Tag Archives: Footscray

Old-school F&C

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CK’s Cafe and Chippery, 253A Barkly Street, Footscray. Phone: 9687 4560

The stretch of Barkly Street up towards Victoria Street remains unreconstructed Footscray and is not, it appears, perceived in any way as a food precinct.

Yet while the area is changing in terms of apartments and the like, it already teems with eating activity.

The options range from the new-look Plough Hotel and a couple of famous old-school Chinese places to Lentil As Anything, a growing number of African establishments, a (mostly) late-night pizza joint, a Nanado’s and a pair of cafes.

Chris, the “C” of CK – the other letter is a bloke named Ken – tells us he’s even heard the short-lived Italian buffet-style place across the road from his new cafe is scheduled for a fresh incarnation.

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It could be that the guys’ cafe and chippery may find a handy niche for itself in this mixed environment.

As Chris points out, the area is a lot more residential than it appears from street level.

What they’re offering is a nothing-fancy range of fast-food.

In terms of fish and chips, it would be unfair to compare with the polish of, say, Ebi – but being situated between that Essex Street place and the new food-to-eat-right-away outing at Conway’s, and offering an alternative to what’s around in their immediate vicinity, may do them right.

Certainly we have only the most minor of quibbles regarding a two-man meal that costs us only small change over $15.

(Conway’s, BTW, is where CK’s is sourcing their fish …)

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My blue grenadier ($5) looks a little lonely presented alone but tastes fine. The batter is relatively ungreasy but does come away from the fish.

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Bennie’s burger with the lot ($6.50) appears rather unimpressive when first brought to table, but the boy likes it a lot – as you can see from the photograph, the patty is significantly more beefy than is often found in such places and at such prices.

As he says, it ain’t the Grill’d of which he’s so fond, but it IS less than half the price.

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The chips ($3) are the standout of our meal – lots of ’em, hot, crisp, perfectly cooked.

We’ve even been given a choice of regular or chicken salt.

Chris charges us $2 rather than the listed $3.50 for the coleslaw he’s quickly whipped up for us on account of he thinks it’s rather on the mean side size-wise.

I carelessly neglect to take a picture of it, but it impresses – freshly made cabbage and carrot with just the right, restrained amount of commercial mayo.

Meaning it’s a little on the sticky side – as opposed to the mayo/cabbage soup we are often served elsewhere!

 

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Vietnamese gumbo?

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Bun Ta, 108 Hopkins Street, Footscray. Phone: 9687 4130

Bun Ta is a brand spanking new Footscray joint.

Sort of … see below.

It has a dish I have never spied on a Vietnamese menu before now.

I know this because, being a fan of almost everything to do with New Orleans and South Louisiana, had I ever before come across something described as “Vietnamese gumbo rice vermicelli soup”, nothing at all could have prevented me from ordering it.

So I pounce on it at Bun Ta, despite eliciting only the most vague descriptions of the dish and its protein protagonists, and a gentle warning that it is of “strong flavour”.

As I soon discover, the “gumbo” is presumably meant to be “jumbo”, as in the fat chopstick-defying noodles.

Oh, how wonderfully Westie – stitched up by a linguistic menu glitch, and ending up with a damn fine lunch anyway!

Such menu snafus are, of course, one of the routine pleasures of eating out in the west.

They’re good fun and I mean no mean-spiritedness in pointing this one out.

But sometimes you just have to laugh and go with the flow.

As it is, I really like my bun mam kho ($10).

It comes across as a Vietnamese take on tom yum – the broth is slightly sweet, slightly sour, slightly spicy and all delicious.

It’s made, I am subsequently told, using fish sauce and lemongrass among other ingredients.

The slithery noodles are joined by pork belly, fish, squid and prawns.

But this is not a meaty affair – these ingredients have a gentleness about them that is in harmony with the whole, which includes some in-bowl greenery and much more on the side.

It’s a real nice alternative to the more familiar (in these parts) pho or hu tieu dishes.

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Bun Ta is actually the much-loved stalwart Huy Huy given a new name and a swish new look.

The ownership, I’m told, is the same, and I’m guessing much else is as was.

But still, this sort of rejuvenation is good for everyone and I suspect Bun Ta will become just as revered at its earlier incarnation.

The new place has four kinds of coleslaw for $12-14 and three kinds of pancake for $13 amid many familiar dishes.

One main that catches my eye is bo ti me – rare beef with tamarind ($15). But it’s only served as a main, so will have to await another visit with a fang friend for company.

I will return soon, as well, for their “7 toppings broken rice”, which is gaining the most raves of the Bun Ta social media action I have seen.

The Bun Ta Facebook page is here.

