This Week in Food: Bottomless pasta + things that go ‘bang’
SPANISH FIESTA – Like you should need an excuse to enjoy great Spanish food, but if you do, how about World Tapas Day, which will be celebrated on Thursday 20th June. Some of the venues getting into the the Spanish spirit include Asado on Southbank who will be holding a Tapas y Sangria night, where $40 will get you 5 tapas or pintxos of your choice and a glass of Sangria – choose from salted cod croquettes; mussels in escabeche served with potato chips; white anchovies, with sweet paprika and salad cream on charred toast; and more. Or, head to Pontoon on St Kilda beach where they’ll celebrate for the whole week with $5 tapas (think Gilda skewers with Olasagasti anchovy, green olive, and guindilla peppers; El Tigre baked mussels; or spiced calamari with aioli). Or maybe Bomba Bar & Rooftop, for their special $7 truffle tapas special on Sunday 16th June – a Hervey Bay scallop with black truffle butter.
asado.melbourne, pontoonstkildabeach.com.au, bombabar.com.au
IT’S GONE BANG – Plenty happening at Bang Bang at the Rifle Club in Elsternwick. It’s a great venue just near the train station there, and there’s a new boss at the helm, head chef Ben Hildred comes straight from stints at Mya Tiger at the Espy, and Coda in the city. To get you in for a taste, they’re offering great value BANGquets, where just $59 will get you and three of your mates three gorgeous-sounding starters (thing marinated mussel betel leaf, chilli jam, toasted coconut or char-grilled Assam lamb ribs); two mains with two salads (like Hopkins River beef short rib Bo Kho & papaya salad); and a five spice apple turnover for dessert. Pay an extra $29, and nab cocktail on arrival and two glasses of paired wine. More info – bangbang.com.au
BOOKS AND BEER – We love a good pub, and the Oxford Scholar Hotel is one of the earliest public houses Melbourne boasts. The heritage-listed venue dates back to 1857 and has been brought back to life by the Mahony Group. They’re hoping to entice CBD workers, residents, visitors, and of course nearby RMIT uni students, through their doors for a beer and some internationally-inspired pub grub. If nothing else, it looks like a stunning reno!
theoxfordscholar.com.au
ALL THE ORECCHIETE – Winter. Wine, and pasta – surely? Well, how about all the pasta you can eat? That’s what riverside favourite Fatto Cantina is offering this month – bottomless servings of pasta every weeknight from 7.30pm and weekends from 12pm. Dishes on offer include orecchiette with broccoli, anchovy, chilli and garlic; tagliatelle with red wine braised beef shin, pickled chillies and parsley; and rigatoni all’ amatriciana with pancetta, tomato, red onion and pecorino.
fatto.com.au