No I don't speak Jamaican and I'm not phonologizing either! CBA Friday at Bax Food Co, Seddon

Ok so does anyone remember Gravy Train from the pre-million dollar property days? It used to be one of the rare modern style cafes along this strip of Gamon Street in ... is it still Seddon or Yaraville at this juncture? We went there once, and never went back.

Well Seddon/Yaraville is now so crowded with gastronomic choices that the everyday fish and chip/milkbar burger has now become a rarefied luxury. One lazy Saturday afternoon brunching at Lady Moustache, we first noticed that the Greens had vacated their charmingly rustic (i.e. gradually shifting sideways) workers cottage. Then we noticed that Gravy Train was no longer and windows had been papered up sheltering the premise's new tenants in preparation for the big reveal!

After a little eugooglizing, the Westie interwebs rumour mill informed us that our snazzy hood was getting its first Jamaican restaurant. As a big fan of a good old spicy smoky jerk anything I was excited.

So when it opened we jumped at the chance of sampling the wares at Bax Food Co. Let me just preface this by saying that the hospitality gods have not been smiling down on us of late. We have had so many forgotten orders, inept service experiences, understocked menus of late, that its hard not to question our loosening grip on humanity. Unfortunately, Bax Food Co didn't quite help to change our losing streak.

The evening started off well. The open front courtyard has been preserved in a fashion and as it was a reasonably cool night, we were glad to be sat outside. A la Pappa Rich, each table has a tin with paper menus and pencils for you to tick your order off. But I think teething problems may have prevented them from sticking to their misguided workflow, and table service was provided instead.

When we visited they were still in the process of obtaining a liquor licence, but there were a number of fruit punch like drinks on offer. To get into the spirit of things, I opted for the watermelon which in its spritzy mixture had a very nostalgic and familiar flavour to me. M's had some kind of passionfruit nonsense, a fruit that I truly despise as it combines 2 of the worst things I find in food - slimy and supertart! He liked it which really is all that matters.

The menu is designed to be shared - a little tapas-y in construct. Once they get their liquor licence, you could go to town on this!

We decided to go for 2 selections from the Larger Boss Grub section on the menu. We placed our orders and settled into some heavy conversation as we were both extremely dejected about things at work. We didn't really notice the time flying. Then we were distracted by a couple of our friends walking their dog and we went out for a quick but long overdue catchup, which pushed the hands round the clock a little bit more.

When that was all done with, there was nothing further to distract from our rumbling tummies. And the stress levels began to creep up as the tables round us started emptying and filling up again. Then a side of Cassava chips was delivered gratis with an apology for the wait. That helped to appease the Roti Road flashbacks somewhat as the Cassava chips were delicious!! You must order a serve when you go! It came with a sticky green sauce perfumed by the sweetness of Jalapeno (I think) and pretty soon we were dunking and crunching no more as the box* switfly emptied.

We then had to prompt the waitress to see where the rest of our meal was. She returned to say that it would be no more than another 10 minutes. So I set the timer on my phone ... YES! I have turned into one of those people!! I am secretly mortified and ashamed ... but in the heat of the moment, all bets are off. But guess what! To the very second of those 10 minutes, our mains actually arrived!

But, and this is one of my many pet peeves, they had run out of one of the elements on the Jerk Platter we ordered, and simply replaced it with another item without first checking!! Thankfully for their sake, they replaced the Chicken Wings (and if you know me, you know how much I love my chicken wings!!) with an extra piece of their Jerk Roast Corn with coconut and jerk Mayo which was heaven!! And would have been way too hard to share. So our Jerk Platter ($25) came with Jerk Chicken, Pork Ribs, and 2 pieces of Jerk corn.

I almost want to say jerk is as jerk is, mainly because I like the sound of it. But the jerk was nigh on perfect for me. The right amount of smokiness with a hint of spice and the rub was well and trully cooked out. There was also a tamarindy sweetness in one of the sauces that worked very well with the rest of the flavours of the jerk. The corn was something else! Grilled almost to the point of slightly beyond burnt - it would never pass muster on Masterchef, but it certainly passed easily down the gullet!!

