Kate’s Week in Food: Some of Melbourne’s best meal boxes + cocktails at home
MRC SUPERBOX
This racing season, if you still want to enjoy an indulgent trackside feel to your Caulfield race days, you can, with the Melbourne Racing Club’s Superboxes. Superboxes feature some of the best-loved dishes from Caulfield’s springtime marquees, paired with your choice of bubbles, wine or beer. They’re all prepared and packed on site at Caulfield, and delivered to your door on the morning of the race day ahead of the first. They’ll be available all three days of the Stella Artois Caulfield Cup Carnival, each with a unique menu and theme – just be sure to get your order in before 12pm on the Wednesday prior to ensure it’s delivered on race day morning. mrc.racing.com/dining/
MOVIDA COMIDA CORRIDA
Last week I told Ross & Russel about the MoVida Menu del Dia boxes, well, there’s a new edition. Sarai Castillo has been one of MoVida’s key kitchen staff for the past four years. Originally from Guadalaja, Mexico, she doesn’t qualify for any government assistance. So, from this week, she’ll be creating her own ‘Comida Corrida’ food boxes from Hosier Lane every Thursday – each box will feed you for lunch and dinner for a day. The first menu will be available for delivery next Thursday the 10th September, and will be delivered within 20km of the city every Thursday, with the Menu del Dia boxes still going out on Fridays and Saturdays. Next week, expect empanadas, chilaquiles, roast chicken with mole sauce, pork shoulder tacos, a tequila cocktail and more! shop.alimentaria.com.
MAKE OUT MEALS
Make-Out Meals is a new Melbourne-grown meal kit company that offers delicious recipes crafted by some of Melbourne’s favourite venues including Bomba, Tipico, Babajan, ISH, Fancy Hanks, La Tortilleria and more. They’re delivering weekly meal kits packed full of fresh ingredients from local suppliers for people to create quick and easy restaurant-quality food at home, every day. Each kit comes with fresh pre-portioned ingredients from local suppliers and easy-to-follow recipe cards, and you can cook along with the restaurants’ chefs via instructional video tutorials available for some recipes. Sign up for a subscription, or try them out for a once-off meal kit (limited time only). www.makeoutmeals.com.au
URBAN FARM
In the Richmond area, UrbanFarm have come up with individual meal kits that they’ll deliver on the same day you order, either in the afternoon or evening. They pair and deliver Australian wines and beers with each meal, and are even doing a Melbourne cafe-style breakfast range for the weekend mornings. They promise you’ll have your meal on the table within 25 minutes, and you can search by “Range” (think Roast, Italian, street food) or “Hero” (do you want your main ingredient to be beef, chicken, veg, etc). What do you fancy? You’ll likely find it on their website – urbanfarm.net.au
MAP58
When COVID-19 hit, catering business The Mint Group had to do what many hospitality businesses did, and pivot. They came up with MAP58, initially because they were based in, and delivering to, suburbs around the map on page 58 of the Melways – South Yarra, Prahran, Windsor and Richmond. Well, they’re still creating terrific, tasty, quality home cooked meals, but now their delivery area has extended to across Metro Melbourne, Geelong, and the Mornington Peninsula. Choose from a range of soups, beautiful looking pies and tarts, salads, ragus, curries and more. map58.online/
ROLL’D
This Vietnamese fast food favourite is rolling out family Vietnamese soup kits to feed four people. You can choose between. Choose from four different fresh, tasty Vietnamese soups – beef Pho, Bún Bò Huế, Bánh Canh Cua or Mì Tôm Thịt. These guys promise you’ll get a box of goodies ready to provide you with minimal fuss, maximum flavour. One meal box will make soup for four people and set you back $50. rolld.com.au
TRUFFLED COCKTAILS
Well, the 2020 fresh truffle season might be rapidly drawing to a close, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the earthly delights. Interestingly, Truffle Melbourne and The Prosecco Van have collaborated to produce a collection of truffle-infused cocktails. Yep, you heard me! They’ve conjured up a dry martini, an espresso martini, a Negroni and Bloody Mary each with a curious truffle makeover. Each contains between one and three serves, and they’re priced between $15 and $30. Order from trufflemelbourne.com or www.theproseccovan.net.au
MOON DOG FIZZER SELTZERS
They seriously don’t sit still, do they? The brewers at Moon Dog are branching out, come October they are launching a range of Alcoholic Seltzers because, well, this year has been a total Fizzer! The four nostalgic flavours will be Coco Magic, Piney Limey, Strawbs and Cream and Tropical Crush with all flavours expertly crafted by Chris Hysted-Adams, a three time Australian Bartender of the Year. Alcoholic seltzers are huge in the US, so these are likely to prove a popular drink come our Aussie summer.
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