Tag Archives: cheap eats

Werribee gets a pho joint

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Pho 128, 72 Watton St, Werribee. Phone: 8742 3128

Our plans for a long overdue first visit to a Seddon Indian place are nixed upon learning there’s parent night at Bennie’s new school.

So timing is of the essence – there are places in Werrribee we have yet to try, but their turnaround times are an unknown quantity, so we head for the town’s relatively new pho joint, Pho 128.

We wonder if it will deliver pho-house quality without the critical mass of Footscray, Sunshine or St Albans.

Pho 128 certainly looks the part, with Bennie even opining, “This looks like it’ll be good”.

But a closer inspection reveals the sort of approaches no doubt necessary in a location such as this.

There are no Vietnamese names for the dishes, for instance.

And there’s even “pho seafood”, with crabsticks.

Having earlier resolved to test Pho 128’s benchmarks – a bowl of simple, straightahead pho and one of the rice or vermicelli options – we let our curiosity run free and cave.

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Bennie’s beef stew has the correct flavour, even if it is rather tame, and the beautifully tender chunks of beef (off the bone) and carrot.

But the liquid is viscous, and perhaps even thickened, in a way you’ll never find in the likes of this Footscray institution‘s bo kho.

As well, the rice noodles are thick and white, rather than thin and transparent.

Still, Bennie likes it.

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My Vietnamese chicken curry is likewise not quite as expected.

It’s a much darker colour than the classic chook curry found at this St Albans’ fave; the gravy is thicker, too, giving the dish an almost Japanese vibe.

As ever with Vietnamese chicken curry the proof is perversely in the potato chunks – and these half-dozen or so are very fine indeed, curry-coloured to their very core.

The meat is boneless, a tad on the tough side but quite tasty.

Not meeting expectations fostered by familiarity with the west’s hardcore Viet hubs is no sin and we’ve enjoyed our quick, pre-school function meals.

But we can’t help but feel we may have well and truly goofed by not sticking with the original pho-and-rice scenario.

 

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Members only? Cruising!

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Albert Park Yachting and Angling Club, Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park. Phone: 9690 5530

Blogging works best with a genuine spirit of giving and sharing – advice, support and more.

But there is a fine line for an ambitious blogger between pro bono and “work” that should come with some sort of pay packet.

In the case of my former Sunday Herald Sun colleague Veronica, I’m happy to make the drive to Brighton to spend a couple of hours addressing with her all sorts of philosophical, tactical and technical blog-related issues.

Especially as she’s paying for lunch.

Her blog, Australian Cruising News, has been up and running for a while, but she is only just now getting round to making it really sing.

And I’m delighted to learn she is determined to make her site less a soft mouthpiece for the industry and more the sort of feisty, lively blog I know she’s capable of producing.

Going the non-flogger route, she may ruffle a few feathers along the way but in the longer term it’ll stand her in good stead in terms of individual integrity and respect AND, somewhat perversely, eventually garner the same of respect from the industry!

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But after two-plus hours of widgets, links, tags, Facebook pages, themes and a whole lot more, we are wrung out and glazed of eye.

Given that I am planning to run a blogging course at a western suburbs community centre in the not too distant future, Veronica has done me a real service, as this has been an excellent learning experience.

The people I will teaching will be coming from way behind where Veronica is, so where initially I wondered how I was going to fill six or eight two-hour classes, now I know it will be nowhere near enough.

And I learn that patience is most certainly a teaching virtue and that ultimately people must for themselves.

I can see me issuing lots of homework assignments!

After all that, she and I are hungry – and so is her hubby, Neil.

So we head off to the Albert Park Yachting And Angling Club, of which Veronica is a member.

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The club may be “members only” but has a nice, relaxed feel.

I feel more at home and ease than I suspect I’d feel in other “members only” establishments scattered around the bay and in the CBD!

I’m told the club’s annual meeting was the previous night, to which my friends attribute the thinner-than-usual lunchtime crowd.

Likewise, they tell me the blackboard menu is less extensive than usual.

But we make do and eat well of meals that come across as good, solid pub-style tucker and that are priced accordingly.

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We share a main-serve plate of panko squid rings ($19).

Good they are, too, and the real deal, as opposed to surimi “rings”.

They’re ungreasy and fresh, with the batter sticking on fine.

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Veronica is pleased with her lemon pepper chicken salad with a yogurt dressing.

The chook piece I try is a little on the dry side, but she tells me the well-dressed salad does the lubrication job.

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Neil has the porterhouse steak ($21). I’m told he always does, in this case complementing the red–wine sauce with a dollop of good, old-fashioned sauce of the tomato variety.

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I try the grilled salmon with a potato and greens “kasoundi salad” ($22).

The fish is beautifully cooked, tender and delicious.

The salad, too, is fine, with heaps of beans and asparagus.

The kasundi element is restricted to a hefty smear of the chutney across the top of my fish portion.

Its tastes sort-of OK, bit I wish it wasn’t there – it’s a bit weird.

Blogging aside, it’s great to catch up with an old work mate.

I wonder if ears have been burning as we’ve discussed, in frank and fearless fashion, times past and those who populated them?

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CTS Feast No.4: Slurp!

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Pho House, 318 Racecourse Road, Flemington. Phone: 9372 1426

It’s a thrill to contemplate that with the successful completion of the fourth Consider The Sauce Feast, a tradition has been established.

Long may it continue!

The fourth gathering took place at what has already become a favourite of ours.

