CTS Western Suburbs Food Festival 2: Sankranti

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TO BOOK FOR THIS EVENT, GO HERE.

CTS Western Suburbs Food Festival 2: Sankranti

 

Venue: Sankranti, 250 Barkly Street, Footscray.

Date: Tuesday, June 20, from 7pm.

Price: $30 per person (covers food only).

 

Indian restaurant Sankranti has quickly become a firm CTS favourite.

We are slowly working our way through a menu, one that contains lovely takes on familiar dishes as well as more than a few of the less familiar.

So we are very much looking forward to trying more of both at the CTS Western Suburbs Food Festival bash on Barkly Street.

Will you join us?

As with our first event, the menu for our second – niftily framed by the Sankranti crew – is a doozy.

 

MENU

Kebab platter – tandoori lamb, tandoori chicken, stone-cooked beef, fish tikka. Vegetarian options available.

Spcial manchow soup.

Mini idly shots with assorted chutneys.

 

Three varieties of naan – garlic, sesame, Sankranti special naan; half a piece each.

Four varieties of Sankranti special curries:

Gutti vankay (stuffed eggplant).

Gonkura chicken (Sankranti’s signature dish).

Tomato dal.

Goan fish curry/beef saagwala.

Choice of one biryani – vegetable, chicken or goat.

 

Sankranti dessert platter:

Paan kulfi.

Mini-chocolate brownie.

Chef’s special dessert.

 

TO BOOK FOR THIS EVENT, GO HERE.

 

Is karma real?

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Ah, Sims … our supermarket of choice.

Right outside this West Footscray institution can be an interesting place, too.

There’s racks for bikes; often enough, these are also used for tethering interesting dogs while their owners are inside shopping.

There’s always interesting people, too, coming and going.

We’re well used to running into friends and readers right here.

But in all our years shopping at Sims, I have never experienced an event as surreal as that of this week.

Pulling in for a typical mid-week, post-work top up of cat food and a few others bits and pieces, I amble towards the ATM to make a withdrawal.

Shockingly, as I get there I find a fistful of $50 notes hanging out of it.

Now, I confess to being guilty of having, in the past, absendmindedly left money – $50 one time, $100 on another – at ATMs.

But this is a first – finding “free” money at a money machine.

And in considerable quantity.

I deftly grab the cash and stuff it in my pocket, before going about the business of my own transaction.

And all the while I’m wondering about just how to handle this …

After all, I suspect that for whoever left this money here, this will constitute a cataclysmic event.

I know it would be for me!

I glance over my shoulder, seeing an old bloke shuffling with his shopping across the road to his car.

Maybe it’s him?

As I continue to ponder this dilemma, all the while going through the process of my own (much more modest) withdrawal, a young bloke comes out of the supermarket, approaches me and the ATM and asks:

“Did you find $400 here?”

Reply I: “Stand back a bit, mate, while I finish my business.”

Once done, I stroll a few paces away, followed by my new friend.

He tries a variation on his theme:

“Was there $400 there?”

I reach into my pocket, pull out the money – and count it.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven – sure enough, I have eight $50 dollar notes.

I hand it over to the young man, saying:

“Mate, this sure as hell is your lucky day”

He mumbles some not particularly gracious thanks and heads straight back into Sims.

I follow him, so see him head straight into the bottle shop.

Hell, that’s precisely what I’d do, too!

So my ethical conundrum has been short-circuited by the arrival of the money’s rightful owner.

I’m not quite sure how I would’ve handled it had the bloke not arrived.

The Sims staff subsequently tell me they’re well used to customers leaving all sorts of stuff in the aisles – including sums of money a lot bigger than $400.

In any case, IF there is any such thing as karma, I fully expect that when I go to check on my modest Powerball quick pick, the machine will cheerfully emit that tinkly winner’s tune.

Just kidding – I don’t believe in karma, and particularly not any tit-for-tat variety that sways lottery tickets!

Fig & Walnut – winter menu

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Fig & Walnut, 11-13 Bellairs Avenue, Seddon. Phone: 0433 574 194

Since its early days, covered by us here, one of the loveliest things to observe about Fig & Walnut in Seddon is what a relaxed and lovely retreat it has become.

It all fits with relaxing ease – including the superb garden area outside.

Fig & Walnut has become one of our regulars, for coffee mostly and sweet treats, with the occasional more hefty meal included.

So we’re only too happy to accept Vera’s invitation (see full disclosure below) to take her new menu for a spin.

 

 

New menu?

Perversely, I ignore it and go for one of the revolving specials – Brazilian seafood soup ($17, top photo).

With its sprigs of coriander, I firstly think this going to be a dish with an Asian bent.

But, no, this seems firmly in the Mediterranean mold despite its South American attribution.

The sensational foundation is a tomato-based broth that is extremely deep in flavour – it’s simply brilliant.

In it are blobs of fresh tomato and red capsicum.

In it, too, is generous bounty of seafood – medium-size prawns of superb, large-size flavour; pipis and mussels; and several nice chunks of barramdundi.

This is high-quality seafood cooking, especially given the price.

 

 

Danya’s vegan bowl ($19) is a bit of an odd choice for us, but we like it a lot anyway.

Somehow, the apparently disparate ingredients come together to create a satisfying whole.

At its base are a heap of cold noodle and a fine house-made satay sauce, abetted by bok choy and eggplant.

Even the pumpkin, normally a no-go area for us, plays a handy role by being so tender that it seems to become part of an extended dressing/sauce, with chilli shavings adding just the right amount of zing.

 

 

Rob is plenty happy with his crushed avo with Meredith goat’s cheese, pomegranate syrup, toasted seeds and two perfectly cooked poached eggs ($19).

It’s a fine variation on a theme that shows no signs whatsoever of fading from the cafe scene.

 

 

Fig & Walnut is a sweet treat haven, though it takes a different tack to most places by putting the accent on an oft-changing range of smaller offerings instead of a line-up of regular cakes.

For example, these almond crescents.

We’ve all had them before – but rarely are they of such crumbly freshness and lemon-scented joy.

(Consider The Sauce dined at Fig & Walnut as guests of management. No money changed hands. Our food was a mix of items chosen by management and mains chosen by CTS and guests. Fig & Walnut management did not seek any editorial input into this story.)

