Cacio e pepe

Cacio e pepe, a fixture at Sydney’s Ragazzi and Melbourne’s Bar Liberty, has long played a starring role in Roman cooking. This near-magic combination of spaghetti, pecorino and pepper, is enjoying a cultural revival, as a new generation of diners thrill to its creamy texture and unexpected, but welcome, bite. However, the return of this much-loved pasta dish is also proof of the ways food trends can proliferate, stripped of cultural context. The arrival of the cacio e pepe donut is a case in point.

Onigiri

Rice balls, wrapped in seaweed, have ranked among Japan’s favourite portable foods since the ancient Kamakura period. At Tokyo Lamington in Sydney’s Newtown, you can sample a bacon and egg option inspired by the Australian breakfast. Or try the artful interpretations, topped with kombu or cured fish roe at West Melbourne’s 279.  

French Dip

There’s a theory that the French Dip, a baguette stuffed with rare roast beef and served alongside pan juices tailor-made for dipping, was invented by a Los Angeles chef who accidentally dropped a French roll into a roasting pan. Over the past two years, this Californian stalwart has made its way to Australia via Brooklyn Depot in Brisbane and Continental Deli in Sydney’s CBD.