Meet Lina.
She’ll do you a do or a haircut with a smile and skill.
Lina’s Hair Salon is at 1/7 Kinnear Street, Footscray.
What Lina cannot do is provide with you with a lunch or a dinner – or even a snack – of barbecue.
Which is quite at odds with a recent listing on Urbanspoon.
Whatever the origins of this mystery, Lina is being a good sport about.
She is, however, fielding phone calls from barbecue fans wishing to book tables.
But at least I know where to go to get my next haircut!
Consider The Sauce recorded the new existence of Dumpling House in a Moonee Ponds eats goss post a month back, noting along the way how much I enjoyed the chicken and mushroom wontons in “peanut, chilli and spice sauce”.
Today I’m back for lunch and I have company.
Between us we try enough of the menu to ascertain that Dumpling House is about more than dumplings and is, indeed, a very handy arrival in the Puckle Street neighbourhood – basic of decor, very cheap and with surprises waiting to be unearthed.
And word, it seems, is getting out – there’s one large lunch group, another table of four and a few takeaway orders going out the door.
Pan-fried chicken and prawn dumplings ($9.50 for 12) are a big bite size and quite chewy.
The innards (top picture) are a deft mix of chicken and prawn – very tasty!
We enjoy, too, the Shanghai fried noodles ($9.50).
There’s nothing spectacular about this dish – it’s simply a good, solid rendition of a standard noodle dish with greenery, carrot and beef.
We are so very happy we have ordered the spicy eggplant ($16.50).
Not that it’s spicy, mind you.
It’s not.
And forget the capsicum, which is little more than a garnish.
The dish is also monumentally oily – but I doubt it could be made any other way.
What it does have is gorgeously luscious eggplant pieces with flavour that has us moaning and sighing with delight.
The sort of eggplant flavour, in fact, of which I dream.
All this is set off by the wonderfully by bright green, al-dente broad beans – such a nice touch!
Brother Nancy escaped my radar right up to and past Erika’s marshmallow story.
Lately, though, it has become for me a very good road coffee alternative to my usual haunts – I love it that parking is such a breeze.
Today is just right for a Brother Nancy lunch.
I’ve been driving around somewhat aimlessly – to Sunshine and back, for gosh sake – without fixing on an eats decision.
You know what?
I realise that while driving I had been far from idle – I’ve actually been working on a blog post.
Really.
I suspect I’m far, far from alone in being a writer who, by the time I front the keyboard, has the whole story virtually complete “in my head”.
Including punctuation.
Anyway, now it’s time for lunch.
I love the Brother Nancy space and vibe.
And I love the menu – with its Francophile outlook, it has really strong and laudable points of difference with all other inner-west cafes.
My crisp polenta chick pea and warm vegetable salad ($13) is a pearler that eats every bit as good as it looks.
The chick peas are superb in their tomatoey sauce.
The plump polenta patty is crisp only on the exterior – inside it’s delicate, steaming and wonderfully homely.
All the bits and pieces are good, too, including peeled baby tomatoes!
Though the shaved fennel adds nothing by way of flavour.
It seems unlikely at this point that the possibility of about 200 apartments going up on the site of what is currently 501 Receptions will generate the same kind of uproar that greeted the developmental threat to the Dancing Dog building.
Still, doing a story about those plans has seen me engage in a number of interesting conversations about urban living and planning.
No one I’ve talked to is opposed to development – but that support usually comes with a proviso that new buildings be of high quality and intelligently designed.
There’s the rub …
One intensely interested West Footscray local also brought into focus for me the fact that the 501 Receptions proposal is just one of many changes taking place within a very small area.
I had been at least subliminally aware of most of them, unaware of others – but taken as a whole, they certainly signal a neighbourhood in transition.
What is driving these changes?
Is the demand really there for so many apartments and townhouses – or is there always an element of guesswork in such investments?
I wonder, too, if there is a cadre of long-time landlords and property owners who have been passive investors for decades but who are suddenly feeling the inclination to cash in.
If so, why?
