Victoria's Latest Food and Drink Trends

Melbourne has emerged as a global mecca for foodies in recent years, reflecting its citizens' insatiable appetite for innovative, accessible dining as part of their everyday life. From laneway dining to wine regions and coastal areas, Victoria's quality and diversity of experience, its abundant produce and the passion and innovation of its chefs and producers make the state a mecca for foodies and international acclaim is at an all-time high.

The annual Melbourne Food & Wine Festival has become a magnet for chefs from across the globe, with 2015 headliners including Ruth Jones (Riverside Café, London), and celebrity dessert chef, Janice Wong (2am: dessert bar, Singapore). Meanwhile 2015 has seen one of the world's greatest culinary innovators, Heston Blumenthal, relocate his entire three Michelin star restaurant, The Fat Duck, from the UK to Melbourne for a six month guest residency at Crown Melbourne.

“If you want diversity, great food, comfortable, relaxed and buzzing environment. I would say Melbourne,” said Blumenthal. He chose Melbourne as the first international city for his UK restaurant business and will launch a permanent restaurant at Crown Melbourne from October 2015 called Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.

Other global food stars such as Marco Pierre-White are now regular visitors to Melbourne. “Melbourne, without question, is the gastronomic capital of Australia. What's extraordinary about Australia is that it creates great restaurants which are affordable and the cuisine is so diverse,” explains Pierre-White.

Whilst some of Melbourne's dining trends continue to evolve - such as gourmet brunch restaurants, cheese bars and designer Asian inspired eateries - others have been replaced with new eating and drinking habits in a city that keeps visitors guessing. Health conscious restaurants, tea-type coffee, specialty pastries, and eating collectives are some of the more recent trends spreading throughout the city.

In regional Victoria, some of the most exciting food personalities are opening new ventures that will be sure to attract city-dwellers away from the excitement of Melbourne's food scene and into some of the most stunning settings for local produce at its source.

Fast Facts

City of Melbourne's inner city bistros and cafes alone can seat a combined 178,320 hungry citizens at any one point in time.

There are more than 2000 cafes and a further 3000 restaurants in Melbourne.

Every day, on average, the Port of Melbourne handles 30 tonnes of coffee beans, enough to produce 3 million cups of coffee each day.

Victoria is home to over 850 wineries, including 650 cellar door experiences and 21 distinct wine regions.

The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival sees more than 200 events take place in just over two weeks, including the World's Longest Lunch – one table with 1600 diners.

REGIONAL RESTAURANTS

Sault Restaurant - Located just outside Daylesford, Sault Restaurant is set against the backdrop of Wombat State Forest, overlooking a private lake amidst fields of lavender. Spanish head chef Santiago Nine-Fernandez creates modern cuisine with a Spanish twist utilising the freshest regional produce.

The Cape Kitchen - Phillip Island's newest dining experience, The Cape Kitchen boasts uninterrupted views of the Southern Ocean and is an ideal destination to enjoy delicious food made using locally sourced ingredients.

Burnham Beeches - The Piggery Cafe: The latest venture by Vue de monde chef, restaurateur and director Shannon Bennett. This is the first phase of what is planned to become Australia's first six-star luxury retreat.

Crittenden Estate Wine Centre is a new way to taste wine on the Mornington Peninsula, featuring a purpose built cellar door, with comfortable seating at tables ensures guests a memorable and relaxing experience in ambient setting.

Jack Rabbit Vineyard: With unrivalled views across the bay to Geelong, the You Yangs and Melbourne, Jack Rabbit Vineyard offers award winning, cool climate wines with an à la carte menu.

Terminus at Flinders Hotel - Established in 1889, this iconic hotel has transformed into a modern culinary destination. Featuring an award-winning restaurant 'Terminus', a casual bistro 'The Deck' and superb boutique accommodation 'Quarters', this is perfect place to relax and enjoy the Peninsula.

Yama at Mt Hotham – think slow-roasted suckling lamb leg with Szechuan spices, grass-fed rib eye with smoked miso butter or whole roasted duck – new Yama is the brainchild of some of the stars of the region's dining scene in a stunning Alpine setting.

