Providoor-Bringing Fine Dining to your Door

The never-ending lockdown has most of us missing the outside world in particular the gorgeous array of restaurants, cafes, bars and eateries the majestic city of Sydney has to offer. Now like the rest of the city, I too have donned my figurative chef’s hat and watched countless YouTube videos on how to make every fancy craving I’ve had from macarons to bouef bourginon. However, while my skillset has increased (as well as my grocery bill and weighing scale…) I still haven’t been able to convert my home cooked meals to a fine dining experience (which could have something to do with not having 10 years of culinary training-who knows). For my family and I, food is at the epicentre of any celebration. Making a reservation at a fine dining restaurant with marvellous gastronomical creations, live music and a luxurious ambience is quite literally how I commemorate all my milestones. This year, however, I was subject to the infamous lockdown birthday. In a state where every day feels the same I wanted to find a way to make my regular evening of dinner and a movie…special. In came this newfangled thing called Providoor!

What is Providoor?
Providoor is an online marketplace designed to deliver “chef-prepped” meal-kits from Australia’s best fine dining restaurants.

How Does it Work?
Choose the dishes you want from a host of top-rated restaurants->organise a delivery date (usually between thurs-sun)->heat and plate up->serve and celebrate
Note: You can order from multiple restaurants but you will have to pay the $16.50 delivery charge per restaurant.

Who Made the Cut? (Notable Mentions)
Sydneysiders: Bentley, Rockpool, Hubert, Spice Temple and The Baxter Inn
Victorians: Longrain, Gimlet, Cecconi’s, Supernormal and Cumulus Inc.

My Experience-Restaurant Hubert

So pre-pandemic I had made a reservation at Sydney’s favourite jazzy French bistro, Restaurant Hubert to celebrate my birthday. So when it came to choosing which delectable restaurant to order from it was Hubert á la Maison for me! While they had varying banquet options I opted for á la carte so that I could choose exactly what I wanted (and not escargot).

What Did I Order?
-Hubert’s Baguette with Pepe Saya Buttter
-Gruyere Cheese Souffle
-Parisienne Gnocchi with Shittaki Mushrooms, Parsnip and Parmesan Cream
-Black Angus Bavette Steak with Bone Marrow Butter

The box arrived well in time, packed securely in cardboard with ice packs. Everything was portioned and labelled and sat in my fridge till heating time! The sweetest surprise in the box was a complimentary wax stick candle, a great marker to set the tone for the evening.

Finally, it was time to get the show on the road and heat the feast. What was great was Hubert/Providoor provided a QR code sheet that gave me direct mobile access to the heating instructions and was honestly, the easiest guide to follow. Written in “idiot-proof" language, most of the elements required minimal heating and prep time to serve up.
The major cooking component however was the steak. The whole ideology behind Providoor is to deliver “chef-prepped” food which is fresh and alleviates the soggy cold mess we are all too familiar with traditional delivery services. So understandably so, it was up to me to cook the steak from scratch. However, at $42, albeit for a very good cut of steak, it did seem quite overpriced for the work the customer has to put into it.

My favourite part of the whole experience hands down was that Hubert provided a Spotify playlist to cook and eat to, for the evening. These little extras transformed the experience from cooking a nice dinner to fine dining at home!

After about half an hour of heating and plating it was time to feast! My dining table set with my best serve-wear, the candle from the box lit for some ambience and Hubert’s jazz Spotify playlist playing in the background, made the whole evening come to life. The food was exceptional, particularly the gruyere soufflé and maintained its restaurant quality (now whether that’s the quality of the food or my heating skills you decide).

My Final Thoughts-is it worth it?
As my brother put it, “it’s like a luxe Hello Fresh”, not impossible to recreate on your own but takes out all the heavy lifting into creating a gourmet meal. It’s a perfect option for any celebration at home or when you need a shift from the monotony of the lockdown life; especially if you’re like me and eat out on the regular in normal times. Moreover, the sheer plethora of restaurants available through Providoor is reason enough to give it a try. Support these restaurants in difficult times and enjoy a little fine dining escapism from the safety of your own home.

Note: The Things not from Providoor:
Bondi Oysters: The oysters were from Bondi Oysters, fresh and beautifully packaged (highly recommend)
Grounds Catering: The Tarte Tatin was from my favourite Grounds Catering! Read more in my writeup on Grounds Catering!