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.

Macca’s is rolling out its biggest beverage launch since McCafé opened locally in 1993, with 10 new drinks landing across the country this month. After first launching in Victoria and Queensland, the expanded McCafé range is now going national, bringing new iced coffees, fruity refreshers, crafted sodas and Red Bull-based energisers to Macca’s menus around Australia. The launch introduces three new beverage categories: Refreshers, Energisers and Crafted Sodas, alongside a new collection of Iced and Cold Coffee. With new sweet twists, iced coffee builds, fruit-led drinks, popping pearls, cold foam and energy drinks, the range aims to give customers a few more ways to match their drink order to the mood of the day. A drink for every mood The expanded range also lands right in the middle of Australia’s “little treat” era as new research commissioned by the fast food brand finds that more than half of Aussies (56 per cent) choose beverages based on their mood, personality or energy levels, while the remainder see grabbing a drink as the perfect reward after a busy day. So, for those questioning why a morning coffee suddenly has so much power over them, it’s because the drink order is doing a bit more emotional labour than it used to. Since Victoria and Queensland have already had dibs on the new range, local creators were quick to share their thoughts. The Red Bull Dragonberry Energiser and Iced Golden Caramel Latte earned some of the strongest early thumbs ups. Many of the early taste tests have also pointed to the drinks being on the sweeter side, which is worth noting for anyone who likes their iced drinks closer to dessert. The new McCafé range is split across Iced and Cold Coffee, Refreshers, Crafted Sodas and Energisers, with 10 new beverages joining the menu nationally. Iced and Cold Coffee: Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso with Oat Milk – Smooth, creamy layers of espresso and rich brown sugar flavour, shaken over ice and finished with oat milk, available exclusively in Australia. Iced Golden Caramel Latte – Combining vanilla and caramel flavours with espresso and milk, served on ice and finished with McDonald’s signature caramel sundae topping. Iced Velvet Mocha with Cold Foam – A rich espresso base blended with chocolate and caramel flavours, topped with cold foam and an extra drizzle of chocolate and caramel. Choc Coconut Frappé – Chocolate frappé base, served with sweet coconut syrup. Refreshers: Strawberry Watermelon Refresher – Sweet strawberry and watermelon blended with tangy lemonade over ice, with freeze-dried strawberries for an extra treat. Popping Mango Refresher – Tropical mango and pineapple flavours with tangy lemonade served over ice, featuring strawberry popping pearls that burst on your tongue. Crafted Sodas: Berry Blast & Sprite – Blended with sweet blue raspberry flavour, topped with cold foam and served over ice. Popping Green Apple & Sprite – Served over ice with tangy green apple popping pearls that burst on your tongue. Energisers: Red Bull Peach Boost Energiser – Red Bull with sweet peach flavour, served over ice. Red Bull Dragonberry Energiser – Red Bull with blue raspberry flavour, topped with freeze-dried dragon fruit and served over ice. Red Bull 250mL – Classic Red Bull Energy Drink. Red Bull Zero 250mL – Original Taste. Zero Sugar. The new taste of Red Bull Zero, sweetened with monk fruit extract. Available in Queensland and Victoria only. Annabel Fribence, Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald’s Australia, said drinks had become much more than something to sip for customers. “For our customers, drinks have become so much more than just something to sip – they’re a way to kick-start the day, recharge in the afternoon, connect with friends or simply treat yourself. “To match the way Aussies are embracing beverages today, we’re rolling out our biggest beverage launch since McCafé opened in Australia over 30 years ago, featuring bold new flavours, quality ingredients and something for every mood and moment. “McCafé has been part of Australia’s café culture for more than three decades, and this launch marks an exciting next chapter in that journey. The new range received a fantastic response during the trial, and now it’s time for Aussies across the country to pick their favourite. Mine’s the Berry Blast & Sprite!” Sydney gets first pour To celebrate the national launch, McDonald’s is also opening the McCafé Little Drinks Bar, a one-day-only pop-up in Sydney giving customers a chance to try the new range for free while drinks last. The pop-up will be held at 11 Little Burton St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010, on Saturday, July 11, from 2 pm to 5 pm. Entry is free. The event ties back to the same “little treat” behaviour behind the launch, with 45 per cent of Aussies considering buying a beverage an everyday little treat. The McCafé Little Drinks Bar is designed as a place for customers to try the new drinks and find a go-to sip for different moods, moments and occasions. For everyone outside Sydney, the expanded McCafé range will land nationwide from Wednesday, July 15. Source: Omnicom Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.