Tag Archives: Melbourne

Very extremely dangerous in Keilor East

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Blonde Chilli, 1/19 Webber Parade, Keilor East. Phone: 0402 331 022

It’s a well-known* fact that Consider The Sauce doesn’t just regularly check out the sprawling industrial/commercial estates of the greater west but also actively enjoys doing so.

We like finding out what’s at the end of any given street or boulevard.

 

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And there’s always the chance we’ll find food.

That doesn’t happen very often, mind you …

 

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But today’s outing is no aimless adventure, as we’re on the trail of a hot tip – so to speak.

 

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We check out the surrounding streets of a light industrial hub pretty much on the opposite side of the ring road from the Star Weekly office at Keilor Park, before zeroing in on our destination.

 

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The plain doorway and lack of signage don’t look at all promising.

 

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But inside we find a well-appointed, cozy room stuffed with hot sauce.

Lots and lots and lots of hot sauce.

 

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Welcome to Blonde Chilli.

The eponymous blonde, boss lady Belinda, is elsewhere but we’re made welcome and talked in a darn right friendly fashion through the store’s many spicy wares.

 

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Those wares are all about bottle after bottle of hot sauce.

 

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Though there’s some potato crisps, spice mixes and even jerky on hand.

 

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There’s quite a few sauces from Australia, with the rest being from the US.

Interestingly, there appears to be few or none sauces from the southern states, nor from the Caribbean – but we’re not complaining!

 

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Aside from the locked cabinet of limited edition and signed goodies, all the sauces are available for tasting.

So taste we do.

The taste buds on my tongue are shot after just four drops from four sauces.

In the end, we buy a bottle each of Volcanic Peppers’ Lava Hot Scorpion BBQ Sauce and Blair’s Beyond Death Sauce.

 

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And a couple of packets of crisps.

 

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Check out the Blonde Chilli website here.

The shop is open Tuesdays noon-6pm and Saturdays 9am-1pm.

* Snort!

 

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A deth in the park

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Curators Collective, 778 Mt Alexander Rd, Moonee Ponds. Phone: 9042 4560

Consider The Sauce visited the cafe in Queens Park several years ago – it was known then as Olivers Garden.

Had an OK meal.

Then promptly thought no more of the place.

Lately, though, we’ve got a hot tip that things have changed – management, name, food.

So we’re here on a lovely late spring day to check it out.

 

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In truth, and in terms of the building, furniture and all-round vibe, not much at all seems to have changed.

We take a nicely shaded table outside.

This is not our normal practice but there’s no wind and thankfully the pigeons at ground outnumber the flies in air.

The menu (see below) comprises a fairly typical cafe line-up.

We avoid the beef and chook burgers, and I prevail upon my son to choose something other than the Pork Bennie of eggs with pulled pork on a muffin.

 

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So he goes the reuben sandwich ($15), with chips extra ($3).

It’s a good sandwich, with lusty tang from the sauerkraut, good corned beef, cheese, mustard and pickles.

The chips are hot and fine.

 

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I scarf a good handful of the chips to compensate for the fact my farro & beets salad ($15.50) is undoubtedly the most insidiously healthy thing I’ve eaten all year.

Happily, it’s also extremely tasty.

The “beetroot three ways” seems more like three kinds of beetroot but they’re all delicious, mixing it in lightly dressed and grand style with spinach, blood orange, goat’s cheese and heaps of chewy grains.

After that, it seems only right to let Bennie off the leash to enjoy one of Curators Collective “Deth Shakes” ($12).

Ours (top photograph) is a grinningly evil and delicious mix of dark chocolate Oreo milkshake, chocolate, chocolate brownie, coconut, cream and Persian fairy floss.

It tastes real good.

I know … because Bennie told me so.

I didn’t try any of it.

Really.

Curators Collective is a very nice spot!

(This story has been sponsored by Moonee Valley City Council. But in all other regards it is a regular Consider The Sauce post – we chose the restaurant and when to eat there; we ordered what we wanted and paid for it ourselves; and neither oversight nor an editorial role were sought by the council.)

 

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Asian-fusion for Braybrook

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On Ballarat Road in Braybrook – right opposite La Porchetta – is a rather unlovely commercial edifice.

The new part houses a couple of furniture outlets and a gym.

At its glassy and more interesting and two-storied end are a childcare centre and the offices of a certain MP.

This building, as I’ve discovered through reader feedback to this post, has a venerable history.

It’s at that end, the official address is actually 17 Lacy Street, that West of Kin is taking shape.

 

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It is the baby of Andy (above) and Tram Tran, who run Kin in Chapel Street, Prahran.

But where that eatery is pretty much an orthodox Vietnamese place, it’s sister restaurant in Braybrook will be of the Asian-fusion persuasion.

Andy tells me there’ll be tapas-style dishes (priced $7 to $10, or three for $20), as well as offerings with Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese influences.

The menu will be developed by consulting chef Sam Pinzone, who has earned his stripes from his time working under Neil Perry at Rockpool, Jacques Reymond and most recently as executive chef at the refurbished The Rose Upstairs in Fitzroy.

