Meatstock Melbourne – Music and Barbeque Festival, March 17th – 18th

Two huge days celebrating the sweet love of sweet meats, Meatstock Melbourne is back with a capital B not only for BBQ, but for a weekend full of Butchers, Brisket, Burgers, Bourbon, live Bands and lots of craft Beer!

Meatstock Melbourne

With a selection of barbeque themed food trucks, craft breweries and all of the condiments you could possibly want to add to your juicy meats, Meatstock Melbourne is one for not only the meat eaters, but the meat lovers.

If you’re serious about learning how to prepare and cook your own barbeque galore, make sure to check out the impressive timetable of events throughout the two days of a variety of barbeque classes, demonstrations and workshops with special guest appearances by leading international smokin’ Pitmasters, Big Moe Cason and Hillbilly Wes. You can learn from Big Moe himself how to cook ‘low and slow’ Pork Shoulder, Brisket as well as getting first hand cooking tips for backyard and competition barbecue or watch teams battle it out to chop, smoke and grill for the chance to win the Melbourne Barbeque Wars, Melbourne Butcher Wars and Culley’s King of the Cue competition judging the nation’s best Burger, Wings, Steak and Bacon.

Hillbilly Wes_preview

Serving up the meatiest beats and eats, Meatstock Melbourne music and barbeque festival is back for 2018 and the steaks have never been higher!

March 17th and 18th

Melbourne Showgrounds
Tickets on sale now at:

www.meatstock.com.au

$35.00 for a one day day or $55.00 for a weekend super pass, with children under 12 going free with every adult

For more information on how to get to the event:

https://www.melbourneshowgrounds.com/whats-on/events/meatstock/

BBQCooking_MeatstockMelbourne_preview

 

Share and Enjoy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Add to favorites
  • Email

Ratio Cocoa Roasters

If Willy Wonka had a sleek design aesthetic and a fine taste for artisian chocolate sourced from the highest quality of cocoa beans from around the world, this would definitely be his chocolate factory.

Ratio Cocoa Roasters, chocolate roastery and cafe has just opened its doors on Sydney Road Brunswick, giving the opportunity for chocoholics and foodies alike to gain a close insight into their specialty small batch chocolate creations, offering intimate tasting tours through the ten step chocolate making process, guiding you from bean to bar.

Cocoa beans - the start of the chocolate making process

Cocoa beans – the start of the chocolate making process

Discover your preferred chocolate flavour profile with the Ratio Roastery Chocolate factory tour

Discover your preferred chocolate flavour profile with the Ratio Roastery Chocolate factory tour

Book in for a behind the scenes chocolate factory tour including delicious tastings for $10 here

Or visit their gorgeous store to shop their selection of chocolate bars before hitting the café for a hot or iced chocolate with one of their delectable sweet treats like the Anzac Marshmallow Sandwich, Earl Grey Truffle or house-made raspberry marshmallow.

Sweet Chocolate treats served in the Ratio cafe

Sweet Chocolate treats served in the Ratio cafe

Debbie Makin – Ratio business owner handing out a selection of her delectable chocolate treats!

Debbie Makin – Ratio business owner handing out a selection of her delectable chocolate treats!

 

The chocolate specially crafted for Melbourne!

The chocolate specially crafted for Melbourne!

Ratio Cocoa Roasters

186 Sydney Road, Brunswick

www.ratiococoa.com.au

Share and Enjoy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Add to favorites
  • Email

Flavourhood Tours – Sydney Road Food Tour Melbourne

Flavourhood tours is a comprehensive, fun and incredibly fulfilling (pun intended) day out exploring a prime example of Melbourne’s bustling inner city suburbia with plenty to offer in sensory delights offering you tasty and knowledgeable experiences whether you are from out of town or opening your eyes to being a tourist in your own city.

Whether you’re from Austria, Adelaide or Abbotsford, for a wonderful insight into the best of Melbourne’s melting pot of sights, sounds and tastes, for something extremely authentic and unique, look beyond the CBD to Melbourne’s longest continuous shopping strip, Sydney Road. I used to think the peak of Sydney Road’s excitement was merely the offering of hip live music venues and alternative bars that would appear randomly between the plethora of discount $2 shops, kebab stops, glitzy wedding dress stores, fruit markets and Franco Cozzo, but Flavourhood Tours provided me with an unforgettable experience that opened my eyes to discover that there is So. Much. More.

