The August At-Home Hit List: Re, Maiz, Mother Chu’s Taiwanese Gourmet, and More

If you struggled to score a seat when Re was open to guests, good news – Matt Whiley’s waste-minimising bar is coming to your doorstep. You can order bottled versions of his star cocktails to take home, such as the Wimbledon Gimlet: it’s flavoured with pickled strawberry juice and milk wine cordial made from leftover ricotta whey the award-winning bartender fermented for close to a year. It might sound like an unusual combination, but one sip and you’ll taste a boozy remix of strawberries and cream. Also available for pick-up, delivery and interstate mail: other batched cocktails, such as yuzu and matcha margaritas, blood orange Negronis and a ‘Baking Bad’ number sweetened with bread molasses. Order here.

Mother Chu’s Taiwanese Gourmet turns 30 this year and the cheering face of Alan Chu – who currently owns this Chinatown institution – is one reason the eatery has been worth visiting in recent years. The ginger-laced shiitake fried rice, congee well-paired with homemade youtiao, in-house soy milk, beef noodle soup and pork pepper buns are other highlights worth stopping by for. This Taiwanese eatery is one of many worthy Haymarket venues namechecked by the Soul of Chinatown social media initiative, which is drawing attention to a restaurant district that’s been especially challenged by the pandemic. Mother Chu is still here, open for takeout and delivery orders. Check their Instagram for the latest, and call 02 9211 0288 to order, or via the EASI app.

Missing the intimate buzz of this tiny wine bar? You can now channel its atmosphere – and menu – in your own kitchen. Ragazzi At Home’s hand-crafted pastas are available to finish at home. There’s buffalo milk burrata that’s been splashed with lemon and chives, before being stuffed into ravioli that’s served with sage-charged brown butter. Roast duck rotolo submerged in a roast duck broth. Or hand-rolled cavatelli with anchovy ragu. The delivery menu changes every week and you can level up your order with pantry extras from Fabbrica, Ragazzi’s sister pasta and wine shop. Learn how to order here.

Maiz is known for its wildly popular Mexican brunch menu. When chef Juan Carlos Negrete and his team planned to eventually offer dinners, they probably didn’t expect lockdown to fast-track this plan – even if Maiz At Home boxes weren’t what they originally envisioned. Now you can recreate the eatery’s tlacoyo divorciadas, chilaquiles and enchiladas under your roof, or look out for the ever-changing lockdown specials, which include sopes, tortas and lemon and mezcal cheesecake. Swing by for your meal pack or plan ahead and get it delivered. Order here.

Huddling under Nakano Darling’s classic lanterns or neon signs might be currently off-limits, but you can still transport the izakaya to your place. There’s frozen gyoza you can stock in your fridge, or merch you can buy to wear (hats, shirts) or read (Nakano Darling’s upcoming Somekind book co-authored with Hello Sandwich’s Ebony Bizys). And you can still drop by the Steam Mill Lane shopfront for takeaway (okonomiyaki or matcha tiramisu, anyone?) or order delivery from your couch. Complete the feel by dialing up Nakano Darling’s playlist selections, available here.

Pastry chef Daria Nechiporenko is making lockdown a sweeter proposition. Drop by the Stix cafe early enough and you might score the Russian honey cake that’s been an eternal bestseller here. Missed out? Head online and preorder a large version – your locked-down household will thank you. While there, you can order croissant six-packs for breakfast, enjoy salted caramel popcorn for TV-snacking sessions and slice up quarter-sized birthday cakes for anyone needing to celebrate a milestone while socially distanced in lockdown. Learn more here.

Chef Anna Ugarte-Carral draws on her culinary heritage and transforms The Old Fitzroy pub into Bodega Fitz for lockdown. This means you can order manchego croquettes, salt cold fritters with sherry vinegar mayonnaise, deep-fried egg with spicy Roncari cheese, padron peppers, tomato-rubbed bread with Olasagasti anchovy, potato tortillas and other bites that will turn your dining room into a makeshift tapas bar. And of course, the proper finale to any meal from this region is a charred Basque cheesecake. Order online here.

When Flavio Carnevale was 19, he’d catch the first morning’s train to his bakery job. It was located in Rome, but he often found himself cycling over to The Vatican nearby, delivering local pastries to nuns and priests. It’s a memory that powers Marta Roman Bakery, the pandemic-pivot business he started after the March 2020 lockdown. It was so successful that he kept it long after dining restrictions lifted. Now that we’re back in lockdown, he’s extended Marta Roman Bakery’s trading hours – which means you have a greater chance to stock up on his Lariano bread, Roman-style focaccia and ciabatta, candied citrus sfogliatelle and his maritozzi (a Roman breakfast brioche with whipped cream that, funnily enough, happens to be a big dessert trend in Japan right now). Details here.

Wattalappam (Sri Lankan spiced custard) with cashew and sesame praline. Turmeric fried egg curry. Dining restrictions haven’t held Lankan Filling Station’s menu back from continually offering compelling new menu specials. Sure, you’ll have to enjoy them in takeaway form, but this eatery’s dishes have always travelled well. While you’re stopping by, add a few pre-packed gems (dhal, white fish curry), pantry-improving condiments (Maldive fish sambol, fermented chilli sauce) and other worthy goods from O Tama Carey’s spice-driven kitchen. Get them here.

The days might seem to melt together during lockdown, but Three Blue Ducks is creating a reason to celebrate the end of the working week. Its new ‘Weekend Feast’ boxes feature day-brightening menu items, such as molten chocolate pudding and brisket bolognese gnocchi. Pick from the pescetarian-friendly and vegetarian-compatible Take Home Feast (with sweet potato hummus and baked frittata) or an Ultimate Meast Fest option with herb-crumbed veal schnitzel. You might be tempted to add some waste-minimising condiments from the online shop (spent orange marmalade, for instance) to your final order, too.