News from Australia and New Zealand

In Melbourne on 6 June? Feast with some of the city’s leading hospitality folk and help a great cause. Daawat – Fundraiser for India, hosted by the legendary Tony Tan and Melbourne Food and Wine Festival creative director Pat Nourse, sees leading chefs preparing a 3-course lunch on Sunday 6 June with all proceeds going to aid India as it struggles with the COVID19 crisis. Mischa Tropp (head chef of Ish) has rounded up some industry mates, including Shannon Martinez (Smith & Daughters), Matt Wilkinson (Montalto), Tom Sarafian (ex-Bar Saracen), Helly Raichura (Enter Via Laundry), Nabil Ansari (Sunda) and Kay-Lene Tan (pastry chef at Tonka and Coda), to prepare a fun afternoon of shared entrees, plus main and alternating desserts at Two Ton Max in North Melbourne. Book here – $120 plus drinks by Avani Wines, Bodriggy Brewing Co, Four Pillars Gin and Capi.

Kylie Kwong’s long-awaited new restaurant, Lucky Kwong, opened last week in the heritage-listed old locomotive workshop of Sydney’s new South Everleigh redevelopment. Kylie is calling her new lunch-only venue a cafeteria in keeping with its casual no-bookings and order-at-the-counter model. Her unique cuisine, combining her Chinese heritage with the best local produce including Australian natives, is available for dine in or take away, and she’ll continue to work closely with producers, the indigenous community and other local partners with whom she’s long collaborated, including the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross where she has beehives. Expect dishes like steamed prawn dumplings with native bush mint and Paul Kurtz’s biodynamic red-braised beef brisket with radish, daikon and carrot from Palisa Anderson’s Boon Luck Farm.

Fans of Bill Granger will enjoy his familiar ricotta hotcakes, sweet corn fritters and scrambled eggs on the breakfast menu of recently opened Bills on Cross Street in Sydney’s Double Bay. Meanwhile the lunch and dinner offerings take a wander around the globe, from Vienna-inspired veal or chicken schnitzel, through Middle Eastern green pea and dill falafel with herb salad and hummus, to a seafood coconut curry with choy sum and holy basil. Open 7 days 7am-10pm for drinks, snacks or something more substantial.

It seems we just can’t get enough of the classics (and with good reason). The Australian Women’s Weekly latest series of recipe books will introduce a whole new generation of cooks to their easy-to-follow, foolproof recipes covering everything from one pot wonders, through great everyday vegetarian dishes, to a comprehensive baking book covering breads, cakes, cookies and other sweet treats. Meanwhile, Maggie’s Harvest, Maggie Beer’s wonderful collection of over 350 of her favourite recipes arranged by seasonal produce, has been rereleased. The recipes are woven through her wonderful stories of the community, producers, friends and family in and around her Barossa Valley home and farm.

Roberta’s blog Food Wine Travel with Roberta is indexed on EYB. You can also follow her on Instagram.