Are you a curry lover? Do you like to get in the kitchen and cook up a storm? Are you passionate about ending the poverty cycle? Are you a foodie? Then get on board with other Aussies for The Great Australian Curry Fundraising Campaign. It's simple, fun and profound. Opportunity International Australia invites Aussies to cook up a curry this October or November, share it with family and friends and raise funds so families in developing countries can receive small loans to build businesses and break the crippling cycle of poverty.
Set up a fundraiser on the Opportunity International website and cook your spicy curry to raise money to break poverty!
The Best Butcher in Victoria is in Melbourne’s Ashburton. Melbourne’s Ashburton Meats Butcher shop, in the south-eastern suburb of Ashburton, has been awarded the Victorian Retail Butcher Shop of the Year Award 2017 by The Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC). The announcement was made at the AMIC Awards on Saturday, October 14, held in Melbourne at Aerial, South Wharf.
Here are our favourite boutique wineries in Victoria. We enjoy a range of wineries but we especially enjoy the bespoke and boutique winery experience.
How good are Melbourne's laneways? An attraction in themselves with a plethora of culinary delights and hidden gems. The World Loves Melbourne participated in a culinary tour of Melbourne's most well-known laneway restaurants as part of the Victorian Government's Food and Beverage Trade Week. Having been a part of last year's Laneway Tour this was an event not to be missed!
Support for refugees is something most of us are passionate about. Christopher Krambias, Jey Jeyabala and Matthew Butera (all of refugee or migrant background) have organised a fund raising event at CH James cafe in Fairfield for the Collateral Repair Project (CRP), a grassroots organisation working out of Amman, Jordan to provide basic support to refugees. The event will be held on November 4th and ticket numbers are already strong. This is a great cause where the money goes to the grassroots need not to the administrators. It's a charity that Christopher and CH James have supported in the past - and the event they held at CH James last year was a great success. We are encouraging everyone to get on board with this project.
Chef Joe Grbac’s first solo-business venture, Saxe at 211 Queen Street, has opened with much anticipation. Grbac, who headed up The Press Club and was co-owner and executive chef of Collingwood’s Saint Crispin has been keen to get the doors open of his 70-seater and bring his menu of contemporary Australian dishes to the law and corporate precincts of the CBD. It's another exciting launch for 2017 by a heralded chef.
Carpetbag steak, an iconic menu item of the 1950's to 90s in Australia, was recently revived at the Marriott Culinary and Beverage Workshop at De Bortoli Winery. Participating influencers were asked by Marriott chefs to nominate a childhood nostalgic dish and The World Loves Melbourne nominated Carpetbag steak! It was an unforgettable day of fun, nostalgia, premium producers, and fine food!
Local producers working with top Marriott chefs and influencers was a match made in heaven, for a unique event in the Yarra Valley. The World Loves Melbourne was invited to a fabulous dinner and night at The Westin Melbourne, then on to the Marriott Hotels Culinary & Beverage Workshop at De Bortoli Winery in the Yarra Valley - where we met Marriott chefs from around Australia, as well as some from overseas, and were able to see our childhood nostalgic dishes recreated!
Acclaimed chef and restaurateur Shane Delia has launched his second Biggie Smalls Kbabs store at 36 Chapel Street, Windsor and The World Loves Melbourne was there at the launch.
Park St may become your new best friend cafe and restaurant. The World Loves Melbourne was invited to experience this new venture from Melbourne foodie royalty, and we were super impressed! After a refit that began in mid-August, the cafe formerly known as Green Park is now Park Street with a new look and (some) new owners. An all-day cafe remains, accommodating locals and families with breakfast and lunch menus. A change of focus in the evening brings a refreshed menu built around changing cicchetti and pastas.
Melbourne loves both its quality hotels and its craft beers! Four Points by Sheraton, a fast-growing Marriott International hotel brand known for celebrating craft beer, is currently hosting a global tour discovering the world’s best craft beers through a series of Brew Off events. Four Points by Sheraton Melbourne Docklands, one of Marriott's newest hotels in Australia, was the third on the five-stop journey. Welcoming local media and beer lovers, The World Loves Melbourne hosted the event where guests were treated to the best of craft beer in Melbourne and insight into local craft beer by two of Melbourne's top brewers, Mountain Goat and Two Birds Brewing. Read more about the Brew Off here.
Best hotcakes in Melbourne? Dessert for breakfast? Melbourne is enjoying a wave of hotcakes, one of the most delicious and grammable dishes on the Melbourne brunch scene. Here are our 7 favourites:
On Wednesday 13 September, 2017, craft beer lovers were treated to a fabulous night of beer tasting, food and entertainment at the new Four Points by Sheraton Melbourne Docklands. Four Points by Sheraton, a booming Marriott International hotel brand known for its love of beer, is embarking upon a global tour discovering the world’s best brews. The journey kicked off at the new Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan Midtown West and The World Loves Melbourne was part of the most recent event at Four Points by Sheraton Melbourne Docklands.