On Barkly Street – between 501 Receptions and Dosa Hut/Dosa Corner, and amid much commercial activity of various kinds – there is a surprisingly high number of residential properties.
I wonder what their future is in a time of neighbourhood flux.
Likewise, how secure is the future for the old Barkly Street churches?
Opposite 540 On Barkly stands what can accurately be called a paddock.
It bears a “for lease” sign.
Further along, and opposite Ovest, is another vacant lot, this one not so big and without signage.
There’s another paddock on the corner of Clive and Russell streets, behind Dosa Corner.
What was once a funky ’60s-style church is now definitely earmarked for apartments, I’m told.
Further along, opoosite West Footscray Vet Clinic, stood for many decades a neighbourhood mechanic.
I’m told that one minute a few weeks back it was there and about 30 later it was gone, the land destined for … apartments and/or townhouses.
According to the vet clinic folks, “people who have been bringing their animals to us for years had been taking their cars there for years”.
Back in the village, the two shops between Dosa Hut and the paint shop are to become townhouses, six of the eight already sold, according to the sign.
According to a post on the Barkly Village Facebook page, the defaced property next to the laundrette is all set to become an amusement parlour – “primary use seems to be for billiards and games machines”.
Also in the village, GM Manchester is adorned with “closing down” signs.
The short-lived Akshaya Indian street food enterprise is giving way to a WeFo branch of Biryani House.
When I have a peek, they look like they’re just about ready to roll …
Werribee Village is one of the older – and smaller – shopping centres in the area.
It has a Sim’s.
It has Chinese x 2, F&C, a chook shop and a place with curry signage that purportedly sells kebabs.
And now it has a brand new purveyor of old-fashioned roasts and accessories.
Carv’n It Up is rather austere in terms of decor but on the evidence of my Saturday lunch-time visit, it is already a hit with locals.
Folks aren’t queuing up out the door but they are coming and going in a steady stream.
The roast theme is delivered via meals, family deals, rolls and a bevy of extras.
I am gratified my lunch is served on good, solid, real crockery and with metal cutlery.
Potential takeaway customers be warned, though – at least some of the to-go meals are served on yukky polystyrene trays.
Roast beef with veg (14.90) does me real good.
The three slices of beef are well done but cut easily enough – though a serrated knife would’ve been appreciated.
The meat serve is very generous – so much so that what at first appears to be a surfeit of gravy is only just enough to make my meal work.
I like the spuds and peas.
But I am enough of a roast traditionalist to find the veg “medley” a bit over ambitious and fiddly – I do not want capsicum with my roasts.
See other recent stories about roasts here and here.
Let’s hear a big cheer for places that serve soup – soup unordered, soup served simply as part of the dining experience, soup that is a tradition and not added to the bill at the end of the meal.
Safari, the brilliant Consider The Sauce Somalian fave in Ascot Vale, serves sublime bowls of broth almost as soon as you are seated.
On several visits to Kebab Surra in Footscray I have been provided a marvellous lamb-and-vege-and-barley soup – though it seems to depend on just which main is ordered.
Pacific Seafood BBQ House, the newish Chinese place on Racecourse Road that is a sibling to older establishments in the CBD, Richmond and South Yarra, follows the same tradition when a frequent CTS dining pal and I visit for lunch.
Our soup seems to have a what I regard as a rather robust corn flavour, even though there are no corn kernels in evidence, and has what I at first take to be spud chunks.
My companion reckons, no, it’s winter melon.
She’s right.
We also subsequently discover the gratis soup is indeed corn-infused and is a pork broth.
Whatever the details, we love it.
We also love the enthusiasm with which our curiosity about the soup’s contents is greeted by the bloke manning the soup ladle.
From there, ignoring the many specials detailed on wall paper that seem more suitable to night dining and larger groups, we head straight to the quickie lunch list.
We are very happy we do so.
We both order roast meat dishes that cost $11.50.
We rank them as being at the highest end of what is expected from such dishes.
My soya chicken and BBQ roast pork with rice is wonderful.
