Est Est Est: 30 Years On and a Night for Combat MSA
This is what partnership looks like.
Est Est Est: 30 Years On
On Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 May, the Botanical Hotel hosted two of the most special evenings Melbourne's hospitality scene has seen in years. Est Est Est: 30 Years On was a sold-out two-night tribute dinner celebrating three decades since one of Melbourne's most beloved and influential restaurants first opened its doors.
Chef Donovan Cooke, recently returned from his tenure in Hong Kong, took guests on a five course journey through Est Est Est's most iconic dishes, reimagined for 2026. Alongside him, front of house legend Franklin Heaney brought his signature warmth and precision to the dining room, and industry peer Rabih Yanni helped bring the night to life. Each course was matched with wines from the cult Victorian producers that Est Est Est championed with pride: Bass Phillip and Giaconda.
Across both nights, something rare was captured in that room.
As Michael Harden wrote in Gourmet Traveller back in 2011:
"One reason Est Est Est's name lingers on is that it was a game changer. At a time when the fine-dining palaces were all shutting up shop and the dining scene had gone brasserie mad, Est Est Est brought rigorous cooking, rarefied ingredients and the idea of perfection to the table, packaged up in bare-bones rock-star cool."
Over both evenings, The Botanical auctioned off copies of the now rare Marriages: Est Est Est Cookbook, with every dollar going directly to Combat MSA. On the second night, Combat MSA co-founder and CEO Tina Ezard was present and took a moment to address the room, sharing what this extraordinary show of support means to the organisation and to the ongoing fight against Multiple System Atrophy.
The result? $20,000 raised for Combat MSA. 🙌
We are deeply grateful to the Botanical Hotel, to Donovan, Franklin and Rabih, and to every guest who came through the door across both nights and bid with such generosity. This kind of support is what keeps our mission moving forward.
Every donation, no matter the size,
funds awareness and research into Multiple System Atrophy.
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