 

Very socially adept

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Sunshine Social, 64 Glengala Road, Sunshine West. Phone: 9312 0223

Sunshine Social is a hit and hoot and we love it to bits.

This is the biggest thing to hit Sunshine West for years – the adjacent Glengala Road shops barely seem to have changed for the best part of a decade.

In fact, this may be the biggest western suburbs food story of the year.

We bowl up just a few days after opening day, eager to check out the vibe, try the food and see if the widespread community interest and hopes are being fulfilled.

The answer is a rousing “yes” – albeit with a couple of food mis-steps noted below of the very easily forgivable these-are-very-early-days variety.

 

 

The old servo has been done up a treat, the swish fit-out preserving the old-time feel of the building and, best of all, the wonderful roof that once sheltered filling-up motorists from the elements.

It would be easy to describe the furniture, fittings and general ambience as “industrial”, but there is a bit more warmth to the place than that might imply.

As well, even on a busy Friday night, the noise levels are surprisingly subdued.

Three of us have drinks, two starters, three mains with various sides and a single, cheapo dessert and pay just a tad over $100 – so Sunshine Social represents good value for money as well as a whole heap of fun.

We arrive early after having dithered about a later start time involving a bigger assemblage of Team CTS, but are glad we’ve reverted to 6.30pm kick-off as the place rapidly fills up after that.

Sunshine Social doesn’t take bookings – it’s not that sort of place – so while it’s as hot as it is right now and the curiosity factor is high, it would be wise to pick your time with some thought.

Loosely based on the concept of old-school charcoal chicken shops, Sunshine Social goes from there to offer a menu that broadens out to take in some multicultural ideas, all the while offering a cohesive gameplan.

 

 

Marinated olives and chargrilled vegetables ($7.50) are a delightful way to get our meal underway.

It’s a deceptively big serving of beaut olives of various colours and dimensions and long strips of gorgeous red capsicum, zucchini and eggplant.

 

 

We try two of the five dips at $4.5o a pop (punters can get the lot for $16).

I am outvoted in my desire to try the beetroot and whole bean number.

Instead, we get the eggplant and pistachio/pea/mint versions.

The former is rather dry and crumbly but has robust roast cumin flavour.

The latter has little by way of nuttiness, the pea and mint dominating in a smooth operation.

 

 

Given the charcoal chook inspiration going on here, I was only ever going to order one thing – the very same thing that I ALWAYS order in chicken shops: Half a chicken with slaw and chips ($28.50).

The price here is higher, of course, but no more than expected.

The chicken near the various bones is excellent, moist and delicious.

The breast meat is dry – as it so often is, no matter the price.

But it’s not terminally so, and certainly all this could easily be fixed up with a small pot of gravy as per charcoal shop tradition.

The chips are very fine and the slaw – much drier and different in style from the usual – a crunchy, lightly-dressed delight.

 

 

The meat served with Nat’s order of “lamb shoulder with Mediterranean herbs” ($22.50 with one side) is tasty.

But we are both surprised the sheep meat is sliced and more like your regular lamb roast than the fall-apart epic the phrase “lamb shoulder” automatically suggests to us. And there’s not much sign of the advertised herbs, either.

In both the cases of my chicken and his lamb, neither of us feels the sweetish coating (chicken) or sweetish sauce (lamb) do anything to enhance our meals.

Chicken options with more high-powered seasonings taking in lemon, chilli and turbo-herbs would be a good move, we reckon.

 

 

The no-hesitation thumbs-up of the night goes to Bennie’s fried chicken burger ($13.50).

He loves the big, succulent, crisp chunk of fried chicken and gives his burger – abetted by slaw, cheese and jalapenos – an 8 out of 10.

He gets chips with his sandwich and an extra order of slaw on the side that is plenty big enough for both himself and Nat.

 

 

During the course of our meal, we’ve pondered dessert.

But predictably, we’ve loaded up plenty on the savoury segments of the menu, so treats such as choc ripple biscuit cake with peppermint slice shavings and cream will have to await a return visit.

I do grant Bennie his wish for a house-made choc top for $4.50.

He likes it.

You can tell by his unbridled display of passion and delight and enthusiasm for the camera.

We decide that there is nothing else quite like Sunshine Social in all of Melbourne – not that we know of anyway.

Sure, there’s a gazillion hipster burger places and almost as many barbecue joints and similar.

But a self-described “grill” that has no steaks and little seafood?

Nope.

On the basis of community reaction and our experience just a few days into its life, the place will endure and then some.

It is destined to become something of a second home to many.

And next time, we may expand our ordering horizons to the likes of pork ribs, grilled calamari, a range of meat on sticks or Moroccan lamb snags.

Check out the Sunshine Social website (including menu) here.

Vegan feast

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Mankoushe, 323 Lygon Street, Brunswick East. Phone: 9078 9223

It was only after the relatively recent discovery that Mankoushe had long since evolved from a hole-in-the-wall Lebanese-style pizza/pie shop to become a real, live bona fide restaurant that I ensured I was within their social media loop.

And it is only by doing that I find out they’ve been running semi-regular vegan feasts – and that another is scheduled very soon.

We – as in three members of Team CTS – are in!

 

 

A wild vegan spread of food under a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern spell sounds grand to us, especially at what sounds like a bargain price of $25 per person.

On the drive there from the west, we speculate about what a Middle Eastern vegan line-up may look like.

 

 

I have long believed that were I to move to a meat-free diet, then going largely or even wholly going the Middle Eastern route would be an obvious direction in which to move.

Such wonderful food!

 

 

But vegan?

That does make it a little trickier – no yogurt or cheese, just for starters.

 

 

So … lots of nuts, seeds and grains, we surmise.

Lots of “meaty” vegetables such as eggplant, cauliflower, beetroot and potato.

And that’s how it is – with a few twists along the way.

Including a wonderful and chewy kibbeh made of various nuts.

 

 

The food is not served to us in the multi-course fashion we may have been wishing and (secretly) hoping for.

Instead, two sharing platters are brought to our table laden with goodies laid out buffet-style at the back of the dining room.

When we’re done with them, another is brought – this time with our top picks from the previous serves and with a few things we missed out on first time round.

