Hello Gelo

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15 Anderson St, Yarraville. Phone: 9078 5696

Does ice cream lose the taste factor after a single scoop?

Do tastebuds become so frozen that subsequent scoops become gratuitous?

Is scarfing multiple scoops an exercise in gluttony?

Why aren’t great minds working feverishly on the answers to these important questions?

Actually, while we love our ice cream and gelati, we almost always restrict ourselves to what are generally referred to as baby cones.

Taste issues aside, with gelati we reckon there can be too much of a good thing. I see cones and cups stacked with three or four scoops, and I’m puzzled how people can inhale so much of the sublime stuff.

Our single scoop habit fits specially well with Hello Gelo, as their kids cones tend to be a bit more generous than elsewhere – although it is a variable situation. And their kids cones cost a mere $2.50.

In several years of living in Seddon and Yarraville, we revelled in the wonderland of cheap, funky eating out options on our doorstep.

But it also bugged the hell out of us that a gelati fix required a drive to Williamstown, Sydney Rd or Lygon St. OK, sometimes the drive was fun, but still …

And then came Hello Gelo, now entering its second summer and the owner of which obviously contemplated the same unsatisfactory situation and decided to do something about it.

Hello Gelo does several of the things expected of a gelati joints – hot dogs, sundaes, those little Dutch pancake thingies, coffee, sweeties of various kinds – but when we’re there, we’re strictly on a gelati mission.

We like checking out the new flavours, of which there always seem to be two or three, even on our very regular visits.

Bennie holds dad’s apple pie and his own honeycomb crunch, while our very cool jazz chick neighbour Dulcie works on her blood orange.

The chilli chocolate is a fixture, as are fruity ices such as lemon, lime and blood orange.

We’ve had a few disappointments. The almond, for instance, tasted like plain old vanilla to me.

By contrast, another flavour that could have been too subtle to nail – apple pie – did indeed taste just like apple pie.

Another big plus: Hello Gelo operates a frequent flyer card scheme – buy seven and get one free.

And, yes, the card deal also applies to kids cones.

Excellent!

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Laksa King

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laksa4

 

6-12 Pin Oak Crescent, Flemington. Phone: 9372 6383

The old Laksa King was one of the places that spoke so eloquently of Melbourne food culture.

Not in terms of quality or high-falutin’ style or world renown.

Nope, its place was along the lines of Melbourne food personality – think Pellegrini’s, Stalactites, the bratwurst stall at Vic Market, the Waiters Restaurant and so on.

Unfortunately, Laksa King was also a dumpy old thing, drab and more than a little down at heel.

Moreover, we never ate there because – whatever it might have lacked in sparkle and swish – it was very popular, so whenever we were in the vicinity there always seemed to be a queue of six or more.

The contrast to the new Laksa King – around the corner, and adjacent the train station – could not be greater.

The new place is gorgeous!

It’s big and bright, packed with lovely wooden chairs and tables, and the many black T-shirted and on-the-ball staff scurry around on a polished cement floor while a you-beaut sign adorns the roof..

Given the substantial upgrade, it’s a pleasure to note that Laksa King has nevertheless kept its prices well within the cheap eats realm. Most single person dishes – ranging from Hainanese chicken rice to mee goreng – fall a tick or two either side of $10.

We’ve been twice in the past couple of weeks.

First up was a rather frantic Friday night, with waiting times for our main courses stretching out to about 15 minutes.

We got by in the meantime with a beaut lobak ($6.20), the crunchy bean curd skin encasing minced pork that also had a delightful crunch about it thanks to being studded with carrot and water chestnut. The achar (pickled vegetables, $5.20) was OK, but a little on the bland side.

We regretted our conservative choice of mains.

Bennie let his love of dumplings rule, and while his prawn dumpling noodles were fine – OK stock, OK dumplings, OK noodles – they seemed to lack a little zing.

My roasted chicken rice was lacklustre. The chook was dry, the rice passable, the soup OK and – worst of all – the chilli sauce tame and dull, while its expected partner of an oily ginger/green onion mix did not turn up at all.

Our return visit was made more agreeable by sticking to tried, true and a little more spicy, and by eschewing side dishes and soft drinks – keeping the price tag down to a very excellent $19.70.

The beef curry laksa ($9.20) was a brightly coloured bowl of more tender beef slices than we could eat and mild spiciness. Its highlight was a large and silky eggplant slice of magnificent flavour. I swear I’ll rue the day Bennie decides to dig eggplant!