Our second main was the Doubles, served with Chick Pea, Potato, side condiments and Saffron Bread ($15). Doubles is like an empanada of sorts, or a rather mangled curry puff - well the version served here anyways. The Chickpea mixture was beautifully balanced and extremely moreish. Yet another highlight of a dish. But probably something best shared as its a little heavy, and just a few mouthfuls is sufficient without one becoming jelak - which is a great Malay word used to describe being sick of a flavour.

As it turned out, or as it was explained to us rather, they had someone call in sick in the kitchen just before doors opened. And I understand that and appreciate that they were honest about the situation. They more than made up for the delays with some amazing food. And such an interesting menu well deserves a repeat visit.

Its getting crowded in here!! CBA Friday at Quan 888 in Little Saigon

Ok ... its getting crowded over here in Little Saigon! But the hood can afford another intrusion if its serving traditional fare such as this - honest, uncomplicated (relatively speaking) and uncompromising.

Now that my erstwhile goto bible* of new happenings in the West has recently found its well worn blogging feet again, I clocked the opening of Quan 888 in the Little Saigon market soon after it set up shop.

In fact I do believe we visited this newly minted establishment on the very day the post was published. And now that I am a skilful reader between the lines of this particular blogger's nomenclature, I knew we were in for a good night.

And a good night we had ... in part. There are popular dishes on here that sell out fast as we soon discovered. So we had to settle for second choices.

Most of the dishes are prefixed with the words Da Nang, a city on the South Central Coast of Vietnam, which is where I gather the proprietors originally hailed from. There are a few familiar dishes like Niem and Bun Xiao, but most of the menu could prove a bit daunting to the western palate, especially the fermentary (is that a word?) condiments and some of the stock bases for their noodles.

In fact the initial mouthful of my Fish Cake Noodles (sorry readers I'm bad with noting down menu titles and descriptions!) was overpoweringly fishy, with a hint of monsoon drain ... HOWEVER, as the flavours started to mix and the bits of pumpkin (yes you read that right) started to soften into the stock, each successful mouthful became ever increasingly moreish. The bowl was dry when I finished with it!

M's noodles had roast pork and jackfruit in it and the mere presence of this well loved artocarpus (yes I know how to google!) is enough to illicit a sour lemon pout of the Zellweger variety from me, but I did have a taste. I think there was more artichoke than jackfruit, so I was able to savour the deliciousness of the dish. But you can already surmise that the combination of ingredients is a little unusual at Quan 888.

We also had the green papaya salad which like its neighbouring establishment is garnished with that addictive Beef jerky that now seems to be everywhere with the arrival of Co Thu Quan.

For liquid refreshment we had the curious Corn Milk which is exactly what the name describes. Cold milky corn in a glass. Jury is still out on this. I think I would have liked it a little sweeter.

And to finish off the meal, we had Ca Phe Sua Dam - strong iced black coffee - dark of colour and miraculously milky?! I'm still trying to figure this out!

On our second visit, we were able to sample the Bahn Beo - steamed rice cakes with toppings of pork and also shredded dried prawns. These were delicious! And well worth going back for.

I also tried the Niem which was a little tricky to negotiate. I wasn't quite sure how to actually eat it. There wasn't really much room to try and combine the noodles with the herbs and with the meat. So I ended up eating each ingredient a mouthful at a time.

M had the Bun Xiao which is served rather dramatically with a dispenser that lets you wet your rice paper - a kind of DIY spring roll of sorts. It's a fun dish, but we both agreed that the actual pancake was a bit lacking in the taste department. Yes my palate is not as sophisticated - my preference is for punch in the face flavour.

A very welcome addition to Little Saigon indeed!

*Footscray Food Blog

Random Bites Part II

Ok time for a few more random bites before we head back into CBA territory again.