Pho House adds just the right Vietnamese touch to Racecourse Road in Flemington, rounding out one of Melbourne’s best foodie strips.

So much quality and fun is such a small package!

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CTS Feat No.4 had some familiar faces from earlier escapades – namely Alistair and Michelle and their gorgeous daughter; and Charles, who brought along his daughter, Celina.

I was very excited to meet Pauline, a regular commenter on CTS with whom I enjoyed discussing Yarraville shopping and how to get kids to eat interesting, Pauline was accompanied by her pal, Sarah.

Also seated at our bubbly table was Jill from Spice Bazaar and her friend Angela.

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We were joined by a former colleague of mine, Corrina, and her partner Dave. So cool to have such a good mate from my previous life make an appearance!

Last but not least, we also enjoyed the company of my favourite food blogger in the whole world (other than myself) and Westies co-conspirator, Lauren of Footscray Food Blog.

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We started with samples of real nice and freshly made spring rolls and rice paper rolls before moving on to the soup dishes.

For the mains, everyone went the bowl route, with no one choosing the rice plate options.

Save for two customers, we all went for pho of various kinds involving a wide variety of beef.

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My own plain rare beef small was just fine.

There was much happy slurping done.

Pauline and Sarah went for the seafood curry laksa, which has a rather lovely story behind it.

When I had earlier asked Talina why she had laksa on the menu, she told me it was actually a carry-over from the previous inhabitants of the premises, the much-loved Vy Vy.

So another tradition continues!

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The girls enjoyed their laksa very much, and having dug it myself several times in recent weeks I can vouch for its excellence.

It’s mildly spiced and very creamy, but it’s the seafood that is the biz.

Apart from a plethora of surimi such as fish balls and fish cake, Talina’s laksa has fresh fish, a not very common laksa occurrence, and fat, bursty prawns that are very high on prawn flavour – also not a very common laksa occurrence.

Thanks to our Consider The Sauce friends for the company and thanks to Talina and her staff for taking care of us on what was an already busy night, even without us taking up so much space!

PS: Alistair, I can insert a close-up photo of the top of your noggin if you so desire.

See previous review here; the Pho House Facebook page is here.

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Consider The Sauce Feast No.4: Pho House,

318 Racecourse Road, Flemington. Phone: 9372 1426

Wednesday, Janurary 29, from 7pm.

Menu:

Assorted Pho House entrees and snacks.

Choice of pho, laksa or rice dish.

Soft drinks.

 

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Seddon cricket tastes good

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THE WINNERS: Malith, Vinny, Ragz, Krishna and Vuos.

Seddon Cricket Club Multicultural Day

One of the big upsides of working for the MMP group that publishes the Maribyrnong Weekly and associated mastheads across Melbpourne’s west is that Consider The Sauce gets inside running on events and stories that may otherwise pass us by.

These have included a Werribee barramundi farm and an open day at a beautiful Keilor olive establishment.

So it was that, while editing some sports briefs, I came across, at the end business of the very final item, mention of the Seddon Cricket Club’s multicultural day, a festival of cricket and the club’s varied community also being used to officially launch revamped clubrooms.

Some quick online sleuthing puts me in touch with club assistant secretary Matthew, who tells me he is well aware of CTS, thinks it “excellent” and that I am most welcome to join the party.

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Andrea, a.k.a wife of senior coach Tim, does good work as official photographer but her kiddie-ride efforts are less well appreciated.

The running sheet he sends me includes the following:

“8pm: ‘Foods of the World’ Dinner supplied by club members includes Chick pea Curry, Lamb Vindaloo, Saag Paneer (Indian), Sri Lankan Curry (Sri Lanka) Minced pork and eggplant (Vietnamese), Bratwurst and Sauerkraut (German), Lasagne (Italian), Moussaka (Greek) and Tacos (Mexican).”

I joke that all I have to do is throw in a few adjectives and my story will be done!

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On the sunny afternoon I turn up halfway through the final of the 15-over final of the Australia Day tournament, in which the Asians beat the Anzacs.

I raise a few laughs when I ask some of the winners (top photograph) which team they played for.

I enjoy talking with club president Jason, treasurer Jamie, secretary Rolf, Jason’s mum Joan and many other club stalwarts, both young and old.

It’s sublimely delightful to discover just how seriously and with just how much heart the club has embraced this multicultural thing, with a wide swathe of the planet represented among the ranks and including westies both old-school and new-school.

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The racket in the clubrooms increases in volume as the beer supplies decrease.

Some sharp-witted and sometimes rowdy speechifying ends with Joan cutting the ribbon to declare the club’s swish new home truly open for business.

Then it’s time for the food, which has been set out on a long trestle table.

There seems to be heaps and heaps of it.

But a robust appetite has been acquired by the on-hand hordes and it all goes quickly and happily.

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I have a plate of red kidney bean curry, minced pork and eggplant, and “New Delhi” chick pea curry.

They are so very good – and confirm what I already know: That food served at such wonderful community events, cooked with love in your ordinary family home kitchens, just can’t be beat.

I leave my car at Yarraville Gardens and walk home.

Thanks for having me!

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Spring rolls for which to die

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Xuan Banh Cuon, 232 Hampshire Road, Sunshine. Phone: 0422 810 075

Regular Consider The Sauce readers may be familiar already with Xuan Banh Cuon.

The restaurant’s signature dish, pork and prawn banh cuon, was chosen as one of the inaugural winners of the Westies: Dishes Of Distinction, the exciting western suburbs food awards initiated by Consider The Sauce and Lauren Wambach of Footscray Food Blog.

