THE UGLY DUCKLING WINE & CHEESE NIGHT
The Ugly Duckling is bringing together the best in local produce and winemaking talent for a three-part ‘Local Series’. The first event in this series combines the finer things in life (for some at least) with an exclusive wine and cheese tasting in collaboration with Save Our Souls and Richmond Hill Café Larder.
Attendees will enjoy a specially curated selection of five wines from award winning Victorian wine producer Save Our Souls paired with five cheeses from revered fromangerie Richmond Hill Café and Larder. The tasting will be guided by Winemaker Jason Searle and Head Cheesemonger Celia Hinault who will give insight into the history, production and the characteristics of each taste. Once settled in for the evening under the bar’s atrium, guests will indulge in five rounds of expertly matched cheese and wine.
Tickets are limited and can be purchased via https://obee.com.au/theuglyduckling/e/wine-cheese-tasting-2016
The Ugly Duckling’s Local Series.
When Tuesday 28th June
Where The Ugly Duckling
Price $55 per person
The Ugly Duckling 238 Swan Street, Richmond VIC 3121
www.theuglyduckling.com.au
GONTRAN CHERRIER BAKERY OPENS
World-famous Parisian boulanger-pâtissier Gontran Cherrier has opened his first boulangerie and café in Melbourne. The Smith Street boulangerie and café features Gontran’s legendary croissants, baguettes and signature black squid ink bread, as well as a saucisson and hazelnut bun, chocolate and cacao bread, honey ciabatta and other Australian native surprises designed by Gontran.
Highlights on the café menu include truffled cauliflower with Gruyere béchamel; spinach in miso and Rye bread; and a Japanese-inspired curry bun with crumbed pork, Tonkatsu sauce, kewpi mayo and slaw. “I have had a lot of fun experimenting with different native Australian ingredients and can’t wait to see how the locals react to my twist on some French classics with an Aussie edge,” Gontran said.
The boulangerie and café features imported ovens from French company Bongard, imported French flour to keep the croissants sacred and an interior fit-out by Eades and Bergman. The all-important coffee will be roasted and brewed by global leaders, St Ali.
Pastry chef Kayte Perdrisat, who has more than 13 years’ experience creating buttery delights will help to unite modern Australian cuisine with classic French patisseries. Kayte honed her pastry skills in a number of award-winning London restaurants including Paramount (Three Rosette) and The Greenhouse (one Michelin Star) as well as five-star luxury resort One&Only and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.
Matt Wilkinson’s protégé Travis Welch from Pope Joan and Circa the Prince will curate and create the café menu to keep Collingwood well-fed throughout the day. Travis will be adding his own touch to the café while still taking inspiration from the bakery.
Melbourne’s Sicilian son, Chef Joseph Vargetto has launched new venue, Massi in Melbourne’s Little Collins Street. The little brother to iconic Kew eatery Mister Bianco, Massi offers morning coffee and cakes, lunch and the popular aperitivo hour.Inspired by travels through northern Italy and named after his youngest child, Massimo, Massi seats 50 guests and specializes in the simple and graceful dishes of Piedmont. It also offers a crudo antipasto corner where diners can be entertained with the chefs at work, slicing salami, pistachio mortadella and more.
Keen to offer Melbourne’s CBD an intimate Italian eatery, Vargetto is passionate about his latest project and its delicious and simple offering. “My recent travels to cities Padua, Verona and timeless Bergamo Alto inspired me to offer the food and wine of this elegant region to Melbourne, in a way that patrons can treat it like their
little piece of Italy. Our colazione is just this, busy city workers can drop by and grab their espresso and Italian pastry on the go, or grab a stool for ten minutes of enjoyment before the work day begins.”
The menu is classically Italian, with a range of cold meats and antipasto to start, such as sweet fried peppers with nduja; bacala mantecato and fried stuffed olives ‘ascolana’. Pasta is naturally a focus with a rich cavatelli with slow cooked pork shoulder ragu and white bean or, black spaghettini with vongole, blue swimmer crab, garlic and chilli. There is also veal coteletta, roast stuffed chicken with cotechino and steak and barramundi to satisfy all palates.
In true Italian form, desserts are a highlight, tart of the day, Sicilian orange cake with ricotta cream or marscapone panna cotta may tempt. There is also a broad selection of international cheeses to finish off the meal or enjoy with the aperitivo.
Massi also caters to the city’s many post-work drinkers, with a broad marble bar and exciting range of drinks, such as Prosecco spritz, beers and TAP. Wines. From 4:30pm Mondays to Fridays Massi proudly hosts Aperitivo Hour, just like in Italy.
Massi is open from 8am to 6pm Mondays, 8am to 10pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 8am to late Thursdays and Fridays.
445 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
www.massi.com.au
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