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Ok ... here's a small representation of some of the yummy delights I have had the pleasure of eating this year.
Ascot Food Store
320 Ascot Vale Road
Moonee Ponds VIC 3039
Most recently we visited Ascot Food Store, a fairly new addition to the Moonee Ponds circuit, a suburb not quite known for its culinary prowess.
The site's previous tenant was a little known milkbar specialising in Latino smallgoods with some killer empanadas helmed by Melbourne's very own Milkbar Esquivel. Remember Margarita Pracatan? Well he was the male euivalent - shimmying across the aisles and calling out Baby to all and sundry, trying to offload cartons of black beans and offering slightly suspect cellophane wrapped lollies to young and old. Oh I do miss him!
But don't miss out on a visit to his successor. The menu is interesting, the space is reasonably large and intelligently configured, and staff are friendly. Oh and the kitchen is more than competent. We had the Angus Burger with a side of Chips. Perfect!
Shebeen
36 Manchester Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000
A recent catchup with an ex-colleague and friend saw us at Manchester Lane's cafe/bar with a conscience Shebeen. Be advised that unless you're part of the main lunch time crowd, this place cuts its hipster teeth so sharp that you're liable to be sliced just walking past the outdoor tables. Throw in a soupcon of the fashionista and you're likely to interpret the service here as bordering on the rude.
But persevere, its a great spot for people watching. There are cocktails to be had. And they have sliders that are the perfect size for a bit of lunchtime noshing. Just ignore the pretty young things hanging around. They're too busy talking about happenings, hemlines and homeopathy to take much notice of you anyways.
I had the Pork Belly, Jalapeno Jam, Mayo and Coriander Slider as well as the BBQ beef with kim chi, spring onion and Mayo. They're $6 each or $11 for 2. You will need two! They were delicious.
Tom Thoon Thai Noodle Cafe
241 Victoria Street
Abbotsford VIC 3067
This little section of Victoria Street close to the Railway bridge has always been a bit of a Thai enclave. I remember going to Ying Thai for my fried chicken fix in the early noughties, and picking up the heart stopping fried pork lard snack from the Thai provision shop 2 doors down. There are quite a few Thai additions to this little hub now and with negligible differences in quality it really comes down to which restaurant can fit you in.
Tom Thoon Thai is known for its noodle soup combinations which I can also recommend. But its prize star in my books is the Mango and Sticky Rice pudding! Definitely worth the hassle of trying to find a parking spot! Or just catch the train - the station is just across the road. #anytimeofdaysnack!
Dainty Sichuan Noodle Express
Emporium Lower Level
287 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne 3000
Aah the Emporium Shopping Centre! What an amazing and welcome addition to the cityscape of Melbourne. Not so much for its retail outlets, but for its amazing food choices. The upstairs food court is a must visit. But there are other little food nooks and crannies dotted around the complex, most notably an Express Dainty Sichuan branch.
If you are already familiar with Dainty Sichuan's cuisine, then you know what to expect. I was immediately drawn to the minced pork and chickpea noodle, mainly because I've never really associated this particular legume with Chinese food and I like trying new combinations. This was exactly how I'd imagine it would taste. Definitely worth a repeat visit!
Charlie & Co Burger
Emporium Melbourne Food Court
287 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
While you're there you might as well check out Sydney chain, Charlie & Co Burger. Perhaps not so much for the Burgers per se - they are tasty enough though maybe not quite deserving of the gourmet price tag - but for those Parmesan and Truffle chips.
Slightly more than you would comfortably pay and longer than you might like to wait for a standard lunchbreak meal, reserve your visit for offpeak periods and when you have a bit of time to spare.
Mighty Boy
59-61 Gertrude Street
Fitzroy VIC 3065
If fusion is what you're all about, Mighty Boy will tick those boxes across all sorts of levels. No surprises re the fitout given that it is essentially a Melbourne cafe. In addition, the Gertrude Street location gives the joint its "healthy" dose of hipster gravitas. However, this cafe is popular with the hospital and nursing staff from across the road, which does help to cut through the pretension. Service can be a little hit and miss, and depending on your mood and views on cross-cultural eating, the food may be a slightly underwhelming prospect for you.
We, however enjoyed our Duck Rice Paper Roll ($6 for 2) - the duck was not unduly fatty and the skin remained crisp. The rest of the flavours were freshly balanced and the hoi sin sauce did not dominate. Good lunch time snack.
I ordered the Crispy Fried Chicken Roti Wrap ($10) served with coleslaw and kewpie mayo. Again, fresh flavours abound and the chicken was actually well seasoned! My only complaint was that the wrap is served flat, with no hope of actually "wrapping" the bread given the size of the roti and the amount of ingredients piled on top.
M went for the Pulled Lamb shoulder Roti Wrap ($10) which was succulent, sweet and not too rich, due to the mild citrusy tones from the lemongrass and the addition of cucumber and a tzatziki