The grand antipasto spread specially prepared and served for our tour group at Meditteranean Wholesalers

The grand antipasto spread specially prepared and served for our tour group at Meditteranean Wholesalers

Come prepared with comfy shoes and an empty stomach and the delightful Raffaela takes care of the rest. I met Raffaela and the rest of my tour group at Coburg library greeted by a goodie bag including information and coupons which were of great value to look back on and remember all the places I had visited after the tour ended. The tour commenced with a short walk to Zaatar Bakery where we were greeted with a grand feast featuring a classic Lebanese breakfast spread. Whilst joyfully munching away, one of the owners, Jeff provided us with some background information on the history of Zaatar, where the food was sourced (their imported Lebanese olives are a must try!) as well as how food is made and prepared on site. This generous and insightful start to the day serves as a great example of what to expect throughout the four hour long tour as you are guided through the local area with six main stops in addition to many interesting points of interest along the way.

Classic Lebanese breakfast spread at Zaatar Bakery

Classic Lebanese breakfast spread at Zaatar Bakery

As part of the tour I went on, some of our stops included Vasili’s Garden and café where local celebrity gardener and star of the channel 31 and channel 7 tv show ‘Vasili’s Garden’, Vasili himself served us Turkish coffee and Greek sweets whilst walking us through his garden and plant store and took the time to answer everyone’s gardening questions with personalized advice.

Vasili providing his ever valuable gardennng advice at Vasili’s Garden and café

Vasili providing his ever valuable gardening advice at Vasili’s Garden and café

I liked that there was absolutely never pressure or even expectation to purchase goods along the tour at any of the stops. The tour was all inclusive and all aspects of the tour were well thought out and taken care of, from a breakfast feast to an abundance of delicious bites and snacks along the way to myki fares and take home goodies, all provided for. We ate the best falafel I have ever eaten, (now I understand why it is known as best falafel in Melbourne) tried an exotic Columbian herbal tea as well as a selection of Italian and Columbian sweets, sampled wines and a grand assortment of Mediterranean cold cut meats in addition to finishing off the day with a ‘Brunswick blessing’ and a Brunswick brew relaxing in the sun, content as can be in our food coma states.

Owner of Half Moon Cafe Nabil Hassan talking us through his famous falafel

Owner of Half Moon Cafe Nabil Hassan talking us through his famous falafel

Dulce de leche scrolls and Yerba Mate at Neruda's Brunswick

Dulce de leche scrolls and Yerba Mate at Neruda’s Brunswick

Not to mention for those who may not be as extensively excited by culinary delights as me, the tour goes beyond food and covers many fascinating and treasured points of interests along the way. Not only did we receive some valuable information on where to buy the cheapest and comfiest custom pair of jeans in Melbourne to where you can purchase hand-made customised shoes to the story behind the original Australian Ugg boots brand, the history of Sydney Road as well as some Sydney Road movie location trivia.

Shelves brimming with Italian sweets at Trivelli Cakes

Shelves brimming with Italian sweets at Trivelli Cakes

Flavourhood tours provides an in-depth and well thought out tour that covers an extensive collection of local treasures that leaves you feeling extremely full and extremely inspired. You leave the end of the tour feeling like a true local, equipped with a memorable collection of places to return to and familiar faces at each store to stop by and speak to again.

Flavourhood tours hosts 4 hour small group tours on Saturdays throughout the year.

Price: $99 inclusive of breakfast and generous tastings and bites at 6 locations throughout the tour, take home samples and myki fares for travelling on the duration of the tour.

Book online at www.flavourhoodtours.com.au

Share and Enjoy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Add to favorites
  • Email

Melbourne Dining Review – Kolache Cravings

I now believe that when Sir Mix-A-Lot claimed he ‘don’t want none unless you’ve got buns, hun’ he was clearly talking about the need to satisfy his craving for the soft, semi-sweet buns of dough filled with sweet or savoury fillings, served at ‘Kollache Cravings’.

Kolache Cravings Micro Bakery & Cafe

Kolache Cravings Micro Bakery & Cafe

New micro bakery Kolache Cravings serves its star product and namesake, the Czech and Texan fusion baked treat. Originating from the Czech Republic, kollaches later rose to popularity in Texas once the traditional recipe was tweaked to begin introducing both sweet and savoury fillings as well as experimenting with the fillings by using modern flavours.

