A Unique Dining Experience in Sydney: Cooking with Country at Lavendra
Sydney is known for its diverse dining scene, but some evenings offer more than simply a meal. For those searching for a memorable experience in Sydney, Lavendra’s Cooking with Country brings together food, culture, storytelling, art and connection in a thoughtfully curated seasonal dining experience.
Opening on Saturday, 10 October 2026, Cooking with Country brings Indian ancestral cuisine into conversation with Aboriginal Australian ingredients and culture on Cammeraygal Country. Set against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour, the experience explores the connection between food, culture and Country through a specially curated tasting menu.
More Than an Indian Dining Experience in Sydney
At Lavendra, Indian cuisine has always been about more than flavour. It carries stories, traditions and generations of culinary knowledge.
Cooking with Country builds on this philosophy by bringing Indian culinary traditions together with native Australian ingredients and Aboriginal perspectives.
The experience has been created in collaboration with Aboriginal artists and knowledge keepers Aunty Jeanie Moran, Nathan mudyi Sentance, Dr Emma Hicks and Jodie Dowd. Their poetry, artwork, storytelling and bush-dyed textiles are incorporated into different elements of the experience.
The result is a distinctive dining experience in Sydney where what is served on the table is connected to a broader story of place, culture and Country.
Cooking with Country Opening Night – 10 October 2026
The opening night on Saturday, 10 October will introduce Cooking with Country through an immersive evening combining cuisine with live cultural and artistic elements.
Beginning from 6:00 PM, the evening will include a smoking ceremony led by Uncle Billy MacPherson, an opening piece performed by Aunty Jeanie Moran and a closing performance by Nathan mudyi Sentance and Kersherka Sivakumaran. Guests will also experience the complete Cooking with Country tasting menu, alongside guided education about the native Australian ingredients featured throughout it.
Original menu artwork and bush-dyed table runners created by collaborating artists will form part of the setting, while an optional drinks pairing showcases boutique wines from Aboriginal Australian and South Asian Australian-owned wineries.
Opening Night: Saturday, 10 October 2026
Time: 6:00 PM onwards
Food only: $299 per person
Food + drinks pairing: $399 per person
Friday Night Experiences Throughout October
The experience continues beyond opening night, with dedicated Cooking with Country Friday nights on 16, 23 and 30 October, and 6 November.
Beginning at 6:30 PM, these evenings feature the complete tasting menu alongside guided introductions to native Australian ingredients. Spoken-word pieces from Aunty Jeanie Moran and Nathan mudyi Sentance are woven into the experience, complemented by original artwork and bush-dyed table pieces.
Friday Experience: $149 per person
With drinks pairing: $249 per person
For anyone looking beyond the usual dinner reservation and searching for a unique experience in Sydney, these evenings offer the opportunity to discover food alongside art, storytelling and cultural perspectives.
The Cooking with Country Tasting Menu
The specially curated Cooking with Country tasting menu will also be available throughout October 2026.
The menu draws on the depth and history of Indian cuisine while incorporating native Australian produce. Each menu features original artwork by Gamilaroi artist Dr Emma Hicks, with storytelling and cultural perspectives forming part of the wider dining experience.
The tasting menu is available for $99 per person, or $199 per person with drinks pairing.
This makes it possible to experience Cooking with Country even outside the dedicated opening and Friday-night events.
Meet the Artists Behind Cooking with Country
Food is only one part of the experience. Four Aboriginal artists and knowledge keepers have contributed to Cooking with Country.
Aunty Jeanie Moran, a Barada Bana, Yuin and Cammeraygal artist and knowledge keeper, contributes an original written piece that opens the menu. Nathan mudyi Sentance, a Wiradjuri poet and recipient of the 2024 Oodgeroo Noonuccal Poetry Prize, contributes poetry to the experience. Dr Emma Hicks, a Gamilaroi artist, created the original artwork featured on the menus, while Jodie Dowd, a Noongar artist, created the bush-dyed table runners used throughout the dining experience.
Nathan, Emma and Jodie are also 2026 North Sydney Council Artists-in-Residence and are mentored by Aunty Jeanie.
Looking for a Memorable Experience in Sydney?
Whether you are a Sydney local or visiting the city, Cooking with Country offers a different way to experience its dining culture.
It is an evening shaped by Indian ancestral cuisine, native Australian ingredients, Aboriginal art, poetry, storytelling and Country—all brought together within Lavendra’s Sydney Harbour setting.
Rather than simply presenting two cuisines side by side, Cooking with Country creates space for them to come into conversation, giving guests an opportunity to discover the stories and cultural perspectives surrounding the food.
If you are searching for a unique dining experience in Sydney, a special date-night experience, or something meaningful to do in Sydney this October, Cooking with Country offers an experience designed to stay with you beyond the final course.
Reserve Your Cooking with Country Experience
Join Lavendra for Cooking with Country throughout October 2026 at 5 Walker Street, North Sydney.
Places for the special event evenings are limited, so advance reservations are recommended.