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Ok ... Nuevo Latino, so nuevo that the creases have yet to be ironed out yet but don't let this put you off! Choose a quiet week night and prepare to be patient.
Our particular CBA Friday night started off well. It was a lovely evening so eschewing the wheels, we took a leisurely stroll to Barkly Street to check out the latino delights of this newly minted restaurant.
It being just a bee's dick shy of 6pm, we had no issues securing a table, although it started to get pretty packed soon after that.
The kitchen, which you can peek into, was already a hive of activity, but the 2 guys manning the floor seemed a little listless.
Given the layout of the entry into the restaurant, we weren't quite sure where to stand and wait to be seated. A stand with the menu just in front of where the bottled water is kept should alleviate some of this confusion. Alternatively staff should give clear acknowledgement to people who have just arrived. So we know to wait until you have finished attending to a table. Sometimes its the little things ...
The menu here is exciting. Not quite the lengthy thesis of El Rincons past, but that is a good thing. I prefer a small but well executed menu as opposed to one that reads like United Nations dossier.
As always there is a tussle between ordering too much and not being able to sample enough. A modicum of sanity prevailed and we decided on a couple of smalls, a couple of mains and possibly a dessert.
It took us awhile to get the attention of our waiter in order to place our orders, and then he rather ineptly tried to remember them without the benefit of a notepad. It was almost Fawlty-esque the way in which our water and cutlery were delivered to the table. And our drink order seemed to have disappeared into the ether. We had to change it anyways because the bar wasn't quite set up to do more than unbottle and uncork. Although there were jugs of Sangria going round.
The first dish to arrive was a main (?!) - no biggie since we were sharing anyways. Tamales!!! Or is that Tamali? As mentioned previously, Tamales are surprisingly hard to find given the glut of tex-mex-latino joints in this town. Nuevo's version is delicious, and comes served with a spicy cabbage mix that shits all over most other tepid coleslaw offerings that are the accompaniment du jour under Melbourne's Dude Food cloud. The accompanying salsa has the beginnings of a great sauce, but could have benefited from a little bit muy picante.
Next was the Bacalau croquettes!! I have had a lot of Bacalau croquettes in my lifetime, including my own (which ahem ahem I think are still the best because I use green chillies in the mix) and I can safely say that Nuevo's are pretty darn amazing. And extremely moreish!! I could just kick back with a cold beer and a plate of these on a sunny summer evening and it would be as close to heaven as you could get. (Mental note to self - #makethishappen!).
Our next dish of Grilled Corn Kernels claimed equal placing in the deliciousness stakes. I'm not sure whether the intense smoky flavour was a case of culinary serendipity because it was right on the very edge of being burnt! Delicious. Another heavenly beer snack for that warm summer evening!
Our final main was the Carne Asada. Now this is not my usual goto dish as I find that the various components that make up this dish are simply plonked on the plate and require very little sophistication in the kitchen beyond that. And the Carne aspect is just an excuse to charge an additional $5 or so. We ordered it this time round because we were in the mood for some protein. And it turned out to be a good choice. Far from being pedestrian, Nuevo Latino's Carne Asada is good!!! The salsa, the salad and the guac all melded together in a refreshing blend of flavours that worked so well with the accompanying soft corn tortilla which was in itself lightly seasoned for a change. In fact, and this is going to sound contradictory, but the skewered meat was pretty much an afterthought, and I could have easily enjoyed the dish without it.
We're still missing Besito and that Colombian Hot Chocolate and Cheese stunner. We pondered asking whether Nuevo had something similar, but decided to check out the Churros instead. Perhaps there are regional differences when it comes to this not so humble fried dough decadence. Nuevo's Churros were slightly doughy, almost uncooked. But there was still definite crunch on the outside and the melted chocolate was of quality. I still prefer Sabroso's, so maybe check out both and see how they measure up for you. Perhaps its a question of personal taste.
Anyhoo, Nuevo Latino if you manage to maintain the quality of your food, boost your bar offerings and tweak your front of house service a smidge, then you're a welcome addition to this neighbourhood!! For punters who haven't been, give these guys a chance. The food is great so lets be a little accommodating while they find their hospitality feet.
Ok ... its beginning to look a lot like Christmas now that the shops are festooned with aisles of twinkly baubles, sparkly confectionary, rainbow coloured streamers and led blinkers for days! Oh and the odd dose of lunacy like this giant Lindt ball!
Here at the Temasek household things remain decidedly grim, but spirits must be kept up even as they're kept down to numb the despair.
So showered and changed, I forced myself out down the road to view Jos Van Hulsen's handiwork in the window of Post Industrial Design on Barkly Street, WeFo.
And I'm so glad I did as it was a very welcome distraction! There is something about a Christmas window that brings out the childish curiosity and wonder in all of us. When I was growing up, every other year or so, Dad would put up a Nativity Scene with a Cotton wool wrapped balsa wood frame instead of a Christmas tree. I would sit there and contemplate each figurine animated by the glow of the blinking lights. I'd invent Christmas stories in my head about hidden worlds round fairy lit corners; conjuring firelit rooms peopled by shiny faced toys and festooned with brightly wrapped presents - each an evenly cornered box with ribbons and bows. I don't think I have ever been that happy since.
Over the years Christmas has lost much of its magic and charm. The passing of time has an uncanny ability of wrenching the joy and wonder out of childhood experiences once held so dear. But as with most things (and this is one of the hardest lessons to learn as an adult) in life, you are unaffectedly the only one who can change this. No one is going to do it for you.
So why not try mixing things up a little this Christmas. Focus less on the gift giving and more on the opportunities to celebrate with friends and family. Don't waste money on decking the outside of the house in what will only end up as an exercise in replicating a John Waters pisstake. Spend it on oodles of yummy champagne instead. Don't fuss too much about dustbusting every single nook and cranny of your dwelling, but throw the doors open, and let your loved ones in.
And if you are in the hood, gather kids and pets alike or maybe partner and friends, or even just your very own self and take an evening stroll down Barkly Street to PID and spend a few minutes of wonder in front of Jos and Mary's Christmas window. I hear its even more magical at night when the rest of the shop is closed.
Ok ... so much to catch up on! Lets start with a food post from a few months ago. The Braybrook branch of Akshaya's in what some would posit is the middle of nowhere decked out like a celebratory dinner in a bollywood movie circa 1984, left me decidedly warm with its underwhelming promise of traditional South Indian fare. All the usual suspects on that menu but with better versions further up the road, I was never tempted to go back.
Akshaya Mark II is a completely different proposition. Located in WeFo's vibrant Indian enclave on Barkly, its outlook on the street does it no favours. Ineffectual signage and advertising doesn't quite draw the stray punter in. Given the dynamics of the local citizenry in the area, they should be screaming out that they serve delicious, economical vegetarian fare. But there you have it.
It was a particularly uninspiring CBA friday when neither of us could quite articulate what we were in the mood for, so decided to give somewhere new a try. After being seated and given the menu to peruse, it didn't help when I realised everything was vegetarian - I do like my protein - particularly when I am starving. However the staff were so welcoming and M spotted his favourite Mirchi, so I reluctantly kicked back and went with the flow.
Wise decision! The Mirchi was not its usual heavy grammy mess. It was light, crunchy and very more-ish. And was the perfect starter before the ubiquitous Paper Dosa, which arrived a-tablé suitably thin and crunchy with a distinct lack of greasy oil! Also the accompanying sauces were some of the best I have had in a long while, particularly the red chutney, which had a bit of a kick! And wasn't at all of the skin stripper asofoetida variety.
But the star of the meal was their Thali plates. For the whopping sum of $10.90 you get a plate of rice with three curries, raita and a chutney!! And let me tell you every morsel on that metal plate was delicious, the spicy cauliflower being a particular highlight. All fresh clean flavours that complemented each other perfectly. We left feeling sated and healthy, almost as though we had just gone through some kind of body cleansing regime.
Akshaya gets the Temasek seal of approval - wholeheartedly!
Ok ... if this post were a video it would start with a slow shake of the head and a heavy sigh. I'm still not sure if I should be posting this as I don't believe in unwarranted and circumstantial negativity. But we have wanted this for so long, I can't give up without a fight.
I write this piece as a form of encouragement and also hopefully as constructive criticism because I really want this place to succeed, not just in terms of being a profitable business in the monetary sense, but also being successful the quality of both its produce and its service.
Lauren of Footscray Food Blog's post on the newly opened Roti Road on Barkly Street sparked a mild panic attack with hyperventilation and squeals of delight! The dearth of decent Malaysian fare has been the big disappointment about the area we are otherwise so happy to live in. It was with genuine excitement when we rocked up at Roti Road on a CBA Friday, already anticipating many more CBA Fridays here to come.
It all started well. Having expressed our surprise at the generous space, we were initially shown to a small table at the very front door. But our waitress noticed the draught and organized a table further out the back without prompting. And the place was already well and truly packed and pumping by the time we arrived.
On hindsight, we gave the staff a little respite since we can be frustratingly slow orderers (if there's such a word). But once the business end was over and done with, we sat back and patiently waited for our evening meal to begin.
