Category Archives: Places we like to eat at

Class in Seddon

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Moda Kitchen and Bar, 1/140 Victoria Street, Seddon. Phone: 9078 4310

Indian Palette closed quite a while ago – we hope Francis and Sue pop up somewhere new!

The same Victoria Street premises is now occupied by Moda Kitchen and Bar.

The contrast could hardly be greater – and a delight it is, too.

The Moda fitout is heavy on white – white walls, white tablecoths, white (real linen) napkins.

There’s a heap of space and the whole deal reeks of casual elegance.

 

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Goat’s cheese and pistachio-stuffed piquillo peppers, romesco dip and eggplant crisps ($12).

 

The presence of a tapas list on the menu (see the full, regular menu at the Moda website here) might lead to expectations of pronounced Spanish flavours – and, indeed, there is also Jamon among the fare.

But Moda roams more widely than a single country, with a result that could be loosely described Euro-Mediterranean.

Team CTS missed the opening weekend three-course set-up but we’re happy to be here a little more than a week later to the tune of a table for seven.

 

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Slow-roasted crispy skin pork belly, plum glaze, apple compote and chipotle aioli ($12).

 

For our mid-week visit something more than half of the tables are occupied – and so they should be, as Moda seemingly offers top-notch tucker at very affordable prices.

Only one main crosses the $30 barrier and I like the fact that there are no sides offered to bulk up the bill.

The mains come with sufficient vegetables and accompaniments to constitute a good meal though the serves aren’t ginormous or anything like that.

But OTOH, when meat mains are in the mid-$20s mark, a complete three-course meal at Moda will not cause credit card vertigo.

 

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The specials board is joined by one offering wines and other beverages to match various food courses.

The impression is strongly given that these folks know what they’re about.

There’s some overlap in our ordering but even then I do not taste everything our group enjoys and have just a nibble of some dishes – readers will no doubt be able to ascertain which is which in this post.

 

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From the specials list, caprese salad ($16) is a magic mix of flavours in harmony – so simple, such fine ingredients: Terrific buffalo mozzarella, basil, peeled toms and roast peppers, olive oil, seasonings.

 

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Bennie loves his hot-seared spicy lamb shank terrine with red onion and shaved fennel salad and coriander labneh ($16).

Cool trick – it really does taste of lamb shank rather than just merely lamb.

 

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Salt and pepper calamari with herb salad and caper aoili ($14).

 

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How is this for a pasta dish?

It’s squid-ink gnocchi with prawns, asparagus and crayfish bisque ($28).

Thanks to the generosity of its orderer, we all get a taste of the pasta parcels – soft, delicate and tasting of the sea and fresh air.

 

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Bennie is developing a taste for game and non-chook poultry and also is fostering a liking for the pricier items on any given menu.

So he likes, without being really impressed by, his pan-seared partridge with roasted purple congos, cider braised pork belly, roasted apple and pan jus ($32) – Moda’s most expensive dish.

The bird tastes plenty good to me.

 

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Several of us order, from the specials board, the chargrilled veal cutlet with parsnip puree, roasted root vegetables and red wine jus.

It’s a superb chop.

I’ve had bigger – but then again, this one costs $24, making it an outright bargain.

The bits and pieces are fine, though the fact the parsnip puree is not hot, not even luke warm, but instead stone cold is, at first, a bit of a bracing shock.

We call it quits after entrees and mains.

Meaning the tempting desserts – Catalane cream with pear, crackers and berries; warm chocolate fondant, candied chilli and ice-cream; and panna cotta with pistachio – will have to wait for another day.

Or night.

 

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Meal of the week No.21: Tre Bicchieri

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A sizable chunk of my working life was spent working on a metropolitan Sunday newspaper.

That meant 12-hour slogs on Saturdays and perpetual irregular weekends of Sundays and Mondays.

So my current working regime – hard yakka with Star Weekly on Mondays and Tuesdays, two days “off”, Fridays back at Keilor Park, then the weekend – seems like a miracle.

Perfect!

 

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Not, mind you, that I am idle on those mid-week days.

Far from it – I get out and about, usually cramming so much living and blogging and food stuff into two days that it always seems a surprise when I return to my regular gig.

It can be a bit disconcerting but I do love it all.

This week’s Wednesday, for example, involved a morning blog post followed by a journey to Camberwell to meet and talk with a cafe owner disgruntled and dismayed by approaches being made to him by Zomato (and by the nature of those approaches), followed by a haul to Royal Melbourne Hospital for a blood test and then a visit to Williamstown for more food business.

 

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Post-Camberwell and pre-test, I pull into Rathdowne Street looking for somewhere to have a quick lunch.

Upon stepping in Tre Bicchieri (623 Rathdowne Street), I grin with delight as the memories flood in.

This was a frequent lunch spot for me when a regular part of another weekly routine involved a weekly radio show on PBS.

Gosh, it’s a sweet place.

The staff are happy and fully into their work.

Even better, it manages to be oh-so-classy yet at the same time relaxed, welcoming and absolutely non-hipster.

I wish it was in the west.

The general vibe – and much of the produce stocked on the shelves – seems to be Italian.

But the menu (see below) is broader than that.

 

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From the specials board, I choose corn fritters with spinach, avocado, poached egg and zaatar ($18.50).

As with most such constructions, it eats bigger than it suggests upon visual appraisal.

It’s all top quality, though I’m not persuaded that the zaatar – denoting, in this case, the Middle Eastern seasoning mix of  sesame seeds, oregano and more, rather than pita bread baked with the mix on top – is a good match for the salmon.

But the smoked fish does go beaut with the wilted spinach underneath the extremely corny fritters.

I’m eager to be back on the road and taking care of business so don’t linger over a coffee.

But the cafe latte roadie I depart with is perfect.

 

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Little fishes

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Not all food bloggers have the same aims or motives. Yet I am sometimes surprised by the happy delight so many take in creating and crafting posts and stories about their overseas jaunts. I’m sure many blog readers are prepared to grant a fair bit of leeway to their favourite bloggers in this regard. But nonetheless, blithely assuming that loyal readers who follow on the basis of regular reviews and stories about eats doings in and around Melbourne are therefore interested in one’s holiday snaps strikes me as a somewhat dodgy proposition. Of course, we’ve gone there on occasion ourselves. And here we do so again. I’m putting this up just as a matter of record and because the establishment concerned was such a singularly Kiwi experience. If you’re at all interested or if you’ve followed our whole story – which has seen Bennie graduate from being not much more than a toddler to a these-days rather hulking young man – then please enjoy. If not, simply ignore what follows …

 

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Whitebait Inn, 55 North Street, Mokau, Taranaki, New Zealand.

We’re in New Plymouth for a week of quality Grandma Time.

Nothing special planned – just a simple matter of family and chilling.

But we do head north in our hire care for a feed of whitebait and an evocative reminder of my younger days.

 

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Mokau, about 90 kilometres north of New Plymouth and pretty much on the border of provinces Taranaki and Waikato, is a small coastal town.

It has a year-round population of about 400 that swells to several thousand in peak summer times.

 

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It’s a pretty place and there are Maori fishermen trying their luck on the black-sanded beaches.

Whitebait were a regular part of my childhood diet.

But Kiwi whitebait are quite different kettle of, well, fish from the salt water whitebait we sometimes have a dabble at in Melbourne – such as the chubby, rich ones enjoyed not so long ago at the Croatian Club in Footscray.

 

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New Zealand whitebait are the babes of a handful of native freshwater fish varieties and for obvious reasons the netting of them is tightly regulated.

There may be other ways of preparing them but I only have ever known them as ingredients for fritters and omelettes.

 

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And that’s what we get at Mokau’s famous Whitebait Inn.

 

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Whitebait Inn is done out in classic roadhouse fashion and does double duty as the local post office.

 

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Right next to the coffee machine is a container full of another Kiwi staple – chocolate fish!

As they’re from fresh water and so very small, the flavour of New Zealand whitebait is very, very mild.

Indeed, it could be argued that the flavour of the batter and/or eggs completely overwhelms them.

But there IS something there by way of flavour – tantalising, delicious – and I love what we have.

 

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Bennie goes the fritter sandwich – though he does bulk up with the addition of a corn dog.

 

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I have the fritter meal and love this venerable taste of Kiwiland, even if the chips and salad are just OK.

 

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Grandma Pauline chooses the whitebait omelette.

I suspect the only difference between the fritter and the omelette is about half a cup of flour!

 

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Pub finery in Footscray

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Station Hotel, 59 Napier Street, Footscray. Phone: 9687 2913

Just back from a week in Kiwiland and feeling like a lazy weekend feed – so we head to the pub.

But not just any pub.

The Station Hotel in Footscray.

It’s not Bennie’s first visit here but it is for his dad.

In all the years this place has been running, I’ve built up this mental image of it being a swish-o gastro pub of the “special occasion” variety.

 

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So I am delighted to discover that, in the bar area anyway, it’s pretty much the same vibe as any of the local pubs we are known to visit, with prices mostly to match – unless you’re inclined to venture into the upper reaches of the Station’s meaty fare.

Except that here, the food we have is without blemish and very, very good.

 

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It starts with a nice serve of beautifully fresh and crisp bread with olive oil.

We’re asked a little later if we’d like more.

We like that even if our answer is in the negative.

 

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We had a bunch of burgers while on the other side of the ditch so Bennie gets a flat “no” when it comes to the matter of the Station’s version.

Instead, he goes for the pork schnitzel with coleslaw with mustard fruit dressing and beurre noisette and is a very happy chappy ($32).

The slaw is dreamy in its excellence – crisp yet tender and easy eating, something that is not always the slaw case.

The pork rests mostly on a bed of capers but is superb.

It’s thick and crisp and a real-deal meat meal – and significantly more hefty than it appears to be in the above photo.

It’s stuffed with a mix of the same cheese as is crispped on top. Inside it’s gooey and creamy and dances with chopped prosciutto.

Wonderful stuff!

 

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I’m not so ambitious or meat-minded so choose one of the lighter dishes on the menu – penne with spicy Bolognaise, peas and fresh ricotta.

It’s fabulous in every way.

OK, so it’s only constructed on a base of commercial tubed pasta and is not so different, at a fundamental level, from the sort of things we sometimes prepare at home.

But this is peak pasta!

The fine, mildly-seasoned meat sauce has plenty of pop from the peas and creaminess from the ricotta.

But the crowning glory here are the rocket and radicchio leaves, the bitterness of which perfectly complement a perfect dish.

And at $18 for such a big serve, it’s marvellous value.

We leave happy and smiling, only to have the moment soured somewhat by having scored a $91 parking ticket in Hyde Street.

We have no cause for complaint, really, as we have been caught to rights parking in a permit-only zone.

But just why there is a permit-only zone in this part of Footscray, when the nearby flats appear to have ample parking and the town hall is right across the road, is an interesting question.

Given the Station Hotel is a famous eating place and that doubtless most of its customers do not come from the surrounding handful of blocks, we think we are safe in assuming that we are just the latest in a long line of Station customers who have thus been caught out.

Altona’s new burger joint

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Between 2 Buns, 26 Pier Street, Altona.

A new burger place?

Another new burger place?

Truth is, I am suffering burger fatigue – after all, there is much more wonderful and affordable food in the world, particularly in Melbourne’s west.

Same goes for pulled pork – probably more so, actually.

But then, within days of Between 2 Buns opening on Pier Street in Altona, I start to see some feedback on social media – and it’s all good.

So off I go for a Saturday lunch.

Even early lunchtime, the place is building up a head of steam of curious and eager punters.

They all leave happy.

As do I.

 

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The place is done out nicely in hip burger joint style with an accent on black and white.

But unlike some of the franchise places, this one hums with a family-run vibe and high pride in the what is being done and the food that is being prepared.

The menu (see below) doesn’t  explore any outer reaches of innovation or experimentation, but that’s fine, too.

There’s six burgers, six varieties of fries, hot dogs, “donut sundaes” and shakes.

How about dirty fries of a large fries, chilli beef, cheese sauce, bacon, M2B sauce and spring onion?

An $11 meal all on its own.

My ambitions are more modest, for this visit at least.

 

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I get a classic burger ($9.50) with beef, cheese lettuce, tomato, red onion, mustard and B2B sauce, with bacon for $1 extra.

And a regular of the beer-battered fries.

Initially, my hearts sinks when I see the fries – they appear to have been doused in chicken salt.

Another thing of which I’ve had my fill!

But to my surprise, they don’t taste of chicken salt – they taste simply like good, hot fries.

The burger, as suggested by its name, is a classic burger.

Nothing fancy – just top-notch, fresh ingredients stuffed between the covers of a nicely soft bun, all making for a very enjoyable two handfuls.

The slightly chewy, slightly crisp bacon pushes things from good to very good very nicely.

 

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What I’d like to see in such burger joints:

Hand-cut real-spud chips of the kind found at Woven, Dough! and Zigzag  – blemishes and all. As opposed to the reconstituted “beer-battered” variety – the potato equivalent of chicken nuggets.

At least one non-meat burger or sandwich – perhaps a nice, juicy, well-seasoned mushie burger? Vegetarians will never be a real important part of a set-up such as Between 2 Buns but offering at least one non-meat option would surely be a winning strategy for those families and groups with diverse eating habits.

(And I know of one Altona local – a vegetarian – who has already become an inevitable non-customer.)

Finally, if you’re going to offer hot dogs I most certainly consider it’s worth paying a bit more – and pricing accordingly – for a fine smoked frankfurter such as those sold by Andrew’s Choice in Yarraville.

Others mileage may vary.

We’ll revisit so Bennie can make his expert call on Between 2 Buns.

He’ll certainly go for one of the more grandiose burgers.

And, most likely, those sinful and seductive dirty fries.

 

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Ethiopian … in Fitzroy?

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Saba’s Ethiopian Restaurant, 328 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Phone: 8589 0442

Of the foodie friends we break bread with, Marketa and Nick are two lovely folks whom we see too little of.

So I am only to happy to agree to a proposal to join them at a new Ethiopian eatery … in Fiztroy.

Turns out that Marketa and the Saba after whom the restaurant is named know each other from another place – a gym!

For Marketa, this will a first try of Ethiopian tucker; not so for Nick, though his single encounter is just a fading memory.

 

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But even for me, veteran of so much western suburbs Ethiopian food, there will be something new.

As recounted in this story about Lemat Injera Bakery, for most of the Ethiopian community’s time in Australia, the grain from which injera is made – teff – was not allowed to be imported.

So the injera makers – as cultures have done through the ages – experimented and adapted, using a mix of grains, until they created something like, well, injera.

Those import restrictions have been lifted now but as far as I know this will be my first ever encounter with teff injera.

I arrive early so have time to talk with Saba and her staff about injera and Ethopian food in Melbourne.

 

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The eatery – smack dab in the middle of Brunswick Street’s hipster heaven – is bright and light and the staff do a fine job.

As we’re enjoying our meal, people are being turned away.

Seems like Saba’s is going to fit right in in Fitzroy!

But Fitzroy isn’t Footscray so I have been bracing myself for prices way above what I’d pay for similar food much closer to home.

So, upon perusal of the menu (see below), I am pleasantly surprised.

Yes, the prices are above what we all pay on Nicholson Street or thereabouts – but not ridiculously so.

I’m happy to be in the house and catching up with my friends.

 

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Other differences between Saba’s and the western suburbs Ethiopian eateries are the names of the dishes.

I don’t get around to asking Saba why this is so – but can tell, reading between the lines of the dish descriptions, that I am going to be eating in familiar territory.

Saba places a restraining hand on our eagerness in terms of ordering too much.

So what we end up with is a splendid Ethiopian meal of one meat dish, one pulse offering and two vegetable dishes.

 

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It’s all very good, including the carrots-cabbage-spuds of dinish ($16) and the “side dish” beetroot, here called key sir ($12).

Our meat selection, keyih sebhi ($23.50) is a wonderfully rich, deep red stew of lamb with just the right chilli kick.

It’s almost like an Ethiopian bolognese!

As for injera made from teff, I can honestly say that I didn’t notice much difference – maybe this injera was a bit plumper.

 

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Feeling crabby

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Pacific Seafood BBQ House, 295 Racecourse Road, Kensington. Phone: 9372 6688

As a recent dinner with friends wrapped up at our fave Somalian eatery in Ascot Vale, it was suggested we reconvene for a soiree for the Chinese mid-autumn festival with the express purpose of getting gleefully sticky and messy with as much mud crab as we can handle.

The festival Sunday proves too tricky so instead five of us gather mid-week at Pacific Seafood BBQ House in Kensington and have a ball.

I confess this is unfamiliar territory for me.

Do we order one mud crab – they’re priced at $65 – each?

How does it work?

It’s easy – the rest of us reject any ordering duties and leave it all up to She Who Oraganised The Gathering.

Our trust is well rewarded!

 

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As with my previous visit to this newish arrival on Racecourse Road, with another member of our happy group, we are served complementary soup.

We love this tradition, which we also run across in various Asian and African places.

This is plainer than most and reminds me very much of my mum’s vegetable soup, even if it is beef based.

Then it’s crab time!

After consultation with the staff, it’s agreed that two crabs with accompanying noodles and a few other dishes will do us right.

Our crabs are brought, pre-cooking, to our table for our approval – just like a bottle of wine.

They look bigger than in the distorted view offered by their storage tank.

Then it’s off to the kitchen with them!

 

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They return upon a mound of egg noodles ($12 on top of the crab fee) and drenched in a sticky chilli sauce.

It’s all very good.

There is much cracking, sucking, ooo-ing and aaah-ing as the delicious, sweet crab meat is extracted.

It’s a profound pleasure to have one’s fill of fresh crab and bugger the cost.

The two crabs prove plenty – in fact, the final two claws linger on the plate for several minutes before being claimed.

But here’s an interesting thing – the sauce-imbued noodles are every bit as tasty and enjoyable as the actual crabs.

Such good seafood in the company of good pals – absolute heaven!

Happily, the rest of our meal is also very good.

 

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The fried rice ($10.80) is excellent and quite a cut above the regular fried rice we all know so well.

This is studded with good-sized chunks of roast pork and quite a few biggish, plump and wonderful prawns.

 

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Vegetables with bean curd ($19.50) makes sure we get some greenery and fungus as part of our meal.

 

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Our final dish – deep-fried chicken ribs with egg yolk ($22) – comes from the specials colourfully arrayed on the walls.

It’s a relative of the familiar salt and pepper chicken ribs.

But these chook bits are richer – perhaps a little bit too rich but perfectly fitting and yummy for a special occasion feast such as this.

 

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We’ve eaten grandly – for which pleasure the five us pay a few collective few bucks under $200.

So … $40 each for such fine food?

Bargain!

 

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We finish with moon cake pieces – just a nibble for me because, as with another member of our group, I’m not a fan!

 

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Hot croc in St Albans

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Phi Phi has become a firm favourite of ours. Here’s a take on it by CTS contributor Erika Jonsson from the point of view of a family lunch and a belated Fathers Day celebration.

Phi Phi Vietnamese & Chinese Restaurant, 28 Alfrieda Street, St Albans. Phone: 9366 5686

My husband is a proud carnivore.

He’s happy to try the most exotic meat on the menu, the things that I would never be brave enough to order myself but am happy to try if they’re his meals rather than mine.

So I knew what he was going to order the second I saw crocodile on the menu at Phi Phi in St Albans.

We were having a belated Fathers Day lunch with our two sons and I’d given him carte blanche to order what he wanted rather than what the boys would be most likely to share.

We’d already ordered some predictable favourites for them so our mains might actually be for us.

 

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Joe wanted chicken on a stick (satay skewers) and spring rolls, while Hugh was happy munching on prawn crackers and little else.

The chicken was fried in an egg white wash, which made an interesting and pleasant change to the more common grilled skewers.

The spring rolls were run of the mill but certainly tasty enough.

Hubby ordered the crocodile with coconut and curry, while I went with something safe as a contrast – salt and pepper squid.

I should’ve been bolder.

 

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The squid was cooked really nicely but lacked oomph.

The fried chilli, onion, garlic and noodle topping was tasty but I really would have loved a fresh chilli sauce to pour over the top.

Our waitress brought some sweet chilli sauce without prompting and that certainly helped but the zing of something fresh would have made a big difference.

My husband was a man far happier with his decision.

I’m told crocodile can be quite oily or fatty but this was far from it – lean, white meat that seemed perfectly cooked to all of us.

“More croc please, more croc please,” Joe chanted as we ate, helping himself to tasty morsels at will.

Eggplant, okra and vermicelli noodles all worked well with the coconut sauce and the dish was flavoursome withou being overly spicy – no doubt that helped the kids’ enjoyment.

The service was excellent and it was a really great atmosphere for family dining.

I love the fact that kids are not just accepted but welcomed and loved at Vietnamese restaurants.

A high chair made life easy and our meal cost around $55 for three and a half very satiated eaters.

We left almost our whole serve of rice as we just didn’t need it with the mains we had ordered so we’ll learn from that.

We enjoyed our meal but next time I’ll either be more adventurous or trust that my boys will enjoy whatever it is I really want rather than what I think they’ll share.

As it was, neither was interested in the squid and I would have been much happier with a plate of chicken with lemongrass and chilli or a bowl of hot and sour soup.

We’ll definitely return to try some more dishes on the extensive and reasonably priced menu.

See earlier story here.

Veg Indian home delivered

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Krishna Pait Pooja,578 Barkly Street, West Footscray. Phone: 9687 5531

Long before there were double-figure Indian eateries in West Footscray, there was Krishna.

As far as I know and can recall, it was the first.

Certainly, it’s been there as long as we’ve been in the west – a duration I can readily ascertain by referring to Bennie’s age (14)!

As the influx of other Indian eateries into West Footscray gathered momentum, Krishna seemed to be neglected – but it kept on keeping on.

Then, about a year ago now I think, it went all-in vegetarian.

This we applaud – any point of difference beyond those surrounding is a Good Thing.

Though a good few of those newcomers – perhaps even all of them – have South Indian options on their menus so the vegetarian thing perhaps is not so starkly different after all.

As well, the non-meat Krishna menu features such things as soy nuggets and tofu, which we are not much interested in eating in an Indian context.

Or, in the case of the soy nuggets, in any context at all!

 

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Still, we have been to wanting to try meat-free Krishna for a while and the opportunity arises with a rare home delivery on a lazy Saturday night.

What we get, promptly delivered and very reasonably priced, is a good and solid Indian feed with a few bemusing quirks.

The mushroom soup ($5) is not unpleasant but it is quite salty and quite odd tasting – and not particularly of mushrooms.

The raita ($3.50) is a tad too sweet for our tastes but otherwise OK.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, our single naan ($1.50) has steamed in its foil wrapping so is floppy and moist.

The mixed pickles ($1.50) are so pungent with mustard oil we don’t even try them.

Mustard oil is one of those things we haven’t found a way to love, despite the amount of Indian food we eat.

But …

 

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… the dal tadka ($9.95) is fine.

We’ll always order this or an equivalent instead of the creamy richness that is restaurant dal makhani.

 

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One of the joys of Bennie being a co-blogger for five years is the openness he has developed to trying new things.

Quite often, he’s happily prepared to go where his dad demures.

One of things he has grown to like is eggplant – so we’re happy to give baingan bhaji ($9.50) a go.

As it turns out, this as much capsicum, onion and peas as it is eggplant.

And quite oily, too, though not unforgivably so.

But it IS an enjoyable curry of the dry style nevertheless.

Westie eats goss

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This unremarkable building, on the corner of Whitehall and Hopkins streets, is in the process of becoming something exciting for Footscray and the western suburbs.

Under the auspices of the same crew that brought us 8bit, it is being transformed into an establishment named Up In Smoke 3011.

Honestly, when I was thinking about writing this story, I blithely assumed I’d be going with something along the lines of “Footscray to get barbecue joint”.

But since then, I’ve had a talk with one of the partners, Shayne, so now know that would not be accurate.

Yes, there will be smoking and barbecue techniques … but what’ll be happening here is something different, innovative and sexy.

“We didn’t want to do traditional American barbecue, as we are in Footscray, Melbourne!,” Shayne says. “And we didn’t want to conform to certain ‘rules’.”

More details – and updates – as they come to hand.

But I can tell you that as well as eat-in there will also be some retail and classy booze going on.

Opening some time in November.

 

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Up in Avondale Heights, Impasto Forno Antico is expanding to take over the old takeaway premises next door.

This is great news, as while the products of this Italian bakery are pure class there hasn’t been much room for customers, including those who want to linger over a coffee.