 

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A Footscray playground

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Khartoum Centre Restaurant & Cafe, 143-145 Nicholson St, Footscray. Phone: 0452 639 329

Sometime soon after an early CTS story on  Khartoum Centre, we stopped considering the place as an eats option.

This was largely due to service that was genial but disconcertingly haphazard and a confusing menu that was difficult to navigate in terms of options and prices.

That’s all changed.

The place has been given a makeover, the food choices and their prices are clearly laid out in a big back-lit menu behind the serving counter, and there is a reassuringly routine process for ordering, receiving and paying.

This is great!

Because while this eatery is nominally Sudanese, the menu ranges across quite a broad spectrum.

This is illustrated by the fact that much of the menu is available in alternates based on injera, Lebanese bread, spaghetti or rice.

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And the super grilled-meat-with-rice dishes are very similar to those to be had at Sunshine’s hot new kebab spot.

This diverse approach and a more user-friendly experience mean CTS is likely to use Kartoum Centre as a playground in coming months.

There’s one dish here that is clearly the most popular – at lunchtime anyway.

Foul is delicious, nutritious, dirt cheap and at Kartoum Centre comes in configurations that range from plain to the more ritzy that include extra vegetables, salad and so on.

A complementary bowl of lamb broth with chunks of aromatics is nice enough but plain as can be and defiantly under-seasoned.

Ordering lamb curry ($12) in African restaurant may appear to be folly.

But I’m so comfortably secure with the level of food here that I’m happy to give it a go – on the basis that it will be good and that this Footscray curry will bear little or no resemblance to a West Footscray curry.

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I’m certainly correct on the latter count – no orthodox curry is this.

The tomato-based gravy seems to be seasoned with little more than salt and pepper. And certainly not with any of the spices we routinely think of as being curry.

But as for being good goes, I’m dead wrong – it’s very, very good!

All is richness and deep flavour, with the lamb pieces – some of them on the bone – ultra-tender and the fat easily discarded.

Forget curry – this is more like a fantastic stew or goulash.

With heaps on injera and good salad bits on the side, it’s a winner.

See our earlier story here and a more recent one at Footscray Food Blog here.

 

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Burgers out, 100% Nepalese in

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Magic Momo Kafe, 588 Barkly St, West Footscray. Phone: 9972 2616

So we never made it back to Magic Momo Kafe, after our initial momo-focused visit, to assess and enjoy its efforts at a trans-national menu – though we heard the burgers were actually quite good.

Too late for all that now, though, as the place has changed dramatically.

There’s a rather nice fit-out in a more restaurant style and the menu is now hardcore Nepalese.

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We remain bemused that chowmein is part of Nepalese food culture but we have come across it before – at our fondly remembered visits to the now defunct Fusion Cafe & Mo:Mo Bar in  Footscray central – and we’re happy to give it another whirl.

Magic Momo’s egg rendition ($7.95), with its egg noodles, cabbage and other vegetables, is satisfying if rather plain.

We’re inclined to say a heavier hand with the salt shaker and higher spice levels are required, but no doubt this dish is exactly the way it’s meant to be.

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Of course, a visit here simply necessitates a momo experience – so we go a fried serve of the pork numbers ($8.95).

They’re good, though rather small.

The casings are pleasantly chewy and mildly spicy innards blazingly hot and juicy.

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From the four-choice fish section of the menu we choose “Nepalese-style gravy fish” ($13.95).

It’s a bigger serve than the above photo suggests.

The gravy appears to be a no-nonsense tomato-and-onion-based number that is mildly spiced and has a heavenly, lemony tang. We’re later told one of the seasoning ingredients is dried oregano!

The flavour of the fish – butterfish, we’re told – is mild but comes through nicely, something quite rare in fish dishes from this broader part of the world.

This is recognisably the same dish as I’d tried a few nights previously, but the earlier portion (see photo below) was a good deal more moist and several degrees more excellent.

We love it that Magic Momo Kafe is providing an alternative on a stretch of Barkly Street that seems destined to reach doubles figures of Indian eateries in the not too distant future.

And we’re interested in trying what appear to be Nepelese-style versions of thalis they offer – chiura sets (with beaten rice as previously experienced at Fusion Cafe & Mo:Mo Bar) and khana sets.

See menu below.

On the basis of this meal, though, we suspect homely, simple and satisfying is the go here – rather than whizz-bang.

But often that’s a fine, thing, too.

 

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Community glue in WeFo

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Longest Lutheran Lunch, St Matthew’s Lutheran Church, 362 Barkly Street, Footscray

Cecil is the pastor who keeps an eye on Bennie’s school in north Sunshine.

Having known him for several years, enjoyed his company on quite a few occasions and even having sought his advice and counsel on various issues, I consider him a really cool cat.