 

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The location is a whirl of carpenters and fitting out at present, but Andy reckons they’ll be up and running in about a week.

West of Kin will be no humble ethnic eatery quietly slipping into the neighbourhood.

It’s going to be surprisingly large and very swish, encompassing in an L shape a bar/kitchen area and a more dedicated dining zone.

Those areas will wrap around a “beer” garden, while Andy says the place will be very friendly when it comes to kids and pets.

 

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Andy and Tram figure this is a good location – and I reckon they’re right.

In terms of eating/drinking, there’s not much to be had between Footscray (in one direction) and Sunshine (in the other).

In terms of eat/drinking any time after about 9pm any night of the week, there’s very little – aside from the nearby kebab shacks – for many kilometres around.

Andy and Tram live just a few minutes away so are well aware of all this.

Andy tells me he’s looking for ward to “doing something for the west” by opening a business that means his friends won’t have to travel to the likes of Brunswick for entertainment purposes.

Plans are that West of Kin will be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and until 11pm.

Laneway slices

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Slice Girls West, 4 Yewers Street, Footscray. Phone: 9689 6260

Footscray being colonised by a sister restaurant of a successful outfit in Melbourne’s CBD?

Using an unfunny, punny name?

I am in a playfully suspicious frame of mind as Bennie and I march up Yewer Street.

Mind you, I have enjoyed driving here, then parking, as Bennie kept on trying to guess where we’re going.

Yewer Street?

The effect is that it’s more of a laneway – appropriately, Slice Girls West, too, has a laneway vibe.

 

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The eatery space is quite confined but is bright and bohemian.

Contrived?

Maybe a little – but it IS pretty cool.

(The much larger upstairs area is being developed as a bar.)

The service is dispensed with a smile and the wait times are fine.

Spice Girls West offers a handful of square pizzas, four sangers and handful of such things as a hot dog, nachos and salads (see menu below).

The prices are real low.

 

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The Who Do You Think You Are pizza ($12) is lovely with prosciutto, provlone, artichokes and basil.

One review I read before departing opined that the pizzas here are more your American style, with a more spongy crust than usually provided with your Italian-style thin-crust pies.

This is true.

 

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The Cubano sandwich ($14) impresses the hell out of us.

It looks a tad modest for the price but eats quite big.

There’s oozy cheese, ham, pickles, mustard – and pork.

Here’s the thing – this “Citrus Roast Pork” really does have a citrus tang to it.

We’ll back for more this one.

 

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CTS Feast No.13: The Wrap

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CTS Feast No.23: Xuan Banh Cuon, 232 Hampshire Road, Sunshine. Phone: 0422 810 075. Tuesday, December 8, from 7pm.

What a happy pleasure it was holding a CTS event at our favourite Vietnanese restaurant.

Several guests were repeat offenders.

 

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Others were Xuan Banh Cuon regulars who nevertheless were happy to make the effort to join other fans.

 

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Many thanks to Xuan, Carson, Ang and the crew for providing us with such wonderful food.

 

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The biggest hit of the night was the mixed entree platter we each received of pho cuon thit bo (sautee beef wrap in fresh pho noodle), banh goi (Vietnamese puff) and cha mrc hai phong (northern squid cake).

The pho cuon thit bo especially impressed – Carson describes it as a non-soup, summertime version of pho, complete with rare beef slices and all the usual pho goodies.

Wonderful!

 

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CTS has held far fewer events this year than was initially anticipated – this being the third.

But they’ve all been very good!

We hope to see you next year at CTS Feast No.14 and beyond …

 

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Ace burgers in Sunshine

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Found 401, cnr Foundry and Hampshire roads, Sunshine.

It’s been a frustrating Sunday, one involving much driving, blog stories not eventuating and potential meals not eaten.

Worse, upon arriving back in Sunshine, I realise I’ve left my bag at an Indian sweets shop in Deer Park – so back we go.

By the time we return to Sunshine, we’re hungry … for just about anything, and blog be buggered.

But as it turns out – and despite recent proclamations of burger fatigue – we find something really good.

We find it in a rather anonymous looking cafe that’s part of the modest retail set-up in an apartment block at the other end of Hampshire Road than the one we normally frequent.

(Found 401 is about a block from Gold Leaf.)

 

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I’ve been hearing encouraging whispers about this place and its burgers, most notably from our regular provider of westie food tips and opinions, Lauren Sayer.

About this place, she is spot on.

As well as a concise burger line-up, Found 401 provides breakfasts and toasties, coffee and an assortment of other drinks (menu below).

I’d popped myself in on a previous Sunday but on that occasion had found the staff coping with the breakfast rush hour.

This time around we are, at first anyway, the only customers and we find the service and wait times very good.

I go for the BBQ burger ($10.50, top photograph) with beef, cheese, lettuce, bacon, mayo and BBQ sauce; I ask for the caramelised onions to be withheld.

 

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Bennie has the 401 burger ($11.50) with egg and 401 sauce added.

