Fast food

Guillaume Brahimi casts a critical eye around Audi’s Albert Park hospitality suite. Tray after tray of his trademark delicacies are being produced in the suite’s hidden kitchen, before being offered to guests at the striking two-story suite.

He seems happy with the way things are progressing. The service is seamless and each tray of exquisite food is met with even greater enthusiasm than the last. In addition to special media and dealer events ahead of the race weekend proper, Brahimi and his team will cater to around 250 guests to the Audi suite on each day of the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix, serving everything from toasted rye with salmon gravlax and cream cheese on arrival, to freshly shucked oysters, Queensland tiger prawns and even mini creme brûlée for desert.

The celebrated French chef and long-time Audi ambassador is no stranger to catering to large groups or working under ‘testing’ conditions, but operating out of the limited kitchen facilities does require an additional level of planning and preparation to ensure all goes smoothly and that the food lives up to Brahimi’s stellar reputation.

“It’s all about planning and preparation,” Brahimi says of the operation that is conducted with his trademark efficiency. “There’s a lot, lot, lot that goes into it.”

Brahimi designed the menu specifically for Audi’s Formula 1 activation, delighting guests with his distinctive French fare, served in such a way as to make it easy to eat strolling on the suite’s grassed outdoor area or relaxing on the balcony. 

“You have to keep in mind two things,” says Brahimi of the planning process. “You have to make sure that the kitchen can execute the food, because you’re not in a real kitchen you’re up in the marquee, and the other thing to consider is the weather. Is it going to be a hot day or a cold day or a rainy day.”

As it turns out, Melbourne literally served up the lot, with 36 degree heat on qualifying Saturday, before a race day in the low twenties with at times, torrential rain.

Brahimi’s team is made up of 12 people working in the kitchen on site, in addition to a huge team back at headquarters getting ready for the next day. The limited facilities at the track make for the need to meticulously plan everything and the need to prepare as much as possible in advance.

“Whatever you bring has to be right because there’s no way back, and as much as eighty percent of the preparation is done in advance,” Brahimi says. 

And it is vital that the produce and ingredients be the best.

Even the little things like getting the prepared canapés to the track without incident and delivering them to the suite. Arranging the right accreditation and hoping that the fridges work. All the little things that conspire to railroad what is already a highly specialised process of producing gourmet fare.

But despite the limited kitchen facilities and the at times, inclement weather, the menu is spot on. Duck confit with a duo of apple and lentil salad, seared scollops with pea puree and caviar, or ocean trout gravlax with celeriac remoulade compete with Wagyu and truffle sausage rolls and croquet monster bites for the guests attention. And there is no better way to start the day than with a crumpet with gruyere omelette and bacon crumb.

“It’s about making delicious food,” says Brahimi. “I’m not trying to make complicated food where people say ‘what is it?’ he says.

And to that end, Victoria, and Melbourne in particular offer up an abundance of fresh produce that is vital to Brahimi’s ethos and his ‘Grand Prix’ menu.

“Victoria is an amazing state,” he enthuses. “Keeping it simple and utilising the best produce available makes it a whole lot easier.”

“I think about the base produce and how we’re going to deliver it to the best effect. We have a sophisticated crowd and an international crowd. We know what they like. They like great produce and delicious food.”

Having his famous Bistro Guillaume in Melbourne certainly made a difference and dealing with local providers was nothing new to Brahimi and his team.

The result is perfection. From finger food that allows the other hand free for champagne or a cold beer, to something like roasted Bannockburn chicken with his signature Paris mash – all the tastes of Bistro Guillaume but with a special twist and with the Albert Park circuit as the backdrop. 

Steamed Queensland tiger prawns with aioli, or freshly shucked oysters with a shallot vinegar dressing – and it’s tough to turn down a slice of opera gateau or the odd cheeky macaron while taking in the Formula 1 action.

For this year’s guests, the bar has well and truly been set and a day at ‘the races’ will never be quite the same again. Brahimi, although pleased with the way things went, is already looking ahead at how to outdo himself next year.

“I was ecstatic and I’m looking forward to the challenge for next year too you know. It will be a really big year for Audi and I’ve got a few surprises that I can’t wait to share.” But Brahimi won’t be drawn any more on the subject. Suffice to say that Guillaume will once again bring a little gastronomic magic to the Audi suite trackside next year.

Start your engines and bon appetite.