East Meets West Lunar New Year Festival

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East Meets West Lunar New Year Festival, Hopkins St and surrounds, Footscray, Sunday, January 20.

As I head for the door and out on my Sunday outing, I very clearly say to myself: “Righto, time to go to work!”

Oh dear – this is a first!

Undoubtedly, I have always taken what I hope is a workmanlike attitude to doing Consider The Sauce.

But “going to work”?

That’s not the right frame of mind at all.

After all it’s a lovely sunny day, a cool breeze is blowing and the weather is of very noteworthy unextremes.

What could be better?

Well, that’s easy – street food and lots of it.

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I have my fill of it, too, as I mingle with the happy crowds and take in all the sights and sounds in and around Hopkins St.

And the aromas. Always the aromas. Of course.

In quick succession I fang a lovely chicken skewer, some delicate seafood mini-pancakes, another skewer of toothsome beef wrapped in vine leaves and a serve of a stodgy but satisfying fry-up of rice cake, egg and green onions topped with grated carrot and anointed with a light soy sauce.

Amid all the festival gaiety, I do notice, however, a certain sameness among the food stalls – take my items and throw in fried octopus tentacles, corn on the cob, sugar cane juice and several more varieties of skewer and you’re talking about 90 per cent of what’s available.

I wonder if such standardisation is something to do with logistics or health regulations.

I do grab a slice of chilli pork jerky.

And, of course, all the restaurants are open and doing a roaring trade.

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Jane, from Tim & Jane, the lovely coffee and chocolate joint in what was once the Royal Hotel, suggests the food is what it is because it’s festival fare.

They make me a fantastic cafe latte – strong, but not too strong; fantastic.

Tim & Jane is one of the very few places in Footscray Central serving Italian-style coffee, so makes a great stopping off point if that’s what you seek after eating elsewhere.

They’re open  8am-6pm Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm on Saturdays and 10am-4pm on Sundays.

You can read Ms Baklover’s story about them here.

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6 thoughts on “East Meets West Lunar New Year Festival”

  1. don’t you just love the colour, sounds and smells of a luna festival. I used to live close to Victoria St in Richmond and I could hear the festival from my place so would always know when to wander down. Now that I live in the West I may not be able to hear it from where I am but feel it is just another benefit afforded to me as a “westy”.

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  2. I went to St Albans last week which was great. I chose to go to the St Albans one after visiting the Footscray one last year and feeling a little flat. Have to say the St Albans festival did remind me of the old chaos that I loved about Footscray.

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  3. We really enjoyed the festival today. Great sights and sounds, and a real treat to see Footscray kick up its heels. I know what you mean about the food though… Lots of bo la lot, chicken/pork/beef skewers, rice cakes. Mind you everything was very tasty! Our roving lunch was very satisfying, as was the takeaway green papaya salad that was eaten at home.

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  4. Upcoming Lunar New Year Festivals 2013

    Sun 27th Jan:
    Richmond – Victoria St
    10am-10pm

    Sat-Sun, 26th-27th Jan:
    Springvale – Sandown Race Course
    9am-10pm

    Sun 3rd Feb:
    Springvale – Buckingham Ave
    9am-10pm

    Sat 9th Feb:
    Quang Minh Temple
    Braybrook – Burke St
    2pm-Midnight

    Sun 10th Feb:
    Chinatown – Lt Bourke St
    9am-10pm

    Sat-Sun, 9th-10th Feb:
    Box Hill – Station St
    3pm-3am

    Sun 17th Feb:
    Glen Waverly – Kingsway
    11am-8pm

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