The curry chicken noodles ($10.20) were also mildly spiced, with plentiful chicken and bok choy sitting on thin egg noodles that at first seemed as though they were going to require the attentions of a knife and fork, so enamoured were they of each other’s company. But there was plenty of gravy, which mixed with the noodles in a fine fashion to become a sort of Malaysian pasta dish.

Still, after two visits we remain underwhelmed.

Given the homely surrounds we mostly inhabit in pursuit of great cheap eats, it’s quite a thrill to send time in  a place that proudly boasts a bit of flash, a bit of a wow factor.

But the food, as we have thus far experienced it, leaves an impression of hedging its bets for the broadest possible reach in terms of customers. Of the four mains and two starters we had in two visits, only the lobak sparkled.

Nothing wrong with that – and the crowds vindicate such a policy. I’ll concede, too, we made rather conservative choices – but there’s not much further you can go on the menu.

But I can’t help but feel we’ll continue to find more fire and passion in the more humble likes of Vy Vy, around the corner on Racecourse Rd.

You can read more reviews of the new Laksa King at Jeroxie and Saint-ism.

Laksa King has been reviewed by The Age.

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Bay City Noodles & Cafe

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139 Ryrie St, Geelong. Phone: 5223 2135

The cheap eats situation in central Geelong is a mixture of dull and dire leavened with a couple of hot spots.

The suburbs of the city may be festooned with amazing eateries for all I know, but my work of necessity keeps me restricted to the 10-minute walk from the train station to my place of income generation and the brief lunch breaks I get.

So far I’ve found: All the usual franchises, as much food court crap as you could never want and several places of mixed Asian heritage and utterly indifferent food.

The high points are a half dozen or so Japanese joints of the ramen/udon/sushi rolls sort – they all seem much the same, and I’ve enjoyed the noodles I’ve purchased from some of them.

Best of all, though, is Bay City Noodles.

It’s a Vietnamese establishment that, presumably through necessity, feels obliged to cover several bases – so, for instance, you can get (if you so desire) Chinese dishes and things such as Singapore fried noodles.

The pho, rice paper rolls, spring rolls all work OK; the rice dishes less so.

But the real star here is another non-Viet dish – the curry laksa. There’s a seafood version available, but I’ve now had my preferred option – chicken ($10.50) – many times and have yet to be disappointed.

The broth is a tawny brown, rather than golden. In it are many of the usual suspects: Rice and egg noodles, tofu, bean spouts, chicken and so on. It’s fragrant and flavoursome; of mild spiciness; and topped with a gravy concoction of finely chopped onion.

I could quibble about the absence of fish cake, let alone any semblance of greenery – such as a sprig or two of mint, or some bok choy – but given the alternatives, that would be churlish.

This is a cheerful, homely (in a good way) and friendly eatery.

And judging by the heads-down demeanour of the many regulars – instinctively I know these folk are on the same wavelength as me – it could be that this is THE star of Geelong ethnic eats of the budget variety.

I’d love to be proven wrong!

Zam Zam Cafe Restaurant

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364 Lonsdale St, Melbourne. Phone: 9606 0109

Having been a city worker for a decade plus, I inevitably became familiar with  just about every nook, cranny, alleyway and greasy spoon in the CBD.

Those days are becoming a fading memory, so much so that a visit to the CBD has become a rarity, with the consequence that I am always surprised by the changes that have occurred since my previous train trip.

But this week, having an early morning business meeting in South Melbourne, I found myself standing on the corner Lonsdale and Elizabeth streets pondering lunch. One of the best things to ponder!

Stylish bento at while sitting at Kuni’s sushi bar? Nope, too far away and I was already a little foot sore. Coconut House up the road towards Victoria Market? Nope, not in the mood.

In the end, I settled on the closest option, an old friend from my city days, just up the hill towards Spencer St.

And it gave me a prime opportunity to test my theory that bain marie food – which goes with the territory of my price range – is best had just as it placed out. (Discussion of pros and cons of bain marie food can be found in the review and comments of Footscray’s Indi Hots at Footscray Food Blog) In this case, it was an early lunch at 11.30am.