 

 

And we could’ve gone on from there, had we had any more room to fill.

The food is as we have been expecting – both in quantity and quality.

It is very, very good.

 

 

And if it’s been buffet-style rather than the out-and-out banquet the phrase “vegan feast” tends to suggest, $25 is still a bargain.

I’d be happy to do this again anytime.

 

CTS Western Suburbs Food Festival 1: Searz

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PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS SOLD OUT.

CTS Western Suburbs Food Festival 1: Searz,

Searz, Tuesday, May 16, from 7pm.

Price: $30 per person.

Ticket price includes food but not beverages. There is a good chance management may have wines matched to the food available on the night.

Searz is not a big place, so seating is limited!

****

As described in our story launching the Consider The Sauce Western Suburbs Food Festival, a big part of making events a going concern is finding restaurateurs who are receptive to the idea.

In Gopi from Searz in Newport, I could not wish for a better partner.

Searz has become something of a regular for us – see stories here and here.

To my very great delight, when presented with the idea of co-hosting an event with CTS, Gopi’s eyes lit up.

My enthusiasm for this particular outing was already high but became much higher when he sent me the menu.

Check it out!

How good is it?

MENU

Sharing plate as starter


Panko crumbed oyster.
Cured salmon with wasabi pea puree.
Peking duck samosa with pickled cucumber.
Sweet baby corn soup with chervil oil

Main courses (choice of one)

Ox-tail ravioli in a laksa broth.

Miso braised baby back ribs in a bento box.

Vegetarian biryani, raita, cauliflower pakora, mango chutney and papadum.

 

Desserts (alternate drop


Katafi wrapped banana fritters with vanilla panacotta.
Mixed berry croustade wtih coconut icecream.

The Consider The Sauce Western Suburbs Food Festival

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Consider The Sauce experienced something of a hiatus in terms of running events last year.

No particular reason – although me running out of puff and needing a bit of break was certainly part of it!

Now we’re back!

Hopefully, throughout the rest of this year, there will be a number of events.

Much will be as it was with previous events, albeit under a new banner – a bit of rebranding that reflects how I’ve come to see these gatherings: A rolling celebration of the food of Melbourne’s western suburbs and the people who make it.

So, for those who have yet to attend a CTS event, how does it work?

Well, the food will be very good for starters.

These events are, after all, endorsements by CTS of particular eateries, their proprietors and their food.

Beyond that, each event bespeaks a strong level of mutual high regard and trust between restaurateurs and CTS.

Not all restaurateurs understand what CTS is all about, and even if they do doesn’t mean they’re interested in doing an event.

And finally, some places are simply not suitable – no matter how much we love them!

For most events, the lowdown will be as follows:

Tickets will go on sale about four weeks before the event.

Ticket prices will be on or about $30 per person – with $20 going to the restaurant to help cover their costs and $10 going to CTS for organising.

Menus will typically be published with the event announcement story.

As with the many previous events, eateries featured are likely to the sort of under-the-radar joints that mostly get ignored by media big and small.

And as in the past, and as per the CTS ethos, this is very much in the style and philosophy of alternative, underground and/or fringe festivals the world over.

I am in no way opposed to business, government or other support for the CTS Western Suburbs Food Festival.

But as it stands, it’ll all be a matter of a handshake deal, sort out a view seating and menu logistics, set up the TryBooking details and away we go!

For the restaurateurs involved, there’s no profits to be had.

Rather, these events are opportunities to strut their stuff for enthusiastic people, many or most of whom have never visited their eateries before.

For you, the guests and potential guests, it’s all about enjoying terrific food at low prices in the company of fellow food nuts – from the west and elsewhere.

First event announcement for 2017 will go up in about a week!

Lovely cafe tucker

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Junie Moon’s, 511 Spencer Street, Melbourne. Phone: 8354 8426

Anyone who lives in the Melbourne’s west – particularly the inner west – knows a profound truth about our relationship with the rest of Melbourne.

It is this: Unlike the those who live in the eastern or northern suburbs, Melbourne’s CBD and other inner-city locales are, for us, neighbours.

It’s so simple, so easy – a quick drive over the bridge or down Footscray or Dynon roads, and there we are.

And that means West Melbourne is very much in play for eating adventures for Consider The Sauce and its readers.

The area bounded by King Street and the railways lines, with Spencer Street in the middle, is easy to take for granted.

But it is actually quite heavily residential.

Those residents have a slowly growing range of cafes, and a few pubs, from which to choose.

But almost all of those options are closed at night and at the weekends.

Junie Moon’s, by contrast, is these days open for breakfast and lunch at the weekends.

 

 

So good is the food we enjoy, you can bet we’d be there once – and maybe twice – each and every weekend if we lived hereabouts.

Even better, so far as I can tell all of the lunch offerings clock in at about the $15 mark price-wise.

Junie Moon’s is very cool cafe with a nice vibe and run by a crew who take real pride in the food they turn out.

The front dining room, which fronts Spencer Street, and a lovely garden out back sandwich the kitchen-and-coffee area.

Junie Moon’s more substantial meals are rostered through a revolving list that is updated weekly on their Facebook page, so the food discussed here is only broadly representative.

The list invariably includes dishes of Asian or Middle Eastern inspiration and also house-made pasta.

Seeing what’s new every week has become, for me, something to look forward to – even if I have no immediate plans to visit.

 

 

The fig and pig salad is a zesty, light delight.

Nestling among all those spinach leaves are fresh figs, grilled peaches, goat curd and prosciutto, all doing a lovely tango with a toasted walnut dressing with good nutty flavour.

 

 

It’s a notably odd thing to be served a burger without the option of fries – but it’s no problem as we simply accept that Junie Moon’s is not a deep-fryin’ kind of place.

And certainly Bennie has no complaints at all about his smokey braised brisket burger with cheese and citrus mayo ($16.50).

He rates the plentiful, juicy, tender meat very highly.

 

 

It’s very unusual for me to order pasta with a cream-based sauce.

This photo of my house-made gnocchi with chicken and mushrooms in a garden tarragon, wine and cream sauce ($16) would seem to be a good illustration of why that is so.

It is a perfectly accurate reflection of what is served – but in just about every regard this photo is a lie.

Because … yes, it is a very rich sauce, but it is divinely tangy and ripe with tarragon flavour.

The pan-fried dumplings buried therein are gorgeous and light.

And the equally plentiful chicken breast pieces also defy the stodgy visuals by being both tender and flavoursome.

 

 

We enjoy excellent coffees and half each of a wonderful gluten-free chocolate brownie ($4).

Finally, every bit as good as anything we’ve eaten is the pot of superb raspberry, vanilla and orange jam we take home.

It’s brilliant.

 

Real good Malaysian

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Ya’Salam Restaurant, 2/14 Lavinia Drive, Tarneit. Phone: 9748 6860

We enjoyed our visit to Ya’Salam when the premises was being used to operate a Somalian eatery – though truth be told it was a bit too much of a drive to become a regular haunt.

Now there’s new management in the place.

They’ve retained the name – and even a page of Somalian food at the back of their new menu.

But the rest is all about terrific Malaysian food.

In fact, based on two visits we reckon this is some of the best, cheapest and most authentic Malaysian food you’ll find in all of Melbourne.

And word appears to have gotten out – we note with assured pleasure the happy, hungry tables on our visits.

 

 

Chicken laksa ($10, top photograph) is unlike any I’ve eaten – and as good as any, too.

The chicken is so finely shredded that it’s pretty much subsumed into the gravy, but that’s fine when the soup base is so funky, house-made and delicious.

Protein oomph is provided by two hardboiled egg halves and there’s plenty of cucumber and other veg bits to provide texture and crunch to go with the fat, short udon-style noodles.

 

 

Roti canai ($5) is a wonder.

Accompanying a just-right bowl of runny chicken curry (with a dob of sambal paste) are the two lightest, flakiest and best flatbreads of the Malaysian style we’ve ever eaten.

Simply: Wow.

 

 

Char kuey teow ($10) is a bit like our laksa – unlike any we’ve before tried.

This one comes in a bowl and – appropriately – is more like a hearty, thick soup than the drier dish we’ve been expecting.

No problems, though – because while the wok hei factor is predictably muted, there’s no doubting the flavours and all-round yumminess.

 

 

Given the obvious real-deal vibe of everything served us thus far, we are keen to try the Ya’Salam satays.

They’re unavailable, though, so we happily settle for these two fine curry puffs ($1 each).

Again, these are a far cry from your usual curry puffs.

The rich short pastry is stuffed with an extremely toothsome jumble of chicken mince and vegetables.

They could’ve been a tad hotter, however.

The Ya’Salam food we’ve tried has been really fine.

We’re usually not much concerned about notions of authenticity – but they have heaps of it here.

Next time we’ll be sure to try one of the many nasi goreng variations.

Check out the Ya’Salam menu here.

They’re off – new Flemo burger joint

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Straight Six, 336 Racecourse Road, Flemington. Phone: 9376 2333

Based on its proximity to Flemington racecourse, this flashy new burger joint – on the corner of Racecourse Road and Pin Oak Crescent, and right opposite the Doutta Galla pub – has enthusiastically embraced a theme based around horse racing.

Yep, from the name and onwards, it’s all very horsey.

There’s garish, internal neon signs proclaiming “feeling lucky?” and “burgers so good you’d put your house on”.

The burgers themselves sport the names of famous steeds of the past.

And the staff are all wearing T-shirts telling you they’re stewards – just in case you miss the drift.

It all seems a bit, well, lame to me – but then, I’m in no way a fan of horse racing.

 

 

The lack of subtlety doesn’t stop with the repeated racing motifs – the place is, generally speaking, bright and loud, the music overbearingly so.

But, hey, I’m probably not in the focus demographic for such a place.

It’s been open a little more than a week and has been busy the whole time, Uber bags by the dozen heading out the door from day one.

They’ve even had to hang up the “sold out” sign on occasion.

We do the burgers and sides routine with happy results.

There are some unexpected options on the menu (see below) we may take up on a future visit – fish and chips, for instance, or chicken ribs, loaded fries and a chicken/waffle/bacon offering.

 

 

The Phar Lap ($11) is one step up from the basic cheeseburger (the Saintly, $8).

Phar Lap tastes fine with its 120g patty, cheese, Straight Six sauce, pickles, onion, lettuce and tomato.

But it’s made for those of medium appetite only – it’s gone in a flash.

If you’re wanting something with more heft, go for …

 

 

… the Think Big ($14).

Oh yes, this is more like it.

The double 100g patties, double cheese, excellent bacon, spicy Straight Six sauce, jalapenos and onion combine to create a beaut burger.

It eats bigger than my photo indicates!

 

 

A small serve of beer-battered onion rings is generous for the $4 asking price.

They’re well cooked, but oh-so-very-decadently rich and more like beer-battered batter than onion rings!

Good, though, if that’s your thing.

 

 

The chips, small serve for $4, are also a fine deal.

They’re very good.

Perhaps it’s all about – or much about – timing and location.

And perhaps pizzazz, too.

A year or so ago, a burger enterprise arose further along Racecourse Road, folding quietly after a few months having made no impression whatsoever.

Straight Six, by comparison, has been an instant hit.

I may not dig the racing theme, but we have enjoyed our burgers and sides a lot.

 

Station doughnuts – a tradition continues

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Footscray Doughtnuts & Coffee, Footscray Station

Like everyone else, I loved Nick and his Olympic Doughnuts.

Or rather, in this case, I really loved the idea of Nick and his doughnuts – that he was and is such a legend and that Olympic Doughnuts was such a Footscray institution, even surviving the revamp of Footscray Station.

I thought the doughnuts OK, but found the jam they were stuffed amounting to not much more than, well, syrup.

This, as a pal has pointed out to me, is a ridiculous attitude to hold.

She’s right – these were not your hipster cafe vanilla cream-stuffed doughnuts selling for $5.

These were your street-food doughnuts – cheap, fresh and hot.

 

 

Well now Nick has retired – and much to the community’s widespread delight, a new doughnut operation is up and running at the station.

So I take it for a spin.

The doughnuts are … cheap, fresh and hot.

Though the jam is, well, syrup.

Who cares?

 

 

I do good through a deal that provides me two dougnuts and a pretty good coffee for $5.