Both our burgers are terrific.

They’re nothing fancy – just good, solid all-round winners made with good ingredients and put together nicely.

The beef patties have a nicely solid meatiness about them.

 

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The chips ($4), too, are on the money and good value for the price.

They’re all crisp and unoily.

And no chicken salt or the like here – just a winning combo of salt and a dash of rosemary.

Bravo for the Found 401 crew for delivering burger goodies that are right up there with the best going around.

 

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We depart happy, hoping CTS readers Lorraine and Derek enjoy their meals as much as we did ours!

 

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Wonderfully silky eggplant & more

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Dumplings & More, 96 Hopkins St, Footscray. Phone: 9689 2165

After five years and more than 1000 posts, it might be presumed that Consider The Sauce has explored every noodle nook and curry cranny in Footscray Central.

And maybe even Sunshine, St Albans and various other foodie hot-spots, as well.

Nope.

Hasn’t happened.

Not even close.

Nor will it ever.

How fabulous is that?

For example: Dumplings & More is by now a Hopkins Street veteran yet it is only very recently that we have ventured through its doorway to eat and enjoy.

And enjoy we did.

Woks are used here but this is food – from the north-eastern province of Liaoning – that is quite a long way removed from your regular Cantonese tucker.

There is ample scope in the menu (see below) to accept all sort of challenges, although quite a few of the dishes involve Chinese pickles of the sort I already know through experience are not really my “thing”.

 

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This place is about hardcore Asian dining – the service is fine and smiling but there is not much English spoken here, so pointing at the required dishes is the go.

Ambiance is bare-bones cheap eats cafe style.

There are even a handful dishes on the menu that have no English translations. Yes, I asked as to their nature – I didn’t take precise notes on the answers, but the gist of it seemed to be that they aren’t any more weird and wonderful than the rest of the menu!

And the prices at Dumplings & More are very low.

Cucumber salad ($7, top photograph) is a beaut and refreshing starter.

It’s a little sweet, vinegary, a little spicy, garlicky and delicious.

 

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Bennie and I are of split minds about the exceptionally cheap seaweed salad ($2).

After a couple of mouthfuls, I call it quits.

Maybe I’m too familiar with the slippery, vividly green Japanese equivalent …  but this strikes me as dull and unappetising.

Bennie ploughs on, telling me the more heavily dressed (more garlic, more chilli) stuff is to be found further at the heart of the dish.

Each to his own!

 

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The lamb skewers cost $2 each (minimum order of four) – and they are dynamite!

The meat is not tender cubes as you might get in a Mediterranean, Middle Eastern or Afghan eatery.

But it matters not, as eating these chewy morsels daubed in heaps cumin and quite a lot of chilli is a blast.

 

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Spicy chicken with peanuts ($13.80) is another winner, though I am keener about it than my offsider.

It’s not as spicy as we expect from such a dish ordered in such an establishment.

But I really love the way all the ingredients are chopped to uniform size and that those ingredients include celery and cucumber.

 

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An order of the pan-fried lamb dumplings ($9.80 for 15 pieces) is automatic on account of them being very intensely firm favourites of CTS pal Bazoo.

Very good they are, too, with the casings being alternatively crisp and a little doughy and the innards juicy and well seasoned.

 

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Finally, here is the crowning glory of our visits – the potato, eggplant and chilli ($13.80).

Simply put: Wow!!!

Seriously, Bennie has been talking about this dish regularly since we devoured it.

It is very, very oily – but such goes with such a dish and its method of preparation.

The green peppers strips are of only minor interest.

But …

The potato segments are browned yet still quite firm.

They’re just like roast spuds – and unlike anything potato we’ve ever before had in any kind of Asian restaurant.

Brilliants!

The eggplant is wonderously silky and luscious, and packed with aubergine flavour.

This is all the more impressive as all of it is skin-free – yet it is the skin with which we normally high degrees of flavour in eggplant cooking.

So much do we love this dish that we’ve even started talking about devising and publishing a western suburbs restaurant eggplant shoot-out!

 

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Soi 38 – at home in a CBD laneway

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Soi 38, 38 McIlwraith Place, Melbourne

Consider The Sauce has been happily following the Soi 38 handcarts around for a few years – see posts here and here.

So it’s a natural thing to rock up happily to the unofficial opening party of the permanent home for Soi 38 in the city.

 

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Our pal and Thai food nut Andy and his mate Top have found a superb location – in a laneway between upper Little Collins and Bourke, the laneway also serving as access to a parking building.

It’s a gritty, funky retreat that suits these guys and their food to a tee.

And those handcarts have become part of the decor.

 

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The boat noodles on hand are just as delicious as every other time we’ve had them.

The Soi 38 restaurant’s other offering – tom yum soup noodles – will have to wait for another day.

 

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This place is highly recommended as a lunch spot for those who work in or are visiting the Spring Street end of the CBD!

Soi 38 bowls cost $10.

Open Monday-Saturday 11am-3pm.

See the “Just Opened” story in The Age – words by Consider The Sauce, photos by Nat Stockley.