Zam Zam is one of many dozens of cheap and cheerful Indian eateries that have proliferated in the CBD in the past decade or so, catering to lunch hour workers and students at any hour. I love them. When I first moved to Melbourne in the mid-’80s, Indian food almost always meant a la carte dining in a more formal setting, with the inevitable whack on the wallet. Places like Zam Zam trade on high turnover and low prices. If your timing is right, you can almost always find something good at just about all of them.

The downside is, of course, sometimes they can turn on some appalling slop! Buyer beware and all that …

My Zam Zam lunch was very good – and, yes, I reckon I did benefit from getting in so early.

The beef curry had a nice, dark and rich gravy, and its onion strands a really nice touch of crunch. The dal was beautifully yellow and studded with chopped coriander. A jumble of beans, carrot and – Oh, yes! – cauliflower provided more crunch, even if the only thing Indian about it was a smattering of turmeric. Colourful and OK rice, a plate of wonderously crunchy and grease-free papadams and a soft drink rounded out the package, which clocked in at $11.90 on the cash register.

Pretty good value and all very tasty, if mildly spiced.

Most meals are served on stainless steel thali plates. We’ve got a bunch of them at home, and we just love them for the Indian food that is one of our domestic mainstays. But they do have one drawback – they don’t hold the food’s heat at all, meaning bain marie tucker – often not particularly hot in the first place – is inevitably cold by the end of one’s repast.

But that, too, goes with the territory.

Read another view of Zam Zam and some amusing comments at We Do Chew Our Food.

Zam Zam Indian Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Busted in Footscray: The Epilogue

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Dear Sir,

Your email has been noted.

Since 2000, we do not permit the taking of photograph within the premises of our Market.

Footscray Market is a privately owned property.

We regret that we are unable to accede to your request.

Best Regards,

ALLAN KONG

Busted in Footscray

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Irony: They’re unhappy about me taking photos but are only too happy to take mine.

****

Following an interesting discussion at the Ausjazz Blog of my good buddy Roger about the ethics and protocols of taking photographs in performance-type situations – including eateries – it seemed only fitting that I would find myself confronting the practicalities firsthand.

Having sauntered into Footscray Market, I snapped off a few pics in the market’s food hall.

At which point I was accosted by a somewhat officious security guard who informed me that not only was I not allowed to take photos but also I would be required to “destroy” those already taken.

When I pointed out to him that my intentions were honourable and that the entrance I had used boasted no signage saying the taking of photos was a no-no, he called his supervisor.

That gentleman informed me that if I wished to take photos I should seek approval of the manager.

When I trekked up two floors to the manager’s office, the two gents there curtly made it clear that the taking of photos was indeed forbidden.

And that was that.

Little Saigon Market, anyone?

Kenny’s new rule: Always ask.

Saturday in the ‘hood

3 Comments

Outstanding channa and puris, $7; shame about the plastic cutlery and ozone-rotting container.

Asian dog? Oh man, I gotta try me one of those!

Little Saigon Market.

Cavallaro’s

Babylon Restaurant.

Coffee and baklava at Babylon, $4.

Footscray Best Kebab House

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93 Nicholson St, Footscray. Phone: 9689 0777

Such a humble exterior, such a humdrum name … but behind both lies what is indisputably one of the landmark hot spots of the Melbourne eating firmament.

In fact, such unabashed fans are we of this establishment that we firmly believe it should be permanently lodged on the same list of Melbourne Sacred Sites that pays homage to the likes of the MCG, Hound Dog’s Bop Shop, Pelligrini’s, Brunetti’s, the Vic Market and so on.

No kidding!

The term kebab, of course, means different things to different people.

For many Australian, kebab is meat (usually lamb, and usually carved from a vertical spit), salad goodies and a garlciky yogurt sauce served in bread – pita or pide.

Indeed, some of the FBKH customers do just that.

(Kebab also means meat on skewers – which make satay sticks technically, if not nominally, kebabs.)

The FBKH has skewers, too – namely sublimely juicy and marinated shish kebabs of the lamb and chicken variety, and the minced, spiced lamb of the adana kebab.

Finally, it’s my understanding that kebab simply means meat – and that’s where the FBKH is at.

As already noted, some customers go for the pide sandwich with the fillings of their choice.

But the savvy, loyal and greatly numbered regulars – and we certainly count ourselves in that happy band – know better, and go for the preposterously fantastic plated meals.

Those regulars are a glorious and fair representation of rainbow Footscray.