The meats are moist and, as is almost always the case, more generous of proportion than eyeball or photographic impressions may convey.
The crackling is a crunchy, sinful delight.
The rice has enough soya cooking juices to do the job and the bok choy is fine.
The oil/green onion/ginger mash is very, very welcome though I wish there was more of it.
My friend goes the roast duck with noodles.
The noodles glisten atop a bed of soya juices and bok choy – she fails in the mission of consuming them, as I do with my rice.
The roast duck is expertly done.
The meat comes from the bones more easily than is often the case and the skin is a dark brown and, yes, another sinful delight.
We love Racecourse Road – and now we love it more.
Saudagar has been a Footscray fixture for years.
I’ve had their cholle bhatura and tried some of their sweets.
But it’s never appealed as an obvious or attractive place in which to obtain a nice, cheap feed of Indian tucker.
So I am delighted – thrilled even! – to discover the place has been spruced up a bit with some new furniture and a much more welcoming look that says, “Come and eat here!”
Aside from the sweets, the prices – AFAIK – are the cheapest in the inner west: Vegetarian main courses all about $8, meat mains about $10, chicken biryanai $9.
I enjoy a vegetarian thali priced at $8.
Unbuttered naan – and that’s fine by me.
Excellent, uncreamy daal that has a nice hit of ginger and appears to be made of aduki beans.
Malai kofta – wonderfully delicate and toothsome potato and cheese balls in a creamy cashew nut sauce.
Fluffy rice, pickles, onion slices.
I love my Saudagar lunch but I’m not about to tell you that it’s exceptional in any way – and that’s a profound testament to just how rich we are in the west of terrific Indian food.
More than a year ago, I tried to sweet talk the proprietor of 501 Receptions in West Footscray into letting me do a story on his operation.
Specifically, I wanted to spend a Saturday night at 501 Receptions taking in the go-to-whoa of an event such as a wedding – taking in along the way the staff, the kitchen, the food, everything.
Nothing came of my idea – even after a mutual acquaintance, someone who is something of an elder statesman of western suburbs food, tried to ease the way with 501 Receptions on my behalf.
Now I find that, under plans before Maribyrnong council, the future of 50 Receptions is very much up in the air.
According to a story by my Star Weekly colleague Benjamin Millar – read it here – council is considering a development proposal that would see the property home to 198 units in twin five-storey blocks plus eight retail tenancies.
I am not automatically opposed to such a development but such a plan certainly raises many questions.
The plans show carparking spaces to the tune of 201 while, according to Ben’s story, council guidelines would require a minimum of 260 spaces.
According to Ben’s story …
“A traffic assessment by engineering consultant Cardno found ‘anticipated traffic volume … is expected to have no significant impact on the surrounding road network’.”
Hmmm … I wonder what data and/or methodology they used to reach such a conclusion?
As anyone knows who regularly drives on Barkly Street, West Footrscray, or on Rupert or Cross streets, which run parallel to the railways tracks, the traffic situation in the area can get quite intense even with the current housing/resident levels.
And it would seem the revamp of West Footscray station is rather timely – but are there, or should there be, limits?
I’m interested in hearing from anyone who regularly uses either West Footscray or Tottenham stations as to whether either is nearing or already at peak capacity, especially in peak hours.
And on top of Banbury Village, what would such an apartment block plan mean for the area more generally in terms of what is often referred to as “amenity”?
Bug Boxes are very clever self-watering, modular raised garden beds that uses wick technology to water plants from the bottom up.
Bug Boxes are built by a team of former refugee and Australian-born carpenters at the Footscray Maker Lab in West Footscray.
They are being created, using 100% recycled materials, under the auspices of BEAUT – Burmese Enterprise Association for Urban Trading.
As it says on the BEAUT website: “When you buy a Bug Box, you give an ex-refugee tradie a job.”
They are priced from $49 to $119, with delivery with seedlings to suburbs in the west costing $10.
To arrange a Bug Box purchase, visit the BEAUT Facebook store – but be warned: the Facebook store doesn’t load on mobile devices so you will need to order from a laptop or desktop.