 

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St Burgs hits the spot

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St Burgs, 41-45 Edgewater Boulevard, Maribyrnong. Phone: 9317 7460

There’s two new burger joints about to open right in Footscray central.

Where is it going to end?

Will it ever end?

Melbourne’s rather rabid fondness for new-school burger joints seems to know no limits.

There seems to one or more opening every week, all this activity attended by a plethora of media stories, blog posts and click-bait lists.

Truth to tell, I have been a foot-dragging participant in our visit to St Burgs.

I feel a bit a burger fatigue but have been worn down by Bennie’s persistent requests.

 

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The tipping point came during our visit to try the fine Turkish fare at Platinum Cafe in North Melbourne.

There, Bennie asked of Nat Stockley, noted burger fan and expert: “So what is your favourite burger place?”

St Burgs is the first establishment he mentions.

So off we go …

St Burgs is unusually located … in an apartment block down the hill from the Edgewater shopping/eating precinct.

There is no parking, forcing punters to walk from the parking spots at the shops.

And, so far as I can see, there are no toilets.

 

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The burger shop is tiny in terms of in-house eating, with most of seating outdoors.

Thankfully, on the Sunday we visit the weather is fine.

And whatever the challenges St Burgs presents, there is certainly no lack of punters when we arrive soon after noon.

The service is good and wait time not too long.

My Western Fried Chicken burger ($12) is very good.

Joining coleslaw, cheese and Sriracha mayo is a fat, juicy and deep-fried hunk of very flavoursome chook breast.

 

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Bennie absolutely adores his Double D burger ($14)!

It’s pretty much the St Burgs’ version of “with the lot”.

I ask Bennie: “But isn’t it much the same as what you get at Dude Food Man or 8bit?”

His reply: “No – this is better!”

So there you go – the verdict is in.

 

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I find our regular chips ($5) to be disappointing – a bit limp, not very hot and liberally anointed with indifferent seasoning.

Bennie agrees.

We reckon deep-fried potato + salt = excellent.

 

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Turkish cuisine and limousines

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Platinum Cafe, 36 Macaulay Road, North Melbourne. Phone: 0497 849 411

Platinum Taxis has been in residence at Macaulay Road for many years.

From No.36 operates a wide range of vehicular services – not just your humble cabbies but also airport and hotel pick-ups, limos and all the resources that drivers need to do their jobs.

The current Platinum Cafe set-up, however, has been in-house for just a few months.

 

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Bennie Weir practises his psycho stare; Nat Stockley photographs food.

 

After our very good pal Nat Stockely realises things have taken a Turkish turn at Platinum, we waste no time in convening a North Melbourne lunch date.

Bennie and I are hoping for good, cheap fast-food, perhaps something a little more exotic, perhaps an alternative to the Embassy Taxi Cafe in terms of midnight-hour munchie outings.

Sure, the menu (see below) does include burgers, toasties and the like.

But wow – we find a whole bunch more than that!

 

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The joint is being run by Nadia and her friend Ozen (both pictured at top) and also Lev.

Nadia knows her way around Turkish food, having worked for a Deer park eatery of that genre for more than a decade.

But what she and her pals are turning out in North Melbourne is mostly not Turkish restaurant food.

 

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Instead, Platinum Cafe is providing home-style cooking of the kind your favourite Turkish mum prepares.

On the day we visit, we’re told to “forget” the specials board (see below) – I would’ve certainly opted for the lamb roast.

Instead, we three converge on the bain marie and proceed to enjoy a mighty feast.

 

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My plate stacks up thusly …

Very good Turkish rice with orzo.

Patlican kebab (eggplant kebab) – one of the best eggplant dishes it’s ever been my pleasure to devour, the slippery, delicious eggplant mixing it with lovely lamb cubes.

Mucver – fritters of spud, carrot and egg that are wonderfully chewy.

Sulu kofte – Marble-size balls of cracked wheat (quite like gnocchi) and chick peas in a rich soup based on a lamb stock.

The cracked wheat balls are more tender than they appear but along with the chick peas constitute a meal in themselves and would probably be better enjoyed as such.

The soup, however, is great.

 

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The plates of Nat and Bennie are similar save for the addition of a vege-and-chicken dish with cheese sauce of Nadia’s own devising.

 

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Platinum Cafe also boasts a range of dolmas, including stuffed capsicums, and sarma such as vine leaves.

We get a plate of the latter and enjoy them very much.

They’re served how we like ’em – cold.

They’re quite delicate and have a nice smoky flavour. Nat even reckons there may be meat of some sort involved though Nadia tells me that is not the case.

 

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Also provided to our table is a very good salad of finely chopped vegetables, tomato, pickles (both cuke slices and cornichons), olives and fetta – such a shame it barely gets a look in as we explore the rest of our meals.

Our meal deals – including our plates, the stuffed vine leaves, the salad and cans of drink – costs us each an awesomely cheap $17.

