The Secret’s Out: A Fresh Batch Of Venues Are Serving Exclusive Dishes For The Month Of November
Maddie Wallman
Contributor | Urban List
Ever wondered what chefs dream of whipping up when they’re not plating your usual order? Well, the kitchen curtain’s finally lifting. We’ve teamed up with American Express® for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it secret menu dining series—your VIP pass to fresh flavours you won’t find on the menu.
From 1 November to 30 November, we're taking over six more of your favourite venues across Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney with exclusive secret menu dishes. Think: personal passion projects, recipes that’ve been quietly marinating for years or culinary experiments that have been kept under lock and key…until now.
And with your eligible Amex Card, dining becomes more than just a meal. Every bite can earn Card Members Membership Rewards® points¹ to cover almost anything that’s been purchased on an Amex Card using Cover Charges with Points².
Amex Credit Card Members can also make secret menus stress-free with Plan It® Instalments³, enabling you to split individual purchases into equal monthly payments, with a fixed monthly fee and no interest.
So, which secret dish are you devouring next? Dig into our faves in your city.
Sydney
MLK Deli | The Forbidden Lamb-wich
168 Campbell St, Surry Hills NSW 2010, 4A Wyee St, Kogarah Bay NSW 2217
MLK Deli’s sandwich has a story, and a retired smoker to prove it. The Forbidden Lamb-wich was born during a particularly busy lunch service, when the kitchen crew made use of the vacant smoker to test a new sandwich idea with a joint of lamb. While the kitchen worked away, the lamb joint proved a little too enthusiastic, pushing the smoker past its limits. The smoker was sadly retired, but from the ashes rose a lamb-based legend.
Tender pulled lamb is slow-cooked to perfection, tangled with zesty sumac onions and slathered in a garlicky, cucumber-studded cacik that’s as cool as it is creamy. All of it lands between two slabs of rye ciabatta courtesy of Organic Bread Bar, creating an irresistible sanga that's smoky, a little spicy and incredibly hearty. Pair it with MLK’s refreshing House Lemonade and toast to trial by error.
Fabbrica Pasta Bar | Gigli, Cuttlefish, Crushed Peas & Mint
Newtown, Chatswood, Darlinghurst, Sydney CBD
Didn’t quite make it to Italy for Euro summer this year? Fabbrica is bringing Puglia straight to your plate all throughout November. Executive chef Damiano Balducci has drawn inspiration from the pasta dishes his grandfather used to prepare for the family back in Italy, taking Fabbrica’s housemade gigli (that ruffled, flower-shaped pasta) and tossing it with tender cuttlefish fresh from the ocean, smashed peas, mint and just enough olive oil to tie it all together.
Light, bright and infused with sunshine, every bite is like a passport stamp without the plane ticket. Add a glass of vino and you’ll be living la dolce vita right in the heart of Sydney. And with Amex, you don’t have to think twice about going big. With Plan It Instalments³ built into your Amex Credit Card, you can savour iconic foodie moments now and pay them off later in equal monthly instalments with a fixed monthly fee and no interest.
Melbourne
Tarts Anon | Blueberry & Lemon Myrtle Tart
Building 10, Floor Level/658 Church St, Richmond VIC 3121, 44 Sackville St, Collingwood VIC 3066
Need a mid-morning sweet treat or an afternoon pick-me-up? Look no further than cult favourite Tarts Anon. Chef Gareth Whitton has taken a trip down memory lane, revisiting a stint cooking in the Netherlands and summer in Sweden, and mixing the memories with a uniquely Aussie ingredient: zingy lemon myrtle.
The result is a tart that’s sweet and tangy in equal measure, with Tarts Anon’s signature paper-thin pastry shell adding a buttery base. Throw in a large, piping hot cup of Joe, and your day will improve significantly.
Love Letter | Lovers Surf & Turf
Unit 1/144 Bridge Rd, Richmond VIC 3121
When Love Letter says surf and turf, they don’t mean your usual pub grub. At Richmond’s semi-fine diner, Chef Matthew Perry has taken the humble steam-and-prawn duo and given it a first-class upgrade. We're talking a whopping 600g roast prime rib, whole lobster tail, Skull Island prawns and a generous pile of fries, all made for sharing between dates, mates, carnivores and crustacean comrades.
