Ten Events Worth Checking Out at the 2024 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival

Tickets for this year’s Melbourne Food & Wine Festival – including the flagship World’s Longest Lunch, this year hosted by Andrew McConnell – go on sale on Thursday February 1. More than 400 events will take place over the festival’s run, from Friday March 15 to Sunday March 24. Here are our top 10 picks – including a collaboration between Hector’s Deli and France-Soir; a dinner by Philippa Sibley, Tansy Good and Mia Coady-Plumb with all women-made wines; and a Maltese celebration from Julia Busuttil Nishimura and Jacqui Challinor.

These are two Melbourne institutions that represent the classics done right, so it’s no surprise – just excitement – that iconic French bistro France-Soir is partnering up with the sandwich pros at Hector’s Deli. Hector’s Deli Fitzroy will transform into a night-time bistro, offering sandwiches with a paired glass of wine. On the menu is a sirloin steak sandwich with cornichon relish, semi-spicy horseradish sauce, and a blanket of melted provolone, served with a side of France-Soir’s secret pepper sauce. For vegetarians, there’s an omelette with goat’s cheese and a caper, parsley and dill salad, topped with France-Soir’s beloved bearnaise. Both options will be served on the deli’s house-baked sesame baguette, accompanied by a pile of shoestring fries. For vino, there’s a glass of beaujolais village by Laurence and Remi Dufraitre.
Thursday March 21 and Friday March 22

Palisa Anderson, the chef behind NSW’s Chat Thai empire, is heading down to cook with BKK head chef Sungeun Mo. The duo will prepare a Thai and Chinese meal inspired by Thailand’s congee shopfront restaurants, known as raarn khao tom, exploring the history of migration and exchange between Thailand and China through food.
Sunday March 17 and Monday Match 18

Melburnians may recognise Noble Rot as a magazine devoted to wine, food and pop culture – but it’s also a group of three award-winning restaurants in London’s upscale Bloomsbury, Soho and Mayfair. At MFWF, Noble Rot’s Dan Keeling, Mark Andrew and Stephen Harris will join the team at Marion for a day of seasonal plates, great wine and conversation – getting to the heart of what it means to run a community wine bar in 2024.
Wednesday March 20

Natalie Paull of Beatrix Bakes designed the menu for last year’s World’s Longest Brunch. This year, she hands the baton to a trio of desi chefs: Harry Mangat of pop-up project Biji Dining, Toddy Shop’s Mischa Tropp, and Helly Raichura from Enter via Laundry.A ticket to the World’s Longest Brunch grants you a three-course meal at a 600-metre table that winds through the lush King’s Domain.
Saturday March 16

A Filipino boodle fight meets a Lao pha kao at this feast from Trisha Greentree (head chef at Sydney’s Fratelli Paradiso) and Thi Le (Anchovy, Ca Com). Head to Le’s Richmond restaurant Jeow for lechon (suckling pig), garlic rice, tum mak hoon (Laotian papaya salad), and grilled seafood.
Sunday March 17

Over two nights, pop-up king Tom Sarafian joins forces with chef Victor Liong at Lee Ho Fook for a six-course dinner exploring the connections between Armenian and Chinese cuisine.
Friday March 22 and Saturday March 23

Helly Raichura appears again alongside Gayan Pieris of Many Little in Red Hill. At this one-off South Asian dinner, the pair will explore the similarities and differences between Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine.
Tuesday March 19

Italian chef Sarah Cicolini is teaming up with Sydney’s natty wine pioneer Giorgio de Maria and members of the Tipo 00 team to recreate her Roman restaurant, Santo Palato, here in Melbourne. Expect the yolky carbonara that put Cicolini on the map, plus more classic trattoria dishes.
Friday March 15 to Sunday March 24

Cookbook author and foodie Instagram star Julia Busuttil Nishimura is coming together with Nomad executive chef Jacqui Challinor to prepare a nostalgic feast celebrating the Maltese dishes they grew up eating.
Wednesday March 20

This exclusive event sees chef Mia Coady-Plumb inviting the legendary Philippa Sibley (Pinotta) and Tansy Good (Tansy’s Kyneton) into the Bar Magnolia kitchen for one day only. The powerhouse trio will be making some of Sibley and Good’s celebrated dishes, all served with wine by female winemakers.
Sunday March 17