 

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Nadia tells me about the 90 per cent of the drivers who come in are of Turkish extraction – sounds very high to me! – but that there are also drivers from Greece, Italy and East Africa. From all over, really …

For all of them, I suspect, the Turkish homecooking served at Platinum Cafe is both welcome and somehow familiar, no matter from where they hail.

Nadia also warns us that when we return, the line-up of home-style dishes will almost certainly not be the same.

We wouldn’t have it any other way!

Platinum Cafe is open from 6am-8pm on week days and from 8am-5pm on Saturdays.

 

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Food on sticks – Afghan Master Kebab for Footscray

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Afghan Master Kebab, 131 Nicholson Street, Footscray. Phone: 9396 0201

Team CTS bowls up for the opening party of BigWest an hour after advertised start time and find the whole shebang and everyone involved is pretty much just getting over the rain.

What to do?

Eat!

So we adjourn to nearby Nicholson Street and the recently opened Afghan Master Kebab, a sister restaurant to the popular eatery of the same name in Sunshine.

 

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Sister Restaurant?

More like identical twins.

The menu line-up (see below) appears to be the same, save for the addition of such stuff as fish and chips.

Mind you, the Footscray edition is done out in perfectly fine and plain cafe style that in no way matches the flamboyant interior found up in Sunshine!

 

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Three of us choose the mix kebab ($13.99) and a delight it is.

Four skewers – two of superbly juicy chicken and one each of the minced kebab kobida lamb and the diced lamb cubes of tikka kebab.

They’re all wonderful.

Elsewhere around town, in restaurants that vary from Greek and Turkish to barbecue, it’s easily possible to pay significantly more for meat that is not so fabulous.

As in Sunshine, acceptable yet largely superfluous salad bits and two dipping sauces accompany.

The chilli and mint number is a doozy while, here, the yogurt dip seems a bit more tangy and has a richer dairy flavour.

 

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Our meals come with heaps of the wonderful Afghan Master Kebab bread – a bit like naan but chewier and just right slathered in the sauces.

 

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After a slightly underwhelming experience with chargrilled chook earlier in the week, it’s a giddy pleasure to inhale the Master Kebab half chicken ($14.99).

A bit pricier … but THIS is charcoal grilled chicken.

 

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On an earlier visit, I’d tried the chicken qorma ($12), one of a handful on non-grill offerings on the menu.

It’s nice enough, mildly seasoned and of generous serve.

But if anything, it serves only to reinforce the notion that food on sticks is the way to go here.

 

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Diwali with Suneeti

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Consider The Sauce never takes for granted the heart-and-soul situations that open up for us because we do what we do.

 

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A year or so ago, for instance, I spent an entire day with our wonderful friend and fellow blogger the Urban Ma and her family, preparing and then eating a fabulous Pinoy feast.

 

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This one is a bit like that …

 

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I met Suneeti when she and some pals were guests at the CTS Feast held at Curry Leaves, the fabbo Sri Lankan eatery in Sunshine.

 

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We sat at the same table, got talking and soon discovered that when it comes to sub-conintental eats – and what’s hot and what’s not so much in the western suburbs – we are very much on the same page.

 

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All of which led to the question: Would Bennie and I like to be guests at her family’s regular Diwali bash in their Sunshine home?

 

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Yes!

 

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And what a fine time we had!

 

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We enjoyed meeting a varied bunch of lovely folks.

 

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This was not you hardcore devout Hindu Diwali party – the assembled guests and family were from all over; there was meat and alcohol, though not a lot of either.

 

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The food?

 

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OMG – sensational!

 

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Mildly spiced, as befits a gathering at which there are numerous young children, but still just so very fine.

 

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Thanks, Suneeti!

 

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And, yep, we’d really like to return next year!

This story and these photos are published with Suneeti’s happy approval – she was too busy to take pics so is looking forward to this post as a memento!

 

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The chook burger wins

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Manok, 351 Somerville Road, Yarraville. Phone: 9315 1440

As previously reported right here on CTS, Manok replaces the long-standing chook shop on Somerville Road on the small shopping strip at that road’s intersection with the Princes Highway.

Team CTS has visited twice now and had enjoyable meals on both occasions.

But we recommend keeping expectations in check.

Even with the new Manok crew on deck, this remains a chicken shop – albeit with a few twists – and fast food is the go.

The service is fine and we love and applaud that our in-house meals are served on enamelled plates with metal cutlery attending, though takeaway customers get styrofoam.

 

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Our biggest hit by far is the chicken burger ($10, top photograph).

Bennie orders this and I’m envious.

He loves every mouthful.

It’s a simple thing – pulled roast chicken mixed with house-made peanut sauce and placed between the bun bookends with coleslaw.

How good does it look?

This is the sort of creation that could see Manok develop a bit of cult and end up on lists.

 

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The chips ($3.50) that come with Bennie’s sandwich are fine, fresh and hot.

 

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That makes them a step above those that accompanied my burger on an earlier visit – these were just OK.

The beef burger ($10, $1 extra for bacon) was pretty handy, too.

