The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival has kicked off for another year, and given the Southern capital’s large Hellenic population, Greek cuisine is featured highly in the repertoire of events for Melbourne and Victoria.
Now in its 20th year, the festival is for lovers of food and wine, who gather in their thousands to attend more than 300 events that fill Melbourne’s labyrinthine network of restaurants, laneways, lights-turned-down basements and dizzying rooftops as well venues in regional Victoria. But it’s the events that have a Hellenic flavour that have attracted our attention. Neos Kosmos looks what the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival has to offer in revealing the secrets of regional Hellenic kitchen.
The Tastes of Lesvos: Be transported to Lesvos through the flavours and tastes that The Greek Deli are serving up as part of the festival. Now in their fifth year with the festival, owner Jim Pothitos and son, chef Nick Pothitos, will “pay homage to the island they come from”. The Tastes of Lesvos is a chance to embrace not only Lesvian heritage through food, but understand the power of wholesome sustainable dining. “We always serve local products, authentic traditional recipes with a modern twist,” says Jim.
“We’ll have ouzo made from the waters from the mountains of Ploumari, fresh local sardines are on the menu – reminiscent of the famous sardines caught in the Gulf of Kaloni.” As the first restaurant to put tables and chairs on – what has now become the mecca of outdoor dining – Chapel Street in 1985, this is a night that is sure to impress. On the menu will be sardines and marinated Atlantic salmon, quail, rizogalo, traditional Greek island delicacies with a contemporary spin and infused with a sprinkling of Ottoman spices. Live entertainment at the dinner will be provided by singer Diamond Rozakeas, with musicians Evripides Evripidou and George Spyrou.
When: 7 March, 7.00pm – 10.00pm Where: Greek Deli and Taverna, 583 Chapel Street, South Yarra For bookings visit: http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/event/2702
Northern Greece Cooking Class: In this four-part food odyssey, Vicki Peppos from The Sweet Greek fame, takes you on a journey of the flavours of Northern Greece. Rich, hearty food steeped in history from the beating heart of the Byzantine to the beating drums of the Balkans, she leaves no stone unturned when revealing the secrets of a Northern Greek kitchen. Not only will you learn to cook dishes from the land of your ancestors, but the feast is then matched with regional wines, spirits and liqueurs from Makedonia, Naoussa, Epiros and Halkithiki. Moussaka, bougatsa, dolmathes, giouvetsi and baked rizogalo are just a taste of dishes you will learn to create in this very earthy cooking class.
When: 16 March, 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm, and 4 and 18 March from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Where: The Sweet Greek, 18a Haughton Road, Oakleigh For bookings visit: http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/event/2505
Greeks vs the Rest: Join George Calombaris and Shane Delia as they debate an age old dilemma – is Greek cuisine the basis for all other cuisines? Watch this fierce debate between the two highly regarded chefs and while they argue away, you get a chance to sample dishes from Calombaris’ latest venture, St Katherine’s.
When: 11 March, 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm Where:St Katherine’s, 26 Cotham Rd, Kew For bookings visit: http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/event/2770
It’s all Greek to Me: This one off dinner was designed specifically for the festival, showing a two very different sides of Greek food. Joe Grbac from The Press Club will be presenting contemporary Greek food next to Travis McAuley from Hellenic Republic’s taverna style cuisine, focusing on one key ingredient for each course. Matched with Greek beverages, this is a chance to taste the development of Greek food over a millennia.
When: 13 March, 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm Where: The Press Club, 72 Flinders Street, Melbourne For bookings visit: http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/event/2760
Georgie Porgie Cooking Class: Now a father himself, George Calombaris is taking his cooking secrets to the kids and allowing them to discover the best ingredients and how to prepare a meal in this cooking class for kids. There will be activities, quizzes and of course George’s favourite foods to eat. Suitable for children up to 14 years and is fully supervised.
When: 17 March, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Where: St Katherine’s, 26 Cotham Rd, Kew For bookings visit: http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/event/2767
Express lunch at Philhellene’s: A great way to sample the best a restaurant has on offer is to take part in the express lunches that are being offered all over Victoria. Philhellene’s Provincial Greek Cuisine has a Cretan menu to sample for $35 offering two courses and a glass of Victorian wine. Taste home-made baked zucchini flowers, slow roasted kid goat, or baked figs in cognac and spices with halva ice-cream.
When: Wed, Thur, Fri from 2 to 21 March Where: Philhellene’s Provincial Greek Cuisine,551-553 Mount Alexander Rd, Moonee Ponds