First up, we have Zigzag Burgers N Salad! Alright I can see the eye and head roll from here, ... "not another burger joint mum!!!" I hear you cry. And I admit this isn't going to totally blow your mind, but the price points aren't insulting, and the burgers taste good. 

Its right near Fancy Coles so you can do a spot of grocery shopping while you're at it. And they open from 10am till 9pm with ample parking.

As it was my first time here, I went for the plain old basic beef burger ($8) - 100% Black Angus Beef Lettuce Zig Zag Sauce Pickles Tomato Relish, Toasted Sesame Bun.

Nicely charred bun that wasn't too sweet, a decent sized and juicy patty and a deft hand and the pickles and relish serve. All in all a very satisfying morsel.

M went a little fancier and ordered the 12 hour slow cooked Beef brisket instead with Havarti Cheese ($8.50) - you can actually choose between the patty or the brisket for all the available burger options.

The brisket was nicely flavoured if a little on the chewy side. But I prefer a little give anyways, rather than a meaty mush.

The House Cut fries with cheese and bacon ($7.50) was the star. Ok so I have a feeling it was a run of the mill commercially made cheese sauce but you got the right balance of crunchy and soggy on the plate ... unlike a certain other gamely joint closer to the hood!

We'll certainly be going back.



It was one of those listless weekdays whilst I was still in the throes of unemployment that we took a walk out to the lesser end of Barkly street to sample the wares of Kebab Surra.

We were actually hoping for a street style kebab, all greasy tin foil and dripping garlic sauce. Kebab Surra was in comparison a little more refined. Not that that is a bad thing. In fact the refined flavours were wonderful.

We weren't super hungry and decided to share their Kebab Special, which turned out to be quite a generous serving at $14 a pop!

I really should pay more attention to geography and cultural history. I'd be hard put to tell you where the owners and their traditions come from ... but clearly there is an overlap with the sort of cuisine served at Safari in Ascot Vale ... our wonderful host brought out a lamb broth as an aperitif very similar in make up. 

Our Kebab special arrived a-table full of vibrancy and colour. I'm generally less inclined to feast with the eyes ... to put it plainly ... I want that shit in my mouth before I read the bitch ... you feel me?! But the simple plating (my new obsession) was simply appealing!

Oh and the bread was moreish! Nice and crispy. I could have just kept eating it ... on its own even ... slumped on the couch ... watching some shit reality tv ...

You get alot of bang for your buck, so its worth checking the place out.



Now we travel way out of the zone to M's hometown, Alexandra. Lets be perfectly honest, you wouldn't necessarily stop over in this town for any longer than to wet the whiskers (what ... too much?) or perhaps to stock up on important supplies like a bag of chips!

But they have sexed up the Alexandra Hotel - now called the Alexandra Hotel & Cafe and its worth a visit. Well only if by a bee dick's of a chance you ever find yourself needing some sustenance in this part of Victoria, then the food is not disgusting and the coffee is more than drinkable. And its a nice spot to chill for a bit ... you could even go a bevvy!! Or two!

You know they're trying their best when the menu even has sliders!!

Finally, speaking of bevvies, we made it to Littlefoot! Oh the build up was exhausting. If you're local and invested, then I won't bore you with the details or the backstory.

Besides which its 11pm and my bed is calling out to me. So let me shorthand it. Its local, it has unusual and yummy cocktails, a reasonable bar menu (not without its missteps mind) and a little stage playing host to a wonderful array of cabaret-esque bands.

So here's how you do it. You join the queue at 8bit and line your stomach with some protein! Then trundle across to Littlefoot for further liquid refreshments and if you are very very lucky, you bump into a local celebrity (*cough* Lauren *cough*) and her Rosamond Pike lookey likey friend J, and have a wonderful night of silly conversation!

Aah the West, ever evolving, ever surprising!

CBA Fridays Revamped - accidental evening at Chicco in Seddon

Ok ... after a few months of abstinence, I finally get the chance to enjoy a CBA Friday dinner by revisiting Chicco in Seddon, which has recently started doing dinner service every Friday and Saturday night. I was a little ambivalent on my first visit for brunch several moons ago. But the night's repast has changed my opinion somewhat.

