Best places to eat and drink in Melbourne and Victoria
From a total Gippsland town takeover of foodie faves to a rollicking fried chicken sandwich, here are the best places to eat and drink this weekend.
Eating Out
Don't miss out on the headlines from Eating Out. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Whether a day trip to the country to fill up on art or glorious Gippsland produce, a rollicking fried chicken sandwich or baked treats good for both heart and soul, here are Dan Stock’s top picks of where to eat and drink this weekend
MORE FOOD:
REVIEW: TOURISTS, ON BEHALF OF MELBOURNE I’M SORRY
IS BLUMENTHAL’S NEW VENTURE HIS CRAZIEST YET?
AFL STARS WORKING IN MELBOURNE RESTAURANTS, BARS
FOR A TASTE OF COUNTRY LIFE
It’s going to be the tastiest town in Victoria — well on Saturday, at least. The tiny town of Jindivick will, for one day, be transformed into a food lover’s playground for The Village Feast.
Postponed for two weeks due to the Bunyip bushfire, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival event is a total town takeover when some of Victoria’s best chefs and restaurants head to the country to make the most of the best Gippsland produce.
George Calombaris will be there judging the CWA cakes, chutneys and beers, so, too will Matt Moran who’ll join forces with Sue Goodwin — who runs the only restaurant in town — for a cooking collaboration that celebrates the best of simple country fare.
Jaci Hicken from Jacican cooking school in Mirboo North will be making old-school lolly bags and musk sticks at the Milk Bar, there’ll be a Dispensary for cocktails from Loch Distillery, a bakery with cakes by Tamsin’s Table, and a pub, of course, pouring local brews and wines.
Shannon Martinez (Smith & Daughters) will run the greengrocers, while Victor Liong (Lee Ho Fook) will bring the traditional country Chinese restaurant to life.
An animal nursery and rides will keep kids happy and live music will keep the good times going long into the night.
A percentage of ticket sales will be donated to the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund.
Tickets to The Village Feast are $25 adults, under 12 free but need ticket. Visit MFWF.com.au
FOR A VERY SWEET CAUSE
Chefs from some of our best restaurants are getting together to bake their best to raise money for the victims of the Christchurch terror attack.
At Ben Shewry’s Attica on Saturday you’ll find Andrew McConnell cheesecakes and Neil Perry mascarpone treats and Attica’s famous Vegemite scrolls — along with a dozen others in the trade who will be donating their time, food and drink so every dollar raised will go those in NZ affected by the attack.
Our message is simple, Ben says. “Don’t hate. Appreciate.”
From 9am until sold out at 74 Glen Eira Rd, Ripponlea. Cash only.
FOR AN ARTS FILLED FEAST
The biennial Castlemaine State Festival is in full swing, with the historic Goldfields town transformed into an arts playground until Sunday night.
And once you’ve had your fill of visiting artists’ studios or seeing a performance at the Theatre Royal or the Town Hall you’ll need something to eat and drink.
The Emprye Hotel (68 Mostyn St) has recently opened its dining room up to non-guests and this week is open every night — with lunches on weekends, too — serving a homely Greek menu of saganaki with figs and Castlemaine honey, slow-roasted lamb and chicken baked with lemon, olive and rice.
Perfect with a glass of Bress wine from down the road in Harcourt.
Castlemaine is blessed with pubs that punch well above their weight when it comes to a feed. The Railway (65 Gingell St) is renowned for its curries (and a parma that’s hard to beat) served in its quaint, cosy 19th century dining rooms, while The Bridge (21 Walker St) has a cracking beer garden for when the sun’s shining and a great new chef serving a menu of innovative hits — lamb kofta and tempura broccolini and housemade pork calabresa — to get stuck into. Stick around for a post dinner gig.
Fancy a pizza? Bella Fresca serves excellent wood-fired beauties (219 Barker St) while Taste of The Orient (233 Barker St) serves delicious dim sims and dumplings made from free range meats and organic ingredients.
Of course, you might just want to sit in the sun at the Theatre Royal’s Aperol Bar and drink in the colour of the town in full arts flight.
FOR A ROCKING CHICKEN SANDWICH
It’s billed as “the ultimate fried chicken sandwich” which took Sydney by storm last year — now the love child of Belle’s Hot Chicken and PappaRich Malaysian restaurant has become a permanent menu item on the PappaRich menu here.
Sandwiched between fluffy Hainan bread you’ll find Belle’s signature crunchy fried chicken along with coconut vinegar-dressed Malaysian slaw and squirt of hot sauce that delivers a lingering tickle of heat, the ultimate sandwich is now available every PappaRich restaurant. papparich.net.au
MORE DAN STOCK:
WOULD YOU EAT THE SOFT SEXY BITS OF A SEA URCHIN?