At Otis, executive chef Damian Brabender wants to return some of that love and is thinking of clever ways to stay connected with his customers.

"Seeing almost 100 people posting on Instagram stories for the first weekend's cook-at-home packs was amazing," he said.

"Seeing our guests dressing up, lighting candles and creating their own pop-up Otis at Home, was a true sign to us that we can do this.

"On a day we saw violence in the streets in other capitals in Australia, Canberra showed a better way to deal with lockdowns, with great food and wine."

His latest offering combines those two very things, with the Sommelier at Home package.

"We are lining up some of our favourite winemakers from our beverage list, and creating a take-home tasting experience," he says.

"You'll get four wines, re-bottled in 200ml servings for two, matched with a series of tasting notes expertly compiled by our amazing sommelier James Barker.

"All our regulars are very familiar with James, as he shares his passion with every diner he meets, now he'll meet them in a different way."

READ MORE FOOD & WINE:

Accompanying the wines will be a small canape-style bite of food matched with each wine, essentially creating a cellar door kind of cocktail-party experience at home.

Moving forward Brabender hopes to collaborate with local wineries for a true Canberra experience.

"At the moment, the primary goal is for Otis to stay connected," he says.

"I believe that relationships between restaurants and guests, diners and suppliers are more pivotal than ever before.

"We know we can get through whatever is thrown our way, if we all support one another, and why not have some great food, wine and experiences at the same time."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: