WATCH » How to make a Traditional Colombian Breakfast ft. Hot Chocolate with Cheese (Really)

RECIPE: Traditional Colombian Breakfast, with thanks to the Berbeo Bros.

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Read » Australia's Best Colombian Food is in an Aquatic Centre

An aquatic centre is the last place you’d expect to find some of Melbourne’s best Colombian food, but in the inner-western suburb of Maribyrnong – surrounded by dripping children and the unmistakable scent of chlorine – Frank Torres hands out empanadas to those who usually order potato cakes post swimming lesson. The centre is currently closed in accordance with Stage Four lockdowns, but El Toucan remains open for takeaway and delivery, and Frank remains positive.

“It’s been a blessing being here. It’s a type of cuisine not many people are used to; they don’t know much about Colombian food and it’s a great point from which to educate the community about our culture and food,” he says. “I want Colombian food to be the next Mexican food.”Frank came to Australia from Bogota as a 16 year old in 1989. He’s known for opening the first Colombian restaurant in Melbourne, El Dorado, back in 2005. When it shut to make way for a development, Frank continued with El Dorado Catering before buying the cafe at Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre.His wife at the time was a physiotherapist at the centre. “Initially we started doing the typical fish and chips and calamari and nuggets, but then old customers started asking, ‘Why don’t you do a little more Colombian food?’ We introduced about four dishes, and it just went off.”

Around half of El Toucan’s customers are from the Latin American community and the rest are local. It’s one of the few places in Melbourne where you can try Colombian offal dishes. Frank wasn’t expecting them to be popular, but they were a hit with both the South American and Asian communities. There’s slow-cooked ox tongue or lengua en salsa, served with maduro (fried plantain cake), hogao (Colombian sofrito) and rice; higado encebollado, pan-fried liver in hogao sauce; and my personal favourite, sopa de mondongo, tender beef tripe and pork soup with vegetables, avocado, coriander and rice.There are plenty of traditional dishes. Bandeja paisa is as popular as it is massive, a giant plate of pulled beef, slow cooked beans, chorizo and chicharrons on rice with an arepa (corn bread), sliced plantain, avocado and a fried egg. Every weekend customers collect pre-ordered tamales, and on Friday Frank announces a weekend special on social media. Ajiaco – Colombia’s chicken and potato soup flavoured with a native herb called guascas – makes a regular appearance. The authenticity comes courtesy of Frank’s mum, who taught him how to make every dish. She video calls Frank and chef Juan Rodriguez to walk them through each process and keep a close eye.

“Swimming night has become dinner night, where parents don’t have to cook,” says Frank. “Why cook when dad can have sticky pork ribs or the bandeja paisa, and if the kids don’t want to go to Colombia, they can have spaghetti bolognese. The sight of families having dinner together means a lot.”With multicultural neighbours and customers, Frank is fascinated by different cuisines and hopes to introduce Ethiopian and Tongan specials onto a Colombian menu in the future.“That’s probably a little bit later on when I open my dream restaurant, which will be next year,” he says. “This is just a stepping stone. I want to start my little Colombian restaurant again with live Latin music and a full a la cart menu.”

El Toucan cafe is open Tuesday to Sunday for pick up and delivery.Text 0400 924 608 to order. Free delivery on weekdays within 5km of Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre and a minimum spend of $40 ($5 on weekends). Delivery is $10 to the city and inner ‘burbs, or POA further out. Keep an eye on El Toucan’s social media for dish specials. 

SPOTLIGHT » The Famous Colombian Food Family Cooking Under the Radar in Melbourne

If you grew up anywhere other than Fusagasugá in Colombia, you probably haven’t heard of the Berbeo family. An hour and a half southwest of the capital of Botoga, they’re kind of a big deal. The Berbeos have been in the restaurant and catering business for more than 50 years, serving 1000 covers a day and churning through 30 pigs and 10 cows each week. That’s separate from when they’re catering for groups of 5000 to 10,000 people, slaughtering, butchering and barbecuing beasts themselves.The third generation of Berbeos aren’t cooking in Fusagasugá. They’re cooking in Melbourne. Juan and Sebastian Berbeo opened Colombian street food concept, Berbeo Bros, in South Melbourne at the end of 2019. Everything on the menu is $12 or less.

“My father is well known for his food and what he does. He’s sceptical because he’s like, you should just do big dishes so they can pay $25, but that’s not the focus of the business. We want everyone to try it,” says Juan.Juan came to Australia 14 years ago to study veterinary science, but dropped out when he couldn’t afford to complete the course. He returned to cooking in order to get a visa, and never stopped. He’s worked at restaurants such as MoVida and Rockpool in Melbourne, had a stint in Sydney with the Merivale group and spent a few years as head chef of Pastuso before opening Berbeo Bros.“I didn’t know that all the experience I learned from my parents gave me enough credits to be working as a chef,” he says.

