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The hit list: 20 iconic Melbourne dishes

How many of these iconic dishes have you tried?

Larissa Dubecki
Larissa Dubecki

THE 20 MOST ICONIC DISHES OF Melbourne? It's asking for trouble, we quite agree. Our tribal fealty to various restaurants and their signature dishes rivals AFL supporters in the passion stakes. It's pistols at dawn over whether the ma po tofu is better at Dainty Sichuan or Lau's Family Kitchen.

It follows that this is a mission not to be undertaken lightly. Raising as many questions as they resolve, the criteria for icon status are not exactly clear-cut. It does not mean traditional or touristy. It does, hopefully, mean timeless, whether the dish was invented last century or last year.

What has emerged from the pursuit is the breadth of good eating in Melbourne. Some dishes are expensive (Ezard's pork hock tops out at $46), some are cheap (fill up at I Love Pho for the bargain price of $9). Some are new, some long in the tooth. Some are spoken of in quasi-religious overtones, some are the simple stuff of a hearty lunch.

For every choice there are five more waiting in the wings. Things as simple as Jock's ice-cream or a burger from Andrews. The Reuben at the Carre Street Deli. Congee at Supper Inn. Geoff Lindsay's red duck curry, which migrated (in modified form) from Pearl to Dandelion but didn't fit the criteria of being available here and now. And there were many, many more we could have mentioned.

Apologies all.

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As contentious as the desal plant, as controversial as myki, as oppositional as Collingwood versus Essendon, here are (in our opinion, anyway) the dishes that make Melbourne tick, in no particular order.

Eaten alone, one will give a small bite of Melbourne terroir. Taken as a whole, they might just reveal who we are.

1. Anchovy with smoked tomato sorbet at MoVida, $4.50

The anchovy is ''a hand-filleted Cantabrian artisan anchovy''; the smoky/smooth sorbet was something of a mistake when chef Frank Camorra first made it. Their marriage atop a crouton is something else entirely - a modern tapas dish that is ballsy and elegant and utterly unique.

MoVida, 1 Hosier Lane, city, 9663 3038.

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2. Philippa Sibley's Snickers, $20

The Snickers has travelled some of the better kitchens of Melbourne with its maker; now it resides at Brunswick's Albert St Food & Wine, where it pops up from time to time on the specials list. Well and truly ahead of its time, that killer combination of salted peanuts, caramel and chocolate has gone viral but this is the baby that started it all.

Albert St Food & Wine, 382 Sydney Road, Brunswick, 8354 6600.

3. Xiao long bao at HuTong, $10.80

Xiao long bao? Shao long bao? Whatever. What matters is these little soggy-bottomed Shanghainese soup dumplings have the right amount of seasoned pork and tasty, lip-burning broth inside. At HuTong their expert construction is a piece of performance art in itself.

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HuTong Dumpling Bar, 14-16 Market Lane, city, 9650 8128.

4. Ma po tofu at Lau's Family Kitchen, $26

It's Chinese penicillin; the Sichuan answer to chicken soup. Lau's rendition of the classic ''pock-marked grandmother's beancurd'', with minced pork, silken tofu, black beans and its special house-made sauce packing a heat factor on the far side of challenging, is as restoratively delicious as it gets.

Lau's Family Kitchen, 4 Acland Street, St Kilda, 8598 9880.

5. Pho at I Love Pho, $9

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Pho is a deeply personal, potentially divisive subject thanks to the subtle differences evidenced by our de facto national dish. I Love Pho is all about Vietnam's soulful rice-noodle soup, with pink slices of beef brisket softly cooking in the elegantly complex broth. And it was name-checked by David Chang, for extra rock-star cachet.

I Love Pho, 264 Victoria Street, Richmond, 9427 7749.

6. Lamb shoulder at Cumulus Inc, $69

The paradox of the whole slow-roasted joint of meat: an age-old treatment, yet ridiculously on-trend. ''Eating house and bar'' Cumulus Inc gets its sharing credentials in order with this complex, gnarly slow-cooked shoulder boasting the kind of deeply tanned crust that's worth the price of admission alone.

Cumulus Inc, 45 Flinders Lane, city, 9650 1445.

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7. Souffle at Vue de Monde, part of $150 four-course menu

Vue has travelled many a winding path from its Frenchified days in Carlton but they converge, come dessert time, at the souffle. No bells, no whistles, just a perfect expression of the art. Whether it's the classic chocolate, or the arriviste made with tonka beans (the effect is nutty, with warm notes of vanilla and cinnamon) paired with bitter dark-chocolate ice-cream, we don't mind a bit.

Vue de Monde, level 55, Rialto, 525 Collins Street, city, 9691 3888.