Bennie and I felt very honoured indeed to be invited to the Bug Box party at Fooscray Makers Lab – but we did wonder how many, if any, people we would know there.
We need not have worried in that regard.
Among the cheerful throng were …
… Mia from West Welcome Wagon – you can read about the forthcoming WWW/CTS Greek feast fundraiser at Santorini here.
There are still tickets available but they WILL sell out.
Mia is the one with the very surprised look on her face.
On the right is Liana, one of the wonderful brains behind Footscray bar Littlefoot.
Consider The Sauce has taken its time about getting around to visiting Littlefoot but as it happens we had visited for dessert post-Pandu’s just a few nights before.
So I was happy to tell Liana that I consider Littlefoot’s “injera and hazelnut chocolate pinwheels with creamy coconut dipping sauce” a work of intense genius.
Frankly: We can’t wait to return to try out the entire menu.
Stay tuned!
Liana and her family were just some of the friends I’d made during the Dancing Dog building campaign who were in attendance at the Bug Box shindig.
Some of the teenagers attending were only too happy to display their social deftness.
Crowning the happy gathering was a really fine spread of Burmese tucker.
The lighting situation was challenging to say the least – suffice it to say the food was delicious, even if the photographs fail to convey that fact very well!
In the end, it happened suddenly and by accident.
Bennie and I were doing routine housework on Saturday, when I heard a despairing cry …
“Dad, dad!!! Boris has escaped!!”
Just like that, Boris became an outdoor cat.
And what a very excellent thing that has turned out to be.
Look, we tried really, really hard to adhere to the advice given by cat-lovin’ friends and readers – that keeping Boris inside was all for the best for various reasons.
But as the ramifications of his new lifestyle become apparent, it is clear the full-time indoor life was never going to be sustainable for this particular cat in this particular (small) house.
Within 24 hours of his “escape”, all ours lives had been transformed.
Bennie and I have not been scratched or bitten since.
We no longer have to worry about powers cords and other electrical leads being rendered useless.
Maybe we can unfurl the blinds and drapes, as they no longer appear under threat of terminal shredding.
My paperwork is no longer being turned into confetti and maybe we can remove the layers of foam rubber from beneath the couch.
The several months it took us to get to this point since his arrival appear, however, to be serving us well.
Boris knows where home is, who are his humans and where the food is at.
He appears to mostly be respecting the four fence lines of our property.
But he is happy and very stimulated.
He’s coming running when hailed, even if that means taking some time out from his Very Important tree-climbing crusade.
He is being a little on the aloof side, at least for the time being – coming inside every couple of hours to make sure everything is as should be.
His face is frequently adorned with spiderwebs and other crap from under the house.
And he has made a start on getting to know – and reach some sort of accommodation with – the numerous local cats.
When I awoke on Monday morning, there was no sign of him.
“Uh oh, he’s gone …”, I thought.
But he was waiting on the veranda when I got home from work.
Sunday roast lunches at pubs – $10, $15, $20, $25?
Do you get what you pay for?
As far as we know, the Spottiswoode Hotel continues to offer a grand $10 deal on Sundays.
Others we know of in the inner deliver offer $20+ offerings.
This Sunday, Bennie gives up on his desire for Vietnamese tomato rice in the face of his dad’s determination to go roast.
We first head for a certain Williamstown pub we believe now has $15 roast lunches on the menu, but on arrival we discover they will not start until the following weekend.
Plan B is return home, park the car and walk to our local, the Railway Hotel, which has been advertising $18.50 Sunday roasts – sort of a middle ground price-wise , with two kinds of meat on offer.
Will it be worth the extra dollars?
We pay, get our number and wait.
Bennie chooses the pork.
I try a mouthful.
Perhaps unsurprisingly it’s dry but – good stuff – tender enough.
But it IS full of strong, good piggy flavour.
The crackling is a tad salty but all of it is crisp and a joy to eat.
One pub manager has told me it’s simply impossible in regards to power bills to serve roast veggies at these sorts of prices.
That I don’t mind.
