10 new treats at the autumn Forage

Posted on 31 March, 2016

Our mouths are already watering knowing that we’re approaching The Forage – the quarterly showcase of tasty local offerings held at the Little National Hotel, on Saturday 9 April from 2-7pm.

Created by HerCanberra Events Coordinator Belinda Neame, The Forage gives our local food industry a platform. It lets us connect with the best of Canberra’s food producers and sample their unique street food, fresh produce, beverages, baked goods and more.

The Forage runs for five hours on a Saturday afternoon and you can rock up at any time. It’ll also be easy to walk off your food coma and stay after you’re full – there’s live music by local artists for most of the day and a giant games pitch among the scheduled entertainment, as well as roaming Afro Samba with drum performances by Subsdance. To help you decide how to treat your taste buds, here are 10 additions to the culinary lineup. Street food degustation anyone?

LE PETIT BRETON

Le Petit Breton creates traditional savoury French crêpes made from buckwheat. They’re not only dairy free but gluten free, since buckwheat isn’t a cereal grain – it’s actually a fruit seed related to rhubarb and sorrel. There are sweet crêpes on offer too (with a gluten-free flour option) and you can choose from a range of fillings such as lemon, cinnamon, sugar, honey, jam, Nutella and Chantilly.

You can’t go wrong with fresh banana pieces wrapped in the soft, homemade crêpes, drizzled with a salted caramel sauce.

Find out more about Le Petit Breton here: www.facebook.com/lepetitbretonOz

MISS VÂN’S

Miss Vân’s offers food that has been cooked by three generations of their family and spans four country’s cuisines – mostly focusing on Vietnamese street food influenced by Lao and Thai flavours.

Their bánh mì are traditional Vietnamese baguettes with either pork, chicken or vegetables, as well as whole-egg mayonnaise, lightly pickled carrot and radish, coriander, and soy and chilli sauce and are to die for.

Find out more about Miss Vân’s here: www.instagram.com/missvansfood

LOOSE GOURMET CHURROS

Loose Gourmet Churros has only recently moved to Canberra from the Gold Coast, bringing with them their distinctive orange branding, original churro equipment from Brazil, and their decadent fried-dough pastries.

They elevate a traditional churros experience by combining homemade sauces, fillings and a variety of toppings.

Find out more about Loose Gourmet Churros here: www.facebook.com/loosegourmetchurros

KUSINA

​Kusina brings the Filipino tradition of good food and great company to Canberra at its usual location in Weston Creek. There, you can see the chefs’ ‘culinary flair’ as they arrange dishes on fragrant banana leaf platforms.

The Forage is a chance for many of us to try Filipino food for the first time and see how they prepare and serve their fresh, flavoursome meat.

Find out more about Kusina here: www.facebook.com/KusinaCanberra

GRUMPY’S GINGER BEER

Grumpy’s Ginger Beer is inspired by owner Viv’s memories of long, hot Perth summers and sharing her father’s brew with family and friends.

She and her partner Steve brew their own refreshing, clean-tasting ginger beer with local, organic ingredients. There’s really nothing to be grumpy about – it’s even alcohol free and gluten free and comes in a variety of flavours.

Find out more about Grumpy’s Ginger Beer here: www.facebook.com/Grumpys.Ginger.Beer

BURRABEE FARM

Andrew and Vikki of BurraBee Farm, just down the road at Burra, believe that ‘Care + Earth = Honest Food’. Their vegetables, honey, eggs and meat are produced by nurturing their animals and using sustainable regenerative practices.

Why not take home some of their sweet honey to slather on just about everything?

Find out more about Burrabee Farm here: www.instagram.com/burrabee_farm

LOLO & LOLA

The Filipino flavour of The Forage continues with Lolo & Lola, whose team is proudly ‘serving up a way to honour every Filipino’s lolos and lolas’ – the keepers of their traditions.

Once you’ve sampled something savoury from Kusina, complement your tasting experience with something sweet and colourful from here.

Find out more about Lolo and Lola here: www.facebook.com/LOLO-AND-LOLA-by-Waterhouse-Bakers

BOMBOLINI

This Canberra start-up makes doughnuts described as ‘custard bombs’. They enrich their dough with zest and leave it to triple in size. It’s then fried at a high temperature to create fluffy, non-oily, cloud-like doughnuts that are carefully filled with homemade custards and jams. They’re finished with a sprinkle of edible garnish.

As well as their standard Madagascan vanilla with wildflowers, and dark chocolate with shaved chocolate curls, Bombolini are known for showcasing inventive flavours each week.

Find out more about Bombolini here: www.instagram.com/bombolini_doughnuts

MARSHPILLOWS

Marshpillows makes gourmet, all-natural marshmallows by hand and sources local ingredients where possible. These tasty little gems are a hit as party treats and wedding favours, and seem unrelated to the bland, store-bought puffs that pale in comparison.

Marshpillows’s February menu boasted vanilla bean, raspberry, lemon meringue, Jaffa, mint chocolate, espresso and chocolate swirl marshmallows.

Find out more about Marshpillows here: www.facebook.com/Marshpillows

THIRST THAI RESTAURANT & WINEBAR

Thirst’s creators, Justin and Jeff Piper, know the experience of Thai street food: ‘The sound of mortars and pestles pounding and coconut milk bubbling along with the tantalising aromas of mint, coriander, zesty fresh lemon basil, fish sauce and palm sugar all hanging thick in the humid air captures the spirit and essence of Thailand’s buzzing street food scene.’

After plenty of firsthand research, they’ve brought the true tastes of modern Thai street food to our own streets.

Find out more about Thirst here: www.facebook.com/thirstwinebarthaieatery

the essentials 

What: The Forage
Where: Little National Hotel (outside), 21 National Circuit, Barton
When: April 9 from 2pm until 7pm
Find out more via the website: theforage.com.au

Feature image is of the Ube Halaya Cake from Lolo & Lola. All food items listed and pictured are subject to availability on the day of The Forage.