Even if he does wear red socks with sandals in summer while out and about on his bicycle.

So it seems seriously remiss of me that until today I’ve never gotten around to visiting his Barkly Street church for a service or any other purpose – especially as Bennie and his mum, Deb, have been regulars for some time.

As it turns out, I could hardly have chosen a better day to show my face – today St Matthew’s is joining other Lutheran churches around the country for a proverbial long lunch.

I have an exceedingly grand time – and the food, as good as it is, is just part of the pleasure.

Even more important, there’s an all-embracing community vibe that lives and breathes inclusiveness.

So not only do I get to hang out with Bennie, Deb, Pastor Cecil and his lovely wife, Jane, and Tom, Bennie’s school principal, I mix it with a whole bunch of people.

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Heavily represented among the gathering of several hundred are many members of the Mara people from Burma. They share an evolving “fellowship” and church premises with the St Matthew’s congregation.

Sprinkled through the assembled masses are representatives of the Filipino, Sudanese and Ethiopian communities, along with many older folks and many, many youngsters of all stripes – some of whom aren’t even playing games on mobile devices.

For food, there’s a whole pig and a whole lamb being spit-roasted and dismembered, along with all sorts of salads and curries – and even some regulation snags in bread.

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I make happy with samples of a couple of the chook curries and more of the pork than I should. It’s simple, delicious and seems to have a whiff of ginger about it. It goes swell with the beetroot salad I spy on my second go round and a sublime potato salad.

Bennie does much as I do, though Deb is effusive in her praise of an old-school curried rice salad she has happened upon.

Then out come the cakes – including a rendition of our fave deep dark chocolate cake that Bennie has knocked out this very morning unaided by any parental supervision whatsoever.

It’s brilliant!

There’s also baked cheesecake, scrumptious hand-made cupcakes and much more.

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Jane wheels out a candle-laden hazelnut number from Hausfrau in celebration of her hubby’s birthday.

Everyone in the dwindling crowd happily sings Happy Birthday.

In a world in which the Uniting Church has been in the news for flogging off many churches across Victoria, devastating the communities involved, and in which the mega-churches seem to offer something of a worship equivalent of shopping centres, I worry about the future of such an enterprise as St Matthew’s.

So I talk to Simon, who happens to be chairman of Bennie’s school and is also involved in future planning for St Matthew’s.

He tells me that while the church is facing issues – among them, the property needs a comprehensive overhaul and Pastor Cecil will be retiring in a few years – the future is nevertheless secure.

Part of that is being under the umbrella of greater Lutheran family, and part of it, too, no doubt is the freehold nature of the land ownership.

But equally, the soul of the place would seem to admit no other option but continuing on.

One thing’s for sure – I shouldn’t let myself be such a stranger in future.

Thanks for having me!

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On tour with Lauren

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One of the most profound of the many pleasures of bringing you Consider The Sauce has been our friendship with Lauren of Footscray Food Blog.

She’d already had her site up and running for about a year by the time we came along but she was sincerely welcoming right from the outset.

Since then, we’ve enjoyed countless laughs, more than a few meals and been a constant source of advice and support for each other. All the while discovering there can be a lot more to what we are doing than merely running a website full of reviews.

Many of you will be aware Lauren has been running food tours of various kinds in and around Footscray.

At first, these were under the auspices of the CAE, but today’s snack/street food tour of Footscray was part of the council’s Discover Footscray Tours program.

The plan is for Lauren to see out the year in terms of her already scheduled commitments before going out on her own.

And the sharing spirit continues … in some ways we are blogger competitors, yet it never seems that way.

So the idea, as it stands, is for me to inherit her CAE gig come the new year.

She’s done such a grand job for them, they were eager to have a ready-made replacement. And Lauren, bless her, had no hesitation it putting my name forward.

So there you go – early 2014 will likely see us both leading groups of happy food hounds around yummy westie neighbourhoods.

Still, it’s going to be a steep learning curve for me, so I am eager to glom as much information and advice from Lauren as I can.

So as future tour guide, hungry foodie and fervent westie, it was a pleasure to join Lauren’s other punters today.

They included our mutual pal Nat Stockly as well as regular readers of both our blogs, such as Cynthia, Sian and Michael.

Lauren was a lovely and very informative guide, and everyone had a fine old time.

I don’t want to give too much away about the actual stops made and food consumed – except to say that even an old hand such as myself was surprised to find the most glorious burek in the most unlikely of places!

Lauren’s tours are recommended – even to those of you who reckon you’ve got a good handle on our westie food.

New Year post-script: After much contemplation, I have decided against being a tour guide for the CAE. Instead, I will be focus on more and better CTS Feasts, the Westies (of course!) and hopefully other exciting projects! But please do check out Lauren’s tours.