The spud is roasted and herbed and very good.
The beans, broccoli and carrots may be steamed but they are wonderful – cooked more than al dente and perfect.
I select the roast beef (top photograph).
It’s fabulous.
It appears to be smothered in good gravy.
But as it turns out there is just enough gravy – and only just enough – to support the meat.
I am served three slices that are just shy of half an inch thick.
The meat is tender and tastes grand.
It breaks apart in strands that I more familiar with from dining on brisket at BBQ joints.
This is new and wonderful territory for me when it comes to roast beef.
There is so much of it, I keep offering Bennie hefty chunks even as I close in on the final slice.
“I can’t eat it all, mate!”
“That’s because you aren’t manly enough …”
I am on a serious food high as we skip down the street for some sugar and spice from our fave ice-cream joint.
The Railway Hotel Sunday roasts have convinced me that sometimes, at least, you do get what you pay for.
And it’s still a bargain.
We haven’t eaten at Pandu’s for a good long while and we’re excited to be back.
Even more so because among our group of six are two people who have pretty much eaten the inner west dry but have yet to dine at this Footscray Indo-Chinese institution.
And there’s two others have never tried Indo-Chinese at all!
After we enter and a get a table, I realise there have been changes at Pandu’s.
There’s more people in the kitchen.
The prices have crept up – but not too much.
And there’s a new menu that considerably broadens Pandu’s previously hardcore Indo-Chinese line-up.
There’s biryanis, dosas and – oh yes! – cholle bhatrua and pooris with potato maslala.
Most of those will have to wait for another day, however, as we stick – with one exception – to Indo-Chinese.
One member of our group is quite taken with idea of nachos salad as spied on the online menu – as am I.
So we order two.
What we get is, well, weird.
Doritos drizzled with some yogurt and sprinkled with not a lot of cheese, onion and greenery.
It’s OK to nibble on before our more fully cooked goodies arrive.
But Doritos?
Ugh!
In quick time, arriving at our table are …
… vegetable manchurian …
… cauliflower 65 and …
… pepper fish.
By unanimous acclaim, the fish is our meal’s big winner.
Encased in a delicious but not particularly peppery coating are gorgeously tender and tasty chunks of white fish.
As Josh says: “I could eat these all night!”
The gobi and vegetable ball dishes – standard orders for Bennie and I at Pandu’s – are good, too, though a little wetter than we’ve had on previous occasions.
We bulk up our meal by ordering another standard for us …
… veggie hakka noodles as well as …
… veggie Singapore fried rice.
Both are simple but very good in that trans-national way that we usually expect more of the food from Malaysia or Singapore but which is right at home with Indo-Chinese.
Finally, we also enjoy a fine chicken biryani – which I forget to photograph!
Bennie and I reckon the portion sizes of non-carb Indo-Chinese selections may have been a bit smaller than on previous visits – but that could be because there’s so many pals with us tonight and the food disappears quickly.
As well, we note that the shredded cabbage is of a rougher cut that makes it less appealing to incorporate into our meal, and that the gobi, fish and vegetable balls are not adorned with the usual jumble of chillis, curry leaves, onion and capsicum.
But still, these are minor quibbles – Pandu’s remains our go-to place for Indo-Chinese.
I have not kept track of prices as I expect to just call up the Pandu’s website when I get home.
But now I discover the prices there are not up to date!
But here’s the biz – for all of the above food, and a fine meal, the six of us pay a few bucks over $90.
That is, about $15 each!
Fantastic!
Footscray Milking Station has been around for about three years now but never before covered in any way by Consider The Sauce.
We’ve dropped in for coffee or sanger on a few occasions but …
Recently it’s become a regular for me when seeking a nice place to have a quick lunch on one of my mid-week days off, after I have taken care of blogging and associated tasks at home.
I like it – a lot – that there always seems to be ample parking.
The place is always warm and inviting.
And the coffee is grand.
A few weeks back, I had – from the specials board – a fine panini of house-smoked salmon, creamed cheese, rocket and pickled shallots.
That board is always worth checking out – one of these days, I’ll have the soup.