And on a sunny Indian summer’s afternoon, the station plaza is a fine place to linger a while, watching the ebb and flow.

There’s a bench seat directly opposite the doughnut shop; the convenience store next door even had a couple of tables chairs.

 

Poutine? It’s a split decision …

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Mr Griffiths Alibis & Libations, 524 Macaulay Road, Kensington. Phone: 9372 3978

We’re in Mr Griffiths for the poutine – a dish we’ve never before eaten.

But we’ve had plenty of loaded fries – and so far as I can tell, the Quebec-derived poutine could be the very first loaded fries.

We  order the regular poutine – called The Drummondville (small $7).

I am perplexed and underwhelmed – the gravy and the curd lumps seem to add nothing to the fries.

And the fries themselves seem lacklustre.

Bennie loves them – cleaning the basket empty after I’ve grabbed a handful of fries untainted by the toppings.

That figures – his eyes invariably light up when he sees the phrase “loaded fries” on a menu.

Mine tend to glaze over.

My argument is simple: Why ruin fries – especially ones as good as those we inhaled recently at Littlefoot – with toppings that make them soggy?

So in fairness to Mr Griffiths, I’d say that even a serve a poutine fan deems of the very highest order would do nothing for me.

 

 

Mr Griffiths is a newish and welcome addition to Macaulay Road.

It’s a cool room, already with a relaxed neighbourhood vibe about it.

Beer is big here and the place is done out in Melbourne black.

It appears to be a hit – a previous mid-week attempt to try the food came to nothing as the place was packed when we tried.

If poutine is your thing, there are variations to be had that include the likes of fried chicken, hot sauce, pickles, onion, bacon, maple syrup and more.

It stands to reason poutine (not offered by many places in Melbourne) is a stronger selling point here than the burgers (sold by every man and his dog).

But as it turns out, our burgers are the highlight of our Saturday lunch – a judgment with which even my poutine-loving son agrees.

 

 

He loves the crisp ‘n’ crunch of the beautifully cooked chook in his Buffalo chicken burger ($12.50) with its Frank’s red hot, lettuce and ranch sauce.

 

 

My Bacon G’s burger deluxe ($12.50) is equally impressive with its beef, bacon, tomato, lettuce, pickles, onion and G sauce. And unadvertised cheese.

Big statement: This is the best bacon I can recall ever enjoying in a burger.

Get this – it’s both chewy and crunchy, it’s thick-cut and its flavour imbues almost every mouthful.

This is something of a rarity, something that should be wildly celebrated.

As Bennie points out, there is nothing extravagant or sophisticated about our burgers.

Indeed, at first blush they appeared to be on the plain and modest side.

But the truth is in the eating – they win because good ingredients have been done well.

Check out the Mr Griffiths website here.

 

Road trip Nepalese

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Baps Nepalese Restaurant, 589 Gilbert Road, Preston. Phone: 0451 305 779

Calling this outing a Friday night thriller might be a bit of a stretch.

Nonetheless, we are rapt to be heading off to Preston with CTS pals Josh and Eliza.

They dined at Baps a while back and Bennie and I are only too happy to go along for the ride of a second visit as back-seat passengers buoyed by their enthusiasm.

We find – in the form of a lovely meal – that their bubbliness is entirely warranted.

 

 

Baps is located in a smallish shopping precinct with not a lot of Friday night action going on.

I strongly suspect Preston is a foodie haven, but our random and only occasional visits leave us largely unenlightened about the foodiness of the suburb as a whole.

But there’s no doubt about Baps – it is good.

The dining room is bright and cheerful, the menu (see below) features mostly dishes we expect based on our limited contact with Nepalese food, the service is fine and the wait times just right for the food we are served.

 

 

Of course, we have momo!

These vegetarian specimens ($9.95) and …

 

 

… these goat momo ($12.95) are both fine, though the latter are a tad more chewy and an equal tad non-tasty than I’d prefer.

The goat momo photo is one shy of a full serve because Josh snaffled one before I could get there with my camera.

 

 

Another Nepalese staple – I suspect it could even be referred to as the national dish – is chow mein.

This vegetarian version ($9.95) is just right – unoily, light and a treat to eat.

The big hit of the night, for me anyway, is the achaar ($5.95, top photo).

Less vinegary and spicy than we we’re familiar from Malaysian eateries, this is dynamite.

The vegetables are crunchy and the dressing is such that the dish reminds me of the sort of potato salad often served in the southern parts of the US.

 

 

Chilli chicken ($10.95) is more along the lines of an Indo-Chinese dish you might find in West Footscray.

This one is oily – but that goes with this territory.

We all like it anyway!

 

 

The lamb curry ($12.95) is, well, just lamb curry.

But please don’t read that as a flip dismissal – it’s fine and just right when matched with our other selections. It’s of mild spiciness

 

 

Do we have room for dessert?

Yes.

The gulab jamun ($3.95) are lovely.

 

 

The milk-based rasvari ($3.95) are a hit with my friends, but the mealy texture doesn’t work for me.

Still, it’s been a fine dinner with friends.

Check out the Baps website here.

 

The secret life of an Uber Food Dude

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After spending several hours with my friend, the Uber Food Dude, cruising the inner west and making deliveries, and talking with a handy cross-section of restaurant folks along the way, one thing is clear.

They may not like giving Uber a hefty slice of the price of each meal dispatched – my understanding is that, under current arrangements, Uber takes 35 per cent of each meal’s cover price.

But despite that, they all expressed – to one degree or another – enthusiasm for being involved with the service.

The reasons?

No need to hire drivers.

Keeping faith with established customers.

A weekly deposit in their business bank account – guaranteed, even if not, um, delivering the full take of eat-in meals.

 

 

And – very importantly, going by the feedback I get – promotional value and the exposure via the Uber Eats app.

Uber takes the photos that go with every eater entry on the app – and they are very good.

Gorgeous, actually!

 

Vince at Issan Thai Street Food about to see another Uber order go out the door.

 

My Uber Eats driver pal had previously regaled me with stories and explanations of how it all works, including the very slick technology that makes it possible.

Disappointingly, for the tabloidish story-seeking journo that resides within in me, there has been little by way of outrageous yarns arising from his regular delivery routine.

