Five of my closest girlfriends who I haven’t seen in months.

This is a cumulative celebration of the year’s birthdays, new babies, anniversaries, promotions and a farewell to the year all at once. Dress up, plan to stay ‘til late, and tell your partner to come by later.

Champagne or a martini, gin or vodka, your choice. I had to sacrifice my bar cart for the toddler, so I’ll set up a little makeshift bar to serve as a martini station so guests can shake more for themselves. A couple of my girlfriends are not drinking so I’ll be serving them a non-alcoholic lemon and rosemary cocktail using Seedlip Grove

The pre-dinner mingle?

We live in an apartment so my brand of entertaining is limited to sit down formal dinners. I like to start in the living room, with small bites presented on the coffee table, on this occasion: Sydney rock oysters, crudo heirloom vegetables, ortiz anchovies and olives. This isn’t a group that’s ever short of conversation so they’ll get started as I serve drinks.

Then we’ll move to the dining table. Entrée is my personal favourite, pan seared scallops topped with lots of lemony butter. Main is a whole baked flounder served with capers and anchovy herbed butter. I’ll serve the Native & Ancient Chardonnay Gris with dinner. I’ve been told it’s a great food wine, and it really is. It’s made with the skins on so it has a gorgeous orange colour and a real spice to it. It really complements the sides, including roasted carrots, crispy brussel sprouts and a good old fashioned potato bake. The star though, is the dessert: tangy lemon curd pavlova.

As the menu is fresh and the season is summer, I'll style a very tonal tablescape with blues, greys and white, starting with my PHILÉ duck egg blue linen placemats and white linen napkins. Dinner plates are in these same colourways with off-white, grey and pastel blue by MUD, and a few bolder Puglian serving platters by Alex & Trahanas. Rather than one giant centerpiece, I'll ask the talented Benjamin Avery of The Colourblind Florist to create a low lying sculptural centerpiece that allows for cross table conversation, and added some of my favourite hand-poured candles by Tony Assness.

Last thing that inspired you to cook?

I subscribed to Alison Roman’s newsletters and I am so inspired by them every week. Her Creamy Potato Leek Soup is like a warm hug.

Last dinner party you hosted?

It was before lockdown, so I’ve almost entirely forgotten the details. I do remember baking an enormous stuffed whole trout in the oven and it being delicious.

Last great tablescape?

I love setting a table. I’ll try to theme it with the dinner menu so depending on the food, I’ll choose the PHILÉ placemats and either coordinate or clash with linen napkins. For larger events, I’ll wake up early and head out to the flower markets but if time doesn’t permit, I’ll pick up a few varieties from the stall at Bondi markets and arrange them myself. I have far too many serving plates and bowls, a mix of handmade ceramics, antiques, travel finds and my own imperfect attempts at handbuilding. Napkin rings are also a neglected accessory I’m single handedly trying to bring back, and I’ll alternate between antique shop finds, ribbons and rope, and fresh flowers or foliage. One of my favourite tablescapes is a crisp white tablecloth topped with antique silverware, and a fine bone china set by Wedgwood gifted to me for our wedding.

A very dirty Grey Goose Vodka martini. With the absence of a bartender to make them over lockdown I’ve been attempting them at home, but it’s just not the same when you’re wearing bed socks.

What makes a great event?

Atmosphere, a great playlist, moody lighting, fresh flowers, delicious food, and an endless supply of chilled wine. My family is Greek so I’ve grown up with enormous family events (or festivals as the neighbours would call them) with multiple rotisseries and banquets of food. The thing that really made these events memorable was so much more than just the food. It was the ouzo, the music, and the instant warmth guests felt upon arriving. We have a Greek word that perfectly sums up this all-joyful atmosphere: Kefi.

I always have a bottle of Perrier-Jouët chilling, just waiting for the opportune occasion.

What’s your failsafe table styling trick?

Do it the night before or early on the morning of your event. This allows for way more creativity and fun. People often set the table in a mad rush after all the cooking has been done, which means it’s rushed and stressful.

What type of home cook are you?

