Melbourne Father's Day meal boxes and lockdown deliveries: 20 ways to say it with food

The best way to just about anyone's heart is through their stomach, but that's especially true during lockdown. If you can't spend Sunday, September 5 with who you'd like to, you can show that you're thinking of them with a special delivery of fabulous food, whether that's hands-on fun, next-level luxury or hands-off convenience.

Cibi DIY ramen packs

Ramen is notoriously time-consuming to make, with days of roasting, simmering and straining involved in the broth alone. But not with these kits from Cibi in Collingwood ($50, serves 2).

Simply pop the lid on containers of stock, dashi and miso, boil your noodles and then arrange your ideal bowl, whether you opt for the pork chashu or the mushrooms and greens. It's a fun way to spend the day with dad but if you don't live with him, fire up FaceTime for a remote cookalong.

Order before noon on Friday, September 3 for pick-up from Collingwood on Saturday or Sunday. Order via Cibi's website.

Pentolina

CBD stayer Pentolina is pulling out all stops for Father's Day, with squid ink cannelloni paired with lobster tail and blue-eye trevalla mousse, as well as a nine-dish antipasto line-up that includes tomato and mozzarella arancini and pork rillettes. The team hasn't skimped on dessert either, dishing up a chocolate-hazelnut cheesecake with ricotta and pear ($139, serves 2-3). And meals are being delivered in BMWs and Minis. All class.

Order before 10am Friday for pick-up from Melbourne CBD or delivery up to 25km on Saturday or Sunday. Order via Mr Yum.

Anada

You don't need to break the bank to show dad you care. Anada's $45 fiesta menu is a roll call of the restaurant's hit dishes such as Serrano jamon with escabeche, potato tortilla and slow-roasted beef cheek in oloroso sherry. The team also know their way around a Basque cheesecake – add one for $10. Everything comes hot, so dad (or you) can really put your feet up.

Pick-up from Fitzroy between 6pm and 7pm, Friday to Sunday. Order by emailing barney@anada.com.au stating number of serves and what time you'd like to collect.

Bar Romanee

You've got to love a takeaway menu that requires nothing of you except your appetite. Romanee are keeping things super relaxed for your dad's day celebrations, revealing their low-and-slow side with barbecued beef short-rib, cauliflower cheese and house slaw. But in case you were wondering where the beautiful Frenchie vibes went, there's chicken and mushroom terrine, baguette with cultured butter and chocolate tart with Chantilly cream rounding things out ($150, serves two, $220, serves four).

Order by 7pm Friday for pick-up from Yarraville or delivery within 10km on Saturday and Sunday. Order by emailing info@barromanee.com.

Oyster shucking kits from The Fishmonger's Son

If you really want to impress, you could do worse than presenting dad with 18 oysters that you shucked yourself. The Fishmonger's Son is putting together oysters, Yarra Valley's ruby-coloured Bloody Shiraz Gin caviar (a collaboration with Four Pillars) and an oyster shucking knife, all for $125. Don't live near the Fitzroy North shop? Your Grocer delivers to a wide range of suburbs.

Order before Thursday for pick-up from Fitzroy North on Saturday. Order directly orders@thefishmongersson.com for local pick-up or via Your Grocer yourgrocer.com.au for delivery.

Mister Bianco

No one looks after you like Joseph Vargetto and his team. For Father's Day, there's not just a four-course feast for two, the kids are also thought of with meatballs in tomato sugo, crunchy arancini and more ($45 per child). As for the man of the moment, he gets to indulge in Sher wagyu bolognese, grilled swordfish skewers and a double whammy of tiramisu and lemon tart, plus more ($135 for 2).

Order at least 24 hours prior for pick-up from Kew or delivery to select suburbs, Wednesday to Sunday. Order via Mister Bianco.

Elsie's

Mischa Tropp, whose Indian cooking you may have fallen for at the Rochester Hotel, is back with Elsie's, a delivery operation named after his grandmother. "Honest, no bullshit Indian food for you to enjoy at home" is the name of Elsie's game. That means butter chicken or paneer butter masala that come with dal mahkani, rice, bread and raita, plus rotating dishes such as malaikari, a Bengali preparation rich with coconut milk and coloured by turmeric. Operating out of Pope Joan in the city, it's a lockdown must-order, especially if dad's a sucker for a great curry.