Levantine Hill Restaurant - opening mid 2015 this promises to be a breathtaking space to attract gastronomes, vinophiles and admirers of avant-garde architecture with hatted chef Teage Ezard at the helm.

MEAT AND BBQ

The French Milkbar – is a local bouchon serving homemade and seasonal meals also runs specialist charcuterie courses.

Fancy Hanks – serves traditional, American style slow-cooked barbecue that includes beef and pork ribs, brisket, pulled pork and 'beer can' chooks, all cooked for up to 16hrs using traditional pit smokers.

Meatmother – is a trendy, American-style barbecue joint serving oak-smoked brisket and ribs, as well as craft beer and bourbon.

Meatmaiden – is an offbeat basement restaurant in the city centre that focusses on grilled and smoked meat cuts as well as craft beers and bourbon.

Ironbark – is dedicated to American style barbecue dining at its best, smoking succulent cuts of ethically sourced Victorian meats using sustainable timbers in a shed that is attached to a motorbike workshop.

Backstreet Eating - is a modern neighbourhood bistro located that in back streets of Fitzroy that has a drying room downstairs, and a menu that features an assortment of house-cured meats

Two Little Pigs Charcuterie – is a charcuterie-obsessed cafe in Brunswick that combines a love of coffee with a passion for pork.

Meatsmith – is a butcher, headed up by Melbourne chef and restauraneur Andrew McConnell and Troy Wheeler former head butcher at Peter Bouchier in Smith Street, Collingwood.

CHEESE BARS

Spring Street Grocer – offers an exquisite variety of gourmet products and features Australia's first underground cheese maturation cellars.

Shifty Chevre – is a cheese bar/café in Fitzroy that offers some of the best local and imported cheeses on rotation, along with an open pantry filled with amazing homeware and French pantry staples.

Milk the Cow – has a four-metre long cheese cabinet along the front counter and over 150 artisan cheeses that can be perfectly paired with boutique wines and beer at this St Kilda fromagere.

La Formaggeria - has Italian owners who pride themselves on their signature cheeses - that include Buffalo Mozzarella, Fior di Latte, Fior di Bufala, Stracchino, and chilli and herb-seasoned cheese - as well as their offering of locally-made, Victorian, Australian and Italian cooking products.

HEALTHY EATING

Transformer – is a new vegetarian restaurant and bar in Fitzroy. On the site of a former electrical transformer warehouse, the menu is sophisticated vegetarian, with Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Asian influences.

Shakahari Too – the second restaurant in the family (and the newest version) maintains the brand's commitment to a completely vegetarian menu that uses only fresh, natural ingredients. Asian influences abound and those who are lactose intolerant, vegan or gluten free are well catered for.

Vegie Bar- has a 20-year history and is arguably the city's most loved vegetarian restaurant. Offering raw, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free meals, there is no cuisine left unrepresented.

Moroccan Soup Bar – is a restaurant that has no menu, no alcohol and no meat. It is a concept that could isolate many diners, but the crowds that flock to North Fitzroy's Moroccan Soup Bar don't seem to mind. Guests are happy to eat what they are given – all outstanding, vegetarian Moroccan-inspired cuisine, designed for sharing.

Admiral Cheng Ho - is a specialty coffee roaster that also happens to specialise in meat-free meals. Its sister café Monk Bodhi Dharma has long been popular with plant-eating hipster types, and this new addition to the family serves up specialties such as quinoa pancakes with banana, coffee soil, ice-cream and butterscotch sauce.

Like Minded Projects – in Fitzroy this space presents three food businesses in one: Abbotsford's Coffee Supreme does the amazing coffee, Fred Gets the food and Ace the ice cream. Most of the food at Like Minded Projects is vegan, mostly gluten free and free from refined sugar.

COLLECTIVES

Swan Street Chamber of Commerce - helping redefine Richmond's Swan Street, this temporary space is home to numerous delicacies and experiences including: artisan chocolate, a bakery, ice cream, a cereal bar, specialty coffee, a music shop, a boutique cinema and meals provided by a rotating gallery of food trucks.

