The Best Melbourne Lockdown Pivots of 2021
These takeaway options, food pop-ups and virtual music festivals gave Melbourne's 2021 lockdowns a much-needed silver lining.
The Best Melbourne Lockdown Pivots of 2021
These takeaway options, food pop-ups and virtual music festivals gave Melbourne's 2021 lockdowns a much-needed silver lining.
2021 was a tough year for many, but it turns out there's nothing like back-to-back lockdowns to spawn some truly creative ideas. While doors were closed and restrictions lingered, some local businesses and communities banded together to help make life a little more bearable.
During the many months Melbourne was under stay-at-home-orders, a stack of hospitality businesses went above and beyond to help those that were struggling. And a heap of our favourite spots came up with new and innovative ways of keeping their staff in work, while keeping locked-down patrons fed, entertained and feeling hopeful.
We've compiled a list of seven fresh ideas that emerged during this lockdown-filled year, helping both us and the greater communities through some tough times.
Whether it was streetside food pop-ups, next-level home meals or a virtual festival, these pivots truly made their mark.
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When Anchovy co-owners Jia-Yen Lee and Thi Le first started slinging khao jee pâté — the Lao cousin of the Vietnamese banh mi — from a window during last year’s lockdown, it was never meant to become a permanent venture. But as the pandemic continued and the street food offering earned itself a loyal following, it became clear the Ca Com pop-up was here to stay. Now, it’s spawned its own standalone shopfront next door.
Named after the Vietnamese words for ‘anchovy’, Ca Com’s rotating menu of banh mi was exactly the kind of accessible, lockdown-friendly fare the neighbourhood needed. The pop-up has run on and off through lockdowns, with a hibachi on the window sill used to barbecue proteins. The lineup changes regularly, giving the team a chance to flex their creativity and test out new flavour combinations for its dedicated Melbourne fans.
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While Melbourne settled into more stay-at-home orders this year, Ben Shewry’s Ripponlea fine diner Attica promised to bring some world-class culinary flair to those lockdown dinners, via a rotating at-home menu. The offering spanned set menu feasts, family dishes and signature desserts which changed up regularly throughout lockdown.
There was also the option to splurge on a $395 tasting menu: a generous spread for two, featuring masterful dishes like a shiitake and black truffle broth, marron with roasted yeast butter, croc fat caramel and more. A whole collection of matched beverages were also on offer, ranging from batched cocktails to sake.
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Lockdown 5.0 saw much-loved Carlton wine bar Henry Sugar moonlighting as a streetside yakitori bar.
The kitchen fired up the hibachi grill from 1–8pm Tuesday through Sunday each week to bring locals and regulars a tasty lineup of skewers to grab-and-go. Also on the menu were bites like freshly-shucked oysters, fat toasties on house-made bread and a rotation of sweet treats. And for thirsty punters after a break from their home bar selection, takeaway drinks included a selection of signature cocktails and cosy serves of mulled wine.
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Rocco’s Bologna Discoteca was one of the silver linings during Melbourne’s lockdown-filled 2020, popping up for just a couple of short stints to make use of the Gertrude Street space that normally houses Poodle. Helmed by Poodle Head Chef Josh Fry (Marion Wine Bar, Cumulus Inc), the takeaway-only sandwich joint was a creative way to keep staff employed and locals well fed.
Rocco’s proved so popular that it’s made many cameo appearances since its stint in Fitzroy, including a handful more pop-ups — in various locations — hosted throughout 2021’s lockdowns. No matter where Rocco’s appears, you can bank on hefty crowds of fans flocking there to get their sandwich fix. Thankfully, we have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of it, or of its saucy Italian sangas.
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Melbourne chefs Ryan Maher and Ben Reardon launched their ramen drop-off business back in June 2020, delivering handmade, ready-to-heat soup kits to select suburbs each week under the Gomi Boys label. The orders kept flooding in and the fanbase continued to grow — so much so, that the duo this year launched a Pozible campaign to fund their first bricks-and-mortar venue.
That dream is now a reality, with Gomi Ramen Bar opening its doors on Sydney Road this month. The 60-seat eatery is serving a range of the guys’ cult-favourite ramen varieties, heroing their hand-made noodles, house-made ferments, preserves and flavour-packed broths. On the menu, you’ll find the likes of a niboshi tonkotsu with pork and chicken, and a mushroom miso number, alongside plenty of Japanese snacks.
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With stay-at-home orders in play, Richmond yakitori and sake bar Eazy Peazy relocated its hibachi grill to the curb for a lockdown-friendly streetside yakitori pop-up.
It ran daily for a stretch, with a rotating menu of skewers available for $5 a pop, or your choice of three for $12. The regular food menu was also being offered to go, along with a whole slew of daily specials — think, panko-crumbed eggplant with kewpie mayo and tonkatsu sauce. Plus, the bar was whipping up a range of takeaway cocktails served in bags.
Image: Studio Hortenzia
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While Splendour in the Grass’ 2021 festival was postponed, the tunes lived on via a new virtual event. Splendour XR popped up across one weekend in July, with Aussies tuning in to catch more than 50 acts over the two days.
Leading the charge were headliners Khalid and The Killers, joined by a hefty list of talent including Chvrches, Denzel Curry, Tash Sultana, Violent Soho, Phoebe Bridgers, Charlie XCX, The Avalanches, Of Monsters and Men, and Ocean Alley. All put on new, never-before-seen live sets created especially for the event. The festival also raised funds for live music industry workers, mental health and wellbeing, and sustainability.
Top image: Mitch Lowe.
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Since launching in February this year, Kravin Korean has been busy sating barbecue cravings by delivering its signature KBBQ meal kits across Melbourne. Each comes stocked with four ‘banchan’ (side dishes), three different meat cuts, a trio of sauces and loads of veggies. If needed, you can even rent out a portable gas stove and grill.
The menu features a curation of Korean classics, including house-made dipping sauces. What’s more, each kit comes with a QR code that scans through to a series of how-to guides and videos showing you how to set up and prepare your Korean feast authentically, along with a K-Pop playlist and fun tutorials for a selection of popular Korean drinking games.
Image: Levi Andrew Momo
Top Image: Eazy Peazy, by Studio Hortenzia
