Do you remember seeing the photo above on Facebook or Instagram last month? Well let me tell you where I got these crispy, flavoursome pork belly baos from. For the second Holden State of Origin match I attended a special event at the GIO Stadium Canberra, organised by Danielle Cleary Events. I didn’t know that the GIO Stadium Canberra held events like this so it was a nice surprise and I’m really glad I know now!
I flew to Sydney the morning of the event to film a video at the Google office for my 9-5 job and I didn’t fly back until 8pm that evening. Luckily Mr Eat Canberra was able to make the event when it started and listened to a special Q&A with Canberra Raiders legend and former State of Origin representative, Ken Nagas.
After the Q&A everyone was taken on a guided tour of the player’s change rooms and the event control room where the match days are produced and managed. He said it was an incredible experience and he learnt lots more about the sport and what goes on behind the scenes.
When I arrived at 8:30pm the game was in full swing and there were crowds of people gathered around the big screen TVs watching the game in the members lounge. Within 5 minutes of my arrival I had a glass of champagne in one hand and a pork belly bao in the other. After a long day this was just what I needed!
We went outside to sit on the stadium seats and watched the game from the big screens for a few minutes to soak up the atmosphere and make the most of it. We had the whole stadium to ourselves! Although there wasn’t a game playing on the field in front of us it was really cool to sit there and watch the game on the screen while sipping on my champagne and devouring my bao. It was so tasty and I wanted more!
The drinks were flowing and there were three bays of savoury food as well as an ice cream bar – yes an ice cream bar! I was in foodie heaven! We headed back to get a roast duck bao and another pork belly bao before settling in to watch the game inside. The crowd was buzzing and groups of friends and families were watching the game in anticipation.
Next stop was the taco bar where you could choose what fillings you wanted to create your taco. I even got to make my own! It was lots of fun and meant that I could choose a lot or a little of each ingredient – yum!
Last stop was the burger bar followed by the ice cream and lolly bar. We topped out ice cream with extra sweet treats with a big smile on our faces. Gema Group served some seriously delicious food!
Heaps of prizes were up for grabs during the night, including a major prize of a Private Suite package for one Canberra Raiders home match in 2016.
It was a really good night and I was also happy with the final score (I’m from QLD) Mr Eat Canberra on the other hand wasn’t impressed…
If you’re a footy lover and want a unique experience in a beautiful, comfortable venue with yummy food then keep your eye out for future events at the GIO Stadium Canberra.
All photos except the feature photo are by Edge Light Photography.
Amelia Bidgood
Amelia is the Founder and Editor of Eat Canberra and the Founder and Managing Director of Eat Canberra Food Tours. She's a qualified journalist, presenter, freelance writer and also runs a boutique communications agency working with small business owners on all things social media, content creation and marketing. She's taught cheesemaking classes, judged hospitality and tourism awards, completed the WSET Level 1 Award In Wines, loves to cook and has travelled to 23 countries. She's also passionate about mental health and has recently started studying to become a Counsellor.