The Archway – is a new precinct in the west-end of the city that houses five food outposts where visitors can pick up a coffee, bagel, a smoothie, pressed juice, modern-Indian food, macrons, delicious cakes and more.

Upper West Side – is also changing the landscape in the increasingly activated west-end of Melbourne city grid with a diverse mix of designers, retailers and food trucks every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Hawker Hall – this combination hawker-style restaurant and beer hall at the Windsor end of Chapel Street, takes the best of Asian dishes and building them into an Australian restaurant environment with a big emphasis on barbecue.

SPECIALTY PASTRIES

Doughboys Melbourne - popped onto menus all over the city this year with their Merlot, Maple Bacon, Earl Grey and Lime Toast donuts. A new permanent location at 535 Bourke will keep customers guessing what flavours are next.

Lune Croissanterie – is often seen with customers lining up at 5am at their Elwood waiting for Kouign-Amann, croissants, cruffins and delicious tasting pastries.

Two Little Pigs – which serves great coffee at their Brunswick café along with their Doughcakes - are a cross between donuts and pancakes

Tivoli Bakery – serves cronuts (a cross between croissants and donuts) and of course their gorgeous selection of breads including sourdough, spelt, soy and linseed and multigrain.

Butterbing - offers some amazing cookie sandwiches with flavours that include Salted Caramel, Chocolate Orange, Peanut Butter, Nutella and Vanilla Bean.

QUIRKY FOOD FESTIVALS

The Melbourne Tomato Festival celebrates this humble fruit each March at the Grossi family farm in South Morang.

Hot air balloon tractor rides are all the rage at the polarising sprout festival in the Yarra Valley. Big Sprout Fest

High Country is going nuts at the Wandilong Nut Festival held each year to celebrate the nuts of the Alpine Region. Also part of the Bright Autumn Festival in May.

UNUSUAL WORLD CUISINES

A new trend towards lesser explored territories and their cuisines include the popular laneway spot, Pastuso (Peruvian),

Girl with a Gris Gris at Ding Dong Lounge is Melbourne's first Louisiana style restaurant serving Creole and Cajun spices in Melbourne's Market Lane.　

Pole Pole is one of Melbourne city center's few African restaurants, though there are more in multi-cultural Footscray. African beer and gourmet bites, plus cocktails, in a rustic-chic bar with an acacia tree wall mural.　

Taking over prime corner real estate in Fitzroy's eclectic, Brunswick Street, Palinka Bar & Kitchen will be serving up Hungarian and Romanian fare including a large selection of stuff schnitzels.

ASIAN

A trend showing no abating, a steady stream of Asian inspired restaurants opened in 2015

Magic Mountain Saloon Thai-inspired dishes, even at breakfast, and a stunning cocktail list in spacious, designer setting.

Supernormal prolific Andrew McConnell's laneway restaurant that has become synonymous with the 'lobster roll'. It's also got a private dining area complete with karaoke downstairs.

Pan-Asian Lucy Liu has something for everyone in a warm and cosy interior. Peking duck dumplings, Korean fried ribs and BBQ lap cheong (Chinese sausage) hot dogs.

Chow City another new pan-Asian with a lean towards Vietnam but including Japan, Thailand and everything in between. Casual but quality eating can be had at this Exhibition Street eatery.

BRUNCH RESTAURANTS

Richmond café Top Paddock is widely renowned for using ingredients from leading producers to create beautifully presented plates – almost too pretty to eat.

Lemon Middle and Orange is located in a former paint factory in the backstreets of the Collingwood dining precinct and now churns sophisticated takes on classic breakfast and lunch dishes with an Irish twist.

Proud Mary is regularly voted the best café in Melbourne and Australia. It's on the edge of the latest trends in coffee and has innovative breakfast menu items such as ox tongue, cotechino and smoked trout.

Notable Melbourne chef Matt Wilkinson continues to serve some of Melbourne's best breakfasts from the help of top Melbourne café Pope Joan in Melbourne's inner North and it has recently been joined by Jack Horner, a gourmet grocer, eatery and deli in Brunswick East.

Duck egg, breakfast ramen and lavender yogurt are just a few staples on the artfully designed breakfast menu at Brunswick Street breakfast hotspot Hammer and Tong.