Maltesers is making a play for indecisive snackers this July with the launch of its first-ever dual-layered range, aptly named Maltesers Duos. The brand has introduced the product in two variations, pairing the classic crisp malt centre with two chunky chocolate coatings in one bite. Maltesers Duos takes the original malt centre and gives it an initial coating of smooth milk chocolate, followed by a creamy white choc coating on the outside. It is essentially the milk choc and white choc debate solved in one handful. Maltesers Duos Strawberry keeps the same crisp malt centre and signature milk chocolate layer, then adds a strawberry flavoured choc coating for a fruitier take on the Maltesers experience. The launch follows the return of the Maltesers Bar to Australian shelves earlier this year, giving 2026 a bit of a “what else can this malt centre do?” energy for the brand. Mars Bitesize Portfolio Director, Ana Laskova, said the Duos range brings together flavour combinations Aussies already love. “The new Maltesers Duos range brings together flavour combinations Aussies already love, so they no longer have to choose. It’s our first time creating Maltesers with dual layers, and we’re thrilled to introduce a new way of enjoying everyone’s favourite treat – because why settle for one flavour, when you can have both?” The new range is designed for sharing with friends, taking to the cinema or simply rolling through the day when choosing one flavour feels like too much admin. The range will be available at selected retailers from late July, before landing at major retailers nationwide from early August. Both will be sold in 120g packs with a $7 RRP. Source: Weber Shandwick Find more food retail updates on Crumb Wire.

Taste Marketplace has launched as Australia’s first dedicated booking platform for food and wine tourism experiences. For all the joy of planning a food weekend, the booking process has not always been as delicious. Finding a cellar door tasting, cooking class, market tour or long-table lunch in Australia has often meant jumping between booking sites, operator pages and general travel listings, with no guarantee the experience is actually bookable online. Taste Marketplace is aiming to clean that up by bringing close to 200 food and wine experiences into one place, with new listings being added every week. “Australia has some of the world’s great food and wine regions, yet booking those experiences has always been harder than it should be. Taste Marketplace is a platform built by foodies, for foodies,” says Erin Kramer, Founder, Taste Marketplace The platform covers some of Australia’s best-known culinary regions, including the Barossa Valley, Hunter Valley, Margaret River, the Yarra Valley, the Mornington Peninsula and Tasmania, alongside city-based experiences in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and beyond. It also features a curated selection of Indigenous food experiences, highlighting native ingredients, bush tucker traditions and First Nations culinary knowledge. The launch lands as food and wine tourism continues to become a serious part of the travel economy. According to the release, Australia records around 7.7 million winery visits each year, with food and wine tourism contributing more than $9.6 billion to the economy. As for what is available to book, the platform spans winery and cellar door tours and tastings, paddock-to-plate and farm gate dining, cooking classes and masterclasses, guided food trails and market tours, long-table and degustation dining events, brewery, distillery and specialty producer experiences, and Indigenous food and bush tucker tours. Operators are starting to come on board too, with Taste Marketplace drawing support from businesses looking for a more targeted way to reach travellers who are already searching for food and wine experiences. Dave’s Travel Group is one of the operators listed on the platform, offering food-focused tours including wine tours to the Hunter Valley, food tours in Marrickville and Hobart, and a pub tour in The Rocks. Gregg Peek, General Manager, Dave’s Travel Group, says, “Being listed on Taste Marketplace means travellers who are actively looking for food and wine experiences can find us easily. That kind of targeted visibility is genuinely valuable for an operator like Dave’s. “These are visitors who already know what they want, and we get to be part of what they find. It’s the kind of platform the industry has needed for a long time.” Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.

