ON TOP OF THE WORLD

It’s all about fusion at Melbourne restaurants Maha, Maha East and Biggie Smalls, where Shane Delia is back in the kitchen, drawing inspiration from his travels with renewed flair.

MARKET BASKET

SPANNER CRAB

“I love how sweet it tastes, not muddy like some other varieties, but it can adapt with other flavours. The flesh is also more fibrous than other crabs, offering a beautifully contrasting texture to the egg pasta in this recipe. Spanner crab is also really good with spice and curry-like dishes, or I might serve it with lemon, sauteed asparagus and angel hair pasta. I also like it served cold in brik pastry with preserved lemon, labneh and chives.”

PEAS

“They represent spring to me, they’re so sweet, crisp and almost like eating lollies when they’re really good. I use them raw in the tuna tartare recipe, and they add so much freshness and vitality. I mostly serve them raw or quickly blanched with curry leaf and turmeric. If I cook them, it might be for a pea and corn pastizzi.”

CORN

“Corn reacts really well to high temperatures, and when charred it takes on a sweet, earthy flavour. Of course it also works well with butter and cream or as a soup. My mum makes a sweetcorn soup with bacon and water chestnuts. It’s a blend of Aussie and Asian flavours. It doesn’t make sense but it’s amazing.”

FENNEL

“Growing up we often had vegetables well-cooked, and I’ve never liked that. I’m a big fan of raw vegetables and finely shaved fennel is an excellent accompaniment to so many dishes, from seafood to roast pork. When simply dressed, it’s like biting into an apple. Pickled fennel with anise is a winner too, especially when served with oysters.”

YOU CAN ALMOST taste the wanderlust in Shane Delia’s food. At his acclaimed Melbourne restaurant Maha, now in its 11th year of trading, the peripatetic chef confidently fuses the three Ms: Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Maltese. “My parents are from Malta and our culinary identity has been mashed up with other cultures for generations,” he says. His wife, Maha, is Lebanese, and that cuisine finds its way onto his plates too.

Earlier this year, Delia opened Maha East in Windsor, a relaxed version of his CBD mothership. He also has Biggie Smalls, a kebab store in Collingwood. For the first time in five years, he is “back on the tools”, serving up dishes such as fried buns with taramasalata and salmon roe, Maltese pork sausages with white beach ‘bagila’, and spiced lamb boreks.

When Delia ventures abroad, he is drawn to storied destinations – Beirut, Istanbul and, his next stop, Jerusalem, to research a forthcoming TV project which he’s hoping will come into fruition next year. “I’m intrigued by Israel and at how its vibrant cuisine has come about,” he says. “I also want to unveil stereotypes people have about the place.”

Travel is also a chance to add to his growing sneaker collection, which is near 300 pairs “I’ve lost count but most of them are Nike,” he says. Clearly, the kicks add some spring to his step.