We ordered:
Starters:
1 Plain Roti
1 Roti with Onion and Egg
Main:
1 Char Kway Teow
1 Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken
Drinks:
1 hot lemon tea
1 iced lemon tea
Our drinks came out first. My Iced Lemon tea was the real brewed deal so I was happy. M was a little less certain with his, but to be honest, if you are going to order hot lemon tea at an Asian restaurant then ...
M's hot lemon Tea
It would have only been about 15mins in when someone not in uniform (so presumably of some kind of managerial rank) came to our table and asked whether we had ordered? And because the question was slightly unexpected and we didn't respond straightaway, he then proceeded to apologise for the delays as the kitchen was really busy. Ding ding! Warning Bell # 1.
It wasn't that much longer before the first dish arrived (so up to this point, apologizing for any form of tardiness was a little unnecessary). And guess what it was - the damn Char Kway Teow! She places it in the middle of the table and I push it towards M, and she asks in puzzlement "Oh you're not sharing?" and I go "No I'm having the Nasi Lemak". Ding ding! Warning Bell # 2
Without putting too fine a point on this, Kway Teow is a specific type of noodle and Char means Fried. What that means is you can't simply substitute any kind of rice based noodle if you do not have Kway Teow! That's like saying I am giving you Spaghetti Bolognese, but using Parpadelle instead! So if you want to serve Char Kway Teow but with Pad Thai noodles, then change the name of your dish to something else. Also the balance of flavours was a little off. Too much dark Soy in the mix which cut the sweetness of the dish with an unwelcome amount of bitterness. M did not like it. And it takes a lot to make M not like his food.
Ok while M tries his best to stretch out a 5 minute meal into 15, I sit there waiting, stomach slowly devouring its own lining.
He's nearly at the end when my Plain Roti arrives. The Roti is good. Freshly made and just the right balance of crispy/flaky to my liking. The accompanying sauces are great too, full of flavor and interest, although M finds the dahl (or is it mung bean?) a little chewy.
Then its yet another wait during which they come round to re-assure us that our other dishes are on the way. It doesn't really make the time go any faster.
M's Roti is next to be served which he finishes off accordingly. And I am sat there puzzling as to why our Rotis were not made and served together at the same time. Especially since they have already marked our table out as experiencing delays ... Or have they? Ding ding! Warning Bell # 3.
By this stage we already knew what to expect - our dishes were arriving one after the other with a delay between each serve - mildly irritating like a buzzing mosquito that won't quit, but not quite the restless sleep of jungle Malaria. So its their first official night and maybe they didn't quite anticipate the crowds ... totally understandable, surely.
But after they cleared that second tray of Roti from our table, the wait was getting noticeably longer ... and our patience and sense of fairplay were wearing decidedly thin.
Bear in mind that up to this point, I hadn't technically been served a proper meal yet. And we had already been at the table for well over an hour.
We asked our waitress to check and see how long it was going to take for the rest of the dishes to come, and she said she would. To be honest, I don't really think she did. And what's worse, I don't believe she ever intended to!
So I gave them another 20mins which stretched into 30mins and before I had a chance to call someone over again, another waitress comes over and asks if we were still waiting on anything, to which the reply was a resounding Yes.
Off she trundles to wherever it is they go, and about 10mins later comes back with a piece of paper and goes "Did you order the Nasi Lemak?" Another resounding Yes! To which she responds with an apology and says they have run out of rice and would I like Noodles instead!
I. LOST. THE. PLOT.
I exercised enough self restraint to not have sworn once, but I told them exactly how I felt in no uncertain terms. It was not a proud moment for me, but I think we had been more than reasonably patient.
Here are some of the choice phrases I used:
"totally unacceptable"
"can I speak to the manager"
"you can't have Malaysian food written on the front of your shop and run out of rice"
"who's manning the pass in your kitchen"
"we're unlikely to come back"
"what are you going to do for me now"
In summation here are some pointers that I have for management:
- train your staff to be knowledgeable in the cuisine you purport to be serving
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- do not hire staff who make an irritated face and go "what?" when someone asks for a teh tarek and something typically Malaysian
- when you have already identified a problem with a particular table, make sure that whoever runs the pass in your kitchen is aware of this and pays close attention to the relevant docket
- If the freshly made Roti is the holdup, apologise to your customer and ask if its ok if the mains are served first
- Do not assume that a 2 person table will be sharing all dishes ordered - clarify this point first if you are anticipating delays
- and if someone asks to see a manager, do not get your staff to "pretend" to be a manager just so the real "managers" aren't bothered with difficult queries about the level of service that they are responsible for in the first place