Indulgent, nostalgic and dripping with decadence, it’s a love story between land and sea. Add a splash of chilled red and prepare to fall hard and fast. And when the night inevitably stretches on, with Amex you can use Cover Charges with Points² to take care of your bill. That way, the only thing you need to worry about is how to fit in the next secret dish.
Brisbane
Sunny Side | The Fish & Fries Sandwich
Shop 203/142 Newmarket Rd, Windsor QLD 4030, 173A Latrobe Ter, Paddington QLD 4064
At Sunny Side, your favourite coastal lunch has gone handheld. Golden panko crumbed barramundi, piping hot fries, tangy bread and butter pickles and shredded lettuce, all piled high and hugged by soft, pillowy shokupan. One bite and you’ll wonder why fish-and-chips weren’t made into a sanga sooner.
Owner and creator Mack Bowers built this stellar sandwich as an ode to Brissy’s sun, surf and summer. Wash it down with a freshly squeezed OJ, and your lunch break will feel more like a seaside getaway. This is the beach in your hands without sand in your shoes.
Yoko | Carbonara Udon
2/5 Boundary St, Brisbane City QLD 4000
When two powerhouses join forces, you know you’re in for a good time. Yoko is bringing back a cult classic—the pig’s head carbonara. Reimagined by Oscar Solomon with a Tokyo twist, the dish trades spaghetti for glossy udon noodles, tangled through a rich, creamy, umami-laced sauce that’ll have you chasing every last strand.
Then, keep the vibe going with a spiked slushie made with passionfruit and mandarin. It’s the tropical nightcap you didn’t know you needed.
Running 1–30 November, these menus are here for a good time, not a long time, so get in quick.
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by American Express® and proudly endorsed by Urban List. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who make Urban List possible. Click here for more information on our editorial policy.
Eligible Cards only, T&Cs apply.
¹ Membership Rewards. Subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Membership Rewards program available here.
² Cover Charges with Points. For each successful transaction using Cover Charges with Points, points will be debited from your Membership Rewards account and a credit placed on your Card in line with the points chosen to be used for the Eligible Charge. A minimum of 1,000 Membership Rewards points is required to cover any eligible transaction with points. Any credit to your Card account cannot exceed the amount of the relevant Eligible Charges. A credit will appear on your statement identified as “Membership Rewards Credit”. Points will be debited immediately and the credit will take up to 3 business days to appear online. Credits processed after the Card account’s statement closing date will appear in the following statement. You are still responsible for payment of the amount due on your Card account by the due date. Any charges covered by points is not redeemable for cash via Credit balance refund. American Express will select and display each eligible charge that can be covered with points (“Eligible Charge”) and the points rate required to cover the Eligible Charge. Each Eligible Charge must: (a) appear within the Online Statement of the Summary of Accounts page; (b) be redeemed within 2 months of the charge appearing on your Card account; (c) not currently or have previously been disputed; and (d) not be a fee. Eligible Charges, including the points rate required to pay for the Eligible Charge, may be changed at any time without notice. Eligible transactions can be covered by points via your online account or American Express mobile app. Covering charges with points is available only to Basic Cardmembers enrolled in the Australian Membership Rewards program and is subject to the full Membership Rewards Terms and Conditions. Authorised agents, authorised account managers, additional Cardmembers and Authorised Additional Cardmembers are not eligible. All Linked Card accounts must be in good standing.
³ Plan It Terms & Conditions
- You can create an Instalment Plan as long as your account is in good standing. We may withdraw this offer, prevent you from creating any new Instalment Plans or cancel any of your existing Instalment Plan(s) at any time if your Card Account is overdue, or if you do not comply with your Card Conditions.
- The minimum Plan amount is AU$100. We may also limit the amount that can be transferred to an Instalment Plan.
- You will be charged a Monthly Plan Fee for each Instalment Plan created. This fee will be charged each month your Instalment Plan is active and will be disclosed to you at the time of creating your Instalment Plan.
- Each Instalment Plan will begin from the date it is successfully created, as communicated to you in your Online Account.
- Payment of your first Monthly Instalment will be due in your next payment cycle.
- You may request to cancel your Instalment Plan(s) at any time through your Online Account or the Amex App. Any billed Monthly Plan Fees will remain payable, but no further Monthly Plan Fees will be billed after cancellation is effective. As cancellation can take 24-48 hours to process (“Processing Time”), you may be charged a further monthly plan fee after requesting cancellation if the Processing Time occurs on your payment date.
View the full Plan It® Instalment Terms and Conditions here.