In the Box: Crawl and Bite at Box Hill Central

Make a beeline for Box Hill Central as a cherished Festival favourite makes its return this March: Crawl and Bite rides again. For years MFWF has shown you the tastiest parts of great neighbourhoods and destinations all over Victoria, and now for the first time we’re going all in at and hitting Box Hill Central.

Our itinerary has been designed by none other than Rosheen Kaul, chef, author and bona fide Box Hill Central expert. She’s spent years eating and shopping her way around the centre, and she knows its greatest hits and its tastiest secrets inside out and back to front.

“Box Hill Central is home to some of Melbourne’s most vibrant Asian eats and unique regional fare, all conveniently located under one roof,” she says. “Pitch-perfect rice and noodles dishes, pickles, desserts and dumplings sit comfortably beside some rare and elusive dishes from lesser-known regions.

“Our Crawl and Bite tours of Box Hill Central visit some of my top picks from this cornucopia of flavour. We’ll sample the textural wonder of baozi filled with a mix of braised pork and fresh mince from the historic Henan province, stop for a gorgeously fluffy sweet treat and perhaps pick up a spicy pickled snack or two along the way.

“You could (and should) spend days just eating your way through Box Hill, but allow me to show you some of my favourites first!”

How does it work? You reserve your spot, and meet us at Box Hill Central at 11.30am on your chosen Sunday, and we walk together through the centre, stopping to snack, shop and chat at six spots along the way over 90 minutes, the snacks included in the ticket price. You’ll start with a tea or juice and a pastry at Ms Bean, hit Magic Cuisine for its chilled delicacies, call in at Hui Hui produce store for some fresh fruit or sweets, hook into some dumplings at Henan Street Food, chase them with a bowl of noodles at Tina's Noodle Kitchen and then there’s a soufflé sweet treat at Oski Soufflé to finish.

The first three tours, which take place in the Festival calendar on 22 and 29 March, will be led by Rosheen Kaul herself, while the tours on the following Sundays, through to Sunday 5 July, will be guided by expert hosts from Flavourhood Tours. There’ll be Mandarin-speakers on each tour, so it’ll be a full-flavoured bilingual good time either way. Let’s go!