I’m a cook-whatever-you’re-craving kind of chef. I use whatever I can find in the fridge and pick up any missing ingredients from Bondi Road on my way home from the playground to quickly whip up a lunch that will double as dinner. On the weekends, I’ll be a little more organised and go to the fishmonger or organic markets and cook up a multi-course feast.

What’s your entertainer archetype?

I like my guests to feel instantly welcome, comfortable and content, and I think it’s turned me into a bit of a feeder. I’ve been known to overcater but it means we get leftovers and that’s never a bad thing.

Ottolenghi. I eat mostly vegetarian so his recipes always hit the spot.

I love natural or organic wine, I’m really enjoying the enginuity coming out of small-batch wineries. I’m not hugely adventurous when it comes to cocktails. It’s a negroni or martini on the cocktail menu when I'm in charge.

NOW EXPERIENCING:

Next-Gen Host: Anna Vidovic serves Champagne and oysters

Next-Gen Host: Anna Vidovic serves Champagne and oysters

Read time 7 Mins

Posted 11 Jul 2022

By
Alexandra Whiting

When it’s your closest friends, and NYE, you do the most.

Anna Vidovic is a stylist, writer, editorial consultant and quite simply, one of the most stylish people you could ever hope to meet. She’s passionate about quality materials, inspired design and pieces that last a lifetime (or several). Principles she’s imbued into her lifestyle brand, PHILÉ, which carries table linen, toweling and baby essentials. “Natural earth-friendly fabrics like OEKO-TEX certified and organic linen, cotton and cashmere in neutral colours are the foundation of everything I create,” Vidovic says. Amongst those who know, owning PHILÉ monogrammed napkins is a mark of good taste, or good friends. The beautiful branding makes it a go-to for gifting.

Anna lives in a top-floor Bondi apartment with a view of the ocean from the kitchen. She shares it with her husband, Tomi, and daughter, Renata, who will turn two this summer. “I try to manage my projects around time with her. We do a lot of art and craft, park and beach play dates. This means that most nights after her bedtime I’ll be up late catching up on emails and packing orders, but it works for me.”

When they can, Anna and Tomi make some time for themselves on the weekends, “We book in a babysitter and head out for a nice restaurant meal with friends. It’s a few hours of baby-free normality and I missed it a lot during lockdown.” This routine, along with the fact that she’d take a wine bar over a picnic any day, means Anna has great restaurant recommendations. “Locally in Sydney, I love Number 92 in Glebe, Cafe Paci in Newtown, Alberto’s Lounge and Hubert in the winter months and Bert’s or Icebergs in the summertime. Internationally, I had an incredible experience for my pre-covid birthday in London at Fischer’s in Marleybone.”

Anna is a great cook who’s as comfortable picking fish as she is fabric, and she serves three course drinks as well as food, “a cocktail to begin, followed by wine, and finished with a bitter liqueur,” so we asked her to plan a NYE celebration with all the best things: Champagne, oysters and a pavlova you’ll want to try at home.

Home essentials

Q.Signature drink?: A very dirty Grey Goose Vodka martini. With the absence of a bartender to make them over lockdown I’ve been attempting them at home, but it’s just not the same when you’re wearing bed socks.

Q.What makes a great event?: Atmosphere, a great playlist, moody lighting, fresh flowers, delicious food, and an endless supply of chilled wine. My family is Greek so I’ve grown up with enormous family events (or festivals as the neighbours would call them) with multiple rotisseries and banquets of food. The thing that really made these events memorable was so much more than just the food. It was the ouzo, the music, and the instant warmth guests felt upon arriving. We have a Greek word that perfectly sums up this all-joyful atmosphere: Kefi.

Q.Sign of a good host?: I always have a bottle of Perrier-Jouët chilling, just waiting for the opportune occasion.

Q.What’s your failsafe table styling trick?: Do it the night before or early on the morning of your event. This allows for way more creativity and fun. People often set the table in a mad rush after all the cooking has been done, which means it’s rushed and stressful.

