The Occidental dim sum

In multi-cultural Melbourne, communal dining has gripped the city’s food scene firmly and both restaurateurs and diners are grazing and sharing their plates of smaller, tapas style dishes with a vengeance. Any ardent foodie heading to the trendy restaurants there is quite likely to end up dining in a ‘shared plates’ situation. While it is a traditional concept among Asian cultures— indeed our default style of eating at home or out—it is something that other cultures are only beginning to enjoy and embrace.

“The landscape of fine dining in particular has adapted their menus to cater for this way of eating in recent times,” says Adam D'Sylva, head chef and owner, Coda Bar & Restaurant.  “This has been in part a response to the public's growing appreciation for sharing plates, but also because it allows for a great experience for the customer in addition to creating a vibrant atmosphere."

What’s interesting is that it’s not confined to any one cuisine. Sure, some years ago, dim sum was the thing, and more recently, tapas was tops on the trendy eating list. But that has since evolved and food for grazing has taken a more liberal turn, with shared plates showing off Thai and Chinese heritage, Argentinian and Mexican. Roll them all together and you can call it Mod Oz.

Natalie O’Brien, CEO of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, recently observed that the city’s food culture is still news, which really started evolving only in the last 20 years or so. (Before that, restaurant meals were still stuck in the stodgy ‘one meat, two vegetables and gravy’ genre.) What’s more, the city’s many ethnic cultures—which have sunk roots in Australia for decades—are only now emerging, coming to the fore and being noticed. Combine this with a growing pool of Aussie chefs who have honed their professional skills and expanded their culinary horizons in great kitchens all over the world, and you have a formula for exciting, innovative cuisine that’s developing in an arena relatively unhampered by old traditions.

Excerpt from the July issue of epicure.