The Melbourne Cup may be over, but spring racing season is still in full swing (hands up who’s planning their Oaks Day outfit?). The one trackside location all the biggest names are flocking to? The Lexus Design Pavilion, a luxury funhouse filled with fine food (care of Neil Perry), fragrance (thanks, Mecca) and fashion (the guest list includes Kate Waterhouse, Nadia Fairfax and Elyse Taylor).
For Cup day, lauded Australian chef and Lexus Culinary Ambassador Ben Shewry, of three-hatted Attica fame, assembled a team of the country’s top providores for fellow Lexus ambassador Neil Perry’s three-course menu. The feast finished with Rockpool’s signature Italian mascarpone and strawberry dessert.
Alongside Kate Waterhouse, Nadia Fairfax and Elyse Taylor, high-profile guests including Anna Heinrich, Emma Freedman, Terry Biviano, Ian Thorpe and Ryan Corr celebrated the Melbourne Cup in style, sipping on Lexus’ custom gin and sampling a smorgasbord of miniature desserts by Nectar & Stone. The pastel pink-themed dessert bar included champagne-macerated strawberries with poached hibiscus petals and champagne panna cotta, mini eclairs with ombré chocolate tiles awash in shades of pink, rose petal jam tarts and hibiscus tea trifles.
The entire pavilion was filled with masses of Flemington red roses, plus the brand new Lexus LS luxury flagship sedan, which inspired the design of the space and launches in Australia next April.