See Westies stories here, here and here, and Lauren’s review here.

Since then, we’ve become regulars.

It’s fair to say Xuan Banh Cuon is our go-to Vietnamese joint in Sunshine and perhaps the entire west.

We love the points of difference, the friendly welcome, the freshness and diversity of the food – and its healthiness.

I’ve eaten a good deal of banh cuon there by now, and really enjoyed some of the other dishes, too.

I’ve loved the red specialty noodles with prawn, pork and homemade fishcake.

And the bun thit nuong (vermicelli with chargrilled pork) is a sinful delight.

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There’s still plenty of scope for CTS to explore here, but on the occasion of our first actual review of this splendid establishment, I’d like to rave about the spring rolls.

More specifically, the northern-style spring rolls with vermicelli (top photo).

These rolls are quite different from the familiar spring rolls served in Vietnamese places all over the West.

We’ve all had plenty of them – and enjoyed them.

But the contrast with these beauties is stark indeed, so great are they in terms of textural and flavour delight.

In order to nail the details, Carson, Nathan and other members of the Xuan Banh Cuon extended family who happen to be present gather around me for a round-table discussion.

The casings are made of rice and called banh trang. We settle on “rice glass” as an acceptable English variation.

They’re delicate and slightly crunchy.

Inside the rolls are bean shoots, mushroom, glass noodle, carrot, pork and prawn.

Sounds so simple, nothing too flash, eh?

The eating tells a very different story.

Especially when the rolls are mixed in with the chilli dressing/sauce and the gathered herbage.

If you order pho at Xuan Banh Cuon – and you can – you will get the usual and familiar accessories.

Order spring rolls, banh cuon or thit nuong, though, and you’ll get a much more lively and diverse mix – including lots of mint and coriander.

Delicious!

 

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Holy cow – bunny chow!

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Cafe Indigo, Sanctuary Lakes Shopping Centre, Point Cook

Sanctuary Lakes shopping centre for a meeting with a new friend, new contact, new editor of a new newspaper.

But lunch first.

Am headed for a centre stalwart we have enjoyed on previous occasions, sparing only a quick glance for a cafe I have previously noted with some interest but which has been put in the “another day” category.

But what’s this? Cafe Indigo just got a whole lot more interesting.

Item: Chole bhature. Hell yes! A CTS favourite … but perhaps not today.

Item: Bombay breakfast of eggs poached in spiced mince. Hmmmm …

Item: Samosa burger … well, that sounds pretty good, too!

But what is bunny chow?

Pradeep explains that it’s a South African dish in which curry is stuffed into bread.

Curry-stuffed bread?

OK, I’m in … just the kind of thing I love taking a punt on.

In the meantime, and as I await my lunch, I get sleuthing  – and discover a whole world of funky working man’s tucker that fits right in with the Consider The Sauce world view.

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While bunnies can be found all over South Africa and even the world, the spiritual home of the bunny is Durban.

This apparently authoritative piece at Wikipedia has a rundown on bunny lore, as does this one at Facts About Durban.

I especially like this knowing quote from the latter:

“The correct way to refer to Bunny Chows when talking about them or asking for directions to the nearest purveyor is as Bunnies. The use of the word Chow will indelibly mark you as an outsider, and a pretty uncool one at that. When talking to friends it would be quite correct to suggest ‘Let’s go get us some Bunnies’. You could say to your host, taxi driver, tour guide or concierge ‘I’m really desperate for a Bunny’, ‘I need a Bunny’, ‘Show me the nearest Bunny’, or ask ‘who makes the best Bunny in town?'”

 I even discover the most fabulous blog, Quarterbunny, which is run by a crew I “heart” instantaneously – they’re driven, possessed and obsessed, and completely unapologetic about it.

Quarterbunny has reviews and photos of such splendidly named establishments as Patel’s Vegetarian Refreshment Lounge and Mrs Govender’s Curry Kitchen And Take Away.

I’m not sure what the Quarterbunny experts would make of my Cafe Indigo bunny, but it tastes really fine to me.

The lamb curry is mild but wonderfully sticky, and has the odd cardamom floating about and some nice potato chunks.

I eat my bunny with cutlery, though I suspect this is flouting some sort of fundamental bunny etiquette. (I subsequently discover this is indeed the case!)

I just love the way the curry gravy soaks into the bread.

And that bread, by the way, is your standard white loaf.

This is working man’s food and your boutique bread nonsense is not only unwanted in this sort of terrain but would be an outright disaster.

Artisan sourdough?

Stuff that! Or not, if you follow me …

The asking price for my Cafe Indigo bunny is $11.90, which I suspect would horrify your typical Durban bunny maven.

But I consider it a good deal given shopping centre rents and the opportunity to embrace a soul food genre of which I have been – until this very hour – completely ignorant.

As I await my new friend, I enjoy a long chat with Pradeep and Ankur about many things Indian food and eateries, especially those spread across the west, resolving all the while to return soon to try their vegetable and chicken bunnies.

 

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Something very fishy in Werribee

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These barramundi – by the far the biggest CTS has ever laid eyes on – are two to three years old.

MainStream Aquaculture, 73-79 Lock Avenue, Werribee

As an investment banker, Boris Musa was on the board on MainStream Aquaculture in Werribee.

He liked the company and what it does so much, he signed up and is now managing director and chief executive.

And wears jeans and a polo shirt to work.

