Not content to sit on the sidelines between innings, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is doing double-duty this year with a brand-new food festival, MEL & NYC, that will bring a taste of New York to the city this winter. Big names from the States will team up with local heroes while venues across the city celebrate the five boroughs’ contributions to global food culture with bespoke dishes.
“Melbourne has a great reputation globally as a culinary destination, and that was only reinforced when The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards were held here last year,” Jane Brook, Food and Wine Victoria’s Executive Director, says. “International chefs know that they will be collaborating with world-class talent and have access to fresh local produce and great wine [at MEL & NYC].”
Catch chefs from David Chang’s rebooted Momofuku Ko as they take over Fitzroy wine bar Marion or head to Embla for a very special edition of their usual Sunday lunch menu, featuring the crew from Brooklyn restaurant and natural wine bar The Four Horsemen.
Coinciding with the exhibition MoMA at NGV: 130 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art, MEL & NYC will also see local venues creating New York-inspired dishes, cocktails and tasting menus. Roll up to Fancy Hank’s for a pastrami sandwich on rye, start the weekend as New Yorkers do with a cocktail-fuelled brunch at Atlas Dining or let Starward Whisky take you on a tour of the city’s five boroughs one whisky cocktail at a time. Meanwhile, a Sunday family lunch by pasta purveyors Tipo 00 promises generous portions of eggplant parmigiana, spaghetti and meatballs and other American-Italian dishes served by waiters decked out in white jackets.
Keep an eye out for more announcements in coming weeks and be sure to clear that diary.
MEL & NYC runs 27 July-12 August. Information and bookings at mfwf.com.au.