On a photo shoot

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Today I happily hooned around select sites in and around Footscray central.

It was for a photo shoot – the subjects of which were Lauren of Footscray Food Blog and myself.

The camera was manned by a dapper snapper called Mike – who also happens to be Lauren’s dad.

You can check out his work here.

The photos are to be used in the campaign to launch – with much hoopla and fanfare, we hope – a joint and fabulous initiative of Footscray Food Blog and Consider The Sauce.

Details of this initiative will be unveiled and disseminated far and wide next Wednesday, October 16.

We’re VERY excited – and we hope you all will be, too!

Yummo – CTS Feast No.2 at Vanakkam

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Vanakkam, 359 Barkly St, Footscray. Phone: 9687 7224

Our second Consider The Sauce Feast was every bit as enjoyable as the first.

Bennie and I made some new friends, all of whom had never eaten at Vanakkam before, so we were thrilled to be able to share one of our favourite restaurants with them.

So our thanks firstly to Jagadish and his staff for turning it on for us in such splendid fashion.

Thanks, too, to Amy, Giselle, Daniel, Rochelle, Paul, Jacqui of Urban Ma (read her post here), Wes, Charles, Bronwyn, Danielle and long-time CTS supporter Keri – we loved hanging with you and talking food and more, and cherish your ongoing support for Consider The Sauce.

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Our mixed appetisers were three.

Unsurprisingly, gobi 65 and chicken 65 were somewhat similar in terms of seasoning and batter, but still different.

The cauilflower gently crunchy, the chicken plump and meaty, they were both nevertheless excellent in every way.

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The Vanakkam onion bhaji Bennie and I were already familiar with – with their crisp chick pea batter, we reckon these are Melbourne’s best onion rings.

Then came the chicken biryani – lots of it.

The heavenly spiced rice and all its accoutrements – raw and fried onion rings, hardboiled egg, vibrant red and spicy gravy, raita – all seemed just as fine as ever to us.

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Pod at P.I.D. – something exciting for WeFo

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Meet Fiona, Mary and Jess.

Mary – she’s the one in the middle – is the proprietor of Post Industrial Design, the grooviness emporium at 638 Barkly St in West Footscray.

Soon she’ll be sharing that space with Fi and Jess and their new cafe/eatery called Pod.

Fi will be a familiar face to many Consider The Sauce readers on account of her varying roles over the years at Cafe Fidama, Touks and Sourdough Kitchen.

Jess reckons the lack of gas for cooking sits well with the food and drink philosophy to which he and Fi will be adhering.

I’m sure there’ll be some heartiness involved, but much will be of the lighter variety and you won’t be seeing the likes of a Big Breakfast at this joint.

Their motto – inscribed on their business card – is “Darn Good Food”.

While almost all of the hard yards of fitting out remain to be done, Fi tells me they’ve already started making their own pickles and cordial.

How good does that sound in terms of hopeful signs for really yummy, hands-on and soulful tucker?

They’re aiming for an early November opening.

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Consider The Sauce Indian Feast No.2

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PLEASE NOTE – THIS DINNER IS NOW FULLY SUBSCRIBED!!!

Hyderabad Inn – venue for the recent curry celebration involving Consider The Sauce readers – is one of our favourite places to eat Indian in Footscray.

Our other favourite place is Vanakkam, also on Barkly St but on the other side of the Geelong Rd.

It has been known for us to order dishes other than biryani there – but I have difficulty recalling the last time we did so.

Yep, we sure do love the Vanakkam biryanis – mounds of spice-perfumed rice hiding chicken pieces or goat on the bone, hardboiled egg, topped with raw onion slices, and fried onion, too; biryani-specific spicy gravy; raita.

MMMmmmmm!

So that’s what Jagadish will be cooking for us on Tuesday, September 24 – along with a range of mixed appetisers for starters.

Here are the rules:

  • No applications accepted from any of those who attended the Hyderabad Inn bash.  
  • 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.
  • Please state preference for chicken, goat or vegetable biryani. Stating such preference will in no way restrict guests from eating any or all of the biryanis on offer.
  • There will be no charge for our food but guests will be expected to pay for their own drinks.

To grab your place, send me an email telling me whether you want one or to places.

The address is elsewhere on this site.

Applying by commenting on this post will not work.

Consider The Sauce Indian Feast No.2: Vanakkam, 359 Barkly St, Footscray. Phone: 9687 7224 Tuesday, September 24, from 7.30pm.

Mixed appetisers

Biryanis – chicken, goat, vegetable.

