The Ten Best Things to Eat, Drink and Do at the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2015

It’s not a food festival without food trucks, right? Well, apparently. As part of this year’s festival, the city’s most-followed food trucks will congregate on the lawn of the Melbourne Convention Centre over one weekend. All your favourites will be making an appearance, including Taco Truck (phew), Beatbox Kitchen (thank heaven), Gorilla Grill and Greek Street Food. Lil Nomnoms and TOASTA will be there too, but only on Sunday. If you don’t head down South Wharf-way much, this is our chance — and it’s a good way to get amongst MFWF on a budget.

This year, the festival isn’t all about fancy, super spenny sit-down food events — it’s about partying a little bit too. The Windsor & Co. Block Party is a tastier-than-average Sunday session, incorporating all the best of southside’s food, art and produce in Artists Lane. There’ll be food from some of Windsor’s best (including Mr Miyagi, Parlour Diner and Massive Wieners), music from Doss Blockos, street art and lots of good vibes. So spend your Sunday on the street getting down and downing dumplings and curly fries.

While a St Kilda may seem like a day trip in itself to those that live north of the river, on Saturday, 7 March, a visit to the Bayside suburb will take you all the way to South East Asia. As part of the 2015 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, the newly reopened St Hotel will be hosting the best Asian food of the south (of the Yarra). There will be stalls from the St, Hanoi Hannah, Saigon Sally, Banoi and the brand new Tokyo Tina, with the hotel set to get into the spirit of the occasion inside and out.

Tickets are $40 and include five hawker-style dishes — one from each of the kitchens. St Kilda might seem like a bit of a trek, but it sure ain’t as far as Vietnam.

Anyone who’s been to Saint Crispin will tell you the same thing: it’s incredible. Us included. And if you’re looking for an excuse to treat yourself to their culinary delights, the festival is presenting you with the perfect one. For one day in March, the Saint Crispin kitchen is swapping the hum of Smith Street for the saltiness of St Kilda beach, popping up at St Kilda Bowling Club for lunch, dinner and lawn bowls.

Feel the sea breeze on your skin as you savour each mouthful of head chef Joe Grbac’s dishes, and sip on drinks from the restaurant’s upstairs bar, Thomas Olive, on the green. Just to sweeten the deal, dessert comes from Pierre Roelofs: the guy that does the dessert evenings at Cafe Rosamond. A seat at the table will set you back $160, but includes five courses with matched drinks, as well as a healthy game of lawn bowls afterwards. Go for lunch at 12pm or dinner at 6pm.

It’s not very often that some of the best winemakers in the country invite you to their table for dinner (well, not in our books anyway), but consider this your exclusive invite. A few of Victoria’s winemaking legends will be personally presenting their best drops of wine to your lips at the festival’s Highway 1 Street Party. Your glasses will be filled by the likes of Bindi, Crawford River, Jamsheed, Mount Mary, to name a few. And to top it all off, dinner will be served by four of Australia’s young gun chefs: Dave Moyle (Franklin, Hobart), Dave Pynt (Burnt Endz, Singapore), Aaron Turner (Husk, Nashville) and Josh Murphy (Builders Arms, Moon Under Water).

This one comes in at the pointy end of the price spectrum ($120 a ticket), but considering it’s set under the stars at Abbotsford Convent, it’s set to be a magical night worth your wages.

Sick of American BBQ? You’re in the minority — but you’re also in luck. Countering the other American-style events on the program, the B.East is holding an all-Australian bush barbecue and you’re invited. On Saturday, March 7 the B.East is swapping their burgers for the likes of 12-hour pulled kangaroo tail, Southern fried crocodile, wild boar and possum empanadas, and Moreton Bay bug po’ boys cooked in the spices of the outback. Wash it down with native-infused cocktails, Aussie beers and wine. Food and drinks at bar prices, but it’s recommended you make a booking!

Man of the moment Matt Bax is fresh from opening his cocktail concept bar Bar Exuberante and ready to teach you a thing or two about mixology at this Essentials Masterclass. For an hour on Saturday, March 7 Matt Bax is yours, and he’ll teach you how to make a killer cocktail. Remember, this is the guy who started Der Raum; he’s a cocktail legend (and all-round interesting dude), so come with a few questions ready. Can’t promise that he’ll teach you how to make that Hot Cold Pina Colada, but you can damn well ask.

Image credit: Carmen Zammit

If you like to live like a million dollar foodie on minimum wage, this is the event for you. One of our favourite parts of the festival each year, the Restaurant Express series gives you the chance to finally try that new restaurant you’ve been reading about for a cool $40. Two twenty dollar bills cover a two-course lunch (including their signature dish) and a drink that will be matched to your food. And considering you can head to places like the Estelle, Albert St Food & Wine, Pei Modern, Stokehouse City and Union Dining, it’s the best value in town for some of the best lunches around.

See a full list of restaurants participating in Restaurant Express here.

Undoubtedly some of the best fun (and best value) events of the MFWF, the Crawl ‘n’ Bite night have been a highlight in previous years. The restaurant crawls have sold out already, but you can still book for a night of cheese and wine — and that sounds just good to us, because cheese. Starting at Bar Lourinha, you’ll hear from the sommelier and sample the best the bar has to offer, before moving with your small group to Punch Lane and, eventually, Florentino Upstairs.

This special cheese journey is being held on one night only, with two crawls set to go ahead: one starting at 6pm and another at 8pm. And the best part? You don’t even have to get on your hands and knees to take part.

If you thought the rivalry between the north and the south of the river was intense, you don’t know nothing about the battle between North and South Carolina. The two have a distinctive take on the food of the Deep South — and if you turn up to Rockwell and Sons on Sunday, March 1, you’ll be able to find out why. Master of the pit Rodney Scott will be championing South Carolina’s barbecue, while Rockwell’s Casey Wall will be doing it North Carolina style. Both will be featured on the special North-South one-day only menu, so you can decide for yourself.

Bookings aren’t necessary. Just rock up and grab a table. Menu items will be priced accordingly.