CONTENTS COVER TITLE INTRODUCTION THE PREPARATION MENU ONE THE DREAM MENU TWO THE WINE PROGRAMME MENU THREE THE THEATRE MENU FOUR THE SWEETEST THING DESSERT BASICS GLOSSARY INDEX ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS COPYRIGHT INTRODUCTION By Martin Benn This is a book about a restaurant. Our unique style of cuisine and service, the people who make it all happen each day, and the story of how we got to where we are now. It is also a celebration of what we have achieved in five years within the Sydney dining scene, and of a restaurant that is constantly evolving. When we opened Sepia in 2009, we really wanted to introduce a new style of dining where we could serve fine food in a more relaxed and comfortable environment, and to change the perception of what fine dining was. My experiences as a young chef have had a profound impact on the way I wanted to run my own restaurant and business. This book will give you an insight into what it was really like to work as a young chef within fine dining restaurants and how this influenced my own values. The recipes are presented in five different menus, with around fourteen dishes in each menu. These dishes have all appeared on Sepia’s menus throughout the last five years and are a representation of the kind of dishes we serve. With these menus, I would like to inspire you to create your own dishes. Do not take the menus literally and feel free to experiment with your own ideas. The final menu is dedicated to desserts only. I have certainly gained a fond appreciation for desserts over the past few years and get a lot of enjoyment from creating them. Desserts are where you can let your imagination run wild and anything is possible. All that I aspire to achieve is that every dish is delicious, with just that little bit of magic.