All posts filed under: Drink

Italian Wine & Food Festival

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Enjoy everything that’s good about eating and dining in Italy at the Italian Wine & Food Festival. Debuting this year, the festival will bring together the best Italian cooks from Melbourne including Johnny di Francesco (400 Gradi) and Rosa Mitchell (Rosa’s Canteen + Rosa’s Kitchen) who will be headlining the show. Shop until your heart’s  content with over 200 of Italy’s finest wines plus salumi, cheese, pasta, coffee, olive oil, gelato and pastries at the Gourmet Traveller Food Market. If you want to learn how to cook authentic Italian cuisine like Nonno, there’s be demonstrations from 400 Gradi, Caterina’s Cucina e Bar, 38 Chairs, Trattoria Emilia, La Bonta, Bar Idda and Saluministi. Spend the whole day there or even make a night of it with DJs playing the best Italian vinyl and European track until 9pm. Buon appetito! When: 11am – 9pm, Sunday 29 May Where: Royal Exhibition Building Visit the Melbourne Italian Wine & Food Festival website.  

A Langham Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood

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The Langham and Wedgwood have collaborated to launch the bespoke version of the afternoon tradition – “The Langham Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood,” and last week the We Know Melbourne team went along to try it out. Now if you’ve never been to an afternoon tea and are wondering what the fuss is all about, then we’d highly recommend you book yourself in for this afternoon tea at The Langham. Upon walking up the grand staircase of the hotel, we were instantly hit with the crisp, sweet ginger flower signature scent which set the scene of the decadent events to come. Sitting down to the tea in the Aria Bar and Lounge, we were immediately offered a glass of Perrier Jouet NV Champagne and given a menu with an extensive selection of teas to choose from. It was then we started to notice all the Langham signatures, like the pink roses, the “Langham Rose” Wedgwood china, and later the Langham pink suits worn by the service stylists, reminecent of the pink Chanel suit  worn by the late, …

Good Beer Week

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In the last decade, the way people view beer as a beverage has become evermore diverse, from a comforting refreshment, to a passionate art form. Created by the combination of hard work by local boutique breweries along with the growth of inquisitive beer drinkers, has seen the upsurge of more local craft beer varieties being stocked in bar fridges or being poured in sideways glasses during local happy hours all over the state.  As a recognition to all things beer, Melbourne Good Beer Week is held throughout some of Melbourne’s finest pubs and bars and celebrates the rich culture and passion that exists amongst the production and (more importantly) consumption of local craft beer found in Victoria and wider Australia. Events range from food and beer pairing sessions, premium beer tastings straight from local breweries, themed parties, along with much more.  Some festival highlights that we have picked include  GABS 2016 – a festival within the festival, the best artesian brewers from around the world gather to showcase a celebration if all things beer and …

Appleton Trail at Nieuw Amsterdam

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The Appleton Trail is taking over Nieuw Amsterdam this weekend, transforming their downstairs bar  into a palm-filled oasis with DJs and live steel drum players. Expect Jamaican music, lush palms, bespoke Jamaican-inspired food menus and of course Appleton Estate infused signature cocktails. Appleton Estate have been creating authentic Jamaican rums in the Cockpit Country – a unique, lush and fertile terrain at the island’s heart – for over 265 years, exporting the warmth, passion and unique spirit of Jamaica around the world in each handcrafted bottle. So if you want to explore Jamaica through their signature alochol we suggest you get there early. When: 22 April – 23 April Where: Nieuw Amsterdam, 106 -122 Hardware Lane, Melbourne Visit the Nieuw Amsterdam website. Visit the Appleton Estate website. 

Academy Kitchen & Bar

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Walking into Academy Kitchen & Bar, we were warmly greeted by the friendly waitresses and informed that we would be seated at one of the best tables in the house. It was a cooler Thursday evening and we were there to try out the new Autumn menu.  We had a choice of either picking our own dishes or leaving it up to the masterful hands of head chef, Will Manning. We of course love surprises so went for the latter. The first dishes to come out were the pumpkin gnocchi with butternut pumpkin sauce, pickled shimeji and crispy onion rings, and the salmon terrine with dill creme fraiche, saffron aioli, caperberries and sorrel.  The pumpkin gnocchi was light and  flavoursome, and coupled with the creamy butternut sauce topped with the crunchy onion rings, it felt like the perfect winter indulgence dish. In tasting the salmon, it was the saffron aioli that stood out for us and had us wanting more. Both considerable sized dishes, we were surprised that these were just part of the ‘snacks …

Asian Street Food Weekend

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Over the next three days The Food Truck Park™ will transform Preston into an Asian themed foodies dream with a modern twist – food trucks.  Combining familiar flavours with speciality dishes, this will be the one place to experience all your favourite Asian food trucks all weekend long. Expect all  your favourite Asian style foodie trucks including Hello Saigon, White Guy Cooks Thai, Ghost Kitchen, Nem N’ Nem, That Nasi Lemak Guy, Hello Saigon, Yo India plus more! Make the most of the sunny Autumn days while you still can! When: 8- 10 April Where: The Food Truck Park Preston Visit the website here.

Wine and Cheese Fest

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The Wine and Cheese Fest returns this weekend and this year they are in a brand new location! Following the great success of the 2014 and 2015 spring events at Seaworks in Williamstown, The Wine and Cheese Fest is moving to the Meat Market heritage building in North Melbourne with new autumn outlook. Take a wander through the various stalls on offer with over 40+ exhibitors showcasing their best cheeses and wine! There’ll also be live entertainment including a jazz band and DJ, plus take part in the annual  Grape Stomp Comp and win a prize! When: April 10, 11am – 7pm Where: Meat Market, 3 Blackwood St,  North Melbourne Visit the website here.  

Get Messy at House of Crabs

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Tucked away under the Newmarket Hotel, House of Crabs St Kilda is a blink and you almost miss it, hidden gem in the southside. Originally from Sydney, the crab shack’s rockabilly pub style vibe with band on stage is a stark contrast to the more modern, clean, upmarket restaurant upstairs. The menu is a mix of Southen-style seafood “boils” in delicious sauces (think crabs, mussels and prawns) alongside meats such as chicken and ribs on the grill, and side snacks to go with it. To wash down your seafood feast, there’s also the most delicious and mouthwatering traditional cocktails you can get your hands on. We tried the lageritas, peach cobblers and Alabama Slammas and we can guarantee you that they’re some of the most interesting cocktails we’ve tried in Melbourne. And in case you were wondering, if it’s a go-to date venue –  The answer is yes! To soak up that crab splatter, you’ll get a bib (and gloves) to wear, which is a grade A talking point for when things get awkward on a …

505 Wine Room

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505 Wine Room officially opened on Tuesday and it’s the perfect destination for an early bite or a late supper. Housed in the historic ‘Bush Inn’ building, the designer space is inviting and modern, with exposed industrial beams and bespoke steel work and juxtaposing colour scheme included indigo and aqua. Patrons can choose to either sit in the main bar downstairs with casual high tops or cafe style tables, or if you want something more intimate or private there’s also the plush and decadent cocktail lounge upstairs. The menu is sure to make you drool with  a range of delicious options including Tuna Ceviche, local Snapper with zucchini, fragile, leads and pine nuts, Slow Cooked Lam Shoulder and Violet Crumble Honeycomb with Chocolate Aeros and ice cream. Making it easy to choose which wine to choose with each dish, each menu item is mapped out by what wine suits. Where: 505 Malvern Road, Toorak  When: Open  7 days a week from 12pm until late; Happy hour is of course at 5:05pm, for 55 minutes and offers $5 wines …