Back to our former local

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Victoria Harts Hotel, 43 Victoria St, Footscray. Phone: 9687 7581

This pub was once our very local local.

That was two moves ago and several years before the advent of Consider The Sauce.

We only ate there once, but yours truly spent time there – much time, actually – watching various football games in the days before a subscription to Foxtel made such unnecessary.

We no longer live so close, but we’re interested in checking out how it shapes up under “new management” – not that that is always, if ever, a particularly hopeful sign.

Inside, all remains much as we recall.

The new crew seems to come straight from the same template as the previous and the kitchen staff are wearing Jack Daniels polo shirts.

I even get called “Darl” when ordering.

The menu is very much your basic pub grub – steaks, some pasta, kids meals with chips for $10, a daily specials blackboard.

Bennie’s dinner desire is not featured on the menu, so he settles for chicken schnitzel ($17).

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The schnitzel itself looks rather ghastly – almost diseased, actually.

But that’s because the cheese is far more grilled than is usually the case.

The certainly brings out the cheesy factor, and Bennie’s meal tastes good to his dad.

And while I’m no expert and could be fooled in this regard, I’m pretty certain this is your actual slab of actual chook meat, as opposed to the re-constituted variety.

The chips and salad are OK, but the former seem to adhere to the dictates of a lack of generosity we seem to be coming across more and more lately in similar meals in similar places.

Health-wise, that may actually be a good thing, but still …

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My bangers and mash ($13 regular price, $10 for me as a blackboard special) looks unglamourous and drab.

But in the eating it is much better.

The snags appear cheap and nasty but are just the kind of tightly-bound Italian-style pork sausages we eat at home.

The mash is hot and plentiful; the gravy is dark and just the right kind of salty.

Both are classic cheap pub grub.

Having ordered this exact same meal in any number of places and received nothing BUT bangers and mash, I am pleased to see and eat the carrot and zucchini on the side.

There’s a big bunch of room in our lives for pubs and pub food that have none of the swishness of the Spottisswoode Hotel, Plough Hotel or Junction Beer Hall & Wine Room.

The Vic seems to be doing a fair job.

And certainly, the fact there’s a heap of locals lining up early in the week for a feed speaks well of the place.

But for similar food presented with a tad more panache, at similar prices and marginally closer to home, we’ll most likely stick with the Mona Castle.

As we depart, Bennie asks with puzzlement: “What kind of pub doesn’t have a burger?”

 

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And a yummy time was had by all …

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Hyderabad Inn, 551 Barkly St, West Footscray. Phone: 9689 0998

What a nice time we all had at the Indian Feast co-sponsored by Hyderabad Inn and Consider The Sauce.

So first thanks go to chef Nagesh and his staff for so generously providing us with such a fine meal.

My own favourites were a spicy, creamy tomato soup with a garlic and ginger kick, and – somewhat surprisingly – the homely delights of a fabulous peas pulao and simple dal.

Mind you, we all loved the gulab jamun with insanely good pistachio ice cream as well!

Thanks, too, to CTS readers Russell, Loren and Brenton, Kat and Natasha, Ms Baklover of Footscray Food Blog fame and Bianca, Alastair and Michelle, and Kelly and Alison for attending.

So much fun to converse with so many westies with so many mutual and overlapping interests, pertaining to foodiness and much else besides.

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Bennie surprised and delighted all – including his dad – by firing off really good pen-and-paper caricatures of everyone present.

I knew my boy had some drawing skill, but this was something else.

Wow!

Where did that come from?

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The evening’s consisted of the following:

Soup

Cream of tomato soup

Appetizers

Spinach Pakora

Chilly prawns

Chicken tikka spring roll dosa

Chicken Manchurian

Mains

Paripu (South Indian & Srilankian style dal)

Vegetable Taka Tak

Chicken Do Payaaza

Lamb Kohlapuri

Rice

Basmati rice

Peas Pulao

Breads

Amritsari Kulcha (most famous in Punjab & nobody serve in Melbourne)

Mixed breads

Desserts

Gulab Jamun with Ice cream

See earlier Consider The Sauce stories on this restaurant here and here.

This gathering was a joint initiative of Hyderabad Inn and Consider The Sauce, the former of which devised the evening’s menu. Our guests did not pay for their meals.

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Indian feast for lucky CTS readers

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Hyderabad Inn, 551 Barkly St, West Footscray. Phone: 9689 0998

PLEASE NOTE: ALL PLACES FOR THIS EVENT HAVE BEEN CLAIMED!!!

Consider The Sauce really likes Hyderabad Inn.

In fact, we’ve written about it three times – once early in its life, once as part of my ongoing search for crash-hot biryanis, and most recently to check out the dining room’s revamp.

We’ve never had anything less than a swell meal there.

