Food News

From a South Melbourne market stall to Yarraville café Mabu Mabu and now her 130-seater in Federation Square, the self-described “Island girl” has many reasons to celebrate.

The lockdown is expected to last for seven days, with restaurants and cafés across the state forced to close their dining rooms.

From the Mornington Peninsula to the big smoke, the former Pt Leo Estate chef is ready to strike out on his own.

The lockdown sandwich side-hustle is turning permanent.

The industry talent pool was running dry long before the pandemic, and it’ll take a change in government policy, and self-reflection from restaurants, to make hospitality great again.

It’s a new chapter for the chef-restaurateur with the much-anticipated opening of Lucky Kwong, named in honour of her late son.

And they’re serving a traditionally maligned fish species, skin, fat and all.

Built on a foundation of impeccable pasta and good vibes, Tipo 00 has won the hearts of Melbourne diners.

And its incoming Tokyo-born head chef has no qualms about charging $40 per person for the Japanese noodle soup experience.

Five years after its blockbuster merger, the hospitality group once led by chef Neil Perry is splitting into two separate businesses.

This time, it’s here to stay.

With two live-in chefs and countless inter-connected food and waste systems, the Future Food System's Greenhouse may very well be a blueprint for how we'll live in the future.

Almost a year after his company backtracked on plans to expand the Merivale At Home offering to Melbourne, CEO Justin Hemmes says he "cannot wait to work alongside so many local industry greats”.

The lockdown comes into effect from midnight tonight.

All the quirks to eating and harvesting this autumn fruit.

For the head chef of Melbourne's Hazel, the worst of lockdown is over. And under Smith's watch, the menu is tighter and more focused, and her eye is on the kitchen’s long game.

And it’s only open once a week, with a rotating guest chef.

Just try to curd your enthusiasm. These are GT's picks for goat's milk cheeses of the tangy, earthy and creamy kind.

For the first time in his professional career head chef Loong Oon is cooking the food of home, in tribute to his late Amah.

''We've had staff come in with squeegees and buckets, get on their knees and scrub the floors ... It's very humbling that people will do that on their own accord.''

The snap lockdown comes into effect from 5pm this afternoon.

Upon the departure of Phil Wood, the Catalonia-born chef is taking up the mantle at the Mornington Peninsula establishment.

After almost ten years, the local outpost of David Chang's restaurant empire, led by executive chef Paul Carmichael and manager Kylie Javier Ashton, will shut its doors in June.

The chef and restaurateur built an empire of Thai restaurants that irrevocably shaped Sydney’s love and understanding of Thai food.

Fish Butchery's Rebecca Lara on triumphs with ocean trout salami, and making the switch from a chef's life to top-end seafood retail.

On International Women’s Day, four women who work in food and drink share their war stories, tales of success, and hopes for the industry they love.

Chefs! Restaurants! People! See them in real life during the March celebration of all that's good to eat and drink in Melbourne.

And he addresses those rumours about Neil Perry’s restaurant.

There’s a former Old Fitz chef in the kitchen, an ex-Don Peppino’s owner on the floor, a whole pig every fortnight, plus a seafood- and veg-focused menu. This piggy is going to market with a lighter and brighter style of Parisian cuisine.

Each month in her GT column, chef Kylie Kwong celebrates the individuals helping to grow a stronger community. This month, we meet Skye Blackburn, founder of Edible Bug Shop, and purveyor of insect snacks.

From the freshest seafood to the best craft beer.

Is the city ready to eat out and stay up late? The chef certainly thinks so, and she has a very good gilda to lure them to Federation Square.

“It’s a very eclectic menu and it doesn’t always make sense, but I certainly don’t think it needs to.”

Expect lobster frites, boudin-noir spring rolls and pasta with garlic butter and snails, plus a list of French and Australian wines.

Ten weeks, ten recipes, straight to your inbox.

