The Dish: Insect cuisine, suckling pigs and more

Elvis Abrahanowicz and Ben Milgate of Porteno. Picture / Supplied.

CALLING ALL MEAT LOVERS

Squealing Pig wines are bringing Porteno, one of Sydney's hottest restaurants and home of wood-fired Argentinian barbecue, to Auckland for a one-night pop-up restaurant at Silo 6, North Wharf. Elvis Abrahanowicz and Ben Milgate, Porteno's two chefs (above), will be in attendance, dishing up multiple meat-heavy courses, with wines to match. We've heard word that a suckling pig will be there, cooked for more than eight hours on an open fire, so come with an empty stomach and an open mind. Tickets $150 from iticket.co.nz. Thursday October 23, 6pm.

• Viva has one double pass to give away, worth $300. Enter here, and see Porteno's recipe for barbecued bone marrow here.

JUMP ON THE ROAR TREND
Gabriel Power of Roar Food, and Shian Perawiti of The Conscious Events Company are hosting workshops on October 16 and 19. Tickets $85, see roarfood.co.nz/workshops.

Exo Protein Bar. Photo / Supplied.

A BUG LIFE

Insect cuisine - soon to be a new food trend - is shrugging off its ick factor. The latest buzz product is Exo, which uses crickets in energy bars for a bumper protein hit. The idea, conceived in the US by students Greg Sewitz and Gabi Lewis, came about after Sewitz attended a conference where speakers considered insects as a sustainable food source. Meanwhile, Lewis was struggling to find a high protein, low sugar bar to compliment his paleo lifestyle. The result? Cricket flour, a substance similar to brown sugar, blended with almonds, dates, honey and raw cacao nibs. Although insect consumption may not have hit New Zealand's shores yet, there's much about the movement to champion. Insects like crickets are extraordinarily high in protein, more environmentally friendly than farming animals and easy to combine with other ingredients. Now we wait with bated breath. Who will concoct the local equivalent?

Exo Protein ships internationally from exoprotein.com.

MENU PICKS
What we're loving around town . . .

1. Orvieto's grilled chicken salad with avocado, mango and citrus chilli dressing. A little sharp, a little sweet, and perfect for a mid-week lunch. Mt Eden Rd.

2. Maldito Mendez' pineapple slaw with tamarind dressing and pepitas. Ponsonby Central.

3. A cliche, but a good one - raw Te Matuku oysters on the deck at Waiheke's Oyster Inn as the sun sets.

- VIVA