From the nostalgic, quirky and downright bizarre.
The food at this year’s Melbourne Royal Show is out of this world.
For the first time, more than 70 food traders were asked to create an ‘out of the box’ dish designed to wow the eyes and mouths of show-goers of all ages.
From a giant hot dog the size of your forearm, jam-piped churros and an ice-cream toastie stuffed with cereal from your childhood — no ideas were off limits.
This year Naval’s Dutch Pancakes owner Tulay Ozbek put a chocolate twist on her popular “double decker” hot chocolate and mini pancake stack.
“My son actually came up with the idea,” she said.
“He said everyone who comes to the show has a drink or snack and it’s hard to eat. So we created something where you could do both at once.”
The sweet spectacle stacks a bowl of mini pancakes (topped in melted chocolate, whipped cream and cookies) on top of a cup of hot chocolate for $22.
“There are 20 pieces in one serve, so that could be shared between two adults or two to three kids. It’s good value.”
Other left-of-field creations included the Dragon’s Breath by Tanghulu, which involves eating cereal bites doused in liquid nitrogen at -60C, a 35cm Fettayleh Foods dog in a crusty white roll loaded with mustard, sauce and matchstick fries and a fried chicken and waffle wand by EL’s Fried Chicken.
Melbourne Royal Show executive general manager Hannah Von Bibra said the competition pushed the food vendors creatively.
“Show food has always been part of the fun of a day at the Melbourne Royal Show, and Best Bites gives our traders the chance to push that even further – creating something fun, surprising and made to be discovered at the show,” she said.
Melbourne Royal Show received 23 submissions for the inaugural Best Bites Competition this year. Ten finalists, five each of sweet and savoury, will now go on to showcase their creations at the show from September 24 to October 4.
For tickets visit: royalshow.com.au