“I have a couple of expensive suits in the wardrobe that I never wear,” he says with an easy smile.

In the process, he’s moved from Hawthorn to Seaholme – so his transformation into a Westie is complete!

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The old-timers seen in the top photo are named after the company’s shareholders.

I am fascinated as he talks me through the company’s operations and then gives me “the tour”.

The private company was formed in 2003 and has 40 or so investors and a staff of about 20, two of whom are involved in the marketing side of things.

It sells “seed stock genetic material” – barramundi that are about 20 to 30 days’ old – for export.

And it sells mature barramundi, as “quality food fish”, for the domestic market.

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The company has three export sectors – the Middle East, South-East Asia and the US.

The company relies on pure water from an aquifer 300 metres below the company’s Werribee property. And, yes, they pay for that resource.

One of the company’s local customers is a venerable Footscray institution.

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About 60 to 70 per cent of the company’s trade is in live fish, be they large or small.

But it also sells chilled whole fish and value-added products such as smoked fish.

The fingerling exports are handled two different ways.

Fish bins with oxygen regulators are designed for wide-body aircraft and can carry quarter of a million fish.

Oxygenated plastic bags in foam containers on pallets are capable of storing far fewer fish but present a more flexible option, as there are far more flights available in terms of non-wide-body planes.

Boris is participating in the 2014 Ride to Cure Diabetes – see his story and/or make a donation here.

The MainStream website is here.

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CTS Feast No.4: Pho House

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NOTE: THIS FEAST IS NOW FULLY SUBSCRIBED! NO MORE APPLICATIONS, THANKS!

Meet Talina!

She’s the boss lady at Pho House, the lovely joint that is adding even more diversity to Racecourse Road in Flemington.

You’ll be unsurprised to learn, given the name of her restuarant, that she is proud of her pho.

Very proud.

And she wants CTS readers to try it!

So in conjunction with Consider The Sauce, Talina and her Pho House crew will host the fourth Consider The Sauce Feast.

Talina really, really does want you to try her pho.

But, OK, if you insist, the lucky punters who gain feast seats can opt for a laksa or rice dish.

As well, there will assorted Pho House entrees and soft drinks.

If you fancy a beer or wine, you will be expected to pay for them yourself.

Pretty much the same ground rules as applied for previous CTS Feasts …

  • No restrictions this time around on those who have attended previous CTS dinners.  
  • First in, first served.
  • There are 10 places only available.
  • Fellow food bloggers welcome to apply but they will not be given preference.
  • No more than two places to be claimed by any applicant, though “singles” will also be accepted.
  • There will be no charge for food or soft drinks, but guests will be expected to pay for their own alcohol.
  • Applications only to the email address posted elsewhere on this site. Attempts to gain a seat by commenting on this post will be ignored.

Consider The Sauce Feast No.4: Pho House,

318 Racecourse Road, Flemington. Phone: 9372 1426

Wednesday, Janurary 29, from 7pm.

Menu:

Assorted Pho House entrees and snacks.

Choice of pho, laksa or rice dish.

Soft drinks.

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See earlier story here and the Pho House Facebook page here.

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Ignoring the bratwurst option

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Wing Loong Restaurant, 512 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. Phone: 9663 1899

This wearing a beret in the heat and the sun is getting ridiculous.

Bennie and I have scoured many of the obvious spots for a dad hat for summer to no avail.

It’s not the prices so much – although there is that – but the fact we simply can’t find one to fit.

What to do?

“Vic Market,” says he.

He’s right.

But first, lunch.

We fancy revisiting one of the popular and reliable places on the stretch of Elizabeth just south of the market – maybe this one, or this one or that one.

But they’re all packed – not a seat to be had.

So we resort to a place we suspect is frequented by many people in the same situation.

Wing Loong should be hotspot, sited as it is right opposite the market and in slightly roomier and very slightly classier premises than its Elizabeth Street neighbours.

But the meal we have is on the down side of average.

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To be fair, Bennie gets the best of it.

He really enjoys his meat-laden, tasty pork congee and cleans the bowl in swift fashion.

I’m not so lucky.

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It can be hard to define what separates a super Chinese roast-meat-and-rice plate from a drab one.

Whatever it is, my plate doesn’t have “it”.

OK rice, bok choy, quite tender but dull on-the-bone chicken are all in attendance, but lacking the spark to make my lunch in any way memorable.

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Same goes for our quartet of steamed beef dumplings.

The place has been quite busy during our stay, and perhaps there’s some real winners on the longish and reasonably-priced menu.

But maybe we shoulda gone for a stand-up bratwurst across the road.

 

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Neigbourly BBQ

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Hallah, 268 Victoria St, North Melbourne. Phone: 9329 4293

Our neighbour and mate Rob may be on the verge of moving to hipster Fitzroy, but he’s been on food adventures with us often enough to know our style.

So it phases him not at all that we park in the vicinity of Vic Market and then set about deciding where to eat.

The night market is rocking and the numbers are big.

Bennie pricks his ears up, but his two companions firmly nix that idea quick smart.

A couple of likely places are closed, so we end up stumbling into Hallah and enjoy a good Korean meal.

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Like everywhere around here on this night, it’s busy.

The staff cope well but the service is a little perfunctory.

That’s OK – we’re happy to eat and split, so the swiftness with which our food appears is appreciated.

As we’re right into catching up, covering a fascinating range of conversational topics and don’t want to pore over the menu, we quickly settle on the least expensive of the three set menus – the Hallah assorted BBQ set for two people ($56), and throw in another dish from the broader menu to make up for the fact we’re a threesome.