Somehow, though, the lovely Nagesh and his crew seem to remain something of a “best kept secret”.

So we are very happy to embrace his offer of a one-off feast for Consider The Sauce readers and followers.

Numbers are extremely limited.

There will be no charge for the food but attendees will be expected to pay for their own drinks beyond water.

The dinner will be on Wednesday, August 28, from 7.30pm.

And while there’s no onus on our guests to do anything but enjoy, I’m sure Nagesh would be rapt if some punters felt sufficiently inspired to pen some nice words at Urbanspoon or comment on the subsequent CTS story!

Here are the rules:

  • First in, first served.
  • There are 10 places only available. If you miss out – and most, I’m sure, will … stay tuned
  • 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.

To grab your place, send me an email telling me whether you want one or to places. The address is elsewhere on this site. Applying by commenting on this post will not work.

Before he nutted out the menu, I made three strong recommendations to Nagesh – no butter chicken, no lamb rogan josh and no tandoori chook!

Here is the menu he has devised for us:

Soup

Cream of tomato soup

Appetizers

Spinach Pakora

Chilly prawns

Chicken tikka spring roll dosa

Chicken Manchurian

Mains

Paripu (South Indian & Srilankian style dal)

Vegetable Taka Tak

Chicken Do Payaaza

Lamb Kohlapuri

Rice

Basmati rice

Peas Pulao

Breads

Amritsari Kulcha (most famous in Punjab & nobody serve in Melbourne)

Mixed breads

Desserts

Gulab Jamun with Ice cream

* No fee is being paid to Consider The Sauce for helping facilitate this event.

Rice is nice – the Paella Party wrap

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Rayna and helpers prepare to boogie.

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Chef Rob at work.

OK, bottom line is, thanks to everyone who helped and turned up and had a fine old time, a kick over $1000 was raised for POWer Plants Community Nursery in Braybrook.

Yay!

More than that, it was just fantastic to have a yarn with several old mates and CTS friends – and even better to meet several of the new variety.

Much paella was eaten, raffle tickets were sold, prizes were won.

An unexpected pleasure was helping Raw Materials chef Rob get things prepared in a really hands-on way – Kenny chopped, diced and eventually stirred multiple vegetables and chook while Bennie handled with the chorizo and otherwise did a tip-top job making sure the nibble bowls were topped up throughout the evening.

Many, many thanks to Rob, Andrew and the Raw Materials teams for their fabulous generosity in enabling this event to take place and equal gratitude to all those made it such a winning one.

And ta very much to Nat Stockley for some great pics.

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Janet and Roger, unknown paparazzi on the left.

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Hey bartender!

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James and Michelle.

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Tarryn and Zelda making sure the sauce bottles find a good home.

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Sasha, Juz and pals.

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CTS folowers and soon-to-be lunch companions Courtney and James.

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Marie getting some raffle action going.

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Rayna, Rob, Kenny and Janet keeping the speechifying mercifully brief.

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Nat and Rayna.

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Facelift for a WeFo winner

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Hyderabad Inn, 551 Barkly St, West Footscray. Phone: 9689 0998

We’ve enjoyed our times at Hyderabad Inn – see here and here for the officially recorded meals, but there have been others.

But while food, friendliness and pricing are always going to count more in our world than decor, we have not been alone in finding that the Hyderabad Inn dining room had pretty much the same charm as hospital canteen.

So I’m keen to check out the place’s new look and happy to report they’ve done a fine job.

With new chairs, banquettes, artwork and tables set with crisp white cloth and paper, now the wooden flooring becomes an asset rather than adding to a cold feel.

In the agreeably unlit gloom of a lunch session, with only one other table occupied but heaps of reservation cards on other tables, the space is nice. I can easily imagine that on a bubbly, busy Friday or Saturday night it would be even better.

The a la carte prices seem to have crept up somewhat – average curry price seems to be about $15.

But that’s never been our go here. The South Indian menu, thalis and biryanis are.

It’s while I’m mulling over these options that I remark to a staff member that the thalis no longer appear in the menu.

She quickly provides me the separate lunch card that has them front and centre.

Vegetarian thali with dal, two other vego curries, raita, naan, rice and a can of drink for $15.50?

OK!

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Two complementary and spectacularly crisp and unoily papadams are served with a superbly creamy mint chutney that has a nice surprise – a just-right chilli hit.

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My thali is a fine thing.

The dal is plain and just OK, studded with some fresh ginger pieces.

The vegetable curry has beans, peas, potato, capsicum, carrot and – even at a kick below medium hot – is the spiciest thing in front of me.

I’m no big fan of paneer or creamy sauces, but the paneer butter masala is so decadently silky I happily mop up every last drop of it with my very nice ghee-drizzled plain naan.