Just eateries preparing food for regular folks.

I think everyone understands that such an operation runs on very tight margins – just like the restaurant game itself.

But still, something doesn’t quite sense for me in all this.

How is it viable?

When Uber takes a hefty slice and the drivers get something like $8 to $12 for each delivery?

 

 

At Luxsmith in Seddon, we’re told it’s their first night doing Uber – and early in the evening, they’re already seen more than a dozen orders go out the door.

I reckon that’s pretty good!

 

 

The recipient of our Luxsmith delivery, for whom this is also an Uber debut, certainly seems happy!

 

 

There are idiosyncrasies in the ordering habits of inner-west Uber Eats users.

One of our deliveries, for instance, finds us taking a burger meal from Mr Burger at Yarraville Gardens to Edgewater – and only a couple of blocks from St Burgs.

Later in the night, my pal makes the journey from Happy Four in Yarraville to a part of Footscray where the are a couple of perfectly fine and very similar Chinese establishments.

Go figure!

For my friend, doing Uber Eats makes all kinds of sense.

The money may not be of the get-rich-quick variety, but a handful of deliveries a night for a couple of nights a week adds up to some handy income.

Unlike the Uber passenger service, there are no members of the public with which to deal – just happy, and hungry, customers.

As well, deliveries are – thanks to the Uber driver app “ping” alerts to drivers in any given location – almost always very local and rarely more than a few kilometres.

 

 

He reports that some of the most frequently used inner-west restaurants for Uber deliveries are several that may appear to not be particularly popular – but they come alive when the hungry sofa corps get on their mobiles, especially later at night!

In my eats journeys in recent months, I’ve become increasingly familiar with the sight of Uber deliveries lined up, and waiting to be picked up, at many of the places we have been chowing down.

It’s a whole ‘nuther world.

Meal of the week No.37: Littlefoot

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We missed the first few weeks of Littlefoot’s Wiener Wednesdays.

But now we’re in the house and eager to see how it all stacks up.

The big question: Will one apiece of the $5 hot dogs suffice – or will we need two to do?

We love how Littlefoot (223 Barkly Street, Footscray) has become such a cool part of the inner-west furniture and we love hanging there.

And we dig their hot dogs.

The core of the matter is pretty much your standard frankfurter – but they’re fine.

But it’s the deft mix of ketchup, mustard and onions – all slathered on chargrilled soft rolls – that make them winners.

 

 

Saving us ordering more, we get a large of serve of the Littlefoot chips ($8).

Oh boy – these knock us out!

They are crispy tremendous – the best we’ve had in quite a while.

They’re seasoned, we’re told, with a mix of paprika, parsley, taragon and a little cumin.

Gosh.

Cop that, chicken salt!

Couple of hot dogs, fantastic chips, Cokes – all the major food groups covered; we’re happy!

Meal of the week No.36: Tiwari Tea House

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It’s been a while since our review visit to Tiwari Tea House (1/578 Barkly Street, West Footscray) – and almost as long since they announced they were serving thalis in addition to the cool line-up of snacky delights.

But now we’ve made it and – we’re delighted with the outcome.

The Tiwari thalis come in two sizes – smaller ($9.95) and the Maharaja ($14.95); we’re hungry, so are quick to go with the latter.

What we get is unassuming, delicious and perfect for our mood.

Rice studded with cumin seeds.

A wonderfully smooth dal made with kidney beans, dosed with cream.

A paneer dish with a tomato-based gravy.

Aloo ghobi – reheated, sure, but all the better and tastier for it, we reckon.

Chunky raita, thicker and more stuffed with veg matter that we normally expect with such meals.

Two mini-papudums, two lovely house-made rotis, (commercial) tangy pickle.

A plump, warm gulab jamun.

As well, we’re served a dish of salad veg on the side.

We wipe the various bowls clean.

The thing about these thalis is the low-key simplicity and wholesomeness.

They’re unglamorous in a home-style way.

The price is spot on.

Tiwari Tea House is doing it’s thali thing for lunches only – which means weekends for non-working folks.

Still, we recommend!

 

Maltese comes to the west

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THIS BUSINESS HAS NOW CLOSED.
Cafe Verdala, 27 Talmage Street, Albion. Phone: 0403 576 373

In the years that Consider The Sauce has been running, I’ve come across quite a few people of Maltese background.

Invariably, I’ve always had the same question: Why aren’t there one or more Maltese eateries in the west?

I need ask that question no longer, as now there’s Cafe Verdala.

This eatery is located in the rooms of the Maltese Cultural Centre in Albion, sharing with other users a very big and stately brick building right by the railway tracks.

A version of Team CTS rocked up on opening day a month or so ago, but we made the immediate decision to return in a few weeks once things had calmed down a little.

It was crowded and very busy!

In the meantime, I made contact with Tony Busuttil, who is leading the crew running Cafe Verdala.

The upshot of an interesting conversation about this new enterprise was Consider The Sauce being invited to return for a complementary meal for review purposes (full disclosure below).

 

 

 

We return on the appointed Sunday – myself, Julian and Christine.

Even better – we have room for two readers.

I just love getting CTS readers involved in such things.

Hence on the day, we are joined by Catherine and Chris.

Fabulously, it turns out that Catherine is very much of Maltese extraction!

Huzzah! We have an expert at our table!

(Chris, her hubby, comes from a Cypriot family.)

The cafe’s long dining room is old-school cosy, with an extra room at the end.

This kind of community-based food and set-up are just the sort of things that get CTS truly excited!

 

 

We start with the tasting platter called platt Verdala ghal-tnejn ($22.50 for two).

This is simple, wholesome fare – Maltese bread (as being baked by Hellfire Bakehouse), broad-bean dip, capers, tuna, olives, caponata, olive oil, the dry Maltese crackers know as galetti and mini versions of the open pies known as qassatat (these ones filled with sausage).

The biggest surprise here is the tomato paste.

I’d heard and read about the seemingly miraculous Three Hills brand Kunserva tomato paste and how Maltese folks simply love it, as is, slathered on bread.

No wonder!

It really is good – in no way bitter, quite sweet and very yummy.

 

 

Alongside are two takes on the Maltese cheese gbejniet – one in a peppery mould form, the other baked.

