There are many options for places to eat and drink throughout Australia. There are no longer streets for driving or parks for playing. There are many options for popping a bottle and enjoying a fine meal with a champagne toast. Take a look at the country’s most recent food and drink trends to spice up your next dining experience.
AL FRESCO DINING
The Rocks, Sydney (New South Wales) (c) Destination NSW
All across Australia, restaurants are moving to the streets. Some major locations, such as The Rocks in Sydney, have closed laneways to create idyllic destination dining precincts. The perfect spot for a weekend in the House Bar Lawn at Barangaroo House. For something more unusual, you can choose to sit along a pebble-stone path to find Cantina OK! ‘s handmade, imported, and hand-sourced agave spirits.
Brisbane’s Solotel River Bar and Kitchen has launched a Chandon Garden Pop-Up. This is great for relaxing by the riverside with bubbles in your hand. Pee Wee’s at The Point offers a lounge chair in the East Point Nature Reserve, located in tropical Darwin.
THE TINY COCKTAIL PHENOMENON
Mini cocktail, Sammy Junior, Sydney, New South Wales (c) DS Oficina
Be on the lookout for trends
Home-made cocktails are now so popular that you can enjoy your favorite drink whenever and wherever you want. You might like the Gold Coast-born Mr Continuous.
Think of a degustation menu, but for cocktails. The quiet trend of tiny cocktails has made a big impact on the Australian foodie scene. These mini-tins can be used as a tasting test for larger portions. They are great for taking your taste buds on an adventure without causing a hangover. Like Perth’s upscale Japanese-inspired Fleur, Restaurants are serving sophisticated-yet-playful drinks to their guests. Sydney’s Maybe Sammy offers small portions of the cocktails as well as the newly opened Bar Margaux “petite” martini and manhattan cocktails.
SANDWICH PERFECTION
Tiny’s Sandwich Bar Sydney, New South Wales (c). Tiny’s Sandwich Bar
Australia is not just the nation that invented the Vegemite sandwich. This is why we take great pride in sandwich-making. Tiny’s Sandwich Bar, located in Sydney, takes its craft seriously. It has a New York-style delicatessen feel, but it is Australian. What’s the bonus? You can also enjoy some delicious cocktails.
For a delicious and creative gourmet toastie (toasted sandwich), Brisbane’s Melt Brothers should be on your foodie wish list. They offer a variety of fillings and stretchy cheeses that can compete with the best pizza. In Melbourne, while Matteo’s Delicatessen serves up Mediterranean-inspired paninis alongside coffee and cannoli for the perfectly balanced lunch.
You can find St. J’s Deli in Hobart, Tasmania, if you’re looking for hearty tuckshop fare, sliders, and a creative rotation of weekly specials if you’re down south.
POP-UP PICNICS
There are many places you can eat at your favorite restaurant’s menu. Many venues now offer take-out menus that are larger than ever, so you can grab a few drinks and enjoy a day on your lawn, basking in the sun.
You could also opt for a luxurious picnic experience. Many companies offer a range of services that can arrange for a beautiful table and food, as well as drinks, in any location. You can try To dine for (Sydney), Honour with Fete(Melbourne), Picnic Packages [Gold Coast], Social Picnic Co. [Brisbane], Pop-Up Picnics (“Mornington Peninsula”), Yallingup Sunset Picnics (“Margaret River”) and Let’s Picnic (Adelaide). This trend even reached Norfolk Island, where Platters By Paige can set up a beautiful setting for you to take in the stunning views and relax.
SUSTAINABILITY – SHIFTING
Families can have meaningful food experiences.
Australia’s eateries are making sustainability a priority. Sustainable initiatives are being taken up by drink suppliers, winemakers, distillers, and brewers. Capital Brewing Co, located in the Australian Capital Territory, is reducing water consumption, switching to a low-GWP (global warming potential) refrigerant and even building their grain silo to keep hundreds more plastic grain bags from going to waste. This could mean local ingredients, solar panels, compostable takeaway containers, and locally-sourced energy.
Another must-see place in South Australia is Gather at the Coriole. They source local, ethically harvested and sustainable ingredients from trusted farmers whenever possible. To meet the restaurant’s needs, they even converted their Coriole vineyard into a farm site.
Mother is a plant-based restaurant in Perth’s Fremantle that uses only natural ingredients and makes almost everything from scratch. It also uses water-wise appliances and eco lighting to reduce waste.
Sustainability is an integral part of Stokehouse’s construction, operation, and design. You will not only be enjoying the delicious local food and wine but also dining in a geothermal (heating/cooling) venue that overlooks St Kilda Beach.
