Short Bites: Kara Irving with Melbourne’s latest food news

An ex-Coda chef’s new southeast Asian eatery should be at the top of your to-visit list in regional Victoria. More food news with Kara Irving.

A weekend away in country Victoria will be up there on every Melburnian’s to-do list after travel restrictions end.

Goulburn Valley’s Trawool Estate not only has fancy new accommodation to show off, but was slated to open its new on-site restaurant Turbine on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.

Executive chef Eric Kwek will now launch his southeast Asian outfit on July 1.

The ex-Coda chef also helms Wild Water, the estate’s paddock-to-plate restaurant, but has taken a different approach with Turbine’s cuisine.

Turbine is the new restaurant at Trawool Estate, with ex-Coda chef Eric Kwek at the kitchen’s helm and Jess Chiapolino behind the bar. Picture: Rebecca Michael.

“We wanted to offer something that was new, innovative and something that I could speak to – and that was Singaporean food,” Kwek said.

“I wanted to follow the example of Wild Water’s concept as well, and infuse modern Asian food with native Australian ingredients.”

Kwek hails from Singapore, and wanted his favourite childhood meal to appear at Turbine.

“I put my mum’s Malay-style chicken curry on the menu. This recipe reflects a lot of my cultural background. We’d always have this meal on special occasions like Chinese New Year, at Christmas and on birthdays.”

Thai flavours, inspired by Kwek’s time at Long Chim with Australian’s champion of Thai cuisine David Thompson, as well as Chinese, Indonesian and Filipino tastes will also feature.

While Turbine will largely offer a la carte, there’ll be a focus on share-style plates which will include curries such as Sumatran and the Thai-leaning khao soi lamb, as well as barbecued seafood.

Once restrictions ease, Kwek hopes Melburnians – and even Trawool locals – eat more widely in regional Victoria.

“One of Covid’s silver linings for the restaurant industry has been that it’s introduced more city folk to regional towns,” he said.

“It’s allowed Melburnians to find more premium venues to experience, and realise that (regional Victoria) has the same quality food as Melbourne.”

Turbine at Trawool Estate opens for dinner Thursday to Sunday, and Saturday lunches.

The Flying Zucchinis Vic Wetherall and Caity Meyer now sell winter meal kits through their vegetable delivery box service. Picture: Jason Edwards.

VEGGIES FLY OUT THE DOOR

Here’s a challenge – name your new veggie box business without using buzzwords like “fresh” or “delicious”.

Vic Wetherall wanted a striking name for her food delivery service, but wasn’t sold on her mum’s suggestion of The Flying Zucchinis.

“The name was the hardest thing to decide on,” Wetherall said.

“At first I hated the name, but in 24 hours I was hooked.”

The Flying Zucchinis – inspired by the Muppets parody of Italian human cannonball act the Zacchini Brothers – blasted into the homes of Victorians last March.

For months its been filling our fridges and fruit bowls with fresh produce and, in oddly convenient timing, launched its new Winter Warmer Meal Kits at the start of Victoria’s fourth lockdown.

Wetherall and her business partner Caity Meyer also started a pay-it-forward scheme around the same time, which saw more than 250 veggie boxes donated to people in need and about 30 to a Sunshine women’s refuge.

The veg-focused, pre-portioned meals can be made in less than one hour, with new recipes released weekly over winter.

The Flying Zucchinis and Gewurzhaus Spice Merchants created recipes including spiced roasted pumpkin, minestrone soup and a roasted rainbow salad.

While the meal-kits are vegetarian, an optional protein can be added.

“As the bread and butter of our businesses was fruit and vegetables, we wanted to double down on that,” Wetherall said.

“We have a young demographic and most of our customers value sustainability, are vegetable eaters and people who want to cut down on their meat intake.”

Subscribe to The Flying Zucchinis Winter Warmers Meal Kits to receive a weekly delivery for $25 for four serves or $45 for eight serves. theflyingzucchinis.com

Bocuse D'or has been postponed until August 2021.

BOCUSE ON BACKBURNER

Australia’s food Olympics, the Bocuse d’Or Australia, has been postponed.

The esteemed cooking competition, whose past entrants include chefs George Calombaris, Scott Pickett and Joseph Vargetto, will now be on August 24, instead of June 27.

The event is part of the Foodservice Australia trade exhibition, which has been postponed until August 24-26 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Three of the four finalists competing are Victorian: Leslie Chan, Paul Golding and Alex McIntosh.

The winning chef and commi teams will compete in the Bocuse d’Or Asia-Pacific and, if they place in the top five, will go on to compete in Lyon, France.

bocusedoraustralia.com.au

Atiyah will be selling $5 flatbread to celebrate its carbon emission saving target.

MIGHTY MILESTONE

Putting on the comfy pants to watch TV was as much as many could muster in lockdown 4.0. But Federation Square’s zero-carbon street food kitchen atiyah reached a momentous milestone.

Since opening last November, the eco-smart Lebanese diner has saved more than 10,000kg of carbon emissions – the equivalent of removing eight passenger cars from our roads in one year.

The restaurant uses a life-cycle assessment to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions of every meal and drink sold.

To celebrate, co-founder Ben Armstrong will sell his signature cheesy manakish (flatbread) for $5 on Thursday, June 17.

atiyah.life

Sydney rock oyster purveyors East 33 has released its winter collection.

WINTER TREAT

Sydney oyster purveyor East 33 has released its winter 2021 collection, and in timely fashion, is extending its lockdown offer of next-day, free delivery for metro Melburnians until Saturday.

Head of farming’s Steve Verdich said oysters were more flavour-packed and at their richest and creamiest between June and August.

The winter collection oysters are sourced from East 33 farms along New South Wales’ central and southern coasts.

East 33 winter collection includes two dozen shucked or unshucked oysters from two regions for $69 or three regions for $99.

east33.sydney