Short Bites: Dan Stock with Melbourne’s latest food news
A chef serving the best steaks in Berwick branches out in a new suburb and Dan Andrews proves he knows his whisky. Check out Melbourne’s latest openings and food news with Dan Stock.
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For the past few years he’s been serving serious steaks in style at MPD in Berwick, now chef Chris Bonello is doing the same at a brand new outpost in Caulfield.
As with the original, the Caulfield MPD dining room is a modern upgrade to a Zagame Hotel, with co-owner Robert Zagame helping to bring the vision to life.
In the kitchen, Bonello is putting a Josper oven to good use on an extensive menu of namechecked beef – from 250g of Pure Black eye fillet through 1.2kg of Tomahawk on the bone – and the “ultimate surf and turf” where $180 gets you a kilo of tomahawk steak, grilled crayfish and triple cooked chips for two. But it’s in such dishes as his king prawns with Maltese toast, and a steak tartare with 63C egg, where Bonello’s heritage and fine-dining pedigree shine through.
“My family were farmers in Malta, so using produce in season has been ingrained in me from a time when I helped my father harvest crops from the field,” the chef says.
“When we select a producer to feature on our menu we find out every single detail for the full life span of the animal, from what it eats to what happens right up until it gets delivered to us.”
The extensive, forward-looking, wine list is thanks to young gun Marcus Radny, who has poured the drops in some of our top spots (Vue de monde, Royal Mail Hotel) and is now looking after the cellar and lists across the Zagame Corporation venues.
A cocktail list, featuring a liquid nitrogen-powered espresso martini, starts – or finishes – a meal in dramatic fashion.
NEW OPENINGS ACROSS MELBOURNE
Other new openings include UGO in Heidelberg West, housed within the Cannoleria HQ. Offering Italian panini, salads and Symmetry coffee – and freshly filled cannoli, of course – UGO opened at 69 Sheehan Rd, Heidelberg West.
In the Yarra Valley, Rochford Winery has expanded its dining offering, with Il Vigneto joining the winery’s Isabella’s restaurant. Nestled within the winery’s newest plantings of pinot and meaning “the Vineyard Pizzeria”, the casual Italian focused eatery serves food-fired Neapolitan pizza and pasta on Friday nights and throughout the weekend from 11.30am.
In Richmond, Harlow (which many will remember as the old GB hotel) has unveiled a new rooftop bar with space for 200 people, the million-dollar build affording some million-dollar views across Richmond roofs to the city skyline beyond.
While Friday night drinks and late night bites are on the menu, on weekends bottomless boozy brunches get the day under way in fun-in-the-sun style.
Rocco Esposito has opened a pop-up-in-the-park bar version of his Collingwood diner, Rosella, with Bar Rosella in Domain serving Luna prosecco, Grainshaker Vodka Seltzers, Rosella Spritz, Project 49 Chardonnay and picnic boxes that can be pre-ordered to be enjoyed in the Botanic Gardens across the road. The pop-up is a collaboration between Rosella and the new 31 Coventry St project which will house a permanent Bar Rosella tramezzini bar in its lobby.
“The beauty about this is it’s all bite-size Italian style offerings so you don’t have to sit down,” Esposito says.
Frank Camorra’s Bar Tini on Hosier Lane has transformed into a Mexican cantina with Sarai Castillo in the kitchen. Expect empanadas, enchiladas, chilaquiles, tacos and margaritas served Wed-Sat for lunch and dinner.
And in Geelong, Anther Gin opens its anticipated distillery door tomorrow. Set in the historic Federal Mills complex, the multi award-winning distillers and drink makers – husband-and-wife Dervilla McGowan and Sebastian Reaburn – will open Geelong’s first distillery in almost four decades, with distillery tours, guided gin tastings and retail sales Wed through Sat noon-6pm.
Bookings: anther.com.au
WHISKY WINNER
It was the wee dram Dan chose to toast Victoria ending lockdown v 2 – and it seems the Premier has good taste in whisky, as the Starward Tawny single malt he sipped in celebration has just been named the Best Worldwide Whisky at the prestigious Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competiton.
The limited-edition – and sold out – whisky is available at the Port Melbourne distillery door to taste, along with the latest Starwards Project release, a whisky matured in Australian red wine barrels and finished in dessert wine barrels called Dolce.
Starward founder David Vitale said: “World’s Best is an award we’ll wear with a badge of honour and a huge smile. (It shows) that there is a true place in the world for Australian whisky.”
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