It’s good and resembles any number of other hard cheeses from Europe and the Mediterranean.

 

 

If Kunserva can be seen as something of a Maltese national food, pastizzi are right up there, too.

Here they’re served, with a variety of fillings, alongside more, full-size qassatat.

Another adored Maltese food?

Rabbit!

We really enjoy the pork-and-rabbit pastizzi (bottom left).

(Heads up: In a few months’ time, Cafe Verdala will host a Saturday night feast celebration devoted entirely to rabbit. Except for the desserts … although you never know …)

 

 

We all go our own way with the main dishes, with enjoyable results.

Two of us relish the simple delights of these “ravjul” ($13.50) – another Maltese staple.

The ravioli are stuffed with a simple mix of seasoned ricotta and served with Kunserva cooked lightly with olive oil and (I think) garlic.

 

 

Maltese pizzas are called gozitan ftria – they’re a good deal deeper and heftier than their Italian cousins.

This one – tagged Mediterranean ($15) – has a potato base adorned with olives, capers, tomato, anchovies and basil.

 

 

This one – potato and ricotta ($15) – is even more substantial.

So deep, it should really be thought of as a bona fide pie.

My friends enjoy their pizzas.

But in both cases, and given all the rest of the food we are being so generously offered, about half of each pizza went home with their respective orderees, destined to be Monday work lunches.

These could easily feed two, especially when partnered with other selections from the menu.

 

 

From the specials board comes stuffat tal-qarnit – octopus stew ($21).

It’s an ultra-lusty outing, the octopus mixing it with potato pieces.

It’s too rich for my liking – maybe it’s the capers – but Chris enjoys it.

 

 

I’m almost dissuaded from trying the Maltese soft drink Kinnie when the word “chinotto” is used for comparison purposes.

But I really like it – it has a nice citrus tang that makes for a very favourable likeness with the bitter fruit soft drinks of Italian heritage.

 

 

Luckily, we’ve behaved like the pro eaters we all are – and thus have left room for some of the famed Maltese desserts.

On the left is the Maltese take on bread pudding – pudina tal-hobz ($6 per serve).

It’s firm, with a chocolate-and-cherry thing going on.

In the wire basket are imqaret – extremely fine deep-fried date slices ($6 for three).

At top centre is a big slice of the Maltese carnival cake called prinjolata. This special defies its pinkish colouring by tasting quite like a rich fruit cake or Christmas cake.

The ricotta-stuffed canoli are devine – in fact, all these treats are all so lovely that the date and sesame rings (top right, $1.50 each) barely get a look in!

 

 

So … Maltese food.

What was I expecting?

Is that what we have been served?

Well, my expectations – given this country’s food was almost entirely new to myself and (most) of the friends who have joined me – were nebulous at best.

I think I may have been expecting more of an African or Middle eastern influence, given Malta’s location in the Mediterranean.

But the true magic of Cafe Verdala – and as confirmed by Catherine and Tony – is that what is served here is Maltese home-cooking.

It’s the kind thing I find myself wistfully thinking of when, for example, I am eating otherwise enjoyable restaurant food of the Lebanese or Turkish varieties.

As Christine says: “It’s really homey, very casual – and it feels like someone’s Mum is in the kitchen!”

 

 

Some advice: Cafe Verdala is being professionally run by staff who are doing a great job. We found the service just fine. But it’s worth remembering that Cafe Verdala IS, in many ways, a community establishment. So some patience and good humour are the go.

Cafe Verdala is open, thus far, for breakfast and lunch on Sundays only.

There are EFTPOS facilities; bookings are advisable.

Check out the Cafe Verdala Facebook page here.

Thanks to everyone at Cafe Verdala for making our day.

Thanks to CTS regulars Christine and Julian once again.

And thanks to Catherine and Chris for joining us – we hope you will do so again!

(Consider The Sauce dined at the Cafe Verdala as guests of management. No money changed hands. Our food was a mix of items chosen by management and mains chosen by CTS and guests. Cafe Verdala management did not seek any editorial input into this story.)

 

Be one with the Biryani Nation

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Biryani Nation, 6 Lohse Street, Lverton. Phone: 8597 3452

The Lohse and Hall Street shops are tucked away, over the train tracks and about a kilometre from Laverton’s main shopping area, around Aviation Road and Cheeky Chewies Cafe.

Very local, very low key.

There was a couple of Indian places here we never visited.

They’re gone – and now there’s just the very brand new Biryani Nation.

With a name like that, you’d want to be pretty darn good at cooking … biryanis.

Certainly, the menu makes a big deal out of this sub-continental rice dish – there are about 30 of them, including vegetarian options, listed (see below).

Apart from the regulation and expected dum biryanis – in which the meat is cooked with the rice – I suspect many of the Biryani Nation dishes could more accurately be labelled as pulaos.

That’s of no matter to me – I’m not about to get into hair-splitting if the food is good and there is a range of flavours and seasoning among the various biryani selections.

There is – I know, because I’ve tried two of them and they were very good.

 

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Chicken fry biryani ($13.95) has crunchy fried onions, cashews, curry leaves and plenty of meaty, chewy chicken pieces on the bone.

The accompanying gravy (tastes peanutty but is, I’m told, cashew-based) and raita are served in admirably hefty quantities and are excellent.

 

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Gongura mutton biryani ($16.95) is more in the pulao style – but is a knockout.

Gongura, I find out, is a leafy vegetable widely used in India – it’s basically sorrel.

Here, as in saag/spincach dishes, it is used as a puree marinade cooking medium for the mutton, one piece of which crowns my rice pile and many others of which are buried within.

Some of the mutton pieces are bone-free and wonderful.

As many more are on the bone and rather tough – but I like it like that, getting fully into the hands-on swing that very much goes with this sort of territory.

The big thing is the flavour – the gongura produces a zesty, citrus-like tang like I’ve never before experienced in Indian food.

I love it!

So much so, that I use the raita only sparingly, and the gravy not at all, in order to enjoy the leafy puree all the more.

 

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For non-biryani fans, there’s plenty of scope for enjoyment elsewhere on the Biryani Nation menu – dosas, Indo-Chinese, thalis.

