If the history of international eating has taught us anything, it’s this: when two discrete cuisines love each other enough to form a lasting, respectful bond, they often give birth to a dazzling new world of flavour. This year’s Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is chock-full with dazzling flavour, and it’s also rich with cross-cultural collaborations. Some are inspired by the pages of food history, others are more speculative (and set in space, for example), but all are delicious in the extreme. Check them out and get booking below.
Tacos and Toum
Are you familiar with the threads of Middle Eastern culture that are woven through the majestic tapestry of the cuisines of Mexico? Are you ready for the deliciousness of tacos de canasta with prawn, potato, toum and salsa verde? How about goat kibbeh with Oaxacan cheese, labne and sumac? And are you ready to receive it all for the sum total of zero dollars?
Wednesday 26 March, Wesley Place, 130 Lonsdale St, Melbourne
ThaizaKAYa
A love letter to the international influences that have found their way into Thai cuisine, cooked over fire by Kay Plunkett-Hogge and Bar Spontana’s own Pipat “Noom” Yodmunee.
Thursday 27 March, Bar Spontana, 4 Saxon St, Brunswick
Sake and Skewers: Tokyo Meets Tuscany
Imagine the seductive allure of a Tokyo izakaya seamlessly blended with the rustic charm of an Italian trattoria; a sensory journey that spans two continents. This Festival, The Cordial Club pairs the art of Japanese yakitori with the robust, hearty flavours of Tuscan cuisine. No skewer would be complete without the perfect complementary drink, and The Cordial Club’s mixologists have a lineup of sake and sake-based cocktails to match. The soundtrack for the evening will blend the futuristic soundscapes of Tokyo with the cool, laid-back grooves of Italian nightlife.
Thursday 27 March, The Cordial Club, 44 Oxford St, Collingwood
Gaucho Bebop
Gaucho Bebop is a playful nod to the Japanese anime show Cowboy Bebop, a neo-noir space western known for its unique blend of genres. This Festival, the Bebop is all about intertwining San Telmo’s bold Argentinian roots with Robata’s vibrant, electric Japanese super-city aesthetic.
Wednesday 26 March, Robata, 2 Exhibition St, Melbourne
Noodles x Pasta
Enough to bring a tear to Marco Polo’s eye. Celebrate the similarities and differences between noodles and pasta when Sydney’s Paski Vineria Popolare comes to Bar Spontana.
Sunday 23 March, Bar Spontana, 4 Saxon St, Brunswick
Yum Cha à la Française
Experience the fusion of France and China together in a yum cha banquet with a twist. Expect duck à l’orange wontons, beef Bourguignon char siu bao, XO beef tartare, French onion xiaolongbao and much more.
Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 March, L’Hotel Gitan, 32 Commercial Rd, Prahran
Westside Wanders: St Albans
Likely the only food tour to stop for Iraqi, Vietnamese, and Balkan eats in one delicious neighbourhood stroll, and a wonderful way to acquaint yourself with one the most vibrant suburbs in Melbourne’s west.
Saturday 29 March, St Albans Market, 3 Saint Albans Rd, St Albans
Askal x Barra
It’s the Philippines and Peru all on one table as chefs Alejandro Saravia (Morena, Barra, Farmer’s Daughters) and Askal’s Jon Rivera explore the parallels between their respective culinary heritage.
Saturday 29 March, Barra, 73 Little Collins St, Melbourne
Dim City
We’ve invited three of Melbourne’s freshest and most imaginative chefs to put their own spin on the dim sim for 2025. You’ll have the chance to try dim sim remixes by celebrated author Rosheen Kaul, by John Rivera, the brains behind Kariton Sorbetes and Askal restaurant, and from Moon Mart chef and co-owner Eun Hee An. Best of all, it’s free.
Friday 28 March, Emporium Melbourne, 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne
By Frank Sweet