Andrew Hagger and Robyn Payne launched their new album Happy Hour at the fabulous jazz Club in Brunswick with exceptional jazz band Catsplay, and The World Loves Melbourne was there. Happy Hour will soon be released on iTunes and can be ordered online at hopeinthislife.com and Readings Carlton. At time of this article the album was No 1 on the Aria Jazz & Blues Albums Chart.
Melbourne's best wine and chocolate experiences - is there any better combination than wine and chocolate. Of course we refer to red wine when it comes to chocolate. In our travels we have hugely appreciated some amazing wine and chocolate moments and we wanted to share them with you. Here are our best wine (red) and chocolate experiences in Melbourne:
Tokosan is the new playful Japanese restaurant on the block. In a precinct of Prahran creatives Tokosan is the perfect destination for some cheeky fun and a sake or two, plus casual eats. Tokosan is obviously a reference to son of Toko - or inf act cheeky little sister to the more formal and serious Toko restaurant.
Singapore Airlines is launching out with it's stunning Premium Economy offering on 3 of it's 4 flights out of Melbourne, and The World Loves Melbourne was invited to an exclusive media event to experience the service. It was a unique event with us joining Singapore airlines staff and executives on a plane and checking out the benefits of Premium economy including the superb food offerings.
It was a privilege to step into the contemporary, stylish surroundings of Nobu - one of Melbourne’s best restaurants - to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this icon. It was a joy to experience the creative flavours showcased by head chef Sean Tan and his talented team and to imbibe Veuve Clicquot during the salubrious evening.
Rustica Sourdough which began in Brunswick several years ago has been expanding, as one of the most successful bakery cafes in Melbourne. We have followed their journey since the start and from day one they have resonated with quality bakery offerings. The World Loves Melbourne was part of an UberEATS event where we met more of the UberEATS family. Obviously UberEATS is on the rise and the preferred delivery service for many people in Melbourne.
At the launch of the Dior spectacular Melbourne was referred to as the fashion capital of Australia. Following a series of high profile fashion exhibitions in Melbourne we are now reaching peak fashion - celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the House of Dior, one of the world’s most prestigious couture houses. The World Loves Melbourne attended the National Gallery of Victoria launch of The House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture. The exhibition goes from 27 August to 7 November (admission fees apply).
Melbourne's new contemporary house of Aburi sushi, The Modern Eatery, is now open in Richmond, located on Swan Street, Richmond, after huge success with two venues in Perth. The World Loves Melbourne was invited along to sample the fare.
Smith St. Trader is a compelling cafe and bar on eclectic Smith St Collingwood, full of soul and savvy, with Richard Hands a Melbourne gem and one of its best bar tender/mixologists. The World Loves Melbourne was invited to sample some of the menu one lunchtime, including an indulgent cocktail for which we don't apologise for.
Epic is an apt description for this Pep Alliance Event hosted by Hilary McNevin at The Lincoln Hotel with publican Iain Ling and Tasmanian farmer and brewer Ashley Huntington. Ashley Huntington is a talented and passionate Tasmanian farmer who looks somewhat like Jon English but has the punk attitude of the Sex Pistols. He stands up for farmers and the industry, encouraging us all to support local farmers - and rightly so!
How good is Raclette! The first time we encountered the magical world of Raclette we fell in love. We gathered around the Raclette "machine" where a wheel of premium cheese was blistering and bubbling under the heat in awe. Then with a scrape of a knife the theatre and aroma of raclette drew us in with wonder. Not to mention the taste of the oozy cheese - often paired with pickles, mushrooms or cornichons. Scraping the cheese into a small bowl, you are set for a session of bliss, especially if you pair it with say a dry white wine or a pinot noir. The joy of France and Switzerland is to be enjoyed here in Melbourne.
Best burgers in Melbourne, we have searched high and low for the best this city has to offer. The humble burger has risen in status to be a gourmet item of choice on menus across Melbourne. Culinary giants are making their own burger versions for customers.
Best cafes in Melbourne is a mix of new and emerging cafes together with icons that are well established cafes. We celebrate Melbourne's best cafes in the search for perfection. Melbourne is best known for it's thriving cafe scene, often to be found in laneways. We are constantly eating out at Melbourne's top cafes and consider the standard to be high.
Melbourne is a great city for dining including cheap and affordable eats! For the student and city worker there’s a plethora of cheap eateries where quality and price converge.
Here are our top 12 restaurant eats in Chinatown Melbourne (not necessarily in order of preference)...
We have established our best pizza restaurants in Melbourne and conclude that Melbourne is a worthy pizza capital.
Here are some of our Melbourne breakfast/brunch favourites -
Here are our top 5 Indonesian restaurants in Melbourne.
Here are our top 10 hidden gems of Melbourne. Can you add to the list?
What are the 20 must try dishes in Melbourne right now? Here is our selection -
1. Tagliolini al Nero at Tippo 00
Tipo 00 is a touch of class when it comes to Italian dining; greeting you like a Nonna with warm hospitality while serving up fine rustic Italian fare. This is the sort of place you seek out to spend several hours imbibing. Don't let the office contact you. Tell the Secretary to put everything on hold; you're in a meeting. The romance of Italian dining is alive and well in Melbourne.
