There’s plenty of news to digest in Melbourne’s food and drink scene; so much so that keeping up with the goings on might sometimes feel overwhelming. But we’ve got the cure for what ails you – or at least your attention span – with Melbourne and Victoria’s latest served up hot, fresh and fast.
An Entrecôte experience for just $10? Here’s how it’s done
Prahran’s Parisian powerhouse turns 10, and they’re celebrating with a series of hallmark dishes priced at just $10. We’re talking $10 escargots baked in garlic and herb butter, $10 spicy and beefy croquettes, $10 caviar bumps if that’s more your lane, and $10 Entrecôte cheeseburgers – a dish essential to any adventure at the Greville Street institution.
The exceptionally affordable menu runs for 10 days beginning on Friday 24 April, and coincides with the launch of Jason Jones’s book Entrecôte: Depuis 2015.
Walk-ins only. Entrecote is open 12pm until late daily.
Bar Rochford comes to Gerald’s Bar for one night only
Here’s a rare opportunity to experience two of Australia’s best loved bars at once. Nick and Ryan Smith, the co-owners of Canberra institution Bar Rochford are loading up the Hilux with vinyl, some choice magnums and chef Alisdair Brooke-Taylor, and hitting the Hume for a one-night-only takeover at Gerald’s on Tuesday 5 May.
Book in for the $95 set menu via Gerald’s.
The Yum Sing House party celebrates some of the suburbs’ top producers, makers and shakers
The team at Yum Sing House are calling up their mates from the Melbourne’s ’burbs for a series of kitchen takeovers and collaborations. Caroline Springs’ cheesecake crusaders Bakt have hijacked the good time diner’s dessert menu, serving up a Sichuan chilli chocolate slice until the end of the month. Then, in May, doughnut specialists Peck’s Road jump on board with an ube-rich dessert.
Mid-May, meanwhile, sees chef Geoff Marett jump into the hot seat at Yum Sing House for one night only. Marett, packing a wealth of experience including time on the pans at Hong Kong’s Yardbird, is set to recreate the flavours of a dai pai dong – Hong Kong’s bustling streetside food stalls – right here in the beating heart of Melbourne CBD.
Geoff Marett joins the Yum Sing House kitchen on Saturday 16 May. Bookings are essential.
Pidapipó taps Chae’s Jung Eun Chae for a series of limited scoops
Jung Eun Chae of Cockatoo’s Chae has made her way up the Monash for a series of scoops at Pidapipó, introducing a dash of her Korean dessert wine known as makgeolli and a whole lot of deliciousness to the artisan gelato shop. There’s three flavours on offer – a makgeolli, a watermelon makgeolli, and mugwort – and you’ve got until Sunday 26 April before Pidapipo announce their next guest scooping it up in the lab.
The Jung Eun Chae x Pidapipó collaboration is available at all Pidapipó locations until Sunday 26 April. More information here.
The perfect Mother’s Day treat for the mum who loves to eat
Our Crawl and Bite series is back, baby, this time taking to the halls, stalls and vendors of Box Hill Central – and better still, each itinerary is put together by chef, author and friend of the Festival Rosheen Kaul.
On the tour, expect pillowy, pork-packed baozi; big, bountiful bowls of noodles; and soufflé that’s sure to make Mum’s day. Give her the gift she really wants: a round trip to flavour-town that explores the best bits of one of the state’s most delicious destinations
In the Box: Crawl and Bite at Box Hill Central runs every Sunday until 5 July. Book your tickets here.
Mahjong makes its way to Gertrude Street
Have you gone Mahjong mad? You’re not the only one. Join Steve Chan and the gang at Moondrop for a series of Sunday Mahjong sessions in their newly minted Mahjong Room. The $20 buy-in will get you four chips to play in a four-person game, with each chip fully redeemable on Moondrop’s Mahjong-inspired cocktail list.
Mahjong Nights at Moondrop begins at 6.30pm every Sunday. More information here.
Everything on the menu is $14 at Melbourne’s newest French restaurant
How would you like your entrecôte steak? Medium rare and served with a price tag of just $14? Perhaps you prefer your confit duck leg and potato sarladaise at a modest $14? Or are you of the opinion that your salad Niçoise should set you back no more than $14? That’s the proposition at Frenchie on Collins Street, arguably Melbourne’s most approachable French bistro, where everything on the menu is just $14.
“Taking a lot of inspiration from Parisian bistros and late-night wine bars, the menu celebrates all your favourite French classics served in a way that feels unpretentious and full of energy,” says co-owner Lucas Boucly. Your outrageously affordable outing awaits – make a booking at Frenchie today.
Frenchie, Shop 1/15 Collins St, Melbourne, open 5pm-midnight seven days a week, frenchierestaurant.au, @frenchie.melb
Munchies, the late-night suburban snack stop finds a home in inner-city Melbourne
John Chinsami’s no-fuss snack stop Munchies is making a comeback, ditching the original Berwick location for the kitchen out the back of Brunswick’s Bar Oussou. Like in its suburban locale, Munchies’ focus is on comfort food, except this time there’s an inner-city edge: the chilli cheeseburger is all about the 200 grams of wagyu within, there’s an anchovy-laced potato salad, and a dessert in the form of a deep-fried Oreo – using the fancy red velvet variant, of course. Fans of the OG Munchies will relish the return of Chinsami’s wings with yellow rice, and the fact he’s cooking right up until midnight.
Munchies, Bar Oussou, 653 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, open 5pm-midnight Weds-Sat, @munchiesbrunswick