Lamb, All Blacks, and Panhead Beer. This is how Belleville puts on a Kiwi Feed.
The venue first caught my attention when they spent an afternoon parachuting roast chicken off their roof to eager pedestrians in the laneway below. So when I heard they were putting on a New Zealand feast with matching beers from New Zealand brewer Panhead, my immediate response was ‘sign me up!’
In true Kiwi fashion, they kept things casual. We dined at the bar counter in the back room, while appropriately watching the NZ vs. Wales rugby match. I took a sideline to the athletic prowess on display and proceeded to stuff my face with no less than seven different courses paired with Panhead beers. Score one for NZ: their rugby and beers are mighty.
The chef had fun whipping up interpretations of notable Kiwi dishes. Hokey Pokey dusted paua and cream risotto. No longer just a condiment for toast, Vegemite was turned into a sauce for slow-cooked pork shoulder and Maori-style hangi vegetables. Lamb, of course, was on the menu, as were big meaty Aotearoa greenlip mussels. And to my delight, mini cheese toasties with beer onion soup appeared in the middle of the feed. Bring on the toasted mainland cheese — some things are classics for a reason.
All this was matched with some serious Panhead beers. The craft brewery recently captured headlines with their announcement that they will become part of the Lion Group in July. It’s not surprising that these notable beers caught the attention of the corporate beer world. Put simply – Panhead makes good beer. Their Whitewall kickstarted the evening – the refreshing pale ale prepped our palate for things come. We progressed through IPAs and Saisons until we arrived at the finale. The 11% ABV Black Sabbath Barley Wine accompanied homemade jelly tip ice cream with a rich chocolate rum ball.
So sweet, so boozy, so good. Chur, bro.
– Jenny
Jenny S. loves food and beer.
Belleville keeps the mashups coming. Next up is Rizky’s Hip Hop High Tea. They are also busting out Pimp my Poutine on Tuesday nights and Chicken vs. Chicken with Bluebonnet BBQ on 16 July.
Belleville
Globe Alley
Melbourne VIC 3000
www.belleville-melbourne.com
