The annual Foodies' Guide to Melbourne is the only place to go to find Melbourne's most incredible food - whether you're searching for spice-filled snags or whole-roasted duck, organic extra-virgin olive oil or white chocolate and wasabi gelato, The Foodies Guide to Melbourne 2008 will put the city's best-kept food secrets at your fingertips. Discerning food writers Allan Campion and Michele Curtis have scoured the city and beyond in their search for the best produce, products and service. This year they have noted an amazing boom in the availability of hand-crafted produce, with stores specializing in hand-made chocolates, freshly churned gelati, hot from the oven sourdough bread and stunning decorated cakes all making a big impact. Allan and Michele also invite readers to discover the wonderful metropolitan markets and farmers' markets, the food tours and cooking schools that all go towards making Melbourne one of the world's great food capitals. Returning to this year's guide are the highly anticipated 'Foodies' Awards' - presented to the standout players in the Melbourne food scene. Brand new feature boxes also highlight Allan and Michele's favourite food experiences - those brilliant places for breakfast, fish & chips, burgers, pizzas and takeaways, which you simply must know! The Foodies' Guide to Melbourne 2008 by Allan Campion and Michele Curtis is now sold out.
A few snippets from The Foodies' Guide to Melbourne 2008
IntroductionThe Foodies' Guide to Melbourne is our annual look at the food stores which we believe to be the city's finest. This year, as we've travelled the length and breadth of Melbourne, we've been particularly blown away by the number of fabulous food stores and cafes that have been popping up like mushrooms in suburbs far and wide. With this in mind we've made a few changes to this year's edition. We've scaled back a little on the 'where to eat' places, as we feel the city is already well served by other publications in this area. What we have done however is to include a selection of boxes that cover our favourite food experiences, those brilliant places for breakfast, yum cha, fish & chips, burgers, pizzas and take-aways which you simply must know. The strength of The Foodies' Guide has always been in directing readers towards the best places to shop for ingredients, and this year is no different. We have included all the places we consider to be the best of the best, and have extended the length of each entry to give us a bit more room to explain what it is that makes them stand out. After all if you're going to make a special journey across town, you want to know its going to be worth the trip. Recently we have seen an amazing boom in the availability of hand-crafted produce, with stores specialising in hand-made chocolates, freshly churned gelati, hot from the oven sourdough bread and stunning decorated cakes all making a big impact. Our produce and farmers' markets are going from strength to strength too, with the stallholders' amazing offerings pulling in thousands of food lovers every weekend. The Foodies' Guide for 2008 also covers the essential information on where to shop for kitchen equipment, organic ingredients and pick up great take-home food, while also giving you the low down on wine courses, cooking schools and fabulous food tours. Not forgetting our pick of all those fantastic foods (such as chocolate cakes, festive treats, doughnuts and sausages) that we just can't do without. We've also included our pick of the wonderful food on offer for gourmet travelers in regional Victoria; food lovers' destinations such as the Mornington Peninsula, the Yarra Valley and Geelong, as well as Daylesford, Healesville and Bellarine Peninsula. There are breweries to visit and dairies where farmhouse cheese awaits, as well as farm gates where you can source the most beautiful berries, quinces, chestnuts, pork and fresh vegetables. Finally, we hope you enjoy exploring this amazing foodie city with us. Remember wherever good food is to be found, The Foodies' Guide to Melbourne has it covered!
These awards showcase the providores - both those who may be new to the food game, and those who have been around for several years - who stand out as the best of the best this year. It may be because of their constant striving to improve their business, it may be they are the best in their particular field, it might be a large business going from strength to strength, or just a two man show whose enthusiasm sets them apart from the rest. We believe a visit to any one of these shops will show you what excellent establishments we have in Melbourne and why they make this one of the great food capitals of the world. Bakery - Crabapple Bakery - Factory 37, 756 Burwood Highway Ferntree Gully 9752 2000
Melbourne's love affair with cup cakes continues; here Jennifer Graham is the mistress of all things sweet and decadent. Butchers - Bouchiers - 551 Malvern Road, Toorak 9827 3629
Peter Bouchiers' dedication to providing the best quality meat continues to scale new dimensions. Cheese - La Bergerie- 141 Maling Road Canterbury 9830 7915
Probably the best new shop to appear in Melbourne in the last 12 months. Love the attention to detail. Chocolate and confectionary - Koko Black - 167 Lygon Street Carlton 9349 2775
These five shops are Melbourne's little touch of Paris, from their incredible truffles to their rich hot chocolates and cute salons, these are must visit stores. Cooking Class - Tony Tan - 28A Lansell Road, Toorak 9827 7347
Tony's meticulous teaching and a program featuring some of Melbourne's top chefs are complimented by his use of state-of-the-art technology. Delicatessen - Delicatess - Stall 706, Prahran Market, 163 - 185 Commercial Road 9824 1752
10 out of 10 for top service, fantastic range of products (always supporting upcoming new producers) and an awesome cheese selection. Italian food - Monaco's - 525 Camberwell Road Camberwell 9889 7198
Over 30 years old and getting better and better. The momentum continues with plans to extend. Spices - Peter Watson - 6 Union Street South Melbourne 9699 2566
Peter Watson hangs onto his crown of spice (and jam, marinade, sauce and all things good). Takeaway/traiteur - La Fayette - 355 New Street Brighton 9592 3922
A change of address and this shop has taken on a whole new dimension – better and sexier than ever. Beer - Bright Brewery- Great Alpine Road, Bright 5755 1301
The freshly brewed beer and knowledgeable service make this a must visit destination. Farmhouse kitchen - The Red Hill Kitchen - 69 Prossers Lane Red Hill 5931 0186
A country kitchen that all food lovers should visit for its rural setting, fantastic seasonal cooking and warm welcome. Regional foodstore - Kitchen & Butcher - 256 Maroondah Highway Healesville 5962 4002
If only we could clone this stunning food store and place one in every shopping strip. Worth a trip to Healesville just to visit.
This is our 'official' defination of what it means to be a foodie
foodie /'fu;di/,foody (plural -ies) n. Informal
1. sb who takes an enthusiastic interest in the preparation or consumption of good food.
2. sb who typically plans dinner while eating breakfast and/or lunch.
3. food lover.
4. person always searching for the newest and best food shops, restaurants, takeaways and ingredients.
5. sb with an insatiable craving for good food and wine.
6. one who plans holidays around food festivals, winery walkabouts or regional cuisines.
7. a person dedicated to the pleasures of the table.
8. a person who thinks that blue is a type of cheese.
9. habitat; in and around Melbourne and country Victoria; survival dependant on having the latest Foodies' Guide and proximity to good food and/or wine; cannot go for more than three hours for a fix.
10. See also glutton for pleasure, gourmet, epicurean and connoisseur.