Today I go for the salad bowl ($12).
Normally, roast vegetable salads are no-go territory for me as they invariably number pumpkin among the ingredients.
Not today – so I’m in.
Instead, there’s big, beefy chunks of succulent fennel, chick peas, lots of parsley and even – unadvertised! – pistachio nuts, all of them dressed with a masterful touch.
I mind not in the least the other salad also includes fennel.
In this case, it’s shaved so there’s a very cool contrast with the roast version.
In my second salad, there’s also cucumber, baby tomatoes, rocket, dill and black sesame seeds.
Again, the dressing is amazing – tangy and with just right amount of moisture to ensure ease of eating without sodden-ness.
It’s a superb, knockout lunch.
Between and around the riches of Watton Street in Werribee and Barkly Street in West Footscray, there are lots of Indian or curry restaurants hidden away in all sorts of places.
In the case of this Hoppers Crossing find, it’s a matter – ostensibly – of Afghan food.
On a cold week night, Woodville Park Shopping Centre presents a rather bleak prospect but the glowing lights of this place draw us in.
The series of events – post-school volleyball, guitar lesson, traffic congestion – that have brought us here find us also of robust appetite, so we’re happy to be in a nice, warm, cheap eatery.
Given the location and lack of research, it’s a throw of the dice but we are not disappointed.
The place is done in typical, basic ‘burban ethnic and we’re the only customers – but we are re-assured by the number of locals coming and going for takeaway that there is something worthwhile going on here.
While we await our meal, we are greatly entertained not only by the Bollywood music clips on the telly but even more by the cornball old-school adverts that accompany them.
The pricing is attractive and there’s a range of your usual korma, kofta, vindaloo, masala and other curry dishes.
But we choose breads and the kebab offerings.
First, though, onion pakoras ($6) are a rapidly devoured, well-fried treat.
Potato bolani naan ($5) is fantastic and almost a meal in itself.
Garlic naan ($3) shows scant traces of garlic but is good, too.
Instead of having to select from the kebab/tandoor line-up, we go straight for the “Sizzler Special” ($22).
The menu says it consists of kebab items numbers one through six and comes with salad and dips.
We’re not sure about that – and there are no dips.
But we’re more than happy, anyway.
We’re not about to pretend this is the best or best-cooked meat of this kind we’ve had but it does the job for us.
The minced-lamb sheesh kebabs have a bit of a bitter flavour to them.
The chunks of lamb kebab could be a bit more tender.
But the chicken tikka pieces and two chook parts of tandoori chicken are real good.
We’re happy to have paid only $36 for a satisfying meal.
Do readers have any out-of-the-way faves?
General Food Co is on Nelson Place but not really of it.
It’s down towards the shipyard area of Williamstown and separated from Nelson Place’s hit-and-mostly-miss range of eateries by Thompson Street with its Greek restaurant on the corner.
This is a good thing!
Instead of having a Willy food hub vibe about it, General Food Co has a friendly, we-love-locals thing going on.
The interior is small but cosy; there’s an outside area that must be simply great on nice days and there’s more tables on the footpath.
The service is fine, kids are greeted on a first-name basis and the coffee is outstanding.
The two dishes CTS tries – one smaller, one larger – are lovely to eat and behold, and are cooked and presented with skill.
But they are of modest proportions.
They’re perfectly fine for a light lunch but we advise against bringing a rampant appetite here – or perhaps, if that is the case, heading towards the breakfast list, several selections of which I spy as being more generous.
I’m told the “dakos” in my smashed beetroot dakos ($12.50) is a kind of Greek rusk.
Atop the pleasantly chewy bases is a cool, luscious and tangy mix of beetroot and fetta.
The balsamic reduction seems a little out place and is too sticky.
Lamb keftethes ($19) are three plump, generously sized lamb meatballs, deliciously chewy and well-seasoned, with a fine tzatsiki, pita bread that is both crisp and chewy and good salad components.
Some more yogurt/cucumber and a few more slices of pita would’ve been appreciated.