There’s Mediterranean types, of course, but the FBKH is also a major hit with the local African community, while it’s fully part of the everyday routine here to see members of the various Asian demographics likewise chowing down.

The regulars place their orders at the front then grab one of the several and prized tables.

Prices have inched up over the years, and these days run from $10 for the small vegetarian to $22 for one-size-only mixed grill.

However, the large plates – except maybe for the ravenously hungered or plain old gluttonous – are fine for sharing, as many folks do. And that puts the FBKH firmly in the cheap eats bracket.

The meats are all superb.

The dips are good, too, but we have two outright favourites.

The beetroot is normally a lurid pink and comes with just the right blend of sweetness and earthiness.

The chilli dip, I find, is a little too spicy to slather on bread like the others – rather, used sparingly it is a crunchy, tangy taste sensation when used as a meat enhancer.

In terms of non-meat fare, the stuffed vine leaves are exceptional, with a firmly packed and tomatoey filling that is best inhaled cold. Combined with the falafels, dips and salads, we often go that route for the vegetarian plate.

The large meal of the day ($14, and featuring the quick and easy option of meat from the spit) was our review meal (4/9/10), with the beetroot dip on this day being an unusually restrained pink.

The lamb and chicken carved off the spit is of the layered variety – not the reconstituted, sausage-like meat also sometimes found in such places.

They’re both good, but the lamb is our favourite – crunchy, salty, crusty. Oh my!

Each plate comes with a cheerful, lemony salad jumble of red cabbage, carrot, lettuce, green onion, while we routinely also request the addition of a portion of the potato salad – oily, but divine!

Along with two dips of your choice is served a basket of  warm, fresh Turkish bread, while the large plates usually are also usually accompanied by a grilled green chilli, grilled large slice of tomato and marvellous rice with slivers of almond threaded through it..

Crockery and cutlery is real.

Service is friendly, but can be on the brisk side – this is only natural, as things can get a little insane in here during the lunch rush.

The FBKH is not open on Sundays, and not for dinner on the remaining days – which is probably just as well, given that the mall in which it is situated can be a mite scary after dark.

The Footscray Best Kebab House – it’s a treasure, and one of those rare places where genius is matched at every step by consistency.

Footscray Best Kebab House on Urbanspoon

Yemeni Restaurant

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124 Union Rd, Ascot Vale. Phone: 9372 0854

It seems unlikely there is another Melbourne noshery in which the food is derived from a country as unknown as this one.

If you hear about Yemen on the telly it’ll be on one of those highbrow current affairs programs; and when you read about Yemen in the newspapers (broadsheets only, of course), the news will never be good.

None of which even hints at the country’s history and culture, of course.

No matter – such geopolitical concerns lie outside the realms of our focus here – how simply wonderful and wonderfully Melbourne that we have a slice of Yemeni food culture right here.

It’s a Yemeni restaurant called … Yemeni Restaurant.

It’s been open for 14 months, we discovered it soon after and we’ve been semi-regular visitors since.

As befits a country that sits at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, and adjacent the northern African nations of Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia, the food here will be oddly familiar to anyone who has trawled through any of the African joints gaily spreading through Melbourne’s west or who has partaken of the various longer-established Middle Eastern tucker options.

As well, as the cyber age follows the jet age, even regional food such as this boasts a touch of the cosmopolitan.

Thus the menu features fish and chips and pasta, while for breakfast there’s eggs various ways and the familiar foul.

Mind you, the opening hours are officially never earlier than 11am, so breakfast will be late if that’s the way you want to go.

Our usual order has been what I suspect is the standard Yemeni meal – mundi (meat and rice).

The lamb is on the bone, and has always been flavoursome and tender, although minus sauce or gravy. I love what places such as this do with the, ahem, more affordable meat cuts!

However, on my most recent visit (28/8/10), I was talked into trying the kebsa (chicken and rice, $12).

It was yummy!

A smallish but adequate leg and thigh were coated by and resting in a dark brown sauce/gravy. The multicoloured rice was studded with strands of fried onions and sultanas, while a jumble of salad bits completed the plate. Sitting to the side in little white bowls were creamy yogurt and a piquant salsa-like mash of green chilies.

The food is quite mild and not overly rich, but the chili concoction and yogurt do a fine job of providing zing.

We’ve also had a dish called mugelge – a sort of rich stew served with a flat bread called mullawah.