Pre-order for pick-up from Melbourne CBD or delivery within a 15km radius, Thursday to Saturday. Order via Elsie's.

Hazel

Whether dad's favourite meal is breakfast, lunch or dinner, Hazel has you covered. Morning fare includes thick-cut bacon, black pudding and sausage patties all made in-house, along with sourdough English muffins, hash browns, mushroom ketchup and more. Order your favourite items or get a pack with two of everything ($60). For lunch or dinner, meat-lovers are covered with stout and beef pie, duck fat-roasted potatoes and house charcuterie, plus plenty more. The veg menu subs in a cauliflower and blue cheese pie, with trimmings like salad, olive focaccia and sticky date pudding (both menus $70 per person).

Order at least 24 hours prior for pick-up from Melbourne CBD or delivery within 25km on Friday or Saturday. Order via Hazel.

Bistro Guillaume

Adhering to the keep it simple ethos, Bistro Guillaume is serving one very impressive centrepiece for the table this Father's Day. Get ready for oohs and aahs when you cut into the beef en croute, with its layers of buttery pastry, mushroom duxelles and perfectly rare beef ($159, serves 4). Add a bottle of Penfolds shiraz cabernet from the restaurant's cellar to make it a true Sunday triumph.

Order by 5pm Thursday for pick-up from Southbank or delivery within 25km on Saturday or Sunday. Order direct.

Harley & Rose

Say it with lamb – and a cracking line-up of other delicious things cooked by this West Footscray favourite. The team are setting aside the pizza dough for a day and focusing on lamb shoulder cooked until it's falling apart, paired with ratatouille, a radicchio and green olive salad and, everyone's favourite, tiramisu. There's more springtime fun too, in the cold-smoked trout with blood orange and mint, and chicken and leek terrine. Six dishes for $45 a head? Now that's love.

Available for pick-up from West Footscray between noon and 3pm on Sunday. Order via email hello@harleyandrose.net.au, stating phone number, number of menus and any dietary requirements

Minamishima

Primo sushi? Coming right up. Minamishima has brought back its celebratory spring edition dish of chirashi ($50, serves 1), with a super luxe version also available. Named irodori (many colours), the lunch-only special features 16 bright and geometrically arranged toppings on firm masshigura rice. Pick your way through Oscietra caviar, prized bluefin tuna toro, bonito, grilled eel and more ($80, serves 1). There are only 20 portions each week, so hurry if you think dad deserves one.

Orders open now until sold out. Available Saturdays throughout September for pick-up from Richmond or delivery to select suburbs, minimum order $100. Order via Minamishima.

Tulum

Sparks will fly at lunch this weekend, but in the very best of ways, as one of Melbourne's most talented chefs creates a menu from Yotam Ottolenghi's repertoire. Tulum chef-owner Coskun Uysal is sharing Ottolenghi signatures like Persian-spiced lamb shoulder and eggplant with tahini yoghurt, alongside smoked labne with olive and pistachio and rice pudding rich with cardamom and hazelnut ($65 per person). Move quick.

Orders open now until sold out for pick-up from Balaclava or delivery within 10km between Friday and Sunday. Call 0424 131 881 to order.

Terminus Hotel

When only red meat will do, call in the big guns, like the Terminus, which has raided the ageing cabinet to put together some stellar Father's Day menus. You can order a la carte or set menu, with the Father's Day Feast for four an assortment of Roaring Forties lamb, Robbins Island wagyu from Tasmania, barley-fed rib-eye, potato bake with truffle, honeyed carrots and more ($500, serves 4). Is a parma his idea of heaven? Look no further, with a ready-to-heat main plus snacks and sides (from $40, serves 1).

Order by Friday for pick-up from Fitzroy North or delivery within 10km on Satuday. Order via Mr Yum.

