Bentleigh’s Sons of Sandwiches will open after lockdown 5.0
Two cafe owners fed up with lockdowns closing their businesses will open a new sandwich shop in this Bayside suburb.
Food
Don't miss out on the headlines from Food. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Lockdown lunch favourite the humble sanga has inspired two Bayside cafe owners’ next business move.
Dean Fourtzis and Rishit Patel will open Sons of Sandwiches in Bentleigh off the back of their successful cafe empire, which includes Stevie Sandringham and Highett’s Sons of Mischief.
Ironically the duo planned to open the “lockdown-proof” business in the same week that Victoria’s Covid-19 restrictions tightened.
“We’re not sure how long these lockdowns will continue, but we want to make a product that’s affordable and accessible to everyone,” Fourtzis said.
Eight sandwich flavours, including vegan and vegetarian options, will be available for takeaway and dine-in (once restrictions lift), including a sandwich-of-the-world special highlighting a different global cuisine.
The signature Hellenic is inspired by Fourtzis’ Greek heritage, and is made from 12-hour slow braised lamb shoulder, rocket, halloumi, capsicum and homemade tzatziki on a toasted baguette.
“I make it at home all the time with my daughter,” Fourtzis said.
“We’ll put it in the slow cooker overnight and she’ll help pull the lamb off the bone. It’s just something we’ve always done together.”
The store’s final location is yet to be determined but Fourtzis said it will be in Bentleigh.
Sandwich production will be at Stevie and be delivered daily to Sons of Sandwiches.
PALEO PIZZAS COME TO KEW
With events taking a back seat in 2021, Melbourne hospo legend Tony Donnini is making good use of the vacant warehouse behind his CRU Wine Bar in Kew.
In September he’ll launch daytime eatery Crudo in the space, feeding pizzas and Italian eats with a paleo bent to nearby offices and the work-from-home crowd.
Donnini recruited original D. O. C pizza chef Davide Picerni to sling nine-inch, lunch-sized pizzas hot from the brick Moretti oven.
Paleo pizza bases made from walnut and chestnut flour will be the star attraction, topped with dietary-friendly ingredients to meet local demand.
Executive chef Sam Green (Bistro D’Orsay, Light Years) continues the plant-forward theme with six salads, sandwiches, wraps and baguettes.
Don’t worry, it’s not all healthy with Publique Bakery on danish and croissant duty of a morning and bomboloni (Italian doughnuts) made in-house.
“We saw a need for a place to get a quick bite where you don’t need to be served at a table,” Donnini said.
“You’ll be able to order online or walk up to the bar and get takeaway, or eat at the communal tables, in a very informal, relaxed way.”
Crudo’s house coffee blend, lighter Italian wines and beer on tap round out the drink selection.
Donnini soon hopes to open a co-working space at the canteen.
GOOD SPIRITS
Whisky lovers can raise a glass to a new 10-day spirit festival to be held next month. Melbourne Whisky Week will host a series of events in the city, suburbs and Mornington Peninsula from August 20-29.
Distillery tours, masterclasses, dinners, trivia nights and a two-day pop-up event Whisky, Spirit and Barrels at Federation Square are among the 40 events taking place. Nikka Whisky, Jimmy Rum and Kinglake Distillery will exhibit.
NEW RESERVATION
Lockdown 5.0 threw a spanner in the works for Melbourne venue openings and events.
Chris Lucas and Martin Benn’s Society was set to open last Thursday, with the team now rescheduling a mountain of bookings for the coming weeks. Friday and Saturday nights are fully booked for August.
Robata, San Telmo Group’s new Japanese charcoal grill restaurant, had also planned to open on the first day of Victoria’s lockdown. No reopening date has been announced.
On the events front, Farmers Daughter’s Alejandro Saravia’s Cafe Series at Evergreen at Crown Melbourne has been rescheduled to October 28 and 29, while Lume X Stokehouse’s Tastes of the Coast dinner by executive chefs Elijah Holland and Jason Staudt has also been pushed back to August 18.
WINE AWARDS
Entries for the 2021 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards are now open. A total of 35 trophies are up for grabs, with new gongs for Champion Victorian Winery, best Victorian chardonnay and best cabernet sauvignon blend. This year, the RMWA will recognise late Dr Anthony Jordan OAM’s lifetime contribution to the wine industry. Entries close August 20. Judging will be conducted from October 11-15, ahead of the award ceremony at the Melbourne Showgrounds on October 21.
Northern suburbs cafe pro debuts ‘grown-up’ brunch and wine hang
The northern suburbs cafe pro behind Terror Twilight, Convoy and Tinker is launching a “grown up” daytime eatery with brunch, wine and a killer vinyl catalogue.
Glam snack gets ‘upper middle bogan’ reboot at trendy izakaya
Tombo Den is everything you’d expect from a Chris Lucas restaurant, with some unexpected snack mash-ups that’ll have you rushing back for another bite.