Q.What type of home cook are you?: I’m a cook-whatever-you’re-craving kind of chef. I use whatever I can find in the fridge and pick up any missing ingredients from Bondi Road on my way home from the playground to quickly whip up a lunch that will double as dinner. On the weekends, I’ll be a little more organised and go to the fishmonger or organic markets and cook up a multi-course feast.

Q.What’s your entertainer archetype?: I like my guests to feel instantly welcome, comfortable and content, and I think it’s turned me into a bit of a feeder. I’ve been known to overcater but it means we get leftovers and that’s never a bad thing.

Q.Go-to cookbook?: Ottolenghi. I eat mostly vegetarian so his recipes always hit the spot.

Q.Go-to drink?: I love natural or organic wine, I’m really enjoying the enginuity coming out of small-batch wineries. I’m not hugely adventurous when it comes to cocktails. It’s a negroni or martini on the cocktail menu when I'm in charge.

Notable mentions

Q.Last thing that inspired you to cook?: I subscribed to Alison Roman’s newsletters and I am so inspired by them every week. Her Creamy Potato Leek Soup is like a warm hug.

Q.Last dinner party you hosted?: It was before lockdown, so I’ve almost entirely forgotten the details. I do remember baking an enormous stuffed whole trout in the oven and it being delicious.

Q.Last great tablescape?: I love setting a table. I’ll try to theme it with the dinner menu so depending on the food, I’ll choose the PHILÉ placemats and either coordinate or clash with linen napkins. For larger events, I’ll wake up early and head out to the flower markets but if time doesn’t permit, I’ll pick up a few varieties from the stall at Bondi markets and arrange them myself. I have far too many serving plates and bowls, a mix of handmade ceramics, antiques, travel finds and my own imperfect attempts at handbuilding. Napkin rings are also a neglected accessory I’m single handedly trying to bring back, and I’ll alternate between antique shop finds, ribbons and rope, and fresh flowers or foliage. One of my favourite tablescapes is a crisp white tablecloth topped with antique silverware, and a fine bone china set by Wedgwood gifted to me for our wedding.

Let’s plan... NYE dinner with the girls

Q.Who’s coming?: Five of my closest girlfriends who I haven’t seen in months.

Q.The guest brief?: This is a cumulative celebration of the year’s birthdays, new babies, anniversaries, promotions and a farewell to the year all at once. Dress up, plan to stay ‘til late, and tell your partner to come by later.

Q.Drink on arrival?: Champagne or a martini, gin or vodka, your choice. I had to sacrifice my bar cart for the toddler, so I’ll set up a little makeshift bar to serve as a martini station so guests can shake more for themselves. A couple of my girlfriends are not drinking so I’ll be serving them a non-alcoholic lemon and rosemary cocktail using Seedlip Grove

Q.The pre-dinner mingle?: We live in an apartment so my brand of entertaining is limited to sit down formal dinners. I like to start in the living room, with small bites presented on the coffee table, on this occasion: Sydney rock oysters, crudo heirloom vegetables, ortiz anchovies and olives. This isn’t a group that’s ever short of conversation so they’ll get started as I serve drinks.

Q.The main event?: Then we’ll move to the dining table. Entrée is my personal favourite, pan seared scallops topped with lots of lemony butter. Main is a whole baked flounder served with capers and anchovy herbed butter. I’ll serve the Native & Ancient Chardonnay Gris with dinner. I’ve been told it’s a great food wine, and it really is. It’s made with the skins on so it has a gorgeous orange colour and a real spice to it. It really complements the sides, including roasted carrots, crispy brussel sprouts and a good old fashioned potato bake. The star though, is the dessert: tangy lemon curd pavlova.

Q.The decor?: As the menu is fresh and the season is summer, I'll style a very tonal tablescape with blues, greys and white, starting with my PHILÉ duck egg blue linen placemats and white linen napkins. Dinner plates are in these same colourways with off-white, grey and pastel blue by MUD, and a few bolder Puglian serving platters by Alex & Trahanas. Rather than one giant centerpiece, I'll ask the talented Benjamin Avery of The Colourblind Florist to create a low lying sculptural centerpiece that allows for cross table conversation, and added some of my favourite hand-poured candles by Tony Assness.