HOW TO CREATE A NEW MENU
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From the head chefs who spend their time researching and crafting the perfect European dishes, to our mixologist who studies the art of cocktails, each new item has been created with purpose and intention. Follow below to find out each person’s role from kitchen staff to marketing, how and exactly what the experience was like.
MEET OUR HEAD CHEF
The chef’s role is one of the most vital parts in a new menu creation – planning and creating the dishes that not only align with the venues concept but also are feasible and functional for quick yet quality service. We interviewed Elliot to find out more.
When creating a new menu, what is the first thing you have to consider above anything else?
First things first—what types of food will best complement our cocktails? We need dishes that are light, easy to enjoy alongside drinks, and won’t overpower or compete with the flavours of our cocktails.
How much preparation goes into planning a new menu?
A lot – research is a vital part of this. I spent months researching bars all over the world, especially bars in New York. I could spend hours on end scrolling through menu’s and reading on trending dishes.
Were there any dishes that didn’t make the menu?
Yes! I experimented with baked scallops, octopus and tuna tartare but unfortunately they didn’t workout this time around. The challenge is in creating dishes that are readily available and can be prepared in a timely manner, so that it can be enjoyed alongside a cocktail and kind of mirror that production time.
What are your favourite dishes on the new menu?
Definitely the Rizzoli Anchovies, such a classic. A close second would be the Burrata Doc – such an essential to any European cocktail bar, its creamy, fresh, and compliments any other dish – perfect to go with other sharing plates.
MEET OUR HEAD MIXOLOGIST
French born mixologist Florian, is in charge of all cocktail creations at The Valiant. He describes this menu as ‘diverse and adventurous’ – paying homage to some old classics reimagined, yet full of flavour and colour which is signature to Florian’s style.
What is the process like creating a new cocktail menu?
First I get briefed by our owner Simon, what kind of direction and vibe he wants for the cocktails, then it’s a lot of research to find what ingredients are trending, what compliments each other and what will attract our target audience. Sometimes it involves a bit of trial and error, like with Golden Hour – that drink took me the longest. It was nearly a whole week back and forth trying to create the perfect balance of flavours.
Where do you take inspiration from?
Everywhere – I love to discover different flavours, and when I first came to Australia was the first time I ever tried honey dew. It was a delicious, sweet, refreshing melon with such a unique flavour I had never tried anything like it before. I knew I had to make a cocktail with it – we called it waves and whispers because of its soft and gentle nature.
What is your favourite part of creating a new cocktail menu?
Imagining it. Starting from zero and you don’t know what to do, eg I want to do honey dew, but I didn’t know what it’d go with. The creativity involved is my favourite for sure. I usually imagine the end product straight away, the glass I want to use, the colour I want it to be, then back track my steps to invent something I envisioned.
What is your favourite cocktail you created?
The Smokey Orchard or Golden Hour – they were both so fun to make and have very balanced flavours, not too sweet but not to intense either. It’s perfect.
MEET OUR MARKETING TEAM
When it comes to marketing, the focus is divided into two key areas: vision and execution. We spoke with our marketing coordinator, Tess, to get insight into the process.
What is the first step in launching a new menu?
Once the menu has been approved, we start working on the vision board and plan a photoshoot to capture the menu’s essence for the website, social media and EDMs. It’s also important to determine how many menus we need and, in turn, how many hero images to shoot while ensuring each offer and menu stands out through unique content.
What was the photoshoot like?
The photoshoot was so much fun! I even got to try some of the cocktails, and they are SO good—I can’t wait to launch them! The day was quite hectic since we had a lot to get through. Our photoshoots usually take a full day, so we created a run sheet and broke it down into categories: first, à la carte, then cocktails, followed by different offers like Rendezvous and bottomless brunch. It’s a long process that involves both e com shots and a lot of styling shots.
What does styling involve?
Styling starts with a vision board and a collection of hero images, that will be key to marketing each offer. It includes everything from the lighting and ambience, to hand (or in our case foot) placement on a table—every detail adds to the storytelling.
Do you also design the menu?
In this case, yes! It took a lot more time than you might think, we wanted it to look elegant yet simplistic, hinting at the nature of our dishes. It involves a lot of attention to detail, especially for all the spacing, typography and copy.
