Two Fold

I think one of the best things about being a food writer is meeting people who are really passionate about food; those who love cooking and sharing flavours and experiences with others.

Food shouldn’t be about trends, although it invariably is, it shouldn’t be about exclusion, those in the know and those who aren’t and those who were ‘there’ and captured it on Instagram versus those who weren’t.

Food should be about creating something good, bringing people together over the goodness and just kicking back and enjoying the whole experience. And that’s exactly the feeling I got at Two Fold, the first solo venture by 2014 My Kitchen Rules’ contestants, Helena and Vikki Moursellas.

Recently I was asked to chat to the bubbly Greek twins for The Northsider and, I’m sorry to admit, I actually had no idea who they were. But a quick search on Google revealed two gorgeous young women, always smiling, exuding energy, passion and a great deal of belief in the path they have decided to carve out.  And this path has the potential to be a tricky one.

As Vikki says, “a lot of people go on these reality tv shows just to be on tv and not because they love cooking. We went on MKR because we are really really passionate about cooking. We didn’t let it get to us; we just remained ourselves. We literally went on and we were just Helena and Vikki. We wouldn’t have got this far if we weren’t ourselves.” This was obvious when I met them and had a chat with them.

Growing up in a Greek family where food was everything, the twins cooked with their grandmother and mum. Regular visits to Greece to visit family became part of their food journey and sealed the deal and tightened their vision for a future in hospitality.

Once the MKR season ended, the girls did not let the momentum go. “We’ve been self-employed now for almost two years.” said Vikki,  “It was really hard at the start but we pushed and pushed and thought, we’re not going to give up; we’ll make our own career out of this. I think the thing with these shows is that everyone thinks you’re going to get stuff handed to you afterwards and you’ll live this really cool life, but we just had to work hard and put ourselves out there. We’ve met some cool people here in Melbourne. That’s the advice we give this season’s contestants, nothing is going to come to you for free. You have to go out there and chase it.”

Having worked in restaurants, bars and nightclubs for seven years, the girls are no strangers to hospitality. Helena did the hard yards for six months in a Greek restaurant on Swan Street, Melbourne. “It’s not a glamorous job,” she says. “I’ve learnt a lot. They’ve been really good to me, but they laugh at me and say, ‘just because you’ve been on television, Helena, doesn’t mean you can’t clean the deep fryer.’ So I’ve had nights when I’ve been on my knees cleaning the deep fryer. I like doing all those crappy jobs because that’s where we all start, at the bottom.”

Two Fold has been open just over a month and is already achieving what the girls set out to do; creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere where they get to share some of their favourite meals with diners, giving them a glimpse into what its like to eat at the family table, with all its Greek goodness.

The menu is well balanced with a variety of Shared Snacks, Main Plates, smoky Greek treats from the Grill, some lighter sandwisch/toast options, salads and sides.

Cured Fish Cones were the perfect start. Crispy little wonton wrappers forming cones packed with a fresh tasting mix of salmon, pomegranate, finger lime and coriander. 

Next was the blue swimmer crab and avocado on Grumpy Baker sourdough. The light delicate crab flavour worked well with avocado and I enjoyed every mouthful.

The standout for me, though, was the taste of the marinated giant Clarence River octopus. The flesh was smoky, slightly spicy and so tender. From the first mouthful, as clichéd as it sounds, I was transported to the shores of the Mediterranean. Beautiful.

Living life like it’s golden?

Absolutely.