Overview
Summing up the year is always reflective. But summing up a year of food? It's stomach rumbling stuff. In the last 365 days we've seen scores of restaurant openings, new seasonal menus and pop-ups, eaten around 1,095 square meals and squeezed in approximately 1 billion snacks. It's a lot to consider.
But when we threw the question open to the Concrete Playground team, we got some swift responses. Because that's what it's all about, right? It's about those meals that stick in your sensory memory all year-round. The moment that melt-in-your mouth wagyu touched your tongue; the crack of a perfect creme brulee. So here they are, the tastes we've been thinking about all year and the dishes we dream about ordering again: our favourite meals of 2014.
PEANUT BUTTER TOFU BAO AT KONG
Did they say 2014 the year of the burger? Or the bibimbap? If you ask us, it was all about the bao. No matter what you wedge between those sweet fluffy bun pillows, with a little hoisin and coriander, it always tastes good. There are plenty of places to get them, but the best we've had this year would have to be at Kong. Taking leave from more traditional pork belly and brisket buns, these peanut butter crusted salt and pepper tofu buns take tofu out of bland territory and into the land of holy wow. These aren't cheap at $6 a pop and you'll have burnt chilli mayo running down to your elbows, but you'll still want a few more once you're done.
GRADE 7 WAGYU BEEF AT LUCY LIU
This dish is the not-so-silent hero of Melbourne CBD's new modern Asian eatery. Whispers of this succulent meat dish have been heard whistling through the wind since Lucy Liu opened its doors. Strips of juicy wagyu are accompanied by a delicious honey-soy BBQ dipping sauce (yakiniku) and fluffy, clear-your-nostrils mustard horseradish (which, if you're not careful, you might mistake for a perfect scoop of vanilla ice cream, it looks so smooth and creamy). The textures and flavours come together in such beauty and balance it's like a sophisticated BBQ-slash-wild party-slash-yoga session in your mouth. If such a thing was possible.
CRAB SPAGHETTINI AT FATTO
Arriving at your table perfectly twirled and perched in the centre of the plate, this spaghettini is that perfectly balanced dish that will win you over from the first mouthful. The sweetness of the crab is offset by a lemony tang and finishes with a touch of fresh chilli. Fatto Bar & Cantina is the cibarious diamond in the rough of Melbourne's theatre precinct, and this dish makes a perfect encore to a show or holds its own as the main event.
CREMA CATALANA AT BOMBA
A creme brulee is a creme brulee right? Nothing too fancy about it — not worth the hype? Wrong. A creme brulee can be done one of two ways: badly, or well. Like most things really. Bomba does it well. Very well. They also call it a Crema Catalana as they're using Spanish influences. Cream, milk, sugar, and egg yolks are a good start. The cinnamon, orange, and lemon really make it. Perfectly crisp on top and light, fluffy, sweet, and slightly tangy underneath. We'd be lying if we said we were able to hold a real conversation while eating this.
TRUFFLED POLENTA AT STAGGER LEES
We never thought polenta would make it onto a 'best-of' list, but here we are. In 2014 Melbourne, European peasant food is on the menu — and it's good. In fact, one of our favourite breakfasts this year was all about polenta: Stagger Lee's Shrooms 'n' Truffles. A big bowl of creamy, rich polenta, served with pine mushrooms, pecorino and topped with an egg yolk is the ultimate remedy for a chilly morning. We don't quite know how they get polenta to taste this good — all we know is we want to lick the bowl clean.
WHIPPED COD ROE AT CUTLER & CO.
Classified more as an appetiser but no less a memorable piece amongst the varied magic of Andrew McConnell, the whipped cod roe at Cutler & Co. lingers in our minds for its elusive flavour and moreish texture. Perfect slathered over crudites and bread, yet not too overpowering that it ruins the palette. We'd take it home with us if we could.
Image credit: Delanie at And So I Don't Forget...
SOUTHERN STYLE PORK BELLY CHOPS AT NIEUW AMSTERDAM
It felt like Melbourne was moving on from their obsession with pork belly but, luckily, Nieuw Amsterdam kept the train rolling — and we guarantee this’ll be one of the most memorable dishes you'll eat. The Southern Style Pork Belly Chops are put together in a slightly deconstructed way with the melt in your mouth pork belly sitting beneath perfectly-crisped sheets of crackling. The dish is also served with a fresh sauerkraut that alleviates the all too common heaviness that can come with pork belly dishes. Nieuw Amsterdam has the 'wow' factor but is grounded in honest and comforting dishes like this one. Combined with the ambience of their Hardware Lane digs, it's definitely worth the trip.
DUCK IN CHOCOLATE AT DUNORD
On our visit to DuNord this year, the duck in chocolate had us immediately intrigued, as did the potato 'stones' that came with it. What we got was a large piece of juicy duck in chocolate covered with lingonberry and blood jus, and accompanied with boiled potatoes covered in a grey substance, making them look like little boulders — the presentation was gorgeous and incredibly detailed. Everything about this meal was magnificent: the flavour, the presentation, and the generous size.
SLOW COOKED LAMB SHOULDER BASTILLA AT TALL TIMBER
When it comes to a lunch break, Tall Timber is an oasis from the slim pickings on St. Kilda Road. The slow cooked lamb shoulder and caramelised onion parcel is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The pomegranate yogurt dressing rounds the juicy flavours of the lamb out with a refreshing finish, making this dish a perfect selection for an autumn or spring day alike. Coffee isn't the most obvious beverage to complement, but we'd suggest you go for it anyway. It's the perfect meal to savour through the long afternoon of meetings ahead.
Image credit: chefryan85 via Instagram.
PEANUT BUTTER PARFAIT AT SUPERNORMAL
This one's been around for a while. It's Andrew McConnell's Eureka moment. Well, it certainly was when Golden Fields was still sitting in St Kilda. But since moving the operation to the city and calling it Supernormal, he's had a few more of those moments. Admittedly, dessert is our preferred course of choice here — the miso and Pink Lady soft serve came extremely close to making this list — and you absolutely cannot go past the infamous peanut butter parfait. Topped with salted caramel, peanuts and a ball of soft chocolate ganache, this is the sweet course of choice for anyone that loves a rich finish. It's so good that, even after ordering it for the third time, it still sticks out as one of the best. Just like this list, it's the note you want to end on.
Tried, tested and compiled by the Concrete Playground team.