The raita is creamier than is often the case, though could have done with a dash of salt.

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It’s only ater I have finished my meal that I tumble into a lovely conversation with the only other early lunchtime diners – Anand and Vidya and their kids Aishwaiya and Anand.

The couple are originally from Bangalore, call East Keilor home and are happily imbuing their children with the same foodie passion they themselves possess.

Our happy talk starts with our respective Hyderabad Inn meals – theirs including, among other things, puris and biryani – and heads on to other Indian eateries around Melbourne, the family’s recent visit to Paris (where they discovered French for “dosa” is “dosa”) and Vidya’s own cooking adventures.

Such wonderfully friendly folks!

Hyderabad Inn has being doing good things for a number of years and it now has a setting befitting the lovely food it turns out.

So it remains a mystery to me why it seems to be overlooked by many people in favour of other nearby, and more widely discussed, eateries – when it could easily be regarded as the best of the bunch.

 

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Sudanese for Sunshine, French bakery for Footscray

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We’ve been a little puzzled in the past year or so that Footscray should be so richly endowed with African eateries yet Sunshine and st Albans with so few.

Well happily that situation will improve, in Sunshine at least, when Home Town at 231 Hampshire Road opens.

Even better, from a diversity point of view, the food will be Sudanese rather than Ethiopian.

Well, nominally Sudanese that is.

As proprietor Shafie tells me as we examine the walled menu, there is food from “all over” in a typically North African smorgasbord.

There’s African staples galore, such as foul and malokhai, but there’s also an Italian vibe through pasta such as lasagna, along with falafel, mixed grill, kofta and spiced prawns.

Going by the posted pricing and the warmth and friendliness with which Shafie greets my inquiries, I’m eagerly awaiting the opening.

And who does the cooking – Shafie or his missus?

“My wife – she’s very good!” Shafie tells me with a smile.

Opening day is a few weeks away.

(See menu pics below …)

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Meanwhile, a reader tip on the Facebook page of Footscray Food Blog has me scoping out the corner property opposite Footscray post office.

Wow – how about that?

I have a strong hunch the French part of this equation will be of the “France via Vietnam” variety.

I wonder what they’ll be doing – banh mi on steroids, coffee, bubble tea and other Asian drinks?

Peering through one of the papered-over windows, what I see of the fit-out looks big and classy.

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No.1 and No.135

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Westar, 82C Ashley St, West Footscray. Phone: 9689 8182

There’s at least a couple of Chinese places that do home delivery that are closer to our Yarraville pad than Westar.

But they’re significantly more expensive.

There’s other sorts of food can be likewise had, but it’s either equally pricey or pizza – and we reckon pizza travels no better than fish and chips.

Accordingly, the popularity of home-delivered pizza remains a mystery to us.

Westar, by comparison, has a minimum order of $12 and a delivery fee of $2.

Bargain!

And it means it’s viable exercise for a meal-for-one when the mood strikes.

The CTS ethos essentially dictates food should be eaten where it is cooked, and that takeaway or home delivery should be avoided.

So this is rare indulgence.

Of course, we don’t dig the plastic containers – but these will be washed and used for soup ‘n’ stews bound for the freezer.

Westar food is nothing special, but it is reliable and the delivery guys are always smiling and have the right change.

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My spring rolls ($2 for two) are hot enough, but even after taking the travel time into account, they’re disappointingly chewy, though quite tasty.

Next time I’ll stick to No.3 – fried won tons.

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Home-delivered or takeaway noodle dishes tend to mold themselves into the shape of their plastic receptacles – and that’s certainly the case with my beef “hot fun” ($8.50).

But once I’ve stirred and loosened things up with my chopsticks, this is fine and just right for the night.

Inevitably, the vegetables have lost that wokky crispness during their journey from West Footscray to Yarraville – but there’s heaps of them: onion, carrot, zucchini, broccoli, bok choy.

But there seems to be even more beef than all the vegies combined – it’s tender if a bit tasteless.

MSG?

Oodles of it.

We’ve only stepped inside Wessar once – on one hot afternoon in order to pick a new menu.

The staff seemed as surprised to see us as we were by the single-table gloom of the place.

I’m guessing 99.99 per cent of their business is takeaway or home delivery.

 

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We love a new Indian joint

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Saga, 34-36 Irving St, Footscray. Phone: 9689 6089

Can we embrace a new Indian restaurant in the neighbourhood?

Heck yes, especially when it’s in Footscray central, where Indian establishments are vastly outnumbered by those of other genres.

Saga replaces the short-lived Dosa N Biryani, at which I had but a single and barely OK thali meal.