Much better than you’d routinely get in chicken shops across the city, though I did wish for a bit more charred beef flavour.

 

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And the chicken?

There’s a choice of two – regular and lemon grass.

Both CTS pal Marnie and I go for the latter, with the above-pictured half chook and salad costing $12.90.

I find it enjoyable but a bit average.

I’d like a bit more flavour oomph from the chook – I end up wishing I’d ordered the regular and got the crusty, salty taste explosion that goes with old-school chicken shop poultry.

The Greek salad is acceptable.

But with this sort of chicken in this sort of setting, I’d much prefer to have a good coleslaw on hand.

Marnie is a long-time reader of CTS and we’ve been working towards actually meeting up for some time – sometimes these things can take a while!

She has filed the following:

“Hey Kenny, thanks for inviting me to help check out the place. It was lovely to meet you both. The chook was good but I think I needed some sort of dipping sauce to go with it. Something traditionally Filipino would be ace. Paying for nearly $3 (!) for gravy is a bit insulting IMO … I still think I prefer Pier Street charcoal chicken shop in Altona in terms of juiciness, tastiness and value for money though.“

Nice to meet you, too!

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Kiosk by d’Asporto – photo shoot for The Age

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Read The Age story here.

Right from the time we got a nice reader’s tip that something good was happening at Williamstown Beach, Consider The Sauce has been following the doings there with high interest.

 

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Not just because stuffing the lifesaving club’s kiosk with really good Italian street food is such a fine idea but also because the lovely crew from Pizza d’Asporto is up to their necks in making it happen.

 

 

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As well, such a brilliant idea is it that selling it as a “Just Opened” feature for The Age was a breeze with that rag’s food editor Roslyn Grundy.

 

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Today’s the day for the photo shoot.

 

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I don’t expect to be playing a particularly active role – but it is my story and besides, you know, it’s fun.

 

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Claudio, Antoinetta, Ros, myself and everyone else involved has been most fervently hoping for fine, sunny weather.

 

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That we don’t get.

 

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But Melbourne being mercurial Melbourne, we’re all pretty happy with the overcast but warm, windless conditions.

 

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Oh yes, it could be way worse.

 

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Figuring the photographer was booked for 1.30pm, I’m a bit shocked to bowl up at 1pm to find the shoot already underway.

 

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I am also aghast that the kiosk is chockers with all sorts of beautiful food and that all hands are on deck – when the official opening is still a week away.

 

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But while it’s likely only two pics will be used to accompany my yarn, truth is this is also a handy trial run for the entire Kiosk by d’Asporto operation.

 

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I have a nice old time chatting to all and sundry as photographer Wayne, his wife, Nicole, and Antoinetta get the business done with professional aplomb.

 

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Then we eat!

Read The Age story here.

 

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Music mates but no silverside for me

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Royal Standard Hotel, 333 William St, West Melbourne. Phone: 9328 2295

Before Consider The Sauce – before the domain name had been bought, before I’d begun to get to grips with the wordpress blogging platform and the whole blogging deal – one of the ideas I had was to combine on my site food AND music.

Wisely, I think, the food prevailed – though regular readers well know that my musical passions pop up every now and then in cameo appearances.

And that was that, I thought.

After a lifetime of writing about and broadcasting music – and chasing the groove both locally and in the US – my love of music had become a private deal.

And I’m mostly comfortable with that.

But a year or so ago, I noticed good pal and former colleague Lee was contributing to a Facebook group based around music and mateship.

I read with interest.

The I started offering up the odd interjection.

Then I joined.

 

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It’s been great.

I don’t fire up in terms of extolling what I’m digging nearly as much as some – generally speaking, about once  month I let loose with a rambling rave about my current faves in terms of funky old soul or country or jazz or cajun or swamp pop or whatever.

(The recently amassed pile of vintage stuff from Cuba, Soweto, Haiti, Columbia, Peru, Ghana, Congo, Ethiopia, Benin, Nigeria awaits raving!)

I confess to feeling somewhat out of step with the group’s general leanings – too many white blokes with guitars and a whole lotta rock of the kind with which I don’t generally roll.

But here’s the thing – as with my previous online musical communions (Blue Note Bulletin Board, All About Jazz, Jazz Corner, Organissimo – all but the last now gone to the internet graveyard), and locally at the late, lamented Hound Dog’s Bop Shop, specifics of individual tastes matter not.

Because what I really enjoy is not mostly the music being discussed but the passion with which the group members address it and the (often tall) stories that accompany.

 

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Something I’ve always been adamant about when running CTS is that when the opportunity arises, hitherto digital relationships should be put on a real-time face-to-face basis – and we’ve had some wonderful folks come into our lives through doing so.

So it is that with a good heart that I bowl up to the Royal Standard in West Melbourne to meet many of the denizens of Music4Mates for the first time.

We have a fine time over beers and tucker.

So for the company, the generous spirit, the stories and the bullshit, I say thank you to Lee, Warren, Saskia, Andrew, Brett, Baz, Steve, Diane and Johanna.

