Darwin Food Dude
NATHANIEL CHAMBERS
APAIR of Darwin foodies have brought food blogging to Darwin to help promote local businesses. Locals Kevin Phan and Breanna Kerle have combined their love of food and their media expertise to develop Darwin Food Dude, a social media account that every Darwin food lover should know about.
Darwin Food Dude aims to promote local Darwin restaurants and get their followers interested in going out to try local cuisine.
“You look at foodie accounts down south that sometimes have hundreds of thousands of people following,” said Ms Kerle.
“We aspired to that but knew it would be hard to get in Darwin. It’s a great way for us as young people to talk about the Darwin food scene.”
While Darwin may seem lacking in food options compared to bigger Australian cities, Darwin Food Dude have managed to sniff out plenty of hidden gems.
The pair have tried what Darwin has to offer from the sweet to the spicy, and everything in between. Doing so has certainly helped them suss out a few of their favourite venues.
“My tastes change all the time. I’m really
into pizza, so my current favourite would be either Alfonsino’s or even Frankie’s Pizza,” said Mr Phan.
“Just recently my favourite has been the Spice Garden Eating House. They’ve got so many vegan option, and so many vegetarian options,” said Ms Kerle.
The pair are also big fans of Ray’s Patisserie, formally Alley Cats, known for their massive, extreme milkshakes which draw just as many photos as they do customers.
Darwin Food Dude try to never post a negative review. They make sure they actually enjoy a business’s food when they promote it. They’ve recently started video blogging and are reaching a larger crowd than ever before.
“I noticed people are really paying attention,” said Ms Kerle.
“I had this one girl say ‘I saw you ate this at the Mindil Markets. What was that?’ We found our videos much more effective on social media for us and the business.”
A social media presence is incredibly important for businesses these days. The pair believe that Darwin restaurants underestimate the power of having a digital space.
“We aim to promote local restaurants,” said Mr Phan.
“We try to make people go out and try local food and go to local events. Just go out and enjoy the food scene.”
Follow Darwin Food Dude on Facebook and Instagram.