Open Plan Bakery at Kolache Cravings

Flavours of the Day at Kolache Cravings

Flavours of the Day at Kolache Cravings

After living in Texas, owners Phil and Nona Wallis managed to find a rare void in what the Melbourne food scene was missing. Setting up shop in High Street Preston in January 2016, introducing kolaches to Melbourne alongside freshly baked cakes, danishes, croissants, muffins and tarts partnered with quality specialty coffee by Decoy Roasters. Paying close attention to the popular tastes and well-loved flavours preferred by Melbournians, Kolache Cravings aren’t shy to experiment with their ever-changing selection of fillings, churning out dozens of freshly baked goods from their open plan bakery throughout the day.

Kolache Cravings Micro Bakery & Cafe

Kolache Cravings Micro Bakery & Cafe

While the assortment of fillings may keep you guessing, the quality and winning recipe for the softest, freshest buns remains consistent. So whether your passing by for a chorizo and cheese or a strawberry and cream cheese kolache, I would recommend passing by to satisfy your savoury or sweet craving.

 

Kollache Cravings

105 High Street

Preston, 3072

(03) 9495 0706

Facebook

Instagram

 

Kolache Cravings Cafe & Bakery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Share and Enjoy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Add to favorites
  • Email

The Good Food and Wine Show – Melbourne 2015

Explore, taste and learn the latest trends in cooking, eating and drinking from hundreds of local and international exhibitors, chefs and restaurateurs at The Good Food and Wine Show on during this Queen’s Birthday long weekend in Melbourne.

Some of the highlights this year include a great number of sessions, masterclasses and demonstrations covering not only food but wine, beer and cider. Visit the Cellar Door for informative sessions on wine, whether learning about different varieties and wine regions or engage in wine pairing sessions at the Dan Murphy’s Discover Centre. Don’t despair if you are not a wine drinker, just walk on down to learn about the latest trends and flavours in beer and cider at the Dan Murphy’s Beer and Cider Hall.

Visitors will have the opportunity to see, learn from and even meet some of the very best chefs and restaurateurs including Ainsley Harriott, Adam Liaw, Miguel Maestre, Sarah Wilson and Melbourne local favourites Frank Comorra (of MoVida) and Joe Grbac (of Saint Crispin). Lovers of Italian cuisine must check out the Gusto Italiano Masterclasses where you can learn how to make the perfect pizza crust from the chefs of DOC Pizza or for new ideas for your mid-week dinner planes, visit the Laucke Creative Kitchen to learn recipes from the 2011 My Kitchen Rules winners Sammy & Bella. Don’t forget to graze your way through the many exhibitors to see and taste new products and dishes and fill up your own stomachs with the offerings from the street food vendors and food trucks.

The Good Food and Wine Show will be on at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from Friday 5th June through to Monday 8th June. Tickets available via the website.

goodfoodshow.com.au

Times:

Friday 5th June: 10am – 6pm

Saturday 6th June:          10am – 6pm

Sunday 7th June:             10am – 6pm

Monday 8th June:           10am – 5pm

Where:

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

2 Clarendon Street

South Wharf, Victoria

Share and Enjoy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Add to favorites
  • Email

Taste of Melbourne 2014

Taste of Melbourne is a four day celebration serving up the best offerings from Melbourne’s exuberant dining scene. Join like-minded foodies in a fun and casual, festival-like atmosphere with the opportunity to try the top selection of signature dishes on offer from a wide selection of the most popular dining locations, in and around the city of Melbourne. Every foodie’s one stop spot to sample the outstanding array of signature dishes on offer from Melbourne’s hottest eateries, participate in food , beer and wine workshops, cooking demonstrations and classes and interact with and learn from the creative and prominent chefs behind the delicious culinary creations.

Just to start those taste buds dancing, here is just a small selection of the dining pop ups that will be present and the dishes that will be served up throughout the event:

Soft Shell Crab Souvlaki by Gazi

Soft Shell Crab Souvlaki by Gazi*

Wallaby Buns by Sake

Wallaby Buns by Sake*

Chargrilled Corn by Mamasita

Chargrilled Corn by Mamasita*

Lobster Rolls by Mr Claws

Lobster Rolls by Mr Claws*

Taste of Melbourne 2014 runs midday and evening sessions from Thursday, November 16 to Sunday, November 19th at Pelican Lawn, Albert Park Lake.