The Royal Standard is a very much old-school inner city boozer – no pokies, live music, metaphorical sticky carpet and a heap of different beers.

The food (see menu below) is suitably old-school, too, and priced accordingly.

I don’t keep track of what everyone is eating …

 

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… but I note that Steve’s (Aussie) burger ($20) looks very much the goods.

With beetroot, of course!

Extra points for crawfish shirt grooviness.

 

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My own bangers and mash ($19) are fine, with the snags being of better quality than I’d normally expect and the mash and onion gravy also good.

Could’ve lived without the salady bits, though.

 

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As ever when confronted by such a menu line-up, I’d cast around for the specials board, on which – in this pub today – silverside has been listed as the roast of the day.

Silverside? Roast?

Whatever … turns out that Brett snagged the last serve of the day – and I’m envious.

How good does that look?

 

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‘Rescued’ food in a Carlton pub

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Wendy Hargreaves with FareShare CEO Marcus Godinho and The Lincoln publican Iain Ling.

Fairshare “Rescued” Dinner, The Lincoln, 91 Cardigan Street, Carlton.

FairShare is a very worthy organisation that “rescues” food that would otherwise go to waste and feeds it to hungry people to the tune of about 25,000 meals a week that are distributed to charities.

Its “Rescued” dinner was one of those special events in which I like to indulge every now and then.

Why not?

It ticked all the boxes.

Very good cause, (hopefully) great food and the chance to meet some fine and interesting people.

 

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I confess to having some doubts about the food.

How good can a meal be when it is produced solely from food that is about to be chucked out?

A conversation with FareShare CEO Marcus Godinho soon set me right.

Of course!

There are, it turns out, very many ways in which food falls through the gaps, particularly when it comes to logistics and bureaucracy.

So the food we eat, particularly with the likes of Frank Camora helping out in the kitchen, is excellent and enjoyed by a sell-out crowd that appeared to have taken over all the dining spaces at the Lincoln.

 

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People-wise, the highlight for me is sitting down and chewing the fat – so to speak – with Wendy Hargreaves.

Wendy, a FairShare ambassador, is a fellow foodie about town – check out her website here.

In many ways, she and I are poles apart in our approaches and tastes – but the story of our overlapping interests is a bit more delightfully messy than that.

 

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You see, Wendy and I actually shared office time in my final days at the Sunday Herald Sun.

So awful was that time, for me anyway, that I have no recollection of meeting or talking with Wendy back than – at all.

For several years, however, we have been chatting, sparring, gossiping and laughing courtesy of Facebook.

 

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So this was a lovely chance for the pair of us to compare notes face to face- and lo, unsurprisingly, we found we have a rather complex array of connections and stories in common.

Ears could – or should – have been burning!

Sharing our table were another Fairshare ambassador and foodie/media personage of note, Dani Valent, along with Karen, Carl and David – they were fine company.

The food?

Oh, it was grand!

(See small menu below.)

The highlight?

The slow-roasted Flinders Island lamb shoulder with asadillo, cauliflower/grain salad and an (unadvertised) stew of chickpeas and spinach.

 

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A Taste of Poland in Sunshine

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A Taste of Poland, 3/1B Bell Street, Sunshine West.

By Erika Jonsson

I’m a compulsive list-maker.

When I was in year 12 someone stole my study diary and wrote, “breathe in, breathe out” on every page, clearly amused by the idea I might not do it unless it was written on a list.

They weren’t far off the mark, really.

Most days I find myself creating a new list, from birthday present ideas a year out to playgrounds and cafes I’d like to visit.

Travel and lists go hand in hand for me – I have lists of places I’ve visited, countries I’d like to visit, cities I might otherwise forget to consider next time we are planning a holiday.

Travel and food also go well together in the western suburbs, where it’s possible to circumnavigate the globe without venturing far from home.

My family loves trying foods from previously unexplored cuisines, ticking off countries at every opportunity.

We’re racking up a pretty good tally – and we haven’t even made it to the Jamaican place in Yarraville yet.

So when my husband told me he was adding a new country to the list I was intrigued.

When he turned off Glengala Road in Sunshine West I was beyond curious.

 

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Consider The Sauce has already documented my love of dumplings, so when we pulled up outside A Taste of Poland it’s fair to say I was thrilled.

It’s an unassuming café attached to a small Polish grocery stocking everything from large jars of dried porcini mushrooms and pickled vegetables to chocolates and sweets.

The menu is small and exceptionally well priced – the most expensive meal on the board is $13.

We ordered a plate of potato and cheese dumplings (which I felt certain would be a winner with my two sons), pork with salad and chips and Polish sausages with cabbage and bread.

The lovely lady at the helm asked me which salads I wanted from the array of jars – I chose red cabbage salad and also ended up with a mix of cabbage, carrot and capsicum.

 

 

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The pork was tender and tasty, though nothing I couldn’t make at home.

The preserved salads were delicious and I added the cost of a couple of jars to our bill so I could enjoy them at home, too.

Five-year-old Joe and my husband both enjoyed the sausages, but the hands-down dish of the day was the dumplings.

