Three Blue Ducks is opening its flagship Southern Highlands restaurant at Burradoo Park Farm this June, bringing a multi-course farm-to-table dining experience to the 600-acre regenerative farming property. Opening on June 18, the restaurant completes the hospitality offering at Burradoo Park Farm, joining The Bakehouse and The Farmhouse by Three Blue Ducks, which launched earlier this year as part of the broader agritourism destination founded by Annie Cannon-Brookes. Set inside a restored 1823 farmhouse, the 45-seat restaurant will offer two set-menu experiences shaped by what is growing, grazing and being harvested on the property. The opening marks Three Blue Ducks’ most ambitious integration of farming and hospitality to date, with produce, livestock and ingredients from across the farm helping shape the menu. The kitchen is led by group executive chef Troy Crisante and head chef Rhys Connell, whose previous experience includes Sepia, Society, Cutler & Co and Etymon Projects. “Everything really starts with what’s coming out of the farm,” said Three Blue Ducks co-owner Andy Allen. “We’re building the menu around that and trying to use everything properly, whether it’s protein or vegetables, using it end to end and not wasting anything. It’s thoughtful cooking, but it still has to be really delicious and something people want to come back for.” Harvest menu Guests will be able to choose between a five-course Field Menu and a seven-course Harvest Menu. Early dishes include puntarelle with red-spot prawn and chilli, radicchio with brook trout roe and macadamia and a ‘cover-crop salad’ featuring sprouted grains, buttered turnips, buckwheat and garlic chives. The menu also highlights the connection between the three hospitality venues on the property. Bread is supplied by The Bakehouse, while broths are made using carcasses and bones from chickens served at The Farmhouse. The main course centres around Wiltipol lamb served with sheep’s yoghurt and shiso, while desserts showcase local produce, including Moonacres Farm rhubarb, quince and lavender. One of the final dishes on the opening menu features potatoes grown at Burradoo Park Farm and by the Hill family in nearby Robertson. The drinks program has been developed alongside the food offering, with a focus on New South Wales producers and seasonal ingredients. The opening list includes wines from Southern Highlands producer Dawning Day Farms, Werkstatt and Henschke, while cocktails feature ingredients such as clarified pear, finger lime, beetroot, fennel and pickled strawberry. The restaurant opening follows the launch of The Bakehouse by Three Blue Ducks and The Farmhouse by Three Blue Ducks earlier this year. Open daily from 7 am, The Bakehouse serves slow-fermented sourdough, pastries, sandwiches and Single O coffee. At the same time, The Farmhouse operates as a café and produce store with breakfast and lunch menus built around ingredients grown on the property. Together, the three venues create a hospitality destination designed to connect visitors with the farm, its produce and the people behind it. Three Blue Ducks at Burradoo opens on June 18 for dinner on Thursdays and lunch and dinner from Friday to Sunday. Three Blue Ducks at Burradoo is located at 6 Railway Road, Burradoo. Source: The Cru Find more dining out update on Crumb Wire.

Good Nature Hotel has taken over the former Beer Deluxe site at Federation Square, opening with a weatherproof beer garden just in time for Melbourne’s Big Freeze and King’s Birthday crowds. Opening today, June 4, the new venue brings an all-weather pub, beer garden and family-friendly social space to one of Melbourne’s busiest sporting and cultural precincts. The former Beer Deluxe site has undergone a full redesign, with greenery, native planting, natural materials and flexible indoor-outdoor spaces used throughout the venue. The revamped layout has been designed to cater to everything from pre-game catch-ups and after-work drinks to family outings and larger group gatherings. “Good Nature is about creating a place where people can come together, whether it’s for a casual lunch, after-work drinks, live sport, family outing or weekend celebration,” said Venue Manager Ebony King. “We wanted the venue to feel fresh and relaxed while still capturing the energy of Melbourne’s pub culture and Federation Square.” A major focus of the renovation is the upgraded Beer Garden, which now features a permanent weather-protected structure complete with a retractable awning, heating, umbrellas and flexible seating. Large screens and upgraded AV capabilities will also allow the space to host live sport screenings, DJs, live music and seasonal events throughout the year. Inside, the Ground Floor Pub serves as the venue’s main social hub, while the Atrium offers additional dining and function space. Upstairs, the Grove Bar & Terrace includes a children’s playground, booth seating and upgraded AV facilities, making it suitable for both families and private events. The food offering centres on elevated pub classics alongside seasonal dishes and share plates. Menu highlights include sticky soy and chilli pork ribs with crispy noodles and yuzu sesame, char-grilled lamb skewers with smoked eggplant and za’atar, fried chicken with fermented chilli mayo and guindillas, pan-fried barramundi served with Good Nature greens and roasted chats and a spanner crab and prawn spaghetti finished with confit garlic, chilli butter and chardonnay. The opening also coincides with a packed weekend of sport and entertainment across Melbourne. Alongside live sport screenings, Good Nature has planned a program of DJs, roaming musicians and family-friendly activities across the long weekend. Weekly programming will include Beer Garden DJs on Thursdays, DJs and live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays, a $38 Sunday roast and free children’s entertainment every Sunday afternoon. Looking ahead, the venue is also planning major screenings and activations around events, including the World Cup, State of Origin and the NFL season. Source: Sense Communications Find more dining out updates on Crumb Wire.