From Afghani bread, the city's best omakase, and bánh xèo made to a top-secret recipe, the Anchovy chef shares her favourite spots for dining out in Melbourne.

With limited footage and space for just about a dozen diners, these small restaurants pack a punch with their intimate service and creative, sustainable menus.

What we eat, how we drink and where we go will all look a little different this year. These are the biggest trends set to shape the next 12 months ahead.

2020 was a write-off, but hopes are up, and doors are set to open at these eagerly awaited establishments.

With the festive season upon us, there's no better time to order a dozen (or more) of these briny bivalves.

The news comes as New South Wales recorded 30 locally acquired cases of COVID-19, with 28 cases linked to the Avalon cluster.

A Mornington Peninsula trattoria, Malaysian done luxe, hot coals and good times in Brisbane, Western Australian barbecue, and a taste of wine country in Adelaide. We raise a glass to the venues who opened their doors in the past 12 months, pandemic or no.

There’s a dining room, a terrace and a cocktail lounge, combined with sweeping views of the city and old-world glamour. “It took three years but I think the end result will justify it,” says Lucas.

New look, new menu, new wine list. After eight years in the city’s darkest dining room, the Bentley Group is letting the light in.

“What is going on?”

“It all needs to happen, but that doesn’t make it any easier."

The restrictions come into effect from 12:01am Thursday 19 November.

The state government’s plan to offer $100 vouchers to spend at dining and entertainment venues is welcomed by restaurant operators, but questions are being raised about its long-term effects.

From the bizarre to the debilitating, this is how restaurants cater for food allergies and intolerances.

What does the future of food look like in Australia? It's time to tap into our native bounty and relearn the country's rich Indigenous culture through storied food and cultivation practices, with a focus on sustainability, and representation from First Nations people.

The latest news brings Melbourne venues into line with regional Victoria, with Premier Daniel Andrews flagging a further easing of state-wide restrictions in two weeks' time.

Restaurants are reopening and the lifting of the “ring of steel” is on the cards. It should feel good, but it also feels strange.

The newest reopening date for the hospitality industry is five days earlier than first announced by the Victorian government.

It’s been closed for seven months, but the Sydney establishment is ready to serve diners again. And for the first time, it’s hosting live chamber music performances.

After enduring the longest and strictest lockdown in the country, some in the city's hospitality industry are ready to be hospitable again. Others are playing the waiting game.

Restaurants, cafés and pubs in Melbourne will be allowed to seat up to 20 diners inside, and 50 outside.

“It’s not like you have to be Asian to make Asian stuff,” says the ex-Moon Park chef. “What matters is before you decide to make things for people you need to put time, effort and ambition in.”

From being a reluctant waiter at his family's restaurant to the co-owner of the city's most enduring establishments, Lucio Galletto reflects on four decades at his eponymous restaurant.

With restaurants closed and chefs shut out of their kitchens, the current pandemic gave many time to pause, reflect and ask themselves: what's next? From going it alone to aligning with social justice causes, five chefs share their experiences.

After years dancing at the fringes of Thai cookery, the Bangkok-born chef returns to her roots.

Restaurants, cafés and pubs in metropolitan Melbourne are expected to be allowed to reopen a week ahead of schedule.

The former Old Fitz chef is preparing to captain a line-up of British classics, Florentine steaks, and weekly eel specials.

After five years at the celebrated regional restaurant, the couple is looking to the future.

After a fire that broke out at the original restaurant, a relocation up the road, and a hibernation during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jacqui Challinor is ready to cook again.

“We do not take the health of Victorians lightly. But we believe the industry can safely reopen sooner than this road map specifies.”

After exiting his much-loved taqueria at The George, the chef is trucking on.

The pandemic plus a coming end of lease spells the end of Clayton Wells' all-day diner.

Depending on what state you live in gathering around the dinner table with friends and family doesn't have to be threat to public health – provided you follow these simple, practical guidelines.