These onion pakora ($4.95) are beaut with their crunchy batter and curry leaves.

 

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The Biryani nation desserts range runs mostly to the familiar likes of kulfi and gulab jamun, but …

I am presented, complementarily, with this amazing double ka meetha on account of it being opening day.

They should put it on the menu!

It’s an Indian take on bread pudding, the white sliced bread all puffed up with milk and perfumed with saffron and cardamom.

And sugar.

Topped with chopped almonds and pistachios, it’s a killer treat.

 

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Westie eats goss 22/2/17

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IT’S OPEN – SEE REVIEW HERE.

There’s much to be excited about with what’s taking place at 64 Glengala Road in Sunshine West.

Not least is the fact that the soon-come eats/drinks emporium opening there is being created within and around the location’s glorious old servo.

 

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How easily could this space have been lost to the sort of housing developments we see spreading across the west like mushrooms?

 

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Instead, partners Gareth Crawford (above) and Greg Fee (formerly of the Station Hotel) will unveil – in a month or so – Sunshine Social.

That’s a great name that perfectly sums up the duo’s aims for their new joint and the Aussie tucker heritage into which they will be tapping.

Yep, that means barbecue – but there’ll be none of your smoked brisket and the likes here.

 

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Instead, Sunshine Social will take as its inspiration old-school charcoal chicken shops.

That will include not just chook but also stuff such as meat-on-sticks, with pricing tipped to be about $15 for a protein protagonist and a side dish, with more food of the nibbly variety also being offered.

 

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Features will include an open kitchen, a 1.5-metre charcoal barbecue, heaps of parking space and the retention of some of the servo’s accoutrements, as well as the wonderful old roof extension under which the petrol bowsers once lived.

Current licensing arrangements allow only for interior booze imbibing, but even there Gareth sees an upside in terms of fostering a strong family vibe.

This address was the subject of a long-ago CTS story when the business operating there was known as Stephz Gourmet Deli.

 

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Following the recent opening of Bar Josephine comes news of another Barkly Street bar soon to be operating.

Sloth will be located in what was formerly the wig shop between the pizza joint on the Donald/Barkly corner and the bottle shop.

Consider The Sauce continues to hear many whispers of other westie bars on the way – including one rumoured to be going up somewhere near the corner of Gordon Street and Ballarat Road.

 

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Spotswood’s Candied bakery/cafe is tipping an April opening for its Yarraville branch.

It will be located in the Yarraville HQ commercial/industrial/service precinct under construction on Hyde Street and almost opposite the Hyde Street Hotel.

My understanding is that the precise mix of production, wholesale, retail and (maybe) a cafe is yet to be settled.

Oodles of noodles

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Noodle Queen, 240 Swanston Street, CBD. Phone: 0435 869 777

After a gap of several years, Bennie and I have once again taken up wing chun.

We stopped, after quite a few happy years at Wing Chun Bing Fa Academy in the CBD, for various reasons, most of which I cannot now recall.

We looked at finding a school and teacher in the west, but in the end the depth of the family connection already forged with Sifu Julian and his family and their school won out.

So it’s back to Swanston Street we are heading.

Actually, that’s not true.

The whole shebang is moving from its Curtain House home of many years to new digs on the corner of Victoria and Lygon streets.

 

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Team CTS with Sifu Julian. For more information on Wing Chun Bing Fa Academy, go here.

 

In the meantime, we have really enjoyed getting back into the kung fu drill, including getting on top of the logistics of making two classes a week.

And checking out all the new, funky Asian eateries – including several interesting outfits on Swanston Street around our temporary martial arts destination.

So after a Saturday class, we hungrily hit Noodle Queen.

It’s a long room, nicely done out.

It’s busy, the prices are cheap and the wait times are appropriate for the food involved.

Ordering and paying is done at the cash register, with customers then provided a number.

The food here is from Sichuan – but not in a generic manner.

Instead, at least some of the dishes come from specific areas within Sichuan – regionalism we can applaud!

 

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Yibin burning noodles ($11.80), for instance come from the city of Yibin, in the south-eastern part of Sichuan.

They are fantastic – and Bennie talks about them for days after.

Burning?

Not really, not by our standards anyway – and the dish is given a mere single chilli in the place’s heat grading system.

But the blend of oily noodles, chopped pickles, smashed peanuts and pork mince is full-on delicious.

It gets better as it goes, with the liquids and chopped ingredients gravitating towards the bottom of the bowl, ensuring the last few mouthfuls excel.

 

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From the neighbouring city of Luzhou comes fried diced duck and ginger topping on spicy noodles ($11.80).

Overall, this is good but not as impressive as the Yibin dish.

Mind you, my impressions are coloured by the fact Bennie has first crack at this offering and he scarfs the meatiest, juiciest pieces of duck.

The more bony pieces left for his dad, however, do taste lovely.

But I detect little – nothing, actually – of the advertised ginger topping.

 

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Deep-fried wontons ($5.80 for six) are perfectly cooked and tasty, but largely excess to our requirements.

This is the sort of ordering we fall prey to, not in the interests of immediate gratification, but with a view to making a better CTS story!

Another wing chun class and another meal at the same joint … starts with a smaller, appetiser dish called shredded chicken topping on spicy cold noodles ($4.80, top photo).

This is great!

The same sort of oiled noodles are the base, room temperature rather than cold, with plenty of peanuts and the nice chook pieces making for a winner.

 

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We are seduced by the menu photo of spicy stewed beef with noodle/wonton soup ($13.80).

What we get looks very different – and is simply the Noodle Queen take on the beef brisket/wonton noodle soup we have enjoyed many, many times elsewhere.

Still, it’s a good version, with the beef in strips rather than the more familiar chunks.

 

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Pork and cabbage dumplings with “sceret spicy sauce” ($10.80 for 10) are fab.

They look like they’ll be dry and doughy.

Not so!

They’re, in fact, tender, slippery and quite delicate.

They have less meaty fillings than we might’ve expected, but we feel no sense of deprivation.

They’re super, especially with the sweetish sauce that starts out benign in terms of chilli heat but builds cumulatively as we work our happy way through the parcels.

Bennie loves Noodle Queen so much, I’m going to have to dig my heels when it comes to trying new places for our post-wing chun dining.

 

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