This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Nicknamed “the culinary capital of Australia”, Melbourne serves us a compendium of flavors from around the world!
No iconic opera. No photogenic beaches. No tanned surfers in its streets. No, Melbourne (or Narrm, as its Aboriginal community calls it) is not Sydney. So what? Failing to display the aura of an eternal vacationer, the capital of the State of Victoria can be discovered through its menus, bringing together epicureans, gourmets and gluttons alike.
Hugging the banks of the Yarra River, the gleaming metropolis experienced a gold rush in the second half of the 19th century.e century which made it one of the richest cities on the planet. One of the most mixed as well. “It was during this rush that Chinese prospectors arrived in Melbourne, bringing their great culinary tradition,” says Shae Keenan, marketing director at Visit Victoria. Founded by the Chinese in 1851, Melbourne’s Chinatown is the oldest continuously inhabited Chinatown in the Western world.
“After the Second World War, Melbourne also welcomed large waves of European, Greek and Italian immigrants, and they left an indelible mark through coffee,” she continues. Today, greater Melbourne, which has 5 million inhabitants, has a high concentration of immigrants (55% for the municipality) from 200 different countries. Culinarily, in the city itself, this translates into some 3900 restaurants displaying menus from 70 countries. A whole wealth, which is reminiscent of that of Montreal, where 120 ethnocultural groups are represented.
For Peruvian chef Alejandro Saravia, an adopted Melbournian at the helm of several good restaurants, including Farmer’s Daughters, Italians, Greeks, people from the Middle East and South Americans have also brought to “Melb”, as we say here, their passion for eating. This has led to a certain art of living, including frequenting farmers’ markets on a daily basis as well as an authenticity of different cuisines. “Here, you can eat Vietnamese like in Vietnam. In fact, it’s like Melbourne is offering you a culinary journey around the world! » he said. So here is at least a little tour of the city of restaurants!
From alley to the back of the courtyard
Guide for the This Is Melbourne tour, Colleen Hartland offers a “safari of flavors far from the steak and potatoes duo I knew as a child,” she says. Several of the establishments where she takes us for a bite to eat are located in alleys, such as AC/DC Lane, whose walls are the canvases of spray can or stencil artists. Tremendous ! At the bottom of this one, at the Peruvian Pastuso, we enjoy a red snapper ceviche with tiger milk (the marinade) and choclo (white corn) which was worth the excursion alone.
White tablecloth, please!
Michelin does not send its inspectors to Australia, but that doesn’t matter: the Australian Good Food Guide has its own, just as independent. They award their Chef Hat awards annually, which makes it easier to find the best restaurants in town. Among these, Gimlet at Cavendish House was rewarded this year for its “out of the ordinary” European cuisine.
The Magic of “Melb”
Caffeinophiles, the locals? And how! According to Visit Melbourne, the importation of coffee beans into this city has jumped by… 780% over the last decade! A local creation, unique in the world, certainly has something to do with it… It’s the Magic, which made Shae Keenan say: “You can’t claim to know Melbourne if you haven’t swallowed a few of them!” » Where to drink this double ristretto served with a little hot milk? At Brother Baba Budan, a nice neighborhood café, or at Higher Ground, a former power station converted into a chic den of the electrifying drink par excellence. Let’s appreciate the humor here aussie…
Tea, my dear!
In this Commonwealth country, the British tradition of afternoon tea is still alive, if only to mark a special event. We might want to find one so we can sit at the 80e floor of the Ritz-Carlton and enjoy the view. The four-course menu revolves around great classics and seasonal delights, accompanied by local bubbles. At the Westin hotel, an original tea showcases local cheeses in savory or sweet bites.
A roof at night
On Swanston Street, an art nouveau building catches our eye. This Curtin House, former headquarters of the Communist Party, now houses designer offices, a rooftop bar where films are shown, as well as restaurants. One of them, Cookie, serves divine Thai cuisine and good craft beers in the relaxed atmosphere of a university pub.
For the love of gelato
We were lining up one evening last May, a rainy one at that, in front of Pidapipó. The ice creams are made by hand as it should be (the owner studied at the Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna) and perfectly preserved from humidity in pozzettistainless steel containers. Verdict? Exquisite, Nutella Swirl, a southern winter flavor.
The author was the guest of the Australian Tourism Exchange, which had no right to review this text.
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