Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2010

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The first course will be a sampling from the streets of Asia. The Hawkers Market, at the Queen Victoria Market, will serve up tasting plates from a dozen of Melbourne s favourite Asian eateries on March 15-17. Foodie favourites such as Kenzan @ GPO and Cookie will be exhibiting their signature dishes, such as maguro sushi and barbecue chicken sticks with green papaya salad. Tickets are $45 per head (pre-booked) and include four tasting plates from your choice of vendor.

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The next course is a sampling of some of the finer restaurants in Melbourne, at a fraction of the price. As part of Restaurant Week, Lamaro s will offer a two-course lunchtime menu penned by executive chef Michael Lambie and head chef Brad Simpson. Featuring fusion foods such as char siew pork gyoza and roast barramundi fillet with coconut and soy caramel, the menu is designed to showcase the haute cuisine Melbourne has to offer at a more accessible price. March 14-18, 22-23, $35 per head for two courses.

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Not to neglect the invaluable contribution to Melbourne s rich culinary tapestry made by country Victoria, the next course is an offering from the heritage of the high country. Will and Steve Flamsteed were instrumental in shaping the landscape of the north-east dining scene and the six-course degustation menu on offer at Provenance restaurant on March 21 is an homage to the dishes the brothers were serving up in their seminal restaurant, the King River Cafe. Head chef Michael Ryan will undoubtedly add his own special touches and each course will be matched to a wine from one of the honoured brothers wineries. $135 a head for one night only.

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Our next offering from the highlights menu is another tribute to the fantastic produce to be found in regional Victoria. On March 12, Oakdene Restaurant will be holding a five-course degustation menu showcasing local produce and matched to estate-grown wines. The dinner is for one night only at $120 a head.
This will be accompanied by your choice of entertainment for the evening, a series of lectures and demonstrations from some of the international cooking world's best and brightest

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As is customary with any degustation menu, coffee and tea are offered complimentary with the dessert course. However, as the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is anything but conventional, neither is this course. As part of Roasters Week, Market Lane Coffee will be holding an 'Introduction to Cupping' demonstration on March 15, teaching people the finer points of coffee appreciation. Not breaking all ties with tradition, this coffee course is still complimentary.

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Our final course for this evening is a chocolate tasting from master artisan Christos Partsioglou. Like everything else on our menu one dish would not suffice, so the Xocolatl chocolatier is hosting a nine-course chocolate degustation on March 13 at Huntingdale Golf Club. Each course in the $120-per-head menu is carefully matched with a selection of Tyrell s wines and is designed as a celebration of the ultimate food - chocolate.