DIY Rocky Road from Junee Licorice & Chocolate

For the little kids (and maybe the big ones), it's hard to go past hands-on fun that ends in dessert. NSW makers of licorice and chocolate, Junee, are posting out make-your-own rocky road kits in lockdown ($10), keeping little hands busy and sweet tooths sated, whether you're a fan of dark chocolate flecked with strawberries and pistachio or fall for white chocolate every time. Junee, located in the Riverina, is the only organic licorice factory in the southern hemisphere so why not add on extra treats and make dad's day?

Order by Tuesday to guarantee Father's Day delivery. Order from Junee Licorice & Chocolate.

King & Godfree

Start the day on a high, with a big breakfast that's not a big production. King & Godfree are delivering everything you need for a fry-up dad will love. Think streaky bacon from Uncle's Smallgoods, La Boqueria chorizo, Dr Marty's crumpets, sausages by Salt Kitchen, eggs, freshly ground coffee, white sourdough – if it belongs on the breakfast table, it's in the box ($95, serves at least four).

Order for pick-up or delivery by 4pm the day before your preferred delivery window. Available Tuesday to Sunday for pick-up from Carlton or delivery across Melbourne. Order online.

Pasta Poetry

Getting a box of not one but two handmade pasta dishes delivered to your door is bound to make anyone's weekend. But to find a cheeky pair of socks slipped in there? And a Negroni? And a sweet morsel from Little Bertha? That's got to be the definition of spoiled rotten. Make dad feel that way, all with a single order from Pasta Poetry. The recently opened temple to tagliatelle, tortellini and more has dreamed up this very fun package for all the dads or dad-like figures out there ($110, serves 2).

Order by Friday for free delivery or place a pick-up order (from Fairfield) up until Sunday morning. Order online.

Stokehouse

It's back, baby. Melbourne's premier bayside diner is bringing some of the magic to you and yours just for this weekend. Enjoy a four-course menu ($130, serves 2) starring rolled lamb saddle (hello, spring) with supporting credits from escabeche of octopus and mussel, smoked ocean trout and cod roe dip, Parker rolls and a dessert of hazelnut, chocolate and caramelised pear finished with caramel sauce. The cellar is open, too, if you really want to splash out. Maybe you'll order the box for dad, maybe you'll order just because you miss Stokehouse. There's no judgment here.

Order by 5pm Friday for pick-up from St Kilda on Saturday or Sunday. Order online.

Hawker Hall

Beef rendang. Siu mai. Peking duck. It's hit after hit from Hawker Hall's finish-at-home menu ($60 per person). The array of steamed, simmered and wok-fried dishes draws from a huge swathe of Asia, starting with dumplings, a papaya and mango salad, chicken satay and duck pancakes. Yangzhou fried rice, along with rendang is next, finishing with off-theme but very delicious sticky date pudding. You could also win dad a haul of Starward Whisky, just by ordering dinner. Every order goes in the draw.

Order by 5pm Friday for pick-up from Hawker Hall (Windsor), Baby (Richmond) or Chin Chin (CBD) on Friday or Saturday. Order online.

Cannoleria

Nail the trifecta of booze, coffee and dessert in a single bite with special Father's Day cannoli kits from the specialists at Cannoleria ($25). You get six cannoli shells, ready to be piped with a coffee-infused ricotta that's been dosed with Averna, one of Sicily's most popular digestifs that tastes a little like caramel, licorice and citrus, thanks to its blend of herbs, spices and secret ingredients. The kit includes everything you need, including a piping bag and a video that shows you how the pros do it. Let the games begin.

Order by Saturday for pick-up from stores in Geelong, Heidelberg, Maribrynong, Preston, South Melbourne, Taylors Lakes and Thomastown or delivery within 15km of stores on Saturday or Sunday. Order online.

Cumulus Inc

With just a few steps in your kitchen at home, you can sit down to a menu of Cumulus Inc signatures that are so familiar, so well-loved, that it's the closest thing to a hug many of us can enjoy right now. There's the tuna with crushed peas and goat's curd, of course. There are anchovies with beautiful bread and herb-flecked butter. There's the rum baba with Chantilly cream. And there's a golden chicken, leek and tarragon pie, with a touch of truffle for good measure ($150, serves two). And you can make the whole menu vegetarian or add matched wines. What are you waiting for?

Order 24 hours prior to pick-up from Melbourne CBD on Friday or Saturday. Order online.

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