Goodbye to the long Aussie business lunch!

Accor’s Sofitels in Australia have announced that from today they are launching an innovative “30 Minute Lunch” that will provide a quality four-course meal with the order taken and the meal fully served within half an hour…….and the lunch comes with a Sofitel guarantee – if you don’t get your meal within 30 minutes it’s free!

The refined four-course lunch will provide guests and diners from local businesses a sophisticated, beautifully presented meal within half an hour, while not compromising on quality.

This complete dining experience will include four courses – appetizer; soup or salad; entrée; and dessert – all beautifully presented and served simultaneously on special crockery, with the dishes highlighting the best local produce.

Menus will change seasonally and dishes will vary to showcase the finest ingredients. The lunch will be complemented by an extensive list of wines by the glass or bottle.

Available Monday to Friday, the 30-Minute Lunch menu will be offered in the restaurant/café only (not available via room service) from 12 noon until 2.30pm. The prix-fix (fixed price) meal will range in price from approximately AUD$25 to $38 per person depending on the dishes presented.

“Time may be a challenge for today’s busy executives and travellers, but that shouldn’t mean they have to compromise on quality,” said Thomas Van Vliet, Vice President Sofitel Asia Pacific.

“The Sofitel 30-minute lunch offers a four-course ‘tasting plate’ that fits into the busiest schedule and offers a new alternative to lunches that leave you too full to concentrate on work afterwards.”

“The food may be fast but there is no way you could compare it to ‘fast food’ and I think people will be surprised at the high standard of food they can get at this price and in such a short timeframe.”

“This is a fine dining experience that can be served efficiently and with minimum fuss.”

To give an example of the quality of food available, the menu might include such dishes as tropical hot smoked salmon fillet with caper and tomato salsa as an appetizer; duck consommé with wild mushrooms for soup/salad selection; eye fillet of beef with exotic mushroom pie or north Queensland barramundi fillet with baby leeks and lemon myrtle beurre blanc for entrée; and cointreau-infused crème caramel with orange zest or a rhubarb brulee for dessert. Most Sofitels will offer three choices of each appetizer, entrée, soup/salad selection and dessert.

The 30-Minute Lunch will be available at Sofitel Wentworth Sydney, Sofitel Melbourne, the Grand Hotel Melbourne managed by Sofitel, Sofitel Mansion and Spa Werribee, Sofitel Brisbane, Sofitel Gold Coast and Sofitel Reef Casino Cairns.

The executive chefs of each hotel have designed their menus exclusively to showcase the best regional produce and to highlight signature dishes and flavours from their own restaurants.

As an international benchmark in French Art de Vivre, Sofitel hotels worldwide have a reputation for offering the finest quality food and beverage, where time-honoured heritage is informed by contemporary inspirations. This unique four-course lunch option will complement the existing menus in each restaurant, providing a quality option for diners on the go.

Phew, Sofitel say that of course, the old tradition of the long lunch will never die out, so there is still the more leisurely menu for those who have the time.

For bookings:

SOFITEL WENTWORTH SYDNEY – PH (02) 9230 0700

SOFITEL MELBOURNE – (03) 9653 0000

GRAND HOTEL MELBOURNE, MANAGED BY SOFITEL – (03) 9611 4567

SOFITEL MANSION AND SPA – (03) 9731 4000

SOFITEL BRISBANE – (07)3835 3535

SOFITEL GOLD COAST – (07) 5592 2250

SOFITEL REEF CASINO CAIRNS – (07) 4030 8888

Report by The Mole