Ferguson Plarre’s Bakehouses is turning 125 and giving away 10,000 free slices of cake to mark the occasion. Every Victorian location will be handing out a free slice of birthday cake with any purchase on Friday, June 5. Through winter, members of the Sweet Rewards Club, Ferguson Plarre’s points-based loyalty program, will get weekly $1.25 specials on iconic bakery items, a nod to the bakery’s 125 years with one cent per year pricing. Non-members can still get in on the celebrations with discounts of up to 30% off meat pies, cupcakes and sweet slices in store through winter. The business has a long history in Victorian communities. Otto Plarre opened the first Plarre’s Cakes shop on Puckle Street in Moonee Ponds, which remains the oldest and longest running Ferguson Plarre location. It was a later generation that brought the Ferguson and Plarre families together into the business known today. Otto’s great-grandchildren, Steve and Mike Plarre, now run the business, having learned the ropes from their father, third generation baker Ralph Plarre OAM. Ferguson Plarre CEO Steve Plarre said, “In a world of trends and viral food moments, Ferguson Plarre has stood strong as a reliable and comforting bakery staple in local communities for years, with almost 80 bakeries across Victoria. “We know what we’re good at, and we’ve spent 125 years perfecting recipes that have been passed down for five generations of Plarre’s, from vanilla slices and chocolate eclairs to the perfectly flaky sausage roll or tiddly oggie. We’re a family business at heart, so it only felt right to celebrate this exciting milestone with our wider family by sharing some birthday cake, just like we do at home. “We’re also keen to give back to our loyal customers who have supported us in the last 125 years, charging just one cent per year for our legacy items.” Ferguson Plarre’s almost 80 locations are spread across Melbourne and regional Victoria, from the northern and western suburbs to Queen Victoria Market, Chadstone and Geelong. Source: Soda Communications Find more food retail updates on Crumb Wire.

Streets Viennetta is launching a new Salted Caramel flavour in Australia, marking the brand’s first new local flavour in years. The Streets classic, which has been a fixture on Australian dinner tables since the mid-1980s, is adding Viennetta Salted Caramel to its lineup alongside the original Vanilla. The new flavour blends smooth salted caramel and vanilla with delicate crisp caramel layers and caramel pieces, keeping the signature ripple structure and the unmistakable crack that has made Viennetta a generational staple. The last time Streets launched a new Viennetta flavour in Australia was the Birthday Cake edition in 2022, released to mark the brand’s 40th anniversary. Salted caramel is already one of Viennetta’s best-selling variants globally, and its arrival in Australia reflects both shifting flavour preferences and a broader resurgence of interest in nostalgic classics. Kalli Swaik, Marketing Director at Streets, said, “Viennetta has a special place in Australian memories, anchored in those moments when we get together at home with family and friends. It’s always been the dessert you brought out when guests came over and you wanted dinner to feel a little bit fancy. “More than 40 years later, what has changed is how Australians are entertaining – we’re seeing more moments at home together, and a growing ask from consumers to create something that feels special without the effort. That’s exactly where Viennetta fits.” Streets, which is part of The Magnum Ice Cream Company, first brought Viennetta to Australia in the mid-1980s, positioning it as the dessert you pulled out when you wanted dinner to feel a little bit fancy. Swaik said, “What’s been really exciting is seeing how Viennetta connects generations. There is a sense of nostalgia when the Viennetta lands on the table. People who grew up with it are now sharing it with their own kids, while younger consumers are discovering it for the first time as a simple way to make an everyday moment transform into something fun, indulgent and iconic.” Viennetta Salted Caramel is available now at Coles and Metcash supermarkets nationwide at RRP $8.00. Find more food retail updates on Crumb Wire.