It is genuine regret that I have included some critical comments in this story – General Food Co is a lovely place and, as already stated, the coffee is fab.
By Erika Jonsson
Dumplings are one of my ultimate comfort foods.
Whether they are filled with beef, lamb or vegetables, small or large, I’ve never met a dumpling I didn’t like.
Crisp-based gyoza, wontons in broth, slurpy xiao long bao, Mongolian buuz – they are like friends who have never met; they share important traits but are beautiful for their differences.
My dumpling-making days petered out when my kids were born – it’s not easy to respond to a crying child when my hands are covered in raw meat and my dough is in danger of drying out.
So if I’m out for lunch and can enjoy an expert’s touch, I don’t think twice.
We found ourselves on the other side of town recently after a foray to the Glen Eira Sports and Aquatic Centre recently to apply a fundamental tenet of parenting – if you want happy kids, just add water.
And water slides if possible.
Mission accomplished, it was time to add food.
“What kind of food are we having for lunch?” Joe asked from the back seat.
“I’ll give you a clue,” my husband replied. “The capital city is Tbilisi.”
Georgian!
My tastebuds were tingling at the thought of lots of bread, meat – and dumplings.
Aragvi in Bentleigh did not disappoint in any way – in fact, we are already considering a return trip.
Delicious hunks of warm bread with a side of unsalted butter started to fill the void ahead of the arrival of a bowl of borlotti bean stew, or lobio.
I was surprised when Joe wasn’t interested, but Hugh loved it, as did my husband and I.
Walnuts and coriander were the dominant flavours in a dish that was somehow both simple and complex.
Next out were the dumplings – Joe chose chicken over pork and beef.
Our waitress gave us a quick tutorial on how to eat Georgian-style dumplings, which were quite large and shaped almost like mushrooms.
Use the stem of the dumpling like a handle to allow you to bite the side then suck out the broth.
Continue until you are left with just the dough handle, which is traditionally left behind.
The flavour was quite mild and the seasonings delicate. They were a hit for our hungry family, especially covered in black pepper.
Our next dish was grilled chicken kababi rolls with adjika chilli sauce, salad and housemade chips.
This turned out to be my favourite dish of the day – the colours were vibrant; the chilli sauce sang with heat; the skinless sausages were perfectly cooked; the salad was zingy and fresh; and the chips were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
Not yet sated, we shared some delicious cakes, including a walnut sponge and a pastry filled with almond-flavoured custard.
My latte could’ve been a bit stronger, but that’s a small criticism in the context of a really memorable meal.
Aragvi was quiet during our weekday lunchtime visit – I’m not sure why.
We don’t usually travel far beyond Footscray for food, but this gem is worth the drive.
The success of Afghan Master Kebab in Sunshine has seemingly inspired others to try their luck with likeminded eateries.
Further afield, in Fooscray, Kebab Surra has made its mark.
In Sunshine, it appears there will be three new kids on the block.
One, already open, is situated in the food court at Sunshine Plaza and yet to be investigated.
Another, on the wider bit of Hampshire Road, still has newspapered windows.
Afghan Shaheen is up and running on the narrower part of Hampshire, heading towards the station.
It’s done out in cheerful cafe style with ornate and shiny furniture.
It’s an Afghani eatery with a few twists thrown in.
You’ll find the chargrilled meats that are the principal reason of the much-love for the already established places.
As well, though, the menu (see below) features a longish list of straight-up Indian dishes and even an Indo-Chinese section.
Additionally, Afghan Shaheen is big on baking.
One display contains a glistening range of Indian-style sweet treats that go for $18 a kilogram.
Another cabinet displays many biscuits that look just like Italian-style biscotti.
I’m told, however, that they really are Afghani!
Rest assured, though, they contain heaps of butter.
They sell for a terrific $16 a kilogram – I’m surprised how many I get for $7.
A bowl namakpura (top photograph) – cumin-seasoned strips of deep-fried pastry – are brought without being ordered.
Playing the same sort of teasing role as papadums, they’re yummy.