The new place looks like it’s in for a much more serious effort at longevity, sporting as it does a completely new fit-out.

The canteen ambiance of the shiny new furniture and white tiles is ameliorated by bamboo matting on the walls and a village hut-style servery for the bain marie.

We’re told the entire menu – see below – will be available in a few days. So we’ll be back for sure to take the chole bhature, dosas and the like for a test run.

In the meantime, we heartily enjoy our choices from what is available.

This early in the place’s life, there are only a couple of other tables occupied, one of them by a couple of council workers with whom I discuss the undesirability of being served biryani without an accompanying pot of gravy.

The staff member serving us takes our comments to heart, making sure we are taken care of – in my case, with a tub of very nice gravy from the chicken curry in the bain marie.

I’d prefer the gravy/sauce made specially for biryanis we get here, but this works fine.

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It helps that my goat biryani ($10.95) is otherwise lovely.

There are only three pieces of goat meat, but they are bigger and more meaty and tender than is often the case.

The rice is terrific, though the spice levels are quite mild by West Footscray standards.

The raita is cool, with no bitterness from the white onion pices floating in the yogurt.

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Bennie’s non vegetarian thali ($10.95), with his choices from the bain marie all a rather uniform brown, tastes a whole lot better than it looks.

Smooth, quite salty dal made with aduki beans, an oily eggplant brew with fabbo eggplant flavour, chicken curry on-the-bone – it all tastes good to me, as do the segments of the fresh wholmeal roti that comes with this meal deal that I manage to nick.

So … welcome to the new kid on the block.

I reckon it’ll do good.

 

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The Consider The Sauce Paella Party

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Consider The Sauce is throwing a beaut Paella Party – and you’re invited!

After nibbles there’ll be paella with seafood, chorizo and chicken, and a vegetarian version as well – both gluten free.

Soft drinks will be provided, while beer and wine will be available for purchase.

There’ll be raffles and fun galore.

The numbers are limited to 100 and the cost is $20 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under.

Best of all, and thanks to some generous friends, every cent raised is going to a great cause – the POWer Plants Community Nursery in Braybrook.

We’re real excited about the prospect of having so many of our followers and pals in the one place at the same time – and we hope you will be, too!

Payment by cash only on the night.

Register your attendance and reserve your seat here.

And for updates, RSVP on the event Facebook page.

One of the night’s prizes will be donated by Sproutwell Greenhouses.

Event: Consider The Sauce Paella Party.

Venue: 138 Cowper St, Footscray.

Date: Wednesday, July 10.

Time: 6.30 pm for 7pm until about 10pm.

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Momo a-go-go in WeFo

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magic22

Magic Momo Kafe, 588 Barkly St, West Footscray. Phone: 9972 2616

“Looks like a work in progress.”

Bennie may be on the unfair side there, but Magic Momo Kafe does have an undeniable vibe of being newly minted and very recently opened.

The double doors are wide open to the world on a cold day and the three staff members in attendance are pumped with nervous energy and eager to pleaseness.

Writing about such a place at such a time in its life almost seems on the cruel side.

But what the hey – we’re only after an after-school snack.

As we’d been promised when we called in while the place was still under construction, there is a lovely looking range of luridly colured Indian sweets, along with some cakes and slices of the brought-in variety.

We know the momos are produced in-house, however, on account of the big tub of ace-looking seasoned pork mince that is being used to fill pastry casings.

OK, so a post-school serve of fried chicken momo (10 for $7.95) it is for us.

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The fried is pan rather deep, with the bottoms nicely tanned and the tops chewy in just the right way.

The innards are peppery, maybe there’s some ginger in there somewhere as well, and have crunch from onion and colouring from coriander.

They go great with the medium-spicy chilli concoction served on the side.

We’re both halfway through our first momo when we immediately acknowledge the pressing need to also order a 10-piece serve of the vegetable dumplings.

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If anything these are even better. Bennie certainly thinks so.

They’re the same price and appear a little bigger, even though I’m sure the same dough cutter has been used for both varieties. As well, the dough used in this batch is a bit darker.

I’ve been expecting a filling packed with crunch and slither from cabbage, mushrooms and the like.

Instead, we get a filling that seems to be potato and carrot-based and that, as my unusually-astute-on-this-day offsider instantly observes, makes these dumplings seem a bit like soft samosas.

Mind you, there is some crunch and texture from onion and cabbage, while – like their chooky colleagues – these are also peppery and scrumptious.

Explorations of the burger, kebab, BLT, French toast, lemon pepper calamari and tomato soup variety at this intriguingly multi-focussed eatery will have to wait for another day and a more suitable occasion.

In the meantime, and based on our two fine serves of momo, we can attest that there is indeed magic in the air here.

 

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