Zambrero has launched the Fat Taco nationwide, giving its menu a thicker, one-handed take on the soft-shell taco. Available from $5, the new Fat Taco is being rolled out across Zambrero restaurants across Australia as one of the most accessible items on the menu. The brand is pitching it as a bigger, more generous taco format that pushes past the usual soft-shell situation. The Fat Taco comes loaded with your choice of protein, pickled red onion, sour cream and sauce, all wrapped in a thicker soft-shell tortilla designed to hold more without turning lunch into a two-handed engineering project. The early response suggests the format is landing. Since launching, the Fat Taco has become one of Zambrero’s most successful menu additions, with strong sales in its first fortnight. Rather than replacing existing favourites, the new taco appears to be adding fresh appetite to the menu, giving customers another reason to swing by without messing with the regular orders they already know. Daryl McCormack, CEO at Zambrero, said the Fat Taco signals where the brand is headed. “The Fat Taco is a statement about where Zambrero is headed. We wanted to create something bold, delicious and genuinely different – a taco that Australians hadn’t seen before. The response since launch has been extraordinary. Australians have embraced it immediately and that tells us we’ve got something special on our hands.” The launch marks a notable moment for Zambrero, which has been serving modern Mexican food since it was founded by Dr Sam Prince in 2005. Through its Plate 4 Plate Initiative, the brand has donated more than 100 million meals globally. The Fat Taco is available at Zambrero restaurants across Australia now. Source: Forward Agency Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.

New premium meat-ing joint, The Steakhouse, is opening inside Castle Hill RSL, bringing serious cuts, Australian produce and a more polished dining room to Sydney’s north west. Opening on July 9, the 130-seat restaurant is being positioned as a step up for the club’s dining offer, with a menu that screams ‘premium’. The venue is being led by Steve Sidd, Restaurateur and Group Managing Director of Catering HQ, who brings nearly 30 years of hospitality experience across major international hotel groups and independent operators. At The Steakhouse, that experience comes through in a focus on consistency, quality and a menu shaped by hyper-local and sustainable produce. “The Steakhouse has been created around a simple belief – great dining starts with great produce. From carefully selected cuts and premium ingredients to the way each dish is prepared and presented, the focus has always been on quality and attention to detail,” says Sidd. “We wanted to create a restaurant that feels elevated, yet remains warm, welcoming, and accessible. As the Hills continues to evolve, we saw an opportunity to introduce a dining experience that combines exceptional food, genuine hospitality, and an atmosphere designed to bring people together. “Ultimately, we hope guests leave feeling they’ve enjoyed something memorable and discover a restaurant they’ll want to return to time and time again.” To that point, the dining room has been designed with rich finishes that make it hard not to get cosy, considered lighting and more intimate seating, giving the space a warmer, more restaurant-like feel while still sitting within the familiar setting of Castle Hill RSL. Steakhouse theatre The opening menu is far from shy about going big. There is Wagyu Steak Tartare with cured egg yolk, pickled Spanish onion and housemade potato crisps, plus Bone Marrow with mushroom duxelles, onion purée, marrow snow and grilled sourdough. The Wagyu Trio is one of the main drawcards, showcasing three cuts from Robbins Island Full Blood Wagyu: Chuck Tail Flap MB9+, Rump Cap MB9+ and Striploin MB9+, served with mushroom and gochujang chilli ketchup. There is also Snapper Crudo with black olive crisp, lemon oil, pickled fennel and tomato-pomegranate gel, giving the menu a lighter seafood option alongside the heavier steakhouse signatures. Dessert keeps the theatre going with the Cigar de Cacao, a chocolate cigar filled with rich chocolate mousse and finished with crunchy chocolate crumble. It is presented tableside beneath a smoke-filled glass dome, because apparently the steakhouse drama does not stop at mains. Guests can also choose from an additional set menu, share-style options and group degustation menus, with a wine list that includes a 2019 St Hallett Old Block Shiraz, Tolpuddle Chardonnay and Henschke Innes Vineyard Pinot Gris. The opening comes as Castle Hill continues to grow as a dining and lifestyle hub in Sydney’s north west. For Castle Hill RSL, The Steakhouse adds a more elevated option to its existing hospitality line-up, catering to club members and local diners looking for somewhere that works for midweek dinners, family celebrations, long lunches and special occasions. Source: Curated Agency Find more dining out updates on Crumb Wire.