YUMMO! Laksa Festival

Overview

Sydney and Melbourne's rivalry is notorious. We've all witnessed heated battles over which city has the best food, transport, beaches or general vibes. Molly Rose, however, is keen to stoke the flames of another interstate feud this winter, pitting Melbourne against Darwin. And it's doing so through its inaugural YUMMO! Laksa Festival.

For one day only, on Sunday, July 7, the Collingwood brewery is teaming up with the Darwin International Laksa Festival to host some of the best laksa chefs from the Northern Territory and Victoria under one roof. The Top End will be represented by 2023 Darwin International Laksa Festival Hall of Fame recipient Jason Chin (CHOK's Place) and 2023 Golden Bowl winner Jason Hanna (CHOW!). Chin will be cooking up a rendition of his award-winning laksa, while Hanna is delivering some laksa-inspired dishes that will perfectly complement his fellow Territorian's curry.

Mischa Tropp (Toddy Shop) will be fighting it out for Melbourne, serving a laksa spiked with South Indian flavours. The Molly Rose kitchen will also support Tropp, creating a menu of tasty southeast Asian bites.

With each spicy, creamy bowl of soupy noodles purchased, punters will be given a token they can use to vote for their fave laksa of the day — with all-time bragging rights going to the winning city.

The Darwin vs Melbourne grudge match is just the start of the fun the YUMMO! Laksa Festival has in store. During the day, there will also be a laksa-eating competition, with prizes going to whoever can slurp down their bowl fastest.

Visitors can also fish the name of a random dish out of a bowl, which will then be presented to them to try. The Darwin cohort will be flexing their creative talents with laksas inspired by Italian arancini and Basque cheesecake — so prepare to have your tastebuds utterly confused with this one.

Molly Rose will even be running a couple of intimate gin masterclasses throughout the day. Molly Rose's Founder and Brewer Nic Sandery will help folks create their own laksa-inspired bottle to keep, while also giving out some tasters. Places for this activity are limited and need to be booked ahead of time at a cost of $125 per person.

On top of all this, Molly Rose will be slinging specially brewed beer, sodas and a handcrafted gin for anyone thirsty for a drop that pairs beautifully with their laksa.

Darwinians like to think they have the greatest laksas, but we reckon Melbourne's best laksas give them a run for their money. Whatever the case, you can expect some damn good eating at Molly Rose's YUMMO! Laksa Festival.