As co-proprietor Alessio tells me: “On Saturdays, we have queues going out on to the street!”

It’s quite a big space they’re moving into and the wall will be coming down.

They’ll be serving panini, soups and salads.

But the main use for the new and expanded space will be for a gelateria!

When I ask Alessio how much the gelati machinery is costing, he answers: “I’d tell you but you’d want to be sitting down …”

Opening in mid to late November.

 

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Sunshine has a Japanese place.

I hesitate to use the word restaurant or even the word eatery, as Soko is a tiny business in what was the equally tiny Dial A Mr Wong on Hampshire Road.

There is no seating and no eating in unless you want to stand at the window bench.

In the meantime at least, there are some rudimentary tables and chairs outside on artificial grass that I suspect are in place as a temporary measure to compensate for the heavy duty road works going.

So Soko’s main game is undoubtedly takeaway or home deliveries.

I have read some good online reviews.

And, intriguingly, friends speak highly of the lobster sliders they had.

But my $15 tonkotsu ramen (which I confuse with the crumbed tonkatsu – see Art’s comment below) was a bit of a dud – because ramen and takeaway containers don’t really work together and because the noodles and broth were dull.

Could be a hot spot for Sunshine and Albion and locals but I’d advise care.

Meal of the week No.20: Rizq

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It’s been a few months since our review visit to Footscray Bangladeshi eatery Rizq.

But in the meantime, I have noticed – courtesy of the joint’s Facebook page – that things there have been growing, evolving and moving along.

And that the menu has been tweaked with the addition of new dishes (see below).

There’s even a crab curry named after St Martin’s Island!

So I’m very happy to revisit.

The place has new furniture and has been given a bright, white paint job/revamp.

 

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I have in my mind for my dinner one particular dish – memshahebi style mutton leg ($16).

I am reassured when I see two earlier customers doing likewise.

Turns out this is a popular dish here!

The meat isn’t nearly as plentiful as the word “leg” denotes.

It’s more like an over-sized shank – and with the same sweet, robust sheepy flavour in abundance.

The gravy is quite oily but lovely, with a mild spice level and studded with green chillies, cardamoms and cloves.

A spice-dusted fine dice of cucumber, tomato and lettuce provides some crunch.

The two rotis that accompany are marvellous – hot, fresh, buttery, flaky and just right with the sheep meat.

Memo to self: Don’t forget about this intriguing option to the Indian restaurants of West Footscray and elsewhere.

So many more dishes to try …

 

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Vietnamese delights

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Saigon Square, Highpoint.

Consider The Sauce has been curious, intrigued and finally delighted by the degree of style and quality of food we’ve found at the new-look food areas at two of the west’s major shopping centres – Highpoint and Pacific Wreribee.

See Highpoint stories here and here and the Pacific Werribee story here.

This trend may have been apparent earlier in other parts of the city and country but the very idea that these institutions are worthy of a food journey – and not merely eating in when circumstances dictate – is one we wholeheartedly embrace.

 

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As ever, I posted links to all three stories on my personal and Facebook pages, Twitter and a few other places.

But – always wanting our stories to be seen and hopefully read by as many as people as possible – I tried my luck with Highpoint and Pacific Werribee.

Would they be nice enough to post links on their Facebook pages?

From Highpoint I received cordial replies and a suggestion links would be forthcoming in a few weeks’ time.

It hasn’t happened yet and I’m not holding my breath.

From Pacific Werrribee, I received an equally cordial response but one that nevertheless equated to a blunt “no”.

Oh well …

I can’t say I blame them for keeping tight control of access to the eyeballs of their hard-won Facebook followers – almost 70,000 in the case of Highpoint, almost 14,000 in the case of Pacific Werribee.

If I was them, I’d do precisely the same.

Still, it’s always worth remembering that not all social media is equal.

And that for big and bigger business, we are all customers – or potential customers – no matter what sentiments are expressed on a day to day basis.

In the meantime, CTS will continue to post on our Facebook page links to the work of other bloggers, newspaper stories and whatever else we think our readers may find interesting and/or useful.

 

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In the meantime, too, we are not done with Highpoint yet – we’re happy to bowl up to try the last of the centre’s new food area outlets to open, Saigon Square.

In this case, the assessment criteria are somewhat different.

Because of the quality and quantity of Vietnamese food in nearby Sunshine, Footscray and St Albans.

And because while we tried to look on the bright side of our last tango with Vietnamese at Highpoint, it was in hindsight very average.

As it turns out, there has been no need to keep high hopes in check, as the food we are served at Saigon Square is good (in one case) and brilliant (in another).

The menu (see below) is tightly chosen list of Vietnamese staples including pho, vermicelli, broken rice and banh mi, with prices on a par with what we all pay at the west’s Vietnamese neighbourhoods.

 

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Bennie’s fried pork chop with veggies, fried egg and egg meat loaf ($12) – Vietnamese bacon and eggs is what we call it – is fine but seems to be lacking some of the embellishments we might find elsewhere.

Although a bowl of chicken broth is part of the deal.

I ask him: “So it’s not as good as you’d get in Footscray but better than you’d normally expect in a shopping centre – is that about right?”

His reply: “Yes!”

 

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My bun bo hue (large $13, regular $12) is on a whole ‘nuther level.

This is the best meal it’s ever been my pleasure to enjoy in a shopping centre setting.

It’s only mildly spiced, which is only to be expected.

But the quality of every component is fine and fresh.

The accompanying sprouts and herbs are joined by shredded cabbage.

The sliced beef is very good.

And the brisket is thickly sliced, tender and absolutely marvellous – and a significant cut above what I’m routinely provided elsewhere.

Wow.

The chop sticks are of the disposable, wooden variety but – as with the other outlets we’ve tried at the new Highpoint food area – all the other cutlery and crockery is the real deal. 

 

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Good Place for Malaysian

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Makan Place, Pacific Werribee, Hoppers Crossing. Phone 8742 2368

Whatever the planned longevity of shopping centres, there’s no doubt that once they’re up we’re stuck with them for several decades.

Stuck, too, with old-school food courts, lousy fast food and a neverending torrent of plastic.

But with the new food area at Highpoint (see stories here and here) and the even newer Urban Diner precinct at the rebranded Pacific Werribee at Hoppers Crossing, it seems that – going forward (ugh!) – developers have finally twigged that their customers want better food in better surroundings.

