Melbourne weekend hit list September 26-27: Lobster rolls, porchetta and Peruvian tacos

September 25, 2015

Creative director Paul Wilson (left) and restaurateur Alby Tomassi at Lady Carolina.Pat Scala

Eat ...

The long-awaited renovation of Brunswick East's Jimmi Jamz into a northside answer to the Newmarket Hotel in St Kilda is complete. The front part is ready for business, with the rear bar – serving street food – to follow shortly. The flavours are just as broad as they ever are when Paul Wilson has had a hand in proceedings. The menu is a little Mexican, a little Cuban and a little Peruvian, featuring salmon tacos, ceviche, pisco drinks and purple corn pavlovas. On the grill is Blair Williams (ex Piqueos, Bluebonnet).

175-177 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, ladycarolina.com.au

Brunch ...

Saluministi

So there's a pretty amazing sausage party going on in North Melbourne, and everyone's invited. The airy, suburban garage-styled space is the site of much pickling, sauce-making and meat curing and it's serving all of these things with comfortable ease to charcuterie fans. Their crisp-skinned porchetta (that's pork belly, loin attached, rolled, stuffed and roasted) sits on display, ready to be sliced and stuffed into rolls with a lot of trim. They're also doing a big trade in fried polenta on sticks.

8 Atkin Street, North Melbourne, saluministi.com.au

Drink ...

Semi Permanent

Everyone was expecting strong wine game from this pop-up on the former Lee Ho Fook site, given the duo in charge are hospitality royalty – Liz Carey and Paul Guiney's collective CV lists Nahm, Universal, Town Mouse and a swag of other places you should have eaten or drunk at. What you mightn't have been expecting is the solid food to back it up. Chef Tanya Bertino is doing sausages stuffed with sweetbreads, and tarts with bases that explode into buttery dust. If you go on Friday night, we hear gun Sydney sommelier Giorgio de Maria (121BC) will be on the floor.

92 Smith Street, Collingwood, 0484 323 834, semi-permanent.com.au

Cook ...

Karen Martini's squid ink paella

Put some scampi on your rice and have yourself a springtime fiesta. Recipe here.

Rediscover ...

The dishes that changed Melbourne

Lobster rolls at Golden Fields (now served at Supernormal).Eddie Jim

Dani Valent went through the food archives and pulled out Melbourne's cult dishes that launched a series of trends, from Philippa Sibley's Snickers dessert to the lobster roll at Golden Fields. Some are long gone, others are still kicking, decades later. Go get them, or vote for your favourite here.