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Presumably the pork belly, beef short rib fillets and chicken thigh are meant to be the highlight of our meal.

The meat is fine, juicy and tender, and enjoyable with the three dipping sauces – one soy, one oil-salt-pepper, and another that seems to be a slightly spicy miso mash.

But I, at least, am a little underwhelmed. It’s at this point I’m thinking that ordering some of the more prosaic one-bowl dishes earlier in the menu may have been wiser.

But the bells and whistles that come with our meal impress much more and are much more fun.

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For me there is a breakthrough here.

I’ve always been indifferent or unswayed by the charms of kimchi, so am delighted to find this is the first – ever – I can say I truly enjoyed it.

The shredded cabbage and bean sprouts are plain and perhaps in need of more seasoning, but we all three pounce on the beautifully pickled onion.

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The seafood pancake is a delight – stuffed with seafood and greenery, its texture and flavour is far superior to the dry, starchy version we’ve often had as green onion pancake in Chinese places.

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“Soybean past soup” packs an intense flavour hit and is chockers with vegetableses and baby clams.

Our “extra” dish to complement the set menu is dragon cheese chicken ($16, top photograph).

Listed as spicy, it seems to us hardened chilli warriors anything but.

It IS very cheesy and strikes me as odd verging on weird.

But there you go.

The set menu option has served our purposes for this particular social outing.

But we reckon a closer, more discerning examination of the menu may reap fine dividends – it’s packed with many options.

The $28 plates of fried chicken we see sailing past us look especially hot.

The Hallah website is here.

 

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Gelati magic

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Hello Gelo, 15 Anderson St Yarraville. Phone: 90785696

As previously and recently noted, Hello Gelo in Yarraville is very much our go-to place for gelati.

Indeed, we love Scott and what he does, dig checking out his new flavours and can barely imagine life without our several-times-a-week visits to his Anderson Street emporium.

So we are excited to invited to witness him whipping up some of his gelati magic.

Scott has been running Hello Gelo here for about 4 1/2 years, having sold his Carlton cafe about three years ago.

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We have questions.

Is there a difference between gelati and ice cream?

The answer appears to be “no” but also a significant “yes”.

As I understand it, ice cream is higher in fat but has more air, while gelati is lower in fat but is a much denser product.

Fat-wise, this would seem to balance out.

But I’m also left in even less doubt that when it comes to ice cream/gelati, you get what you pay for.

Budget-priced supermarket brands cost what they do because of ingredients (“padding”) the details of which you may not want to know.

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As it is, our admiration for Scott and his products grows in leaps and bounds as we watch him in action and hear about how he goes about his work.

The attention to detail and solid determination to use only the best ingredients is fantastic!

Here is a man, for instance, who makes his own hokey pokey using golden syrup, castor sugar and bicarb.

You reckon that’s what you may be getting in your generic brand ice cream?

I don’t think so!

He uses fresh fruit where available, affordable and applicable.

For other flavours, he uses frozen fruit just because the flavour is better or, in the case of the gorgeous-smelling amarena cherrys, a premium imported product simply because it has to be that way.

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When we arrive, he has already prepared the bases of the four flavours he will be making – forest berry sorbet, raspberry ice cream, black cherry yogurt bubblegum.

The bases consist of dextrose, sugar, skim milk powder and natural vegetable gums.

Those bases are then poured into his Corema gelati machine along with full-fat milk and the fruit or flavourings.

For ripple gelatis, such as today’s black cherry yogurt or hokey pokey or anything involving solids such as nuts, Scott deftly uses a spatula to weave the goodies into the gelati as it exits the machine.

The gelati straight of the machine tastes delicious, of course, but has the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.

A couple of hours in Scott’s “shock freezer” fixes that up and then they’re ready to sell.

Scott tells us his most popular flavours are chocolate and salted caramel.

Quantities vary, but last summer found him making 300 litres in a two-day period.

And yes, in summer and on hot days, he sells way more of his dairy-free sorbets or ices.

 

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In tune in Yarraville

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Feedback Cafe, 31 Ballarat Street, Yarraville. Phone: 9689 1955

Bad impressions can linger.

Feedback Cafe has been around for what seems like forever – certainly as long as we’ve been in the west and hanging out in the village, and certainly long before we’d ever heard about food blogs.

Management changed about five years ago but we’ve been slow to re-frequent the place.

We didn’t have what you’d call rotten times at Feedback back then, but a certain charmlessness in both food and service terms meant the place fell into the “prefer others” category.

Following more regular visits in recent times, a beaut lunch Bennie and I enjoy there has us wondering why we haven’t made Feedback Cafe our Yarraville home base all along.

The music really, really helps.

Those recent visits have mostly been made to a soundtrack of greasy, swinging, rocking old-school ’40s and ’50s rhythm and blues.

For our Monday lunch, Bennie and I are serenaded in a different way – by troubadour Michael Hurley.

Hurley is part of a brilliantly crazy musical tribe that also includes the Holy Modal Rounders and Jeffrey Frederick.

Fully embedded in American music traditions, but always standing slightly, hilariously, magically apart, this whacko crew also includes my good Kentucky pal Gary Sisco.

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During our lunch, I Facebook message Sisco to tell him we’re enjoying his mate Hurley while dining and that the music-crazed Feedback crew have even been known to enjoy a Holy Modal Rounders-themed week.

Now THAT’S cool.

