The best dishes that got us through 2020

Julia Healey, account manager
I’ve spent a lot of time (and money) ordering from Aangan in Footscray because it's bloody good. This experience has helped me formulate the ultimate veggie takeaway order. The first is the tikki chaat: its delicious potato dumplings sitting in a pool of three sauces (yoghurt, tamarind chutney and a herb sauce) topped with onion, tomato and coriander. This dish is a crazy balance between the warm and cool, heavy and light, and is truly a small celebration in your mouth. The second is a palak paneer which is an aromatic spinach curry with delicate cottage cheese dumplings scattered throughout. The third is gobi manchurian which contains deep-fried cauliflower nuggets thrown into a dry tomato-based, spicy gravy. The textual differences and flavour profiles of these dishes complement each other perfectly.

Rebecca Russo, Melbourne editor
I’m a pretty proficient cook, but when it comes to long, exhaustive roasts or overnight braises I leave it to the professionals. Mostly because I’m lazy but also because I don’t trust my oven enough to not spontaneously combust if I don’t check it every 20 minutes. People who trust their ovens? The folks at Burn City Smokers. Naturally, these people have been smoking and cooking hunks of meat for years, that’s why I turned to them in an hour of desperate red meat need and ordered from their pre-cooked barbecue menu during lockdown. Basically the Burn City team does everything for you – they cook the meat, they prepare the salads, they vac seal it all up for you and deliver it to your door. All you have to do is warm it up, slap it on a plate and enjoy a delicious 14-hour wood smoked beef brisket with peppery flesh and pretend you cooked it yourself. Truly, this brisket was a heavenly experience and I will not stop talking about it. Order it. Order it now. 

Rushani Epa, Melbourne food and drink editor
I, like many others, was craving an overseas getaway more than ever this year. It was raining and we were in lockdown, so I sought comfort in food instead. Rocco’s Delicatessen’s mortadella panini roll would transport me to a sunny piazza in Florence, far away from reality. Its pillowy, soft roll housed a generous layer of thinly-shaved mortadella slices, tender grilled eggplant and grilled capsicum, split green olives, a coating of tomato pesto and provolone cheese. The flavours married together effortlessly and I hadn't been as impressed by an Italian sandwich in Melbourne like this before. It was simple and you could taste each ingredient individually: that’s what respect tastes like.

Nicola Dowse, Melbourne arts editor
The world does not need to know about most of the food that got me through lockdown (*cough* Tim Tam's *cough*) but what I can tell you about are the Callebaut choc chip, walnut and sea salt cookies that I occasionally treated myself to from Earl Canteen. Usually, these chunky cookies can be bought at Earl’s regular sandwich bars. However, during lockdown Earl pivoted to at-home packs, which included the option to purchase the thicc, choc-heavy biscuits uncooked as a half kilo cookie dough log. Some of that log fulfilled its potential and was turned into cookies – and some of it was ingested prior to cooking. 

Rushani Epa, Melbourne food and drink editor
Lockdown was a time for many to feel comfortable in their own skin. I felt comfortable in my leggings savouring the rich chicken skin of a rotisserie chook I’d get from my local chicken and chip shop, McManos Chicken Bar. The store won a best chip contest hosted by a national radio show and proudly emblazons this on its window. The crinkle-cut chips in question are bathed in chicken salt and served with a silky gravy. The little bird’s skin is loaded with umami, while the flesh is soft and tender. The overall experience feels like a warm hug from your mum. Need I say more?

Cassidy Knowlton, editorial director
I had passed this hole-in-the-wall with the unlikely name of Europa x Colonial Cafe dozens of times, but I’d never given it much consideration until lockdown forced me to better get to know my neighbourhood. The tiny shop is divided in half, with one half serving pizza and burgers and the other selling Malaysian street snacks like curry puffs, glutinous rice dumplings and crispy pork buns. You can get the chicken-and-potato curry puffs with or without egg, and they are four-bite parcels of heaven. The inside is rich and moreish, with just enough gentle heat, and the pastry is flaky and buttery. If you’ve had your fill of the savoury variety, try the ones filled with kaya (coconut jam) for dessert. 

Julia Healey, account manager
This hole-in-the-wall woodfire pizzeria is on the main drag in Kensington. Clay Oven Pizza is a casual joint but the pizzas coming out of this kitchen are exceptional. I never go here for just one pizza and always over-order because breakfast pizza is legitimately one of my favourite things. Get the Melanzana. It’s the perfect execution of simple flavours and high-quality ingredients producing a super delicious dish. The woodfire char flavour permeates the dough, the Napoli sauce is delicate and fresh, thin slices of salty eggplant are generously laid down with dollops of creamy ricotta dotted on top before being finished with fresh leaves of basil. This is a must-try, no matter what corner of Melbourne you reside in. 

Elise Bucholtz, commercial director
Walking via Parco was always part of my ritual. However, when lockdown hit I didn’t get to go for my daily coffee and chat, so would instead swing by from time to time on the weekend for what is the best chicken schnitzel sandwich of my life. The crisp toasted bread and the juicy chicken cooked to perfection, paired with iceberg lettuce, lemon juice, a hint of light mayo and a mix of dill rocked my world. I can’t get enough of it and tell all my friends to go and try it. My mouth waters just thinking about eating it again.

Rushani Epa, Melbourne food and drink editor
You can probably already tell that chicken skin is one of my favourite foods. Especially when it’s grilled over charcoal which renders it crisp and perfectly browned, all the while insulating the flesh leaving it juicy and tender. But the chicken is just one element of this cơm tấm at Saigon Pho. The broken rice is soft with plenty of bite and comes apart in clumps, making it easy to pair with each mouthful of chicken and pickled julienned carrot. It comes with fish sauce too which I sprinkle over the meat and I like to save the fresh cucumber slices for a post-meal palate cleanser. 

Elise Bucholtz, commercial director
Almost every week during lockdown I would visit the boys at Taquito's takeaway window for a mouth-watering, spicy margarita cocktail to bring back to Friday work Zoom drinks – and if I was peckish, a fish taco as well. The fish was always so light, battered to perfection and the team would give me some of their special spicy sauce (not for the faint-hearted). The salsa, the punchy sauce, and the lightness and deliciousness of the freshly made tortillas made my Friday and even sometimes a Saturday and Wednesday pending my mood. They always accompanied the order with lots of quality chat and sometimes a cheeky mescal shot if we were both feeling fancy.

Julia Healey, account manager
This is one of my all-time favourite toasties in Melbourne. It’s super hearty but the sweetness and tang of the mustard pickle perfectly cut through the richness of the cheddar and the nuttiness of the seeded bread and roasted garlic. The tender filling contrasts the sharp edges of the pecorino-laden crust, creating that satisfying crunch followed by a primal tear with each bite. I have a lot of respect for the humble toasted sandwich and this one at Wolf and Hound reigns supreme.