Milk Bar’s Picks for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

This week sees the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival revving its mighty engines for the 20th year in what will be the biggest festival yet, covering not just food and wine but beers, ciders, celebrity chefs and pretty much everything in-between.

While some events are a little on the pricey side there’s still plenty of foodie fun to be had without busting open the piggy bank. So for the next two and a bit weeks, here’s our picks for MFWF. Things tend to sell out so if you’re keen get in quick.

FOOD TRUCKS UNITE
The name pretty much says it all. Melbourne’s food trucks including Beatbox, Taco Truck, Gumbo Kitchen, Le Sausage and more will be circling the wagons and serving up food on four wheels over two days. Hopefully once service stops they’ll do wheelies in the carpark.
WHEN: 3 March, 12 noon – 9.00pm and 4 March, 12 noon – 6.00pm
WHERE: Signal, Flinders Walk, Northbank
WEB: Click here.

TEXAS HOEDOWN
Apart from food trucks and Mexican, Texan BBQ is popping up more and more these days. FOG Restaurant in Prahran will be serving up a traditional Texas BBQ feast in their courtyard with the likes of brisket, baby back ribs, corn on the cob, whole smoked hog and a bunch of sides. Great way to meet some meat.
WHEN: 11 March, 12 noon – 5.00pm
WHERE: FOG Restaurant and Bar, 142 Greville St Prahran
WEB: melbournefoodandwine.com.au/event/2470
COST: $50.00

FITZROYAL-TEA
No, not the blog. Gertrude Street’s Southpaw cordially invite you to high tea with a twist of mismatched china and gin. The Forgotten Fruits High Tea takes its inspiration from the Middle Ages and the French Court all the way back to Fitzroy. Important note: there’ll be Pimms and gin cocktails if you want something stronger than the leafy stuff.
WHEN: 16 March, 1.00pm – 3.00pm, 18 March, 4.00pm to 6.00pm
WHERE: Southpaw, 189 Gertrude St, Fitzroy
WEB: melbournefoodandwine.com.au/event/2694
COST: $35 for tea, $45 for a tea plus jug of Pimms

FIRE, SMOKE AND BEER
Just the name of this event makes you want to start beating your chest and watch sports. Nose-to-tail meat man Chris Badenoch from Collingwood’s Josie Bones presents a night of smoked beer tastings and fleshy snacks from the kitchen. You also get a free beer tasting book. Bottoms up.
WHEN: 10 March, 2.00pm – 5.00pm
WHERE: Josie Bones, 98 Smith St, Collingwood
WEB: melbournefoodandwine.com.au/event/2818
COST: $60

FOODIE FILMS
If all that eating and drinking is getting a bit much, take a load off and watch other people eating and drinking. Fed Square will be hosting a bunch of free foodies films over a week on the big screen, including Cooking in Progress, the docu about that Spanish chef everyone’s always banging on about. BYO deconstructed choc top.
WHEN: 2 March – 9 March
WHERE: The Big Screen at Fed Square
WEB: melbournefoodandwine.com.au/events/highlight-events/foodie-films

BIKEFEST VILLAGE PICNIC
For the princely sum of an (optional) gold coin donation you get to have a long, languid lunch with other like minded cyclists in big version of pot luck. The theme is bring a plate to share with friends and strangers, so don’t skimp and turn up with a packet of Nacho Cheese CC’s. There’s also a cake baking comp (judged by none other than Melbourne Gastronome herself Claire Davie), face-painting and bike advice, plus the Collingwood Children’s Farm Farmer’s Market is also on the same day. Perfectly pleasant.
WHEN: 10 March 11.00am – 5,00pm
WHERE: Mercator Lawn, Abbotsford Convent
WEB: www.melbournebikefest.com.au/bikefest-village-picnic