Taco Truck Takes On Birria Tacos Internet Madness; One kilo Thai-style mud crab; Great Korean-inspired brioche sandwiches

Stuck for easy dinner ideas? Got a less than fully stocked pantry and can’t bother messing around in the kitchen? Or maybe you just want to splash around for no reason?

Melbourne restaurants are here for you. While we eagerly await and keep our fingers crossed for food service to make a return, there are tons of some of the best options in town to enjoy right at home.

Here are our top takeaway choices for this week.

Lourinha Bar

Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Lockdown 5.0, Matt McConnell’s Mediterranean and Iberian-influenced tapas bar – tucked away at the end of Little Collins Street – cooks up in-home boxes to help you upgrade your weekend snacks. The menu includes three-way crispy croquetas, filled with ham, shrimp or corn and smoked pepper; pork and chorizo ​​cocido (a hearty and traditional Spanish stew); and a saffron chicken dish with almond sauce. Or you can leave all the decisions to the team and opt for a half-weekend or a full-weekend box; they are $ 65 and $ 130 respectively, and dietary requirements are no problem. Complements include hot sauce (red or green), killer Spanish wine, and Negronis and Martinis to go.

Pre-order online for a pickup at 37 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, or free delivery within 12 kilometers of the CBD.

Goofy ate my taco

With a traveling taco truck as well as a pop-up kitchen, this Texas-inspired joint swings between three Melbourne locations each week. It’s by Paul Walcutt, originally from Texas, his partner Kady Simkins and Melbourne chef Isaac Castellano. And more often than not, it’s a sell-off. This is mainly due to his approach to the famous quesatacos birria on the internet. Here, the fresh corn tortillas are dipped in fat and filled with slowly cooked grated beef brisket and melted Oaxacan cheese before being fried on the grill until crispy. They are then garnished with diced white onions and chopped cilantro and served with a soup filled with umami for dipping. (Don’t wear white.) You can also make your own breakfast tacos – with a bunch of toppings, toppings, and salsas to choose from.

Pre-order online for pickup at the Pop-Up Kitchen at 417 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., the food truck at 13 Gipps Street, Collingwood, Friday (3 p.m. to 8 p.m.) and Saturday (11 a.m. to 8 p.m.). 8 p.m.), or Coulson Gardens, Maribyrnong, Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

dingoatemytaco.com

Palette

Behind a terrace facade on Queensberry Street in North Melbourne is Palette, a minimalist cafe in soft hues “inspired by the Korean aesthetic and lifestyle”. This influence also extends to the menu, which focuses on Korean-inspired sandwiches on huge chunks of buttery brioche. Served upright in cardboard containers – primarily so they’re easy to tackle, but also for grammability – popular options include candied bacon and cheese with scrambled eggs and chili jam; and the new, slightly less fatty option (by the team’s own admission) of mushroom-oysters and shredded mushrooms with bulgogi sauce and crispy onion rings. There’s also a hash brown ‘K-sandwich’ and a garlic baguette stuffed with corn, mozzarella and cream cheese. Sweets, on the other hand, take on a Japanese twist; opt for the creamy Swiss roll with hojicha flavored with yuzu and hazelnuts.

Pick-up from 610 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne; Online pre-ordering is also available.

palettemelbourne.square.site

Eazy Peazy

Normally, Eazy Peazy’s charry yakitori and grilled hibachi meats are served in an elegant setting inside the vibrant Richmond restaurant. But for every day of Lockdown 5.0, the team deploys the hibachi on Swan Street. Yakitori options will change from day to day depending on what is available. You might find kebabs with chicken meatballs, chicken wings, Wagyu beef, or vegetarian options like sweet corn, oyster mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes. chicken karaage. The skewers cost $ 5 each, or three for $ 12. Bottles of wine are 30% off, or half the price if you buy three or more – so stock up.

Pickup from 108 Swan Street, Richmond, daily 11am to 7:30 pm.

@eazypeazymelb

Talay by Thai Tide

We calculated the numbers, and one of the most popular new takeout options we covered last year was Talay, the CBD Thai Tide restaurant. (It was also Large format Editor Chynna Santos’ Favorite Home Meal of the Year.) At the end of 2020, Talay began delivering tasty, shellfish-centric dishes worth rolling up your sleeves for dishes to eat. through Melbourne. And now it’s back – for pickup only. The undeniable stars of the show are the Northern Territory mud crabs weighing at least 800 grams, which can be served in two ways: sautéed with a spicy black pepper or yellow curry sauce. Or you can do it all with a set menu that includes mud crabs as well as crabmeat fried rice and sautéed pee in Thai chili jam (which turns into a delicious broth).

Pre-order online for pickup at 171 Bourke St, Melbourne.

@ talay.thaitide

Additional reporting by Chynna Santos.