Sisco had his own album, Sisco & Pals the End of the Trail, released through the Jeffrey Frederick website a few years back.

The album is still available there, as are heaps of other releases by these folks.

The site is chockers with memorable, incredibly funny hair-raising tales of the tribe’s history by Sisco and others.

And like Sisco, I reckon the 1976 album Have Moicy, featuring Hurley, Frederick and the Rounders, is an outright masterpiece that stands with the very best Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Chuck Berry or any other American genius you can think of has ever come up with.

OK, on with the food!

The feedback lunch menu (below) has a decided American south/south-west slant without getting too precious about it.

That’s a bit like the way the decor and general atmosphere go their own slightly scruffy, comfy lived-in way in a nice contrast to the increasing hipster-sheen of Yarraville and Seddon.

The staff, too, have that slightly scruffy, comfy, lived-in look. (Joke!)

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As I did on my previous visit, Bennie orders the pulled pork po’ boy with slaw and chipotle BBQ sauce ($10).

It’s fresh and crunchy, and he likes it, but hankers for a more robust BBQ flavour.

And he frankly, rudely ogles the popcorn chicken po’ boy a lovely gran is attacking at an adjacent table.

It DOES look real fine!

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My hillbilly chilli of chipotle, stout and puy lentils with corn chips and sour cream ($11) is unlike any chill I’ve ever had.

There’s no red beans, for starters!

But with the sour cream, a lesser amount of cheddar and some salsa, the beautifully cooked lentils make for a satisfying lunch.

The corn chips are the same quality brand we always have around home – that’s a good thing!

After a couple of stupendously fine cafe lattes, I remark to Bennie as we amble up Ballarat Street that my beverages have completely alleviated my back pain.

That’s not true, but they’ve sure made it more bearable!

(PS: I saw the Holy Modal Rounders live on Haight Street, San Francisco, in 1977!)

 

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Street food blow-out in St Albans

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Chinese New Year, Alfrieda Street, St Albans

Ahhh, a lazy Sunday.

One on which we resolve to behave like do-nothing home-bodies.

We’re getting good at this as it’s precisely what we’ve worked resolutely on for the past three weeks.

We’ve even pulled the plug on a cross-town trip to the Astor to see a Marx Brothers double bill.

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Our slacker routine does, however, come with a mandatory self-imposed stipulation of at least a single out-of-the-house excursion and we’re planning on making that a relaxed WeFo cafe lunch.

But then a pal emails us with the riveting information that it’s Chinese New year time in St Albans.

So off we go …

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We’re no strangers to Chinese New Year celebrations but this is our first in St Albans.

It’s a doozy.

The whole of the Alfrieda Street strip is pulsating … with distorted music, laughter, prancing dragons and much more.

And it smells terrific.

While there’s some overlap between the massive number of food stalls, there is a gratifyingly wide number of choices available, much of it on sticks.

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As we amble up and down and back up the street, we make big-time happy with:

  • Deep-fried calamari
  • Mini Vietnamese pancakes
  • Wonderful grilled sweet corn
  • Skewers of beef interspersed with onion and capsicum
  • Beef honey jerky.
  • A wonderfully crunchy, fresh, healthy (!) green papaya salad with jerky and peanuts that almost matches the one we enjoyed at this august occasion.

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As we are leaving, a dude asks if it’s OK for his girlfriend to take a photo of him and I.

As Bennie concludes, it’s probably all over FB or Twitter by now …

Maybe I should start charging for Mythbusters pictorial duties.

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Wayo wow in Flemo

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Wayo Japanese Dining, 286 Racecourse Road, Flemington. Phone: 9376 5484

Ahh, 286 Racecourse Road …

For many years it was the site of this site’s preferred charcoal chicken shop.

Its products were not in any way different or better than those of most similar places.

But when the mood for such trashy food was upon us, we always received a warm welcome there.

And they served their in-house food on real plates with real cutlery.

But now it’s the home of a chic new Japanese eatery.

It looks good, and we enjoy the service and the promptness with which our food is delivered to us.

And on the basis of our first lunch there, we reckon that if Wayo was situated in, say, the CBD, Fitzroy or Prahran, the queues would already be forming.

There’s a few sushi rolls in the display cabinet, but mostly the menu sticks to some basic yet enticing bowls and grills.

The entree list numbers 12 – order all or most of them and you’d have a mighty spread of Japanese-style tapas for a table of four or so punters.

From that list we choose charcoal grilled vegetables (large serve, $13.50) as a shared starter.

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The vegetables – wonderfully including fennel – are beautifully cooked, taste as good and go great with the dark, lusty sesame sauce.

The only quibble we have is with what seems to be a rather steep price.

Bennie chooses a simple bowl of curry with rice ($10; the same meal is available with chicken cutlet for $14).

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The lad is a little underwhlemed.

He reckons the beef quotient is neither here nor there.

But it tastes good to me, the gravy being a rich brown, deep of flavour and – of course – of only mild spiciness.

Maybe he’s outright envious of his dad’s meal.

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Charcoal grilled chicken ($13) with yakiniku BBQ sauce is a delight.

The miso soup appears as if it may be quite a class above that served in most cheap Japanese places, stuffed as it is with onion chunks and more.

But we both find it a tad flavourless.

I suspect this style of miso soup is supposed to look and taste just as we have been provided, but we miss that miso tang nevertheless.

The thigh pieces are much better – only lightly grilled, they boast splendid chook flavour.

