Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
After going digital in 2020, the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is back with a finger-lickin’ live program,
Leaving last year’s lockdown-induced digital program in the annals of Pandemic Pivots, MFWF (melbourne foodandwine.com.au) bounced back IRL with a slate of sell-out happenings in March. The winter edition will run from 20 to 29 August, with ticketed and free events across the city and pop-ups at festival HQ in the Queen Victoria Markets. Don’t even try to resist our pick of the food fest’s best.
The Convenient Store
Part gourmet grab-and-go, part tribute to the Japanese convenience store, this spin on the local shop doesn’t stock any out-of-date snacks or regrettable sausage rolls. Instead, there’s the Supernormal version of Japan’s famed egg sandos and a takeaway rendition of the eatery’s katsu sando, and The Motherlode – a sandwich made with every cut of deli meat in the surrounding Queen Victoria Market that MFWF’s creative director, Pat Nourse, calls “the love child of a muffuletta and a Conti roll” (pictured). Plus, you can pick up treats such as Dainty Sichuan hot sauce, pop tarts from Falco bakery and bottled cocktails by Bar Americano.
High Steaks
Put your out of office on – there’s no coming back from the long lunches scheduled for the festival’s two Fridays, when 10 of the city’s finest diners – Bar Margaux, Chancery Lane, Epocha, The European, Farmer’s Daughters, Grossi Grill, La Luna Bistro, The Prince Dining Room, Rockpool Bar & Grill and San Telmo – serve up menus that all start with a Martini and include a juicy steak. Bookings essential.
The Remixed Grill
The Aussie barbie gets a little bit fancy at this family-friendly all-day event, with Firedoor’s Lennox Hastie manning the sausage sizzle and a sneak peek of the fare that seafood specialist Josh Niland will be slinging at his new casual Sydney spot, Charcoal Fish (see page 026). Kids will love toasting marshmallows, parents will go for the price of entry (it’s free) and drinking by the campfire, and anyone who comes hungry will appreciate the smoky surprises from Melbourne chefs such as Shane Delia, Andrew McConnell and Tina Li.