And that it is a very good idea to provide them.

Nevertheless, I confess to being on the snooty side when I first saw the Pacific Werribee/Urban Diner food line-up.

Sure, there’s outlets – Grill’d and Guzmen y Gomez, in particular – of which we’re fond.

But there appeared to be little of real interest to us.

 

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Somehow, during that process, I missed Makan Place – until a story by the Urban Ma tweaked our interest.

A full-on, new Malaysian restaurant at a Hoppers Crossing shopping centre?

Oh yes, we’ll be in that!

So it is that we front up after Bennie’s guitar lesson, also (very handily) just up the road.

Makan Place is a lovely eatery in which to spend some time, with several different seating configurations on hand.

 

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We find the ordering system – mark dish numbers on a slip, push a buzzer on the condiment tray, have order whisked away by a staff member – works really well.

The service is fine and our food arrives very quickly.

The menu is pretty much as expected, long and packed with photographs, and starts with “toast” and snack items.

At first, I fear we may have over-ordered – but we down the lot.

Hungry lads are we!

 

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French toast with Kaya and peanut butter ($5.90) we order based on the Urban Ma’s enthusiastic recommendation.

I figure that if I don’t like it, Bennie sure as hell will.

It strikes me as more of a breakfast dish – very rich, almost cloying.

Bennie loves it!

 

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I recall a time when most Malaysian eateries in Melbourne served acar as a side dish.

The Makan Place version ($5.90) makes wish that was still the case.

This generous serve of (very) lightly pickled vegetables is superb, crunchy and packed with sesame flavour.

It would’ve been nice if some cauliflower had joined the carrot, cucumber and cabbage.

 

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Bennie’s nasi lemak with beef rendang is another winner – and another good-sized meal for the price ($12.90).

All the usual components are in place, including some of that acar.

The curry serve is also generous but – as is often the case – the big chunks of beef are dry.

Smaller and more tender pieces are needed – or at least quite a lot more gravy to make up for the dryness.

 

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Just for comparison purposes, I order the regular chicken laksa ($11.90).

It’s a good, solid if unspectacular laksa but not quite not in the same class as that to be had at M Yong Tofu in Flemington.

Still, our quibbles are very minor – Makan Place is a fine addition to the Malaysian options available in the west.

Our total bill, having eaten very well, is a most excellent $36.60.

 

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Tropical garden in Braybrook

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Blue Bamboo, 156 Churchill Avenue, Braybrook. Phone: 8394 2617

The Churchill Avenue shopping strip opposite Braybrook Community Centre has a perpetual rundown look.

We’ve noticed a few shops come and go over the years at a strip we presume caters to a strictly local clientele in a low-key way.

As for eats, Consider The Sauce has had little reason to stop as we cruise to or from Sunshine or beyond.

Until now …

Blue Bamboo is a three-week-old Vietnamese restaurant that’s set out in orthodox Viet style up front, with a lovely outdoor “tropical garden” area out back with gold fish.

It’s still too cold for that but it’ll be a sweet spot once spring kicks in.

 

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The staff tell me business has been slowly growing.

It’s the sort of place where, until now, paleskin customers have been rare so chop sticks are not routinely provided.

When I ask for a pair, a minor language contretemps sees me almost handed the tooth pick dispenser.

Much laughter ensues!

Bennie and I pass by the further reaches of the menu (see below) – the hot pots, clay pots and sizzling plates – and go strictly for the familiar.

 

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Chicken spring rolls ($8) are regulation and fine – hot, ungreasy and a little bit peppery.

 

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Bennie’s had a thing lately for “shaking beef” ($10.50), so I’m happy for him to have it here – with the requested tomato rice.

All is good, though the serve seems not overly generous to me.

He prefers a drier interpretation of this dish but is only a little bit disappointed.

 

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No such problems with my pho of sliced beef and brisket ($9.50).

I had endeavoured to keep expectations in check, as I generally adhere to the notion that pho ordered away from Vietnamese centres such Footscray, Sunshine or St Albans can often be mediocre or worse.

But this is a winner – as attests the first slurp of broth, high in flavour and not too sweet.

The sliced beef is of excellent quality and the brisket, only a little bit fatty, provides a fine contrast.

 

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Superior chicken rice in Niddrie

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Lazat 2, 328 Keilor Road, Niddrie. Phone: 9379 8878

Consider The Sauce tried – with satisfaction – and wrote about Malaysian restaurant Lazat soon after it opened in Sunshine in 2012.

But it has never become a regular stop for us, though I know it is a much-loved favourite of some readers.

The reason, I reckon, for our lack of regular visits comes down to it being located just off Ballarat Road in an area of service industries, with the neverending traffic whizzing by.

When we think of Sunshine, we automatically think of the other end of Hampshire Road and of parking and having a good walk around before deciding what to eat.

Today, though, I’m a long way from Sunshine.

I’m on Keilor Road in Niddrie.

It’s an old-school shopping strip with a wide mix of shops and eateries, one that always looks like it should offer much in the way of food finds.

But every time I’m hereabouts and have a closer look, very little jumps out at me and says: “Drop everything – eat here, right now!”

Though there is a very good-looking Turkish place I’ve been trying for which I’ve been wanting to muster up for some time … it’ll get done some time.

Today I’m here for the opening of Lazat 2.

The new Lazat sibling is located on an intensely foodish strip and and sandwiched between Italian and Japanese joints on one side and a Greek and a Nando’s on the other.

 

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The restaurant is modestly proportioned but is nevertheless a longish and coolly welcoming space.

It may be opening day but I’m far from alone, with a number of locals already seated when I enter, eager to try out this new arrival.

I take a seat one of two long wooden tables and ponder lunch.

For a first-up look at a new Malaysian place, my normal routine – for sure – would be to try the non-seafood laksa.

But today I do not feel like such a weighty lunch.

So I opt, instead, for the Hainanese chicken rice – another pretty handy Malaysian ready-reckoner!

The Lazat 2 menu covers all the bases you’d expect.

Lobak sells for $6.80 and curry puffs for $6.

Full serves of beef rendang or chicken curry clock in at $18.80.

Noodles such as mee goreng fetch $13.80.

My chicken rice is a flat-out doozy – one of the best versions I’ve had for several years.