That flavour is quite subtle, though, so I may have been better off choosing one of the other, less robust sauces available.

Quite apart from our meals and experience in general, it’s the attention to detail at Wayo that really impresses.

It would be easy to bluntly dismiss, for instance, my serve of potato salad as just a pile cold mashed spud.

But that would be to ignore the skill with which the potato has been cooked and dressed to be fully tender yet maintain such a wonderful, grainy texture.

Likewise with the green salad provided with both our meals – the ingredients are super fresh, well-balanced and dressed with a delicacy seldom seen in such contexts.

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We like, too, the rustic wooden tables.

Blogger note of appreciation: They are non-reflective!

Even the handsome wooden chop sticks and soup spoons add their own touch of joy and class to the Wayo experience.

We suggest the Wayo crew might want to place a sign somewhere that says something along the lines of:

“1. Please order at counter.

 2. Please pay when ordering.

 3. Cash only.

 4. Thank you!”

That way any potential confusion, embarrassment or disappointment may be avoided!

Even with the minor caveats expressed above, we are very eager to return.

 

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Ponds gelati scoop

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Mio Dolce, 89 Puckle St, Moonee Ponds. Phone: 9326 0402

Our post about gelati in the western suburbs brought forth a number of responses, both here and on Facebook.

Thanks to those comments we have at least one solid lead to follow-up.

But several things seem plain …

There are people in the western suburbs who love gelati.

There is gelati in the western suburbs for them to thrill over.

But the western suburbs will never be Carlton or even the CBD.

And thank heavens for that!

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In the meantime, having gelati on our minds leads to us checking out a beaut Puckle St business past which we must have walked a gazillion times without taking much notice.

Puckle St is a bit like that …

But Mio Dolce turns out to be a cosy, homespun and old-school Italian bakery and gelateria.

Sure, they do sandwiches and a few hot things, but the heart of this place are gelati and biscotti.

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We like it that they only do half a dozen or so gelati flavours, with none of them being unusual or particularly exotic.

I enjoy my very big $4.40 cup of caramel, Bennie digs his cone of donatella … sounds like a turtle to me but it’s apparently a mix of chocolate and hazelnut.

My cafe latte, too, is fine.

But Bennie finds his banana milkshake too sweet to handle. Could be a sign this lad is maturing, eh?

We ogle the range of biscotti, slices and other sweet treats.

We see, among others, crostata, almond bread, almond crescents, ameretti, vienesse, romanini and florentines.

We grab a bag of “mini-romanini” to take home.

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As you can see, the $5 price makes this a pretty good deal when compared with the prices of similar products at our local supermarket haunts.

 

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Sudanese in Sunshine

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THIS RESTAURANT IS NO LONGER OPEN

Home Town Sudanese And African Cuisine, 231 Hampshire Road, Sunshine. Phone: 9364 8154

Sunshine has long been a favoured hunting ground with us.

The arrival Home Town hot on the heels of Afghan Master Kebab and Westie winner Xuan Banh Cuon just enhances our appreciation of the neighbourhood.

Home Town is, as far as we are aware, only Sunshine’s second African restaurant and is of Sudanese nature, as opposed to the more familiar Ethiopian of Footscray town.

Based on enjoyable experiences at Ascot Vale’s Safari, another Westie winner, that’s right fine by us!

Bennie and I arrive in a good mood for a rendezvous with our good pal Nat Stockley, enjoy our meals and also talking with the Home Town crew about their food and eatery afterwards.

The team includes Shafie, his wife Nora, mum Maryam and Juma.

We find their welcome and service also very enjoyable.

All three of us order meals that are of the stew or braise variety, which means we miss out on major aspects of Home Town thing – ranging from foul presented in different ways to pasta and meats grilled and served with rice and salad.

Most meals cost in the $10 to $12 range, with spiced prawns and the Khartoum mixed grill topping $20.

Our bain marie meals are barely warm, but we don’t let that get in the way of our eating pleasure.

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Nat enjoys his meaty, handsome lamb shank, while the serve of okra stew he gets on the side taste real good to me.

The rice that accompanies all three of our selections is quite different from that served at Safari – it’s turmeric-tinged but still studded with cardamoms.

The salady aspects are pretty good, too, fresh and crunchy.

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Bennie orders malokhia, named after the vegetable of same name.

He loves the lamb chunks, rice and salad, but is rather less enamoured of the gravy’s viscous, okra-like consistency.

One man’s delight is another boy’s slime, I guess!

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I order chicken curry fully expecting it will no more be like an Indian curry than the lamb “curry” recently enjoyed at a Footscray eatery with similar food – Khartoum Centre.

In truth, it IS somewhat like an Indian chicken curry but still boasts a distinctive African flavour.

This is achieved, Juma tells me, by combining a commercial butter chicken sauce with dill, peanut butter, onion and capsicum, salt and pepper.

I like it, and like my two companions I pretty much clean my plate of the sticky gravy.

The use of a commercial, pre-made sauce sparked an interesting conversation when Nat posted a pic of our meal on Facebook.

One of his friends opined that such a move was somewhat “iffy”.

I understand where she is coming from, but OTOH I’m not going to get hung up on notions of authenticity.

As I pointed out, without condensed milk there would be little by way of Indian sweets, the Vietnamese have long made French baguettes part of their cooking traditions, and the Thais – so I’m told – make frequent use of pre-made curry sauces.

I get two dips with my meal – a rather stodgy and bland hummous and lemony, tangy mix of grated vegetables and yogurt that is wonderful.