The food is tasty and really satisfying. Yes the space does still have a thin veneer of wannabe-ism, complete with touches of old hat Real World tribalism ... I'm betting that the owners own every single volume of those once ubiquitous Buddha Bar compiles.

But at least you don't feel cramped. And on a summer's evening, soundtracked by mellifluous acid jazz, its Juan Padilla at Cafe del Mar all over again. The menu follows a similar world view path with a nod to middle eastern cuisine.

We started with an entree of the Jawaneh Meshwi ($10) - 5 pieces of grilled marinated chicken wings with garlic and lemon. These were grilled to perfection with just the right citrusy hit without being too overpoweringly tart. Very moreish and a great bar snack.

M had the Spiced Lamb Pizza ($16) - with red onion, feta, roasted pine-nuts, red chilli, dressed with mint yoghurt on a zaatar base. There was perhaps too heavy a preponderance of the yoghurt sauce for my liking so I reckon a few sultanas would not have gone astray to cut the richness. I know!!! I'm the one who has a T-shirt that says "Stupid Raisins Stay Out Of My Cookie!" Still fair dos!

I had the Kraidis B'Toum ($19) - Pan-fried Prawns in a garlic and lemon sauce with fresh herbs served on Basmati rice. So the plating is fairly prosaic, almost plonked! But I'm not really one for fancy plating ... in fact I am a little bit over the drizzle, smear, foam, gel crowd! The dish had solid flavours with the Prawns cooked just so and an almost perfect balance of lemon and garlic.

I'm looking forward to working my way through the menu. A real new-old contender in what is slowly becoming a rather overcrowded food and entertainment district. Lets just enjoy it while we can before the franchisees move in.

Nuevo Latino - A nuevo addition to Little India, Barkly Street WeFo

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.

Brother Nancy - The other other side of Essex Street

Ok ... lets try and keep this one short and sharp at least! But not before waxing lyrical about the community spirit inherent in WeFo and its environs ... well thats if you have kids! Or a local business, or work in the community. More of this later on.

My first visit to Brother Nancy was brief. Quick enough to order a takeaway coffee and finish three quarters of it a table on the footpath. My initial impression was not promising. I couldn't believe I was actually drinking a Proud Mary roast! Still the main purpose that day was to go for a walk (Essex Street is delightful btw) and to instagram (please to follow me - temasek68 - do it! do it!!). So 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

Second visit was for brunch with M! My first gripe was that brekkie cuts out at a certain time! Which I don't really get, considering that there is hot food options to be had for both the Morning and the Midday sections, which means that the kitchen would have had to be used regardless.

Anyhoo, moving right along, its a Melbourne cafe, so it has all the standard design touches. It has the perfect location with the bus stop being right outside. I'm sure the morning takeaway business is brisk. This side of Essex Street is decidedly residential, but seeing the renos around here, I'm sure its the right dynamic for a brunch spot! 

Going back to my take on the WeFo community spirit, the camaraderie was in full swing when we sat down, but being offsiders, service seemed to us a little perfunctory, or perhaps slightly distracted.

Still the coffee this time round was great. And our Fish and Chip burger ($14.50) was a delight. I'm a big chip sandwich fan, and this was exactly that in a brioche bun with a lovely aioli to boot.

I think along with the Sandwich at POD, this is going to be one of my goto lunch dishes when I'm craving simple and honest flavours with just a touch of gastro glam. (Gastro ... what a word!) But is it really that hard to pit olives in a salad? Or at least give your punters fair warning? We're not all spring chickens with perfect teeth round here!

We were slightly dissappointed at not being able to order from the Morning menu as the breakfast options looked really interesting on paper. But I guess there's the excuse for a repeat visit which hopefully will happen soon. So in summary, I think Brother Nancy is still finding its feet, but it certainly is a welcome addition to the neighbourhood and in an odd way it is like a little tucked away oasis in what is a surprisingly busy and hectic suburb.