No surprises there.

 

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One-year-old Hugh especially loved the creamy, smooth filling.

The dough was easy to eat and not the slightest bit tough.

 

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The dumplings are made fresh then frozen – you can buy them to take away from the freezer along with items such as croquettes and white borscht.

My coffee afterwards was quite satisfactory and my boys loved their jelly-centred chocolates as a treat.

Our three dishes plus a coffee, a juice and a soft drink came to about $35 and I also grabbed my jars of salad, pasta and dark chocolate to take home.

There is nothing fancy about A Taste of Poland but there doesn’t need to be, especially when you can feed four for less than $10 each.

I’ll certainly be returning for another dumpling fix soon.

CTS Feast No.13: Xuan Banh Cuon

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Ang, Xuan and Carson.

 

To book for this event, click here.

Xuan Bang Cuon is a fabulous eatery.

Now look, I’m guessing a bit here – but I reckon it must rank among the top handful of Vietnamese restaurants in the southern hemisphere.

I have no way of knowing for sure, of course, as I don’t plan on trying them ALL!

But still … it’s high time Xuan Banh Cuon and CTS got together for a feast.

And so it shall be!

It’s not just about the food, as terrific and distinctive as it is, with a strong north Vietnamese bent.

(Yes, you can order pho here but …)

It’s also about Xuan and her family and the joy they derive from serving Vietnamese food their way come what may.

Here are the details:

CTS Feast No.23: Xuan Banh Cuon,
232 Hampshire Road, Sunshine. Phone: 0422 810 075
Tuesday, December 8, from 7pm

Cost: $25

Menu

Appestiser sampler plate for each guest consisting of:
Pho cuon thit bo – sautee beef wrap in fresh pho noodle
Banh goi – Vietnamese puff
Cha mrc hai phong – northern squid cake

A choice of ONE of the following for each guest:
Bun rieu cua ca – slightly tangy vermicelli soup with tofu, crab paste and fish cakes
Banh da do tom thi cha – prawn, pork and homemade fish cake soup noodles
Goi du du kho ba – papaya salad
Banh cuon nhan (co cha) – pork and prawn steamed rice paper roll

Dessert:
Rhach dua rau cau – homemade coconut jelly

To book for this event, click here.

Westie eats goss

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Manok is sub-titled “for the love of chicken”.

It takes over the location of the formerly long-running charcoal chicken shop at 351 Somerville Road.

Google tells me this address, part of a small shopping strip at the intersection of the Geelong road, is officially in West Footscray – but most of us will more sensibly think of it as being in upper Yarraville.

I visit on opening day and find Phillip very busy.

He tells me he’s been a chef all his life, having done his cooking stuff at numerous Asian restaurants around Melbourne.

 

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At Manok – Tagalog for chicken – there’s an accent on Philippine chook.

 

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The marinated chicken (Bannockburn free range) is joined by regular charcoal chicken as well as wings marinated in brine and Philippine herbs.

Other than that, Phillips is mostly offering fast food – including hamburgers – that aims for classier, fresher and healthier than offered by your average takeaway joint.

 

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The salads, for instance, look like they’d be right at home in a swish cafe.

As well, Phillips tells me roasts and grind the peanuts for his peanut sauce and makes his own sweet chilli sauce.

We’ll do a double-banger chook/burger review in due course.

 

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The food/entertainment space on the ground floor of the St George Theatre apartment complex in Yarraville has a short-term tenant.

The Far Fetched Designs crew has moved in for the summer after having already enjoyed locations in Anderson and Gamon streets, as well as Brunswick, for their lovely pop-up crafts operation.

I’m told, however, that the space is under long-term lease to the same outfit that handles The Pint of Milk in Newport and Mezmez and The Pickle Barrel in Williamstown and that some time earlyish in the new year will see some action.

 

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Meanwhile, Patrick and Jill of Spice Bazaar Cooking School in Seddon have bought the Victoria Street premises that houses their operation.

Jill tells me that they’re re-organising their spice storage and moving things around a bit but that class capacity will increase.

 

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Meal of the week No.24: Woven

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Can a shake be a meal?

A case for the affirmative can certainly be with the Green Tea Mega Shake made with pride at Woven.

It’s not on the menu at the Yarraville establishment (175b Stephen Street) so you need to ask.

One of these babies costs $15.

The ingredients?

Hello Gello vanilla ice cream
Nutella
Green tea KitKat
Kenko matcha tea
A doughnut
Milk
Double matcha cream
House matcha soil
Matcha shortbread biscuit

The verdict?

Hmmm, not bad.

I like that it’s not cloyingly sweet.

The green tea thing is definitely interesting.

Definitely an experience worth pursuing by westside foodies.

At least once.

We were tipped to this mega project by Consider The Sauce reader and friend Bazoo.

His supposed partner in crime failed to make it so he “did” the whole thing himself, bringing on a bout of self-flagellating self-loathing that almost tipped him over the edge.

The Green Tea Mega Shake?

It’s a sharing thing.

 

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