Tickets from $25, now available online from Ticketek, or available for purchase at the gates.

Full schedules, booking details and ticket information can be found on the Taste of Melbourne website:

www.tasteofmelbourne.com.au

Facebook.com/tasteofmelbourne |Twitter/Instagram: @tasteofmelbourne

*Images provided by Taste Festivals Limited ®

Share and Enjoy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Add to favorites
  • Email

Coburg Drive-In Food Truck Festival

Image Via.

Image Via.

When popcorn and choc tops get a little boring my friends and I set a challenge for ourselves, what is the most crazy and delicious ‘outside food’ we can get away with bringing into a cinema? Pizza? Burgers? Burritos? Chicken? Churros?

Coburg drive-in cinema is now providing movie-goers with an ‘outside food’ free-for-all, offering the most tasty movie time bites at their monthly food truck festival, once a month during July, August and September on Wednesday nights from 5.30 starting tonight!

Grab a carload of friends, and purchase a ticket to any of the movie sessions playing on the night to join in the fun and watch a flick (or two) on the largest screens in the Southern Hemisphere from the comfort of your own car (car boot pillow forts optional) while chewing on your favourite foods from Iv’s Burritos, Mr Burger, Nandos, Señor Churro, Nem N’ Nem Vietnamese Hawker Kitchen and Señor BBQ.

Coburg Drive-In Food Truck Festival

Where: Coburg Drive-In, 155 Newlands Rd, Coburg VIC. 

When: From 5.30pm on Wednesday 30th July, 27th August and 24th September

Price: $17.50 each or $40 for a carload

Wednesday 30th July 2014 from 5:30pm

Share and Enjoy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Add to favorites
  • Email

Melbourne Dining Review – Rumi, Brunswick East

If I told you I went to a Middle Eastern restaurant on Lygon Street Brunswick, my guess is that your first question would be ‘which one?’ There are quite a few of Middle Eastern restaurants along Lygon Street Brunswick, but in my opinion, what makes Rumi a stand out was the sophisticated, clean and modern set up, attentive service and wonderfully rich yet homely meals, (also there were no belly dancers or sequinned draped fabrics in sight).

From the eye-catching signage highlighting the restaurant’s name “Rumi’ to the sleek, modern interior of this restaurant, Rumi was impressive, and I am happy to say this feeling remained for the rest of my visit on a Wednesday night. I could not fault the attentive service from our waiter Rose, she was very knowledgeable about the dishes, asked if we had any dietary requirements or intolerences and made very helpful recommendations on how the chefs would alter the dishes to work around this. She was friendly and accommodating, she provided good recommendations on which dishes and wines to order and frequently came over to ensure we were looked after and our water cups were kept full! She was fantastic.

We ordered Sigara, cigar shaped pastries filled with three cheeses (haloumi, feta and kasseri), these were very creamy, rich and salty encased in a crisp and light pastry.

Sigara-at-Rumi

Sigara at Rumi

The meatballs were a little more fatty than ideal but were covered in a delicious, rich tomato based sauce. The chicken kebab was a little dry and bland, however once again helped by the spices and nuts added.

Chicken Kebabs and Meatballs at Rumi

Chicken Kebabs and Meatballs at Rumi

The fried cauliflower was  sweet and tastefully seasoned with spices and nuts. The spiced lamb shoulder was the standout, don’t let the dark, charred appearance fool you, one stroke of a fork reveals incredibly soft and tender, fall-of-the-bone deliciousness!

Fried Cauliflower and Spiced Lamb Shoulder at Rumi

Fried Cauliflower and Spiced Lamb Shoulder at Rumi

The pricing was reasonable but I found the larger meals (like the lamb shoulder) of much greater value and good pricing in comparison to the prices charged for the smaller dishes (like the sigara) which were a little pricey for the small servings. We ended the night with a serving of Turkish Delight which was very nice also, the rosewater flavour was not too overpowering and they were not overly sweet to the point of being sickening.

Turkish-Delight-at-Rumi

A wonderful dining experience overall, where an outstanding variety of dishes on offer, impeccable service and a lovely atmosphere make Rumi the Middle Eastern restaurant in Lygon Street, Brunswick with the most flair.