Before Berbeo Bros opened, Juan was already selling Colombian products to wholesalers and restaurants. Although 2020 has been tough on hospitality, Juan’s restructured the business to sell Berbeo Bros Colombian products to all of Australia, which means arepas, maize empanadas, lechona (12-hour roasted whole pork stuffed with rice and spices), chorizo, morcilla and hard-to-find papa criolla (mini Colombian potatoes) can be ordered with the click of a mouse.“Some of the recipes are influenced by my grandmother and mother and aunty. It’s keeping the traditional flavour, but giving it a little bit of a touch-up with everything I’ve learned in kitchens over the years,” says Juan.

Berbeo Bros delivers its dine-in menu within 25km of 602 City Road, South Melbourne, where pick up is also available. House-made products can be ordered via the website and delivered Australia-wide.

ORDER » 3 Colombian Side Hustles (and a New Cafe) to Support during COVID

Buñuelos that tell a story, traditional dishes from a Colombian woman who couldn't feed all her friends at once, an architect couple transforming a popular cake into a work of art and an out-of-work chef cooking street food from home. Melbourne is filled with Colombian culinary talent – you just need to know where to look. Click through to read the stories behind these four new businesses.

La ChismosaSara Giraldo always dreamed of having a food business, but she never thought COVID would be the catalyst that started it. She moved to Melbourne last October with her wife, who came to study a PhD in aerospace engineering. A chef and journalist, Sara finished studying English in April this year and started working at Si Senorita restaurant in Fitzroy.“I was attracted to come to this city because of the variety of cuisines that are found. Since the first day, it was clear to me that I wanted Australian people and everyone here to fall in love with Colombian flavours. The next step was to pick the product.”

Sara’s family owns bakeries back in Colombia and they’re known for buñuelos, a perfectly spherical, deep-fried cheese ball often eaten for breakfast. The family recipe is 96 years old, but it took Sara four months to adapt it to Australian ingredients.Buñuelos are the perfect fried food. Every ball is flawlessly round and fluffy in the middle with a crisp, golden shell. They’re sweet, salty and must be eaten hot and fresh – although Sara recommends saving a few to tear up and put into hot chocolate the next day, which is how the Colombians do it.Searching for a way to connect with her country, Sara also tells the stories of Colombian migrants in Melbourne through social media. She features their first “buñuelada”, an embarrassing moment as a new migrant in Australia, as well as slang neologisms specific to Colombians in Melbourne, which are attached to every order of buñuelos.

“My business is not just selling buñuelos,” says Sara. “Everyone loves stories; everyone wants to learn the small things about the other. I want everyone to know we are here. When you hear a Colombian on the train, I want someone to identify with that Colombian.”La Chismosa delivers on Wednesdays and Sundays from Si Senorita in Fitzroy. Pick up is also available. Text 0452 642 314 to order.

La Colombianita It was Paula Gomez’s friends who demanded she open a cafe. Moving from Medellín to Melbourne two years ago, she’d cook Colombian food for them every weekend. She couldn’t invite more than six people at a time, and those that were left out pushed her to open a cafe.

Paula told her bosses at York Street Cafe in South Melbourne her plan and they were incredibly supportive, offering her the space on weekends when they were closed. She’s been running La Colombianita from York Street Cafe for a year now, but during lockdown she delivers traditional and regional Colombian food, alternating between street food and traditional dishes.“I cook my grandma’s recipes and they always come with a story that people want to know,” says Paula. “I love to explain the dishes and they love to know how it’s made and the history behind that dish.”Keep an eye out for fiambre, a banana leaf-wrapped lunch box of rice, beans, minced beef, pork belly, boiled egg, plantain, chorizo and potatoes with hogao.La Colombianita is open for pre-orders during the week and delivers within 15 kilometres of York Street Cafe in South Melbourne on weekends. Text or call 0415 254 331 or 0402 911 261.

Milloha: Thousand and One DelightsIt’s little surprise that a miloja this perfect is made by two Colombian architects, Diana and Jorge Gonzalez (miloja is a Spanish version of mille-feullie, layered with dulce de leche). Their family has owned and operated bakeries and cafes back home for more than 20 years, but the couple moved to Melbourne, where architecture is better paid.“I was missing Colombian food a lot and I was trying to find the taste of the Colombian food. One day I call mum, and I said to her, ‘I want to cook something like what you do,’” says Diana.Diana’s mother sent her recipes, but she found basic Australian ingredients like flour and eggs completely different to back home. Diana spent six months adjusting the recipes and when she was finally happy, she shared the result on a Colombian community Facebook page.

“The next weekend it was so crazy, we had so many people ordering and making calls and they say it taste the same as in Colombia. Since then we have been adjusting, every single day, we are so perfectionist sometimes,” says Diana.Orders can be made online via the website, which you should check out for the full range of sweet treats. Delivery requires 48 hours’ notice.