For Melbourne restaurateurs following the roadmap to Victoria’s new COVID normal, waiting for the city's reopening is one form of pain; the yawning chasm of uncertainty that stretches ahead is another.

With state authorities flip-flopping on a rule about whether patrons can be seated at the bar, the owners of the popular Adelaide wine venue say they’re on the brink of losing everything.

Monopole is on the move, and Ria is sliding in.

The hospitality industry is in crisis, with many predicting up to a third of all restaurants will close permanently following the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the industry’s leading figures speak about the future and what needs to change.

Bánh mì thịt. Mud crab. A whole chicken. No dish or creature of the land and sea is exempt from the Sunda chef’s "en croûte" treatment.

Frida’s Field is located on a small-scale property that practises regenerative farming, and best of all, it’s named in honour of the late family pig.

With the embattled state enduring the toughest restrictions in the country, supporting the local food and beverage industry is more important than ever.

“Leaving on a high is the right way."

After the controlled chaos of rolling out their take-home pasta kits during lockdown, the team can now devote time and space to opening Fabbrica, a mini pasta factory and retail store.

For staff at Tan Viet in Sydney’s Cabramatta, it started with a call from state authorities. Then there was the whirlwind of contact tracing, public health announcements, and a deep-cleaning of the premises. Now they're faced with the biggest challenge – convincing the public it’s safe to dine at their restaurant again.

After the closure of his Bowral restaurant, the chef is heading to the mountains.

“The optimist inside me says people will be running through our doors in three months. The reality is the city might not pick up in the new year.”

Kylie Kwong introduces us to the individuals helping to grow a stronger community. This month we meet Buddhist practitioner Subhana Barzaghi.

The Africola chef shares his top tips for eating and drinking in the South Australian capital.

Science has proven that the simple act of cooking can alleviate depression and improve mental well-being. We meet four people who have leveraged their relationship with food to find more balance.

It may have conquered Sydney’s dining scene, but the hospitality giant has delayed the launch of its meals-at-home service in the Victorian capital after backlash from industry players.

As head chef of Two Good Co, Strode finds solace in providing meals to women in need, and the power of humanity.

The city’s storied Chinatown precinct was one of the first areas to feel the sting of COVID-19. And for its many restaurants, bars and food businesses – some of which have been around for 30-plus years – it's hard to know how much longer they can endure the pain.

After eight years at their dimly lit Potts Point location, Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt are letting the light in, and shifting their celebrated wine bar to the CBD.

The global spice trade, worth an estimated $24 billion, has a problematic past. But these modern-day spice merchants are championing ethical goods with an emphasis on quality and sustainability.

With some 1700 bottles on its wine list, the latest project is a natural evolution of the legacy restaurant in the current world order.

The stage-three restrictions come back into force from Wednesday 8 July.

Four years after merging with the Urban Purveyor Group, the chef-restaurateur leaves behind his flagship restaurants to concentrate on his charity work.

“When I decided to open a restaurant I knew it was going to be crazy,” says the former nurse. “But no one knew there was going to be a pandemic.”

Esmay is a three-month restaurant made for post-COVID times, brought to you by the ex-Arc Dining head chef.

Meat is out, seafood and gelato are in. Lockdown has given the Pavonis the time – and gumption – to shake things up, Ormeggio-style.

OzHarvest has recruited an all-star line-up for its latest initiative – a dinner delivery service with heart.

A sushi master, a film producer and Robert De Niro walk into a Sydney casino, and get set to open the 43rd Nobu restaurant in the world.

The Icebergs Dining Room & Bar restaurateur is fortified in his belief that restaurants will rise again.

The Melbourne restaurant scene has faced its fair share of setbacks of late, but McConnell is remaining optimistic. “The hustle and bustle will return,” he says. “We just have to be patient.”

The secret lies in that 过冷河 (gor lang ho).

The industry that’s been forced to its knees is getting back on its feet, and fortified with a resolve that's a hallmark of the sector.