News from Australia and New Zealand

Shannon Martinez, of Melbourne’s vegan hotspot Smith & Daughters, has partnered with Ian Curley to create the eats and drinks at the recently opened Lona Misa in South Yarra’s new retro-chic Ovolo Hotel. It boasts a casual daytime café and cold-pressed juice bar, a more substantial evening menu and a lively Latin bar all with a completely vegan menu. There are however vegetarian variations for those who just can’t do huevos rancheros without the huevos or croquettas without Manchego. Martinez even makes a vegan ‘morcilla’ (black pudding) by combining a beetroot juice and red wine reduction with vegetable shortening and traditional morcilla seasonings and ingredients such as oats and rice.

Are avocados one of your favourite foods? If so and you’re in Sydney between now and 11 June, get along to Cuckoo Callay in Surry Hills or Newtown for their Kiss My Hass Avocado Festival. There’s reimagined avo on toast – think spiced on tostadas with green nam jim, smoked corn and Thai herbs or with tahini on Lebanese saj bread with chermoula scrambled eggs and sujuk. For something even less traditional try the likes of buttermilk and togarashi avocado chips with gochujang aioli; or a dessert featuring avocado, white chocolate and matcha mousse. Seriously!

Not satisfied with teaching us what great Spanish food is all about, Frank Camorra has now brought excellent Mexican to Melbourne’s Hosier Lane. Born out of a COVID-19 pivot that saw Mexican-born chef Sarai Castillo creating authentic home-style Mexican dishes for home delivery, Tres a Cinco (meaning 3 to 5, the restaurant’s street address) now has a permanent home in Camorra’s old Bar Tini site. There are fish, beef and pulled pork tacos, plus a vego version with fried cauliflower, avocado and chipotle crema; empanadas with pumpkin, cheese and peanut mole – or guava and cream cheese for the sweet tooths; plenty of tequila and mezcal, including eight different margaritas, and much more.

In A High Country Life, Philippa Cameron paints a vivid picture of life on Otematata, the 40,000 hectare sheep station she runs with her husband Joe in the high country of Otago, New Zealand. Drawing on her role as station cook, Philippa fills the book with recipes for the hearty dishes she feeds to the musterers, shearers and other station workers along with Joe and their two young daughters, many of which have featured in her popular @whats_for_smoko Instagram posts.

Meanwhile in Perth there’s a slightly belated end-of-summer block party happening in beachside Scarborough this Saturday (24 April). Skol bar and eatery are joining forces with neighbouring Drift Kitchen to take over their shared carpark with live music, great lo-fi wines and cocktails and casual eats.

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