In the lead up to the Grand Finale, the festival steps into the dining room for a series of exclusive culinary collaborations. From a lively Malaysian street-food takeover on a tropical rooftop to an elevated multi-course fine dining showcase, these one-night-only events pair Australia's top culinary talent with Darwin’s best local venues.
Seats are strictly limited - explore the lineup and secure your seats below.
Junda x Charlie’s
Date: Friday, 30 October 2026
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Charlie’s of Darwin
Details: Limited seats available - SOLD OUT
Need to know: This is a set share-style menu created for one night only, so unfortunately dietary requirements cannot be accommodated. Pricing and beverage options to be announced by Charlie's of Darwin. Tickets are strictly limited.
Event Information: For one night only, two kitchens become one. Junda Khoo, the Malaysian-born chef behind Sydney's Ho Jiak and Australia's only hatted Malaysian restaurant, lands in Darwin for an exclusive collaboration with Charlie's of Darwin, the Gold Plate-winning restaurant that has made a name for itself on the strength of the Territory's produce. If you caught Junda's laksa bomb on MasterChef Australia, you already know the energy he brings to a room. Now you get to taste it.
The menu is built to be shared. Charlie's brings the local hero ingredients: fresh oysters, salmon, local squid, crocodile, kangaroo, and a pavlova crowned with the season's first mangoes. Junda brings the flavours he's known for: Nyonya dressings, Hainan soy, rojak, a Moutai hoisin glaze, sambal ijo and the laksa broth that made him famous, poured over Charlie's crocodile dumplings to create the laksa bomb Darwin has been waiting for. Ten dishes, a slow procession from oysters to panna cotta, with Junda's flavours running through every plate.
Hosting the evening is Magdalena Roze, journalist, cookbook author and self-confessed foodie, who will be pulling Junda out of the kitchen and to the table throughout the night. Expect stories, a few opinions on what makes a great laksa, and the kind of dinner where you'll be talking to the table next to you by dessert. Doors at 6.30pm.
This event is now SOLD OUT.
Laksa Inspired Degustation Dinner
Date: Friday, 23 October 2026
Time: 7pm - 9pm
Location: PepperBerry Restaurant, Hilton Darwin
Details: Tickets on sale now
Need to know: This degustation has been carefully curated as a complete culinary experience. Due to the nature of the menu and the preparation required for each course, we may be unable to accommodate dietary requirements or menu modifications.
Event Information: As part of the Darwin Laksa Festival, PepperBerry Restaurant invites you to experience Darwin's first-ever Laksa Inspired Degustation Dinner.
This exclusive seven-course dining journey reimagines the city's most iconic dish through refined techniques, premium ingredients, and creative culinary flair. From a Laksa Prawn Tartlet and Home-Cured Laksa Kingfish to Laksa Velouté, Barramundi with Laksa Risotto, and a unique Laksa Mousse dessert, each course showcases the bold flavours and rich heritage that make Darwin's laksa famous.
Join PepperBerry for a one-night-only celebration of innovation and the Territory's most beloved culinary tradition.
Tickets are live now and extremely limited!
Book now: Laksa Inspired Degustation Dinner
If you have any questions about the events, please email us at hello@darwinlaksafestival.com.au