Where To Sample Native Australian Ingredients In Melbourne

With an abundance of native Australian ingredients on their doorstep, Melbourne chefs have taken the opportunity to challenge people’s perception on Indigenous cuisine. With menus incorporating ingredients like wattleseed, lemon myrtle, finger limes and quandong as well as game meats such as wallaby, crocodile, emu and kangaroo, Melburnians have the chance to broaden their palates if they keep an open mind. Here are five restaurants where you can sample native bush tucker.

1. Charcoal Lane

Restaurant, Australian

Charcoal Lane is a social enterprise by Mission Australia that provides mentoring and support to young, vulnerable Australians – many of whom are Aboriginal. Following a curriculum of hospitality skills devised by Executive Chef Greg Hampton, the trainees receive guidance aimed at enforcing independence and long-term confidence. Together with Hampton, the diverse group prepares contemporary Australian meals which champion native ingredients. Highlights from the menu include macadamia and wattleseed crusted wallaby, roasted emu fillet with quandong and witlof, paperbark-wrapped seasonal vegetables and the lemon myrtle tiramisu.

2. Altair

Restaurant, Contemporary, Australian, Vegetarian

Boarded by the Yarra River, Altair in Warrandyte is a contemporary restaurant that serves long lunches and intimate dinners in addition to their hearty weekend breakfast. The refined menu, complemented by their wine selection, includes confit abalone with taro, toasted seaweed, ginseng, and kangaroo tail consommé; beef tartare with Warrigal green, wattleseed, native fruits, macadamia, and Kakadu plum; and preserved river trout with saltbush kimchi, sunchoke, roe, and fermented pepper.

3. Gypsey and Musquito

Cafe, Wine

Potato hash, served with Tasmanian double hot smoked salmon

The legend of two bushrangers – Musquito, an Aboriginal, and his British mate Gypsey, who fought for Indigenous rights in Van Diemen’s Land – lives on in Bridge Road where Kirrily Stewart and local chef Anna Ingle have created a café which celebrates native produce. Tuck into a bushranger brunch at the homely café fit with flea market furniture and timber countertops. On the menu, you’ll find a native-inspired granola with wattleseed and bush berries and a selection of sausages including crocodile, emu, camel and wallaby. There is also a selection of Daintree leaf teas to finish off your meal.

5. Vue de Monde

Vue de Monde

The name may be French, but Shannon Bennett’s menu at Vue de Monde incorporates native produce into a fine-dining experience, accentuating local ingredients traditionally used by the Indigenous. The ever-changing menu has featured black lip abalone with hen’s egg yolk and fumet blanc; poached barramundi with turnip dashi; Davidson plum with flowers and herbs; roo on charcoal with beets; and emu and wallaby jerky. Vue de Monde encompasses classical European cuisine while referencing native ingredients and does so sustainably.

Vue de Monde, 55, Rialto Towers, 525 Collins St, Melbourne VIC, Australia, +61 3 9691 3888

http://instagram.com/p/BKe9ulNjh5a/

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.