Step 1 – try the soup: Nice and hot, not too salty, flavour good.

Step 2 – try the rice, unadorned with condiments: Very good with a hint of ginger.

Step 3 – try the chook: Oh boy!

This chicken – and there’s plenty of it – is fabulous.

It’s at room temperature; actually, it’s cold.

But I mind not, thinking of it as a kind of salad.

It’s tender and very flavoursome.

Best of all, it has been impeccably, expertly boned – not a shingle shard or killer fragment of bone passes my lips.

Hurrah!

Step 4 – do the mix-up: Blend chilli and soy sauces, and soup, with rice; eat with chicken and coriander.

Step 5 – sigh with happiness.

Considering the quality of my meal and the asking price for noodle dishes, I consider the $11.80 I have paid a most excellent bargain.

(This story has been sponsored by Moonee Valley City Council. But in all other regards it is a regular Consider The Sauce post – we chose the restaurant and when to eat there; we ordered what we wanted and paid for it ourselves; and neither oversight nor an editorial role were sought by the council.)

 

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‘Wow!’ in Tarneit

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Ya Salam Cafe and Restaurant, 20 Lavinia Drive, Tarneit. Phone: 9748 8660

The Arabic “ya salam” translates as “that’s fantastic!” or “wow!” – and that’s pretty much how I feel upon visiting and enjoying a brand new African eatery in Tarneit.

Taking the scenic route along from Laverton and along Sayers Road, what awaits me in Tarneit – what kind of operation, what kind of food – has been a mystery.

So I am delighted to discover a new and brightly appointed eatery that has been open just a few days.

It’s located on a small retail strip that looks out to the Wyndham Village shopping centre, home to a newish branch of Dosa Hut.

Ya Salam shares the Lavinia Drive space with an Indian eatery (on one side) and (on the other) what appears to be a charcoal chicken place but is in reality a full-on Lebanese place.

 

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How’s that?

Instant foodie destination!

Ya Salam proprietor Mohammed tells me business, so far generated by little more than word of mouth, has been good.

He’s finding his new project is appealing to not just the local east African community of about 300 families but also the Muslim folks and the community generally.

The heart of what he and his team are doing at Ya Salam is Somalian food but the menu (see below) also features a hefty Middle Eastern component along with dishes that display Mediterranean and even European influences – breakfast, too!

Readers can rest assured, though, that this sensible, broad-sweep approach in no way diminishes the quality of what’s being served.

 

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I am served a complementary bowl of soup to go with my main dish – it’s listed on the menu as “Yasalam soup” on the menu, so I am not sure if this is going to be part of the regular routine.

Does it look familiar?

It is!

It’s basically the same lamb broth-based concoction that is served at our beloved Safari in Ascot Vale.

This version may not be quite as tangy but it is equally rich in flavour.

 

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“Slow-cooked lamb shoulder” ($16.95) is also familiar, with its trademark and super cooked-in-stock rice.

Perhaps it may have been more visually appealing had the meat been browned off a bit.

But as with all places who cook these kinds of lamb cuts this way, I love the undeniable depth of meaty flavour.

And there’s lots of it.

 

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Moving on over to the more Middle Eastern aspects of the menu, mixed grill is a bargain at $12.90.

It comes with the same rice and salad, a “chapati” and a tub of exuberantly garlicky dip.

There’s a skewer apiece of lamb, chicken and …

 

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… lamb kofta, which is served separately as it takes a little while longer to cook.

They’re all terrific.

 

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Westie eats goss

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Kiosk by d’Asporto!

That name heralds exciting news for western suburbs, and particularly those who live in the Williamstown area or love spending some beach time.

The kiosk adjacent the Williamstown Swimming & Life Saving Club is undergoing a fit-out that will see it up and running in time for the full blooming of spring.

 

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Best of all, the joint will be run – as the name suggests – by Caludio and Antoinetta, the team behind the wonderful pizza/pasta place just up the road apiece on Kororoit Creek Road.

Claude tells me Kiosk by d’Asporto wil not be a seasonal business looking merely to cash in on the summer-time beach hordes.

They’ll dedicated to seeking the loyalty of locals first and foremost.

To that end, they’ll be opening at 7am on a year-round basis.

But there’ll be none of that “big breakfast” stuff going on here, with the accent very much on Italian street food.

Morning fare will be along authentic Italian lines of pastries or panini stuffed with porchetta or cotoleti.

 

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The plans don’t end there!

Claude also enthuses to me about the eventual installation of a gelati machine, more tables and a hire service for beach towels and umbrellas.

 

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Also in Williamstown, a cafe named Platform 177 is up and running at 177 Ferguson Street, inhabiting the premises formerly occupied by Cake Love and right across from North Williamstown station.

 

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It’s a lovely, bright place with a dedicated kids corner.

 

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There’s a tangible Greek influence on the menu, with a house-made moussaka and pastitisio looking particularly worthy of future exploration.

 

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There’s a major transition underway in Yarraville with the news that Keith Prentice is handing over the reins at venerable Anderson Street bakery Heather Dell.

Brother-and-sister team Antonio and Andrea, who come from both Salvadorean and hospitality backgrounds, will be in charge from this coming Monday onwards with a pledge of keeping things pretty much as is.

Thank heavens for that – we’d hate to do without our coconut tarts or jam slices!

Enjoy the journey, Keith!

 

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Newly opened in Ballarat Street is Vault Cafe Bar Restaurant, housed in the old bank building that was home – rather briefly – to Tong.

According to the front-door signage, opening hours are 5.30am through to 4.30pm – pretty exciting news for early risers and/or night birds!

 

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The fit-out, including booths, looks gorgeous.

 

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The menu ranges through breakfast and salads to pasta/risotto and a rib eye.

We note with interest the What’s Chef Burger – for $15 including chips, that sounds like a tasty bargain.

 

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Opening soon at Williams Landing shopping centre will be Dosa Palace, to be run by the lovely Nagesh from one of our fave places, Hyderabad Inn in West Footscray.

Despite the name, Nagesh’s new venture will effectively be a full-on Indian eatery covering dosas and snacks through to Indo-Chinese and barbecue items from the tandoor.

You can check out the menu at the Dosa Palace website here.

