Overview
It's time again for one of the most indulgent events on the cultural calendar. Launching Friday, March 21, the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is bringing together a who's who of local and international chefs for a jam-packed schedule featuring over 200 events across the state. Covering just about every cuisine, venue type and culinary philosophy imaginable, diners are spoilt for choice no matter their tastes or interests.
While there's an incredible range of happenings to consider, one of the headline events sees plant-based pioneers Shannon Martinez and Philip Khoury join forces for a special pop-up bakery event at Smith + Deli on Thursday, March 22. Having generated a huge amount of global buzz for their approach to vegan cuisine – specifically pastries in Khoury's case – their trailblazing delights include maple cakes, apple pies, strawberry tarts and chocolate mousse cake.
If you're a racing fan, the hallowed turf of Flemington Racecourse is the place to be, as some of Melbourne's most beloved restaurants pop up with special race-day menus for Feast – a marquee meeting of sport and dining. Here, Chinese fine-diner Lee Ho Fook, Latino firebrand San Telmo, Spanish maverick MoVida and pasta stars Tipo 00 will set up shop on the Flemington front lawn over three weekends in March. Expect haute snacks that rise high above the usual carnival fare.
Meanwhile, the inner north will play host to Michelin-starred chef Konstantin Filippou and his latest offering at Fitzroy's Bar Liberty. While Filippou is typically known for his award-winning fine-dining creations, he's taking a more casual approach to his Greek heritage as he presents a vibrant late-afternoon gyros session with the help of his mum, Manuela. Joined by renowned Austrian winemaker Gut Oggau, this easygoing feast on Sunday, March 23 is not to be missed.
Hendrik Gergen
Then, head to the CBD on Wednesday, March 26, for a free cross-cultural experiment at Wesley Place. Taco Truck founder Raph Rashid will team up with the unofficial hummus king of Australia, Tom Sarafian, to mix and match two grand culinary traditions. Dining on tacos with a Lebanese accent and Mexico's answer to kibbeh, just some of the creative combinations include tacos de canasta with prawn, potato, toum and salsa verde, and goat kibbeh with Oaxacan cheese, labne and sumac.
Of course, this year's Global Dining Series is another chance to catch the most exciting culinary talent in action. On the agenda is SoCal to South Yarra: Gracias Madre x Lona Misa, where a leading plant-based Mexican restaurant hailing from Los Angeles collabs with our own vegan champs to explore the best of sustainable Latin cuisine. Plus, cult-Austrian winemakers Eduard and Stephanie Tscheppe, aka Gut Oggau, appear at the Abbotsford Convent for a chat about biodynamics, better farming, better living and wine with meaning.
The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival runs from 21-30 March. Head to the website for more information.
Top image: Ben Clement