Rumi on Urbanspoon

Share and Enjoy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Add to favorites
  • Email

Melbourne International Coffee Expo 2014 (MICE 2014)

Image Via Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE 2014)

Image Via Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE 2014)

Melbourne coffee lovers, get excited!

You’ve sipped on lattes, sampled filter brews and downed shots of espresso and now the time has come for a sensory celebration of all the very best in the bean scene with Australia’s largest dedicated coffee event!

The Melbourne International Coffee Expo 2014 (MICE 2014) is being held from 15 – 18 May, 2014. From all your favourite coffee roasters and coffee beans to coffee-brewing equipment along with the chance to learn some of the tricks and techniques to help perfect your coffee making skills, you can find it all at MICE, which has become one of the world’s leading coffee expos. Whether you are looking to perfect your own barista skills or watch the best battle it out at one of the three global competitive events that MICE is proudly hosting this year, the World Cup Tasters Championship, the World Latte Art Championship (because froth never looked so good) and the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship (coffee and alcohol, need I say more?) join your fellow caffeine addicts at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo open to the public this weekend, 17th – 18th May at the Melbourne Showgrounds on Epsom Road, Ascot Vale.

Head to the internationalcoffeeexpo.com to register your attendance and see what all the caffeinated induced buzz is about!

For more information, take a look at the official event brochure here or plan your day with the official event schedule.

SATURDAY 17TH MAY
10am – 5:30pm (open to public)

SUNDAY 18TH MAY
10am – 4pm (open to public)

Image Via Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE 2014)

Image Via Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE 2014)

Share and Enjoy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Add to favorites
  • Email

Melbourne Dining Review – Zingara Cafe Thornbury

Zingara Café is an understated gem in High Street, Thornbury.  It was recently closed for renovations over the Christmas period and reopened with a new, brighter interior space, a woodfire pizza oven and a gelato display freezer. While they made some exciting additions to the menu, thankfully they still serve up the much-loved, popular dishes that keep their customers returning time and time again. While I haven’t yet tried their gelato, I can say that their wood fire pizzas were delicious. Thin, crisp bases, loaded with a wonderful selection of traditional Italian toppings. Everyone’s favourite was the ‘Panna e Pancetta’, a cream base with Marscapone, Fior di Latte Mozzarella, Pancetta, Mushrooms and Sundried Cherry Tomatoes.

In addition to the woodfire pizza, I find it hard to go past my top three ‘must-have’ dishes which I highly recommend at Zingara:

Arancini:

I’m biased because I will always rate my own Nonna’s Arancini as the best every single time, however, these Arancini are one of the closest I have so far found to be up there with the best. The breadcrumb crust is fried perfectly, light and crispy and not greasy or thick, just enough to hold the rice ball together until you are ready to cut it open and make way for the oozing hot explosion of cheese and Bolognese risotto inside. The Arancini balls are served with an intense, rich Napoli or Bolognese sauce and flakes of Parmesan cheese to add an extra dose of the sharp tastes from this dish.

Arancini at Zingara Cafe

Arancini at Zingara Cafe

Calamari:

There is no stringy, chewy calamari here! Photos simply don’t do this dish justice, because despite my best attempts at tryign to make thiI can confidently say that Zingara serves up THE best calamari I have tasted in Melbourne so far. The strips of marinated lemon and pepper squid are incredibly tender and so buttery soft they simply melt in your mouth which each savouring bite.

Risotto Amaretto:

The description of the pumpkin risotto on the menu sounded like nothing special, if anything, at first it sounded a little odd, ‘butternut pumpkin cooked in a butter & cream sauce finished with crumbed amaretto, coffee & parmesan crisps’. However this is one flavour experiment that sounds so wrong but works to make it so right. The creaminess of the pumpkin and cream sauce with the sweet, sugary crunch of the amaretto biscuits set off by the aromatic smell and bitter and toasty twist provided by the sprinkle of coffee beans is a flavour combination that risotto lovers have to try at least once!

Risotto Amaretto at Zingara Cafe

Risotto Amaretto at Zingara Cafe

Open Monday to Sunday for breakfast and lunch as well as Wednesday to Saturday for dinner, Zingara serve up a variety of both traditional Italian meals (particularly recipes from Venice) and popular, modern favourites that are great for sharing.  That is, only if you can fight the urge to consume the whole plate of calamari yourself!

Zingara cafe on Urbanspoon

Share and Enjoy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Add to favorites
  • Email