Lamb kebab ($13.99) has superb chargrilled meat of high quality – the de-skewered chunks shown here are only half of what is served.
The bread is good but unlike either regular naan or the more chewy, crusty bread delivered at Afghan Master Kebab or Kebab Surra.
What I first mistakenly take to be some kind of soup turns out to be an excellent mint dipping sauce – a vinegary version of the pale green version often served.
It’s piquant and delicious.
Curry and rice for $13.99 doesn’t sound like such a crash-hot deal but qabuli palaw is excellent.
The same, good bread.
The same salad bits
Fluffy white rice studded with moist currants and festooned with cooked, tender and sweet carrot strands.
The lamb “qorma” itself is mildly spiced but as deep in flavour as it is deep in brown.
The lamb is of the same high quality and tenderness as found in the kebab serving.
With its many bits and pieces, this $15 dish could easily suffice as a meal for two.
When I visit Seddon’s swish new cafe, I’ve already lunched elsewhere.
But I enjoy a good cafe latte and a wonderful, very intense chocolate brownie.
And I have a good look around and, with the management’s blessing, take a bunch of pics.
Proprietor Ken, pictured here with Jordan, tells me business has been good in the few days they’ve been open.
At the moment, it’s a breakfast and lunch proposition (see menu below), closing at about 4pm.
But extended hours and a booze licence are in the works.
It’s a big place and the makeover of what was once the local video store is drastic and spectacular.
It’s has a bit of clinical feel to it at the moment but that’s only to be expected.
The main dining space adjoins the coffee/paying area and the semi-open kitchen.
Next door, and with big windows facing Charles Street, is another area with window seat and a big communal table.
Further back is another, more secluded dining area, while out back and outdoors are more seating, a play space including a sandpit and a fledgling herb garden.
Th outdoor space looks like an outright winner for the bub brigade – it’s big and there is no escape route for wandering toddlers.
After a business coffee in Ascot vale, I’d planned on a Williamstown lunch.
But honestly, after our fruitful and enjoyable meeting is over, it feels like quite enough work on my day off – if you follow me.
I know there must be somewhere right nearby that will do.
A revered (by us) place we reckon is one of the very best eating houses in Melbourne is right next door to our coffee spot – but I don’t feel like anything quite so filling.
Ah, yes – Grandpa Joe, at 197 Union Road, will do just nicely.
The place is small and welcoming.
It’s done out in old wood and pale wood, with the classic old ceiling left intact.
Observing the customers and their inter-action with the staff, it’s reassuring this seems to be a favoured local hang-out.
I’m very interested to see if a place that isn’t one of the new-style places that specialises in American food, and sandwiches in particular, goes with a $15 reuben.
The answer?
Pretty darn good.
It looks a little on the small size but eats big.
Purists beware – there’s rocket.
Probably too much rocket.
But the corned beef is thick–sliced, very tasty and plentiful enough.
The cheese is melted and there’s “hunter’s cabbage” aplenty.
I like it that a fine not-too-sweet pickled cucumber is skewered on the knife that skewers my sandwich.
Once more I am heading up the road to Trentham.
Having attended last year’s event and also hitting Trentham in the course of acquiring the Black Devil, this is becoming a familiar journey.
Once more, too, I am flying solo so must navigate, slightly nervously, the lottery of who my table companions will be.
On that account, I need have had no fears for I am blessed to share the evening with …
… Jim and Curtis, Natasha and Michael, and Phil and Jill “from Springhill”.
Thanks so much to them for some wonderfully entertaining company!
The food – see menu below – is, as expected, all good – and some of it, to my tastes, much, much better than that.
Bravo once more to the chefs and amazing farmers and growers from the region – so much passion and love!
My highlights?
Well, actually they’re a little surprising …
The skordalia served with potato bread, the former silky and luscious and packed with tremendous flavour.
The heritage carrots with yogurt and leaves – so sweet and tangy.
The apple flavour explosions found amid the roast vegetables that accompany the twice-cooked rolled pork with apple three ways.
The accompanying slaw is ace, too!
consider the sauce 