Australian Gourmet Traveller - (11)November 2020 (1)

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NAPIERQUARTER

Thisfriendlyneighbourhood

winebarinFitzroy,Melbourne

transformedintoa homely

takeawaywinestore,providore

and“paninoteca”wherepunters

couldpickupmortadella-loaded

sandwiches,gorgeousgalletes,

lambroasts,jarsofpâtéand

vegetablesoups,alongside

groceriesandpastries.

RUYIATHOME

ShengFangandhiswifeQianQian

Luo-Fanggotthememoearly:

Melburniansin lockdownwanted

comfortfood.Andnothingsays

comfortlikea dumpling,sotheir

suave,modernChineserestaurant

becamea handmadedumpling

machinepumpingoutexcellent

shaolongbao,chilliwontons,pork

andchivedumplings.Anadded

bonus?Thefrozendumplings

beingdeliveredbythecharming

owners themselves.

LEEHOFOOKATHOME

VictorLiongtwiggedthat

traditionaltakeawaywouldn’t

dohisfoodjustice,sohewent

thefinish-at-homeoption.The

crowningachievementis the

PekingDuckfortheHome

pack;thedry-aged,malt-glazed,

air-pumpedAylesburyduck,

pancakes,andaccompanying

vegetablesandsaucesaresimple

topreparebutwithjustenough

cookingtofeela sense of

achievement.

LUNEDELIVERY

Thisever-buzzyMelbourne

croissanterieselecteddifferent

suburbstodrivetoeachdayto

deliverfreshlybakedcroissants

andcruffins,sofolkslivingoutside

ofLune’sfive-kilometreradiuscould

stillenjoythecultbakedgoods.

Theluckydipsawthemvisitmore

than 150 suburbs,fromCoburg

to Mt Eliza in the Lune-mobile.

RAGAZZI+ FABBRICA:PASTATOGO

Transforminga dine-inrestaurantinto

a drive-throughis a standoutidea,and

onethatRagazziownersNathanialHatwell,

MatthewSwiebodaandScottMcComas-

Williamsexecutedwithindaysofclosing

theirItalianwineandpastabarinSydney’s

CBD.Customerscouldsimplydrive(or

walk)byandpickupa freshpastapack

withduckragùorputtanescasaucetogo.

Ontheothersideoftown,Hatwelland

Swieboda’sothervenues– DearSainte

ÉloiseandLove,TillyDevine– pivotedto

lushproduceboxes,traysoflasagneand

theirownlineofpantrygoods.Now,all

oftheirvenueshavereopened,including

a shinynewlocationcalledFabbrica:

a stand-alonepastadeliandbaronKing

Street.“Theworldhaschangeda lotthis

year,”saysSwieboda.“Wewantedtocreate

a shopthatempowerscustomersto

produceamazingrestaurant-qualitypasta

mealsathome.”It wastheenthusiastic

responsetheyreceivedduringlockdown

thatempoweredthemtopushforwardwith

theproject,whichopenedinearlyOctober.

Alongsidethepermanentretailoffering

ofFabbrica,theteamis alsofocusedon

finessingtheoutdoorseatingattheirsister

winebars,DearSainteÉloiseandLove,Tilly

Devine,thankstoCityofSydney’srelaxed

restrictionsaroundal frescodining.

“Wewantedtocreate

a shopthatempowers

customerstoproduce

restaurant-quality

meals at home.”

Above:Fabbricaco-owners(fromleft)NathanialHatwell,

CamBirt,ScottMcComas-WilliamsandMatthewSwieboda.

Opposite,frombottomleft:HosekibakoboxfromSimulation

Senpai;LagoonDining’sbutterchicken,luroufanandbeef

rendang;LagoonDining Express beef rendang; Mr Trinh’s

duck bánh mì.

GOURMET TRAVELLER 57

WORDS

YVONNE

C

LAM

(SANG).

PHOTOGRAPHY

BEN

DEVLIN

(MR

TRINH’S),

JOSH ROBENSTON (LAGOON DINING) & NIKKI TO (FABBRICA).

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