Vintage cool and a cool burger

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Vintage Loft, 99A Main Street, Bacchus Marsh
Little Lucky Cafe, 3 Grant Street, Bacchus Marsh. Phone: 0400 695 787

A road trip to the Ballan area has been enjoyable but ends in disappointment in terms of getting a story up for Consider The Sauce.

So now I’m stuck.

Do I race for home and hit, for lunch, any one of several places on the CTS wishlist?

Or do I cast around where I’m at and see what can I find – or perhaps even stumble upon?

Then I remember … there is something of much interest to check out in nearby Bacchus Marsh.

 

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Not exactly food, perhaps, but what the hey …

The woman I am seeking is named Daisy.

I have met Daisy before – maybe even a couple of times.

But it was a bloody long time ago and the memory is little more than a tantalising blur. It was, I’m guessing, about 25 years ago.

Certainly, I cannot recall the precise circumstances.

But I DO know it involved Daisy’s dad, Keith.

Keith Glass was and is a lovely man, one with a long and colourful history in the Australian music scene – and, these days, very much beyond Australia. No need to go into the details here.*

Keith and I have never been close mates but we have been something more than mere acquaintances over the years.

A few years after the encounter(s) at which I met his daughter, Keith started reviewing country and related music for the Sunday Herald Sun when – quite preposterously – I was the entertainment boss there and in a position to arrange such things.

Keith did a great job during what was something of a purple patch for both of us – but, yep, all that was a bloody long time ago now.

And it seems like it.

Both our lives have changed – a lot.

For myself … well, regular readers know what that’s all about.

Keith?

Well he now lives in Mobile, Alabama, where his zest and passion for music remain undiminished – so much so that he’s running a gung-ho operation called … yup, Mobile Records.

 

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So – sorry about the longwindedness! – that’s how I find myself climbing steep metal stairs to the floor above a chicken shop and a pizza joint in downtown Bacchus Marsh and entering Vintage Loft.

Keith and I stay in touch – if that’s the right term – through the magic of the internet, and Facebook in particular … so that’s how I came to know about Daisy’s new enterprise.

 

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Daisy, naturally, doesn’t recall me – nor I her, really.

But it doesn’t matter.

I like checking out the pop culture riches of the business she has started with two other locals.

 

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I like getting the back story of her journey from Windsor to Bacchus Marsh and family life.

And, of course, we discuss her father – perhaps his ears were burning?

Whatever … if you’re in the area, and especially if you’re retro-minded, CTS very much recommends a visit to Vintage Loft.

 

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But what of lunch, what of food?

To be honest, the options in Bacchus Marsh look mighty threadbare.

 

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But after we’ve taken the obligatory selfie to dispatch to Alabama, Daisy and her local knowledge come to the rescue.

She sends me just a few metres and just around the corner to a lovely place called Little Lucky Cafe, which is housed in an old cottage.

Thanks, Daisy – no way I would’ve found this place without you!

 

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Of course, I warm immediately to an establishment that has such great floorboards …

The menu (see below) covers a range of breakfast and lunch options – and according to in-house signage, they do dinner on Fridays, too.

 

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I go the cheese burger ($16) served with “rustic fries” and feel like a winner.

It’s a no-fuss straightahead cheese burger that is very fine.

The fries are superb.

*Hair (cast member), Boys Next Door/Birthday Party (manager), Missing Link Records (proprietor), Deep South Records (proprietor), Onie J Holy (alter ego), High In The Saddle (RRR), recording artiste.

 

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Footscray eats goss

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Wow – replacing Vietnamese eatery Pho Ta on Nicholson Street will be Afghan Master Kebab.

And, yes, it will run by the same people who operate the restaurant of the same name in Sunshine.

 

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Expect an opening in about two weeks.

I wish the rest of this report’s items could be as cheery …

 

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Around the corner on Irving Street, I was saddened to see that Saudagar appears to have closed – or, at the least, is not presently operating.

 

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Over on Hopkins Street – on the last retail strip before a parking lot, Centrelink and Franco Cozzo – the long-established Indian grocery has also closed.

 

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Right next door, the restaurant known as HM Quan has a real estate agent’s sign in the window that reads “Available Now” and “Fully furnished restaurant”.

Though, peering through the window, it didn’t seem the interior had started accumulating the litter and disarray that usually attends a business closing down.

 

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Heading in the other direction and up Barkly Street, it’s with much sadness that I discover that it appears that Kebab Surra has also called it a day.

CTS pal and contributor Erika tells me there has been a sign since mid-July saying there is an illness involved but I saw no sign when I was there this afternoon and the furniture has been stacked.

Darn!

Cool cafe for Braybrook

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The Mist Factory, corner South Road/Duke Street, Braybrook.

There was a quite a buzz going on when Quan Viet opened in 2011 on the South Road shopping strip in Braybrook.

Quite rightly, too, as their Vietnamese tucker was very good.

Sadly, it closed quite some time ago now, replaced in the first instance by a generic-style noodle shop (I had a single, very mediocre meal there) and in the second instance by a new Vietnamese place, the quality of which we have yet to ascertain.

Happily, still on the strip – though currently undergoing renovations – is the home of Gerry’s Pittes.

Our 2012 story on Gerry’s continues to be read regularly, confirming these flatbreads’ cult status!

Now, in good news all-round but especially for Braybrook locals, the South Road shopping strip boasts its very own cool cafe.

 

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I love the fit-out of The Mist Factory – there’s wood and enamelled chairs and stools; the vibe is elegant and simple.

(The name, BTW, comes from the “vape” business run by the same folks, with some of the products available down the back of the cafe.)

Having a hunch The Mist Factory would not be a serious lunch place, I did not soak muesli the previous night so am happy to step out for a rare breakfast engagement.

 

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My breakfast ($12.50, from the handwritten list presented with printed menu – see below) is very nice.

The eggs are expertly scrambled and sprinkled with just right amount of dukkah.

There’s a bunch – so to speak – of lovely spinach under those eggs, while the sourdough toast is fine and the bacon of high quality.

 

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For lunch or other non-breakfast times, there’s a range of filled Turkish rolls, panini, slices and cookies.

My two cafe lattes are good.

One of The Mist Factory crew, Peter, tells me it’s very early days for their cafe and that they consider the present situation pretty much “a soft opening”.

He hopes the place will become something of a late-night hang.

 

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