Latin CravingsWhen coronavirus closed Plough Hotel in Footscray, Diego Daza was stood down. He’s since picked up a gig at a burger joint, but it was unemployment that inspired him to start Latin Cravings.“It’s one of my goals,” says the hospitality graduate. “Every chef, we want to get our own business one day. I think this situation gave me a chance to do that, not just because I needed money, but because I wanted to do it for myself.”

Diego moved to Melbourne five years ago to learn English. In Colombia he worked in business administration and logistics, but continued studying in Australia to stay longer. When he saw that cookery was on the list of careers provided by the government, he decided to turn his passion into a profession.The Latin Cravings menu features Colombian-style empanadas, cheese arepas, papa rellena (potato croquettes stuffed with minced beef and egg) and pan de bono – cheese bread made with tapioca flour, corn flour, ricotta and feta (guava paste optional) that kick-started the business. In the near future, Diego hopes to open a food truck serving Colombian street food and coffee, but for now you can try his food by ordering through Instagram.Send Diego an Instagram DM to order (allow a day’s notice). Delivery available across metropolitan Melbourne with a minimum spend of $30 (delivery fee varies with distance). Local pick up available from Maidstone.

DISHCOVERY » 13 Traditional Colombian Dishes (& where to eat them in Melbourne)

You might be familiar with arepas, but did can you name Colombia's national dish or the three unfamiliar ingredients on a Colombian hot dog (spoiler alert, one of them is potato crisps)? Read on for a snappy list of traditional dishes with suggestions on where to order them in Melbourne – even during lockdown.

1. ArepasServed with just about every meal in Colombia, an arepa is a disc of cornbread made from corn flour. They can be served plain, mixed with cheese or stuffed with ingredients like shredded beef and beans.Order from: Arepa Days, Sonido, Berbeo Bros or Latin Cravings

2. Perro Caliente (Colombian Hot Dog)This might look like a standard, New York-Style frank, but a real Colombian hot dog always comes with pineapple sauce, quail eggs and crushed up potato crisps sprinkled on top.Order from: Berbeo Bros or La Colombianita

3. Calentado Translating to “heated”, calentado is a Colombian breakfast from the Andean region made from last night's leftovers. Usually that means refried rice and beans, served with a fried egg, arepa and a mix of meat – perhaps chorizo or ground beef. Enjoyed with coffee or hot chocolate, the latter of which can contain melted cheese.Order from: Cento Mani, Club Colombia or La Colombianita

4. TamalesIn Colombia tamales are made from masa (maize dough) and wrapped in plantain or banana leaves. There are different varieties including Santafereños/Bogotanos style, which can be made with any combination of sausage, chicken or pork, egg, potato, vegetables and chickpeas; ball-shaped Tolimenses-style tamales from Tolima; and pork-laden Antioqueños from the Antioquia region, to name a few.Order from: El Toucan (for Santafereños/Bogotanos style)

5. LechonaAlso known as lechon asado, this special-occasion dish consists of a whole pig, stuffed with rice, spices and vegetables and roasted in an outdoor brick oven for around 10 to 12 hours.Order from: Berbeo Bros offers individual portions

6. Bandeja PaisaOfficially Colombia’s national dish, bandeja paisa is also the country’s most filling. Always generous, it includes a huge platter of red beans, pork, white rice, chicharron, minced meat, chorizo, morcilla, a fried egg, arepa, avocado and sauces.Order from: El Toucan, La Tienda, Cento Mani, Club Colombia or La Colombianita

7. Ajiaco A stew-like chicken soup that’s especially popular in Botoga, where it’s always made with three varieties of potato and guasca, a native herb that has been described as tasting like everything from grass to artichoke.Order from: Cento Mani, La Colombianita or La Tienda

8. Picada ColombianaA platter of grilled or fried (fritanga) food including pieces of steak, chicken, morcilla, chorizo, pork belly (chicharron) plantains (patacones), cassava and small yellow potatoes called papa criolla, served with arepa and avocado.Order from: El Toucan, La Tienda or La Colombianita

9. Cazuela de MariscosA Spanish-influence seafood stew made with coconut milk. Might contain any mixture of mussels, prawns, fish, clams and squid.Order from: La Tienda

10. Mondongo Spanish-influence beef tripe stew made with pork, coriander and vegetables such as peas, carrots, potatoes and onions. Hailing from the Andean region of Colombia.Order from: El Toucan or La Tienda

11. Empanadas Colombian empanadas are made with corn flour instead of wheat flour and are deep fried. This makes them extra crunchy. Common fillings include minced beef and egg, chicken, beans and cheese.Order from: Berbeo Bros, Arepa Days, Sonido, El Toucan or Latin Cravings

12. Pan de Bono Also known as pandebono, this Colombian cheese bread is made from corn flour, tapioca flour and cheese. Some versions have bocadillo (guava jam) inside.Order from: Latin Cravings

13. Buñuelos With Sephardic Jewish origins, and often eaten during Hanukkah, buñuelos are deep-fried cheese balls, a popular street food in Colombia.Order from: La Chismosa

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