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Somewhere along the way, Bennie has requested injera.

No injera here, he’s told, but they do have kissra – the Sudanese equivalent.

It’s very similar but thinner than injera, house-made and really fine.

As already stated, it could be that in ordering the dishes we have, we may have missed a big part of what Home Town is all about.

Its arrival is of sufficient import for us, that we’ll happily do follow-up story on their BBQ goodies and the likes of foul or pasta.

 

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Turning to mush on NYE

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The Little Mushroom Company, New Year’s Eve @ Footscray Park

Part way through the fireworks ‘n’ music jamboree at Footscray Park, we heard a rumour that Maribyrnong council had resolved to repeat the debut event if a 1000 or so people turned up or the debut.

Well, by our reckoning there were at least five times that many in attendance, so a repeat would seem to be guaranteed.

It was a swell party with a really nice vibe.

But the council may want tweak a few detail here and there, including a closer finessing of the car-parking situation.

We parked in the VU car park but it still took us a while to escape – and that was while the final band, Bjorn Again, was still thumping away with that fat, boring ’80s Euro-pop sound.

As well, the council will be well advised to seriously look at exhorting more food trucks to cater to the masses.

As it was, the half-dozen or so trucks at the party – including the Curry Truck and Mr Burger – struggled to cope.

The lines were very long!

We rather regretted not investing in Footscray rice paper rolls or Vietnamese coleslaw. Next time for sure!

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But we certainly don’t regret partaking of the Little Mushroom Company fare, even if the mushie crew was slow getting moving and we had to wait a while.

We ordered one apiece of the Mexican and Greek mushroom burgers at $10, although we found there to be little that was Greek or Mexican about either.

There was no doubting the quality, though.

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These were really nice sandwiches, the dressings were just right, the rocket was fresh-as and the buns a delight.

I reckoned the mushrooms themselves were a little slight in terms of robust mushie flavour, but they sure were big, meaty and juicy.

Some may quibble at the prices, but $10 seems to us in line with food truck standards and those of festival catering – and a short festival was what this bash very much resembled.

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Music was not high on our list of party priorities, but we really enjoyed the The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra.

We threw frisbee.

It was a hoot meeting a number of CTS pals, including Mr Footy Maths Institute, just as we were all about go “ooohh” and “aaahh” over the fireworks.

And it was fine, too, to hang out with a number of nice young ladies even if I am, for them, not Kenny but merely “Bennie’s dad”.

Best way to ascertain what the Little Mushies are up to is likely to be through their Facebook page.

 

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2013 in review

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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

The busiest day of the year – with 2573 views – was when Nina Rousseau’s story on “Zone 2 dining” ran in the Epicure section of The Age. As a precaution against being ribbed over being a western suburbs blogger who just happened to write about non-western suburbs subjects, I posted “Westies abroad …”!

Here’s an excerpt:

The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 200,000 times in 2013. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 9 days for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Where do you go for a gelati fix?

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On Christmas Day, after we’d had our fill of super-spicy food at Dosa Hut, a strong gelati lust came upon us.

Knowing places that sell gelati that were even vaguely local were bound to be closed, we headed cheerfully headed to Lygon Street …

… where we figured, Christmas Day or not, somebody would be selling gelati.

Nope.

Upper Lygon, lower Lygon and even Brunswick Street – we were luckless.

OK, OK – Christmas Day and all, but … COME ON!

Seriously, had it been any sort of normal day we would for sure have hit Hello Gelo right in Yarraville Village.

We’re first-name regulars and enjoy at-least weekly visits.

We love checking what new flavours Scott has dreamed up and really like one of his latest – gingerbread!

Outside of Hello Gelo and taking in the broader west?

Well, there’s actually four gelati and/or ice-cream emporiums on Nelson Place in Williamstown.

We’ve been customers at all four at one time or another over the years.

But we’ve not warmed to any of them.

Outside of those options, I can’t for the life of me think of any other good gelati joints in the west.

Tips anyone?

Hot Fish @ Conways

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Hot Fish @ Conways, 11-21 Wingfield St, Footscray. Phone: 9689 3400

Fish and chips and other seafood to eat right away at Conway’s?

Seems so obvious, we’re surprised it’s taken this long to eventuate!

But we’ve taken our time to check out the freshly-cooked fare at the famed seafood outlet near the river.

We’re particularly interested to see how things are shaking in regards to a couple of issues raised by the otherwise warm picture painted by the review at Footscray Food Blog and subsequent Facebook discussions.

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First up, the eat-right-here situation has been well and truly fixed thanks to the addition of four nice long bench tables and equally long seats right outside the Conway’s shop proper and another seating set-up further along under an umbrella.

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Secondly, the chips – about which some misgivings had been voiced.

Our brought-in chips are crunchy, well-cooked and hot.

But, oh, the salt!

I’m a big fan of salt when it comes to F&C, but this level is almost too much for me – and Bennie finds it goes a fair way to spoiling his lunch.

The fish (hake) that comes with our twin Classic Fish & Chip packs ($9) seems a little light-on at first, but proves to be meaty, delicious and filling.

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No surprise our serve of coleslaw ($4.50) is dressed with commercial mayo, but it’s good.

The vegetables are fresh and hand-cut, and we both like the resultant salad a lot.

With its fine, under-cover seating and ease of parking, Hot Fish will certainly be a magnet for those in the greater neighbourhood seeking a fish and chip fix.

But best to request a restrained hand when it comes to the salt shaker!

 

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