From Here by Mike Presents 12-Part Chicken Menu at Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
From Here by Mike will stage Farm, Field and Table: The Chicken Dinner during the 2026 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. Executive Chef Mike McEnearney has designed the whole-bird dining experience at the produce-led restaurant inside 1 Hotel Melbourne. The event forms part of the official festival program.
The dinner follows McEnearney receiving a Good Food Guide Hat. He structured the menu around twelve distinct parts of one chicken. Instead of following a traditional course order, he lets the anatomy of the bird determine the sequence.
“The bird sets the rhythm,” says McEnearney. “If you’re going to honour a whole animal, you need to respect scale and sequence. The smaller, more intricate parts lend themselves naturally to snacks and opening courses, while the larger cuts belong later, when everyone is settled at the table. It’s a very intuitive way to eat and a very honest way to cook.”
Throughout the evening, the kitchen team prepares each cut to suit its qualities. They extract deep flavour from the bones to create a superior consommé enriched with pork hock, bacon and duck. Meanwhile, they sauté the livers and turn them into a smooth pâté, then pipe it into choux puffs with Riesling jelly. They grill the hearts yakitori-style to highlight texture and contrast.
Whole-Bird Cooking Philosophy
The chefs cook the tail slowly in white master stock, then crisp it and finish it with salt and pepper. They form the neck into a sausage and braise the cockscombs with mushrooms before serving them on French toast. They fry the wings Southern-style with hot sauce and fold the giblets into pies with leek and soured cream.
At the centre of the table, the team wood-roasts a whole pullet Zuni-style and serves it with bread salad and pan juices. The dish reflects McEnearney’s current approach to cooking and menu design.
“I’ve always believed that less really is more,” he says. “Simple technique, restraint, and a strong focus on flavour and texture, that hasn’t changed. Roast chicken will always be my desert-island meal. Serving a wood-roasted pullet this way is my way of tipping my hat to Judy Rodgers, simple, generous, and deeply satisfying.”
For the final course, the kitchen renders chicken fat and uses it to create caramel for a dark chocolate tart. As a result, the team uses the entire bird across the menu.
“I hope people remember the experience of eating the whole bird,” says McEnearney. “Trying cuts they might not normally encounter, tasting how different techniques bring out different qualities, and seeing just how much depth there is in one chicken when it’s treated with respect.”
Farm, Field and Table: The Chicken Dinner will take place at From Here by Mike during the 2026 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. Tickets are limited.
Location: From Here by Mike, 1 Hotel Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC
Event: Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2026
Bookings:
From Here by Mike will stage Farm, Field and Table: The Chicken Dinner during the 2026 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. Executive Chef Mike McEnearney has designed the whole-bird dining experience at the produce-led restaurant inside 1 Hotel Melbourne. The event forms part of the official festival program.
The dinner follows McEnearney receiving a Good Food Guide Hat. He structured the menu around twelve distinct parts of one chicken. Instead of following a traditional course order, he lets the anatomy of the bird determine the sequence.
“The bird sets the rhythm,” says McEnearney. “If you’re going to honour a whole animal, you need to respect scale and sequence. The smaller, more intricate parts lend themselves naturally to snacks and opening courses, while the larger cuts belong later, when everyone is settled at the table. It’s a very intuitive way to eat and a very honest way to cook.”
Throughout the evening, the kitchen team prepares each cut to suit its qualities. They extract deep flavour from the bones to create a superior consommé enriched with pork hock, bacon and duck. Meanwhile, they sauté the livers and turn them into a smooth pâté, then pipe it into choux puffs with Riesling jelly. They grill the hearts yakitori-style to highlight texture and contrast.
Whole-Bird Cooking Philosophy
The chefs cook the tail slowly in white master stock, then crisp it and finish it with salt and pepper. They form the neck into a sausage and braise the cockscombs with mushrooms before serving them on French toast. They fry the wings Southern-style with hot sauce and fold the giblets into pies with leek and soured cream.
At the centre of the table, the team wood-roasts a whole pullet Zuni-style and serves it with bread salad and pan juices. The dish reflects McEnearney’s current approach to cooking and menu design.
“I’ve always believed that less really is more,” he says. “Simple technique, restraint, and a strong focus on flavour and texture, that hasn’t changed. Roast chicken will always be my desert-island meal. Serving a wood-roasted pullet this way is my way of tipping my hat to Judy Rodgers, simple, generous, and deeply satisfying.”
For the final course, the kitchen renders chicken fat and uses it to create caramel for a dark chocolate tart. As a result, the team uses the entire bird across the menu.
“I hope people remember the experience of eating the whole bird,” says McEnearney. “Trying cuts they might not normally encounter, tasting how different techniques bring out different qualities, and seeing just how much depth there is in one chicken when it’s treated with respect.”
Farm, Field and Table: The Chicken Dinner will take place at From Here by Mike during the 2026 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. Tickets are limited.
Location: From Here by Mike, 1 Hotel Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC
Event: Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2026
Bookings: melbournefoodandwine.com.au