Others – such as the cous cous, falafel and Yemeni soup – await future visits.

The cutlery is metal and the crockery is real.

The owners tell me business is going well, and that they’re crowded and busy on some nights. For us – dropping in for a weekend lunch or an early mid-week dinner – we’ve mostly had the joint to ourselves.

The service is very friendly and the decor bog standard ethnic noshery – which is pretty much the place in the world where I feel most comfortable, outside my own living room, these days.

There’s a carpeted and cushioned area out back for a more stylish and traditional mode of dining.

Before stumbling upon this place, Union Rd was a thoroughfare we occasionally traversed in the course of going somewhere else.

These days it’s become much more of a destination itself.

There’s a somewhat similar and very good African place and an organic bakery that specialises in sweeties just up the road, along with a greengrocer, deli and butcher. A natty old-school Chinese place awaits exploration. More to come …

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Fresh On Young

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34 Young St, Moonee Ponds. Phone 9375 3114


Young St is parallel to Puckle St, while Fresh On Young faces out on to the carpark adjacent Safeway.

This ain’t no supermarket – it may stock the likes of loo paper and laundry powder and so on, but not so that I’ve noticed.

On the other hand, nor is it a humble suburban fruit and vegie outfit. Nope, it’s more like a super-charged greengrocery.

In fact, the depth, breadth, colour and vitality of this outfit delivers much of the vibe of a visit to, say, Footscray market with very little of the jostling and hassles.

It’s a long building with a narrow street frontage, but it’s surprising how much they cram in there without ever engendering a cluttered or claustrophobic feel.

They have all the fresh fruit and vegies well covered, from staples to the more exotic, with specials to the front or outside.

The meats are all shrink-wrapped, but they cover a lot of bases there, too. We regularly pick up a six-pack of Italian pork sausages, which are as good as any we use for pasta sauces and seem more competitively priced than more specialist places. They even had goat when I dropped in a few weeks back.

The deli section down the end appears at first glance to be rather modest, but a look closer reveals they have all aspects of that covered, too.

There’s all the pasta, oils and vinegars and so you could want. I usually pick up some of the Motta or Lavazza coffee that’s on special, while down the front there’s also a pretty good selection of breads on hand – ranging from pide to sourdough.

There’s two checkout counters, one on either side at the front, and between them they can handle four shoppers at a time. I’ve always found the service quick and hassle-free.

Sadly, Fresh On Young is too far away from our Yarraville pad to be our regular one-stop grocery store. I wish!

Ripples Fish And Chips

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14 Margaret St, Moonee Ponds. Phone 9370 0800

I’ve grown quite fussy about my fish and chips. I can imagine a scenario or two wherein I might eat them takeaway-style. Maybe tossed from the fryer into one of those cardboard trays, thrown is a paper bag and then scarfed at an adjacent beach no more than a few minutes walk away.

But as for eating ’em after they’ve been wrapped in paper and toted home – well, no, we don’t do that no more. The result might have appeal for some, but for me by the time you get around to it, them fish an chips is steamed, rather than fried. Just like home-delivered Cantonese food – in fact, home-delivered food of most kinds, including pizza.

I’m also quite a fan of the new-school fish and chip joints (and burger enterprises) that are now scattered across Melbourne.

Let’s face it – this isn’t the kind of food that any of us wants to live on, or even eat regularly.

So when I indulge, I want it good and I don’t mind going the extra yards – and paying the odd extra dollar.

In all regards, Ripples – in a strip of eateries right across from the Moonee Ponds train station – hits the spot.

Inside, it’s all spotlessly clean and gleaming formica and chrome.

They do such things as grilled this and cajun that, but I’m not interested.

The coleslaw is your typical Aussie routine – that is, swimming in mayo – but less so than in your average chicken shop. It’s pretty good, actually, and the cabbage/carrot/onion combo is crunchy and pleasingly on the fresh side.

The chips are always hot and likewise crunchy.

A recent visit (21/8/10) for fish, chips, coleslaw, tartare sauce, can of coke clocked in at $14.10.

On his single visit, Bennie had his usual burger-with-the-lot-minus-egg, pronouncing it just fine.

And here’s the clincher – Ripples staff not only bring your meals to your table, they bring REAL cuttlery and REAL crockery with them.

In the new world of fish and chips, one in which the oil is presumably changed a lot more often than on a yearly basis, that’ll get my vote and my money every time.

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