8. Steak frites at France-Soir, starts at $35

This is experiential dining, a faithful simulation of the Parisian bistro where the surprise-free menu is anchored in the manifold joys of the French table. You may start with onion soup, or steak tartare, or oysters, but you will end with steak and irresistible thin, salty fries and a glass of anything so long as it's red.

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France-Soir, 11 Toorak Road, South Yarra, 9866 8569.

9. Corn at Mamasita, $4.90

Elotes callejeros is better known to its friends as chargrilled corn on the cob, slathered in queso fresco with chipotle mayo, paprika and lime. We're also willing to suggest the word ''phenomenon'' be attached to the popularity of this perfect iteration of Mexican street food.

Mamasita, level 1, 11 Collins Street, city, 9650 3821.

10. Pork hock at Ezard, $46

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The uncompromising flavours of street food meet fine dining with Teage Ezard's master-stock-poached then fried pork hock with chilli caramel and Thai-style bean shoot salad. More than a dozen years after its introduction, it remains the benchmark for the mod-Oz appropriation of gutsy Asian flavours.

Ezard, 187 Flinders Lane, city, 9639 6811.

11. Peking duck at Flower Drum, $20 for two pieces

Dinner crosses over into religious ritual with the arrival of Flower Drum's bar-setting Peking duck, where the bronzed, crisp-skinned but still juicy roasted bird is solemnly presented before being carved tableside by a glove-wearing waiter and rolled in a thin pancake with spring onion, a strip of cucumber and sticky, piquant sauce.

Flower Drum, 17 Market Lane, city, 9662 3655.

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12. Attica's potato cooked in earth, part of degustation, starting at $125

Full title: a simple dish of potato cooked in the earth it was grown. Translation: a whole spud cooked long and slow under earth to perfect uniform creaminess, with fromage blanc, crunchy dried saltbush, smoky cured trout, charred coconut husk and a judicious sprinkle of coffee grounds. Based on the Maori hangi, it's a dish that transmutes Ben Shewry's nationalist pride, and yet another example of us claiming the best of New Zealand as our own.

Attica, 74 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea, 9530 0111.

13. Fish and chips at Becco, $42

At this price they would want to be the Ferrari of fish and chips - and indeed they are. King George whiting fillets are beer-battered, served with thin chips and a fresh little salad that provides a counterpoint and a palate cleanser. If you're going to do fish and chips, make it these.

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Becco, 11-25 Crossley Street, city, 9663 3000.

14. Pasta at Cafe Di Stasio, $27/$34

Like its eponymous owner Ronnie, Cafe Di Stasio is an icon in its own right, and maltagliati di pane con calamari - roughly torn pieces of breadcrumb pasta with a sauce of calamari, white wine, radicchio and lots of garlic - is synonymous with the Fitzroy Street institution.

Cafe Di Stasio, 31 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, 9525 3999.

15. Burger at Rockpool, $24

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Fancy burgers are pretty thick on the ground now, but Neil Perry first showed the way with his cult-making bar snack. It's crafted from David Blackmore's full-blood wagyu with bacon, gruyere and Zuni pickle.

Rockpool, Crown, Southbank, 8648 1900.

16. Prawns at Donovans, market price

This is the bit where we chuck another prawn on the barbie - Queensland leader prawns, butterflied and chargrilled simply with a bit of chilli and oregano. It's a rusted-on favourite at this breezy beach house of a restaurant.

Donovans, 40 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda, 9534 8221.

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17. Pizza at Ladro, from $16.50

It's hard to nominate The One in a city that takes its pizza so seriously, but Ladro gets the gong, for a) its consistency and b) igniting the authentic-pizza craze with its thin-based, artfully topped Neapolitan beauties.

Ladro, 162 Greville Street, Prahran, 9510 2233; 224 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, 9415 7575.

18. Hellenic Republic's saganaki with black figs, $14.50

George Calombaris's buzzing modern taverna annihilates the memory of many a rubbery wedge of kefalograviera with this golden-crusted number, served piping hot on a skillet with a sweet, syrupy topping of black figs.

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Hellenic Republic, 434 Lygon Street, East Brunswick, 9381 1222.

19. Stokehouse's bombe Alaska, $20.50

So long as the sun continues to rise, Stokehouse will continue to serve its bombe Alaska, better known on the menu as ''the bombe''. A deserved reaction to its frozen white-chocolate parfait, strawberry sorbet and toasted meringue.

Stokehouse, level 1, 30 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda, 9525 5555.

20. Chicken and rice at Abla's, $27

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The prosaic name does no favours to the piece de resistance at Abla Amad's Carlton restaurant. Her signature rice pilaf - made in a cake ring - is a layered beauty of minced lamb, poached chicken, toasted nuts and sweet spices.

Abla's, 109 Elgin Street, Carlton, 9347 0006.

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Larissa DubeckiLarissa Dubecki is a writer and reviewer.

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