Melbourne Good Food Month 2015: week three creative director's picks
The Night Noodle Markets are in full swing, Diego Munoz of top Peruvian restaurant Astrid y Gaston is in town and the ultimate in-cinema dining experience is coming. Here are your picks for week three of The Age Good Food Month presented by Citi.
It's dinner and a movie taken to the next level. You'll be watching Step up to the Plate, a cult food film following legendary chef Michel Bras as he hands over the reins of his food empire to the next generation, while some of Melbourne's top chefs pay homage to their mentors including Joel Robuchon and Rene Redzepi by turning these masters' greatest works into movie snack form.
The line-up includes Florent Gerardin (ex-Pei Modern) Cory Campbell (ex Vue De Monde), Peter Gunn (IDES, Attica) and Nic Poelaert, who trained under Bras himself.
Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon Street, Carlton, $85, November 22, TICKETS
For one night only, the wild contemporary Sydney restaurant that is Marque will be taking over Pei Modern. Mark Best will be coming down to cook with Victor Liong (Marque alumnus), Matt Germanchis (Pei Modern Sydney, previously Pei Modern Melbourne) while gun sommelier Ainslie Lubbock will be back to pour for the night.
Pei Modern, 45 Collins Street, Melbourne, $165, November 16, Bookings: peimodern.com.au
Kaiseki is Japan's answer to the western degustation: seven courses, artistically arranged, balancing taste and textures. Simon Denton's Kappo restaurant will be doing an exclusive kaiseki dinner with matched drinks in a mystery location, just to up the ante.
Secret location to be revealed on the day (inner city), $180, November 22
Lindenderry is hosting a giant producer dinner in their vineyard, starting with oysters shucked by the oyster farmer, beers poured by local brewers, whole lambs and pigs roasted on spits and vegetable tarts made with Mornington produce served up on long tables.
142 Arthurs Seat Road, Red Hill, $140, November 21
It's a big week for chefs paying their dues to their masters. Merricote head chef Stuart Munro will be showcasing four signature dishes from the culinary masters he has worked with, including Peter Gilmore, Richard Corrigan, Shane Osborn and Luke Mangan.
Merricote, 81 High Street, Northcote, $85, November 18
After a sell-out event in 2014, Pastuso returns with another alpaca menu. They're doing the highly favoured South American beast every which way, using techniques such as smoking, grilling, slow-cooking and dry-ageing to showcase alpaca and the flavours of South America.
Pastuso, 19 AC/DC Lane, $100, November 23
From Tuesday to Thursday, the Grand Hotel is turning into an airline (you literally have to go through security and present a boarding pass, waitresses are hostesses and the captain will take you through dinner) to take diners on a trip through regions of Italy in five courses. It's essentially Carmen Sandiego (geography meets computer game) applied to Italian food.
The Grand, 333 Burnley Street, Richmond, $135 (or $115 for Grand regulars) including matched wines, November 17-19
The Beaufort & Ike's Hillbilly Takeover
Stand by for hillbilly smokehouse shenanigans with Daniel Dobra as he cooks whole suckling pigs and ribs in a backyard pit at Crompton Coffee, to be served with fresh summer salads and sides, while bartenders from the Beaufort sling Young Henrys tinnies and watermelon coolers made with moonshine gin (the legal kind).
Crompton Coffee, 380 Victoria Street, Richmond, Sundays, free entry
The Age Good Food Month 2015, presented by Citi, runs November 1-30, melbourne.goodfoodmonth.com.au
Gemima Cody is former chief restaurant critic for The Age and Good Food.