes that pay homage to Luke’s Vietnamese heritage while also heroing some of Queensland’s best seasonal local produce.
So, what’s on the menu?
To start, there’s fresh, juicy Franklin Harbour Pacific Oysters topped with a traditional Vietnamese tamarind nuoc cham dressing and fried shallots which Luke calls the “perfect balance of salty, spicy, sweet and sour.”
Next up, smoky Grilled Lemongrass & Chili Calamari that highlight some of the most vibrant Southeast Asian flavours, served a with zesty mango, dragonfruit and mint salsa that perfectly brightens the tender calamari.
Thin slices of Wok Tossed Black Angus Beef will plated up on beds of fluffy vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs in a dish that will take your tastebuds straight to the streets of Saigon.
A fragrant, colourful Chicken & Purple Cabbage Salad with Vietnamese mint and perilla is a crowd-favourite both at Fat Noodle at Treasury Brisbane and at The Star Sydney. It’s the ideal choice for those looking for something fresh and healthy to keep refuelled through raceday.
And, finally, trackside diners can indulge on sweet rich spoonsful of Vietnamese Coffee Creme Caramel – a nod to the French influence on Vietnamese cuisine.
For those unable to make it to Eagle Farm, Nguyen and his team will also be serving up a matching menu of his bespoke race day dishes at Fat Noodle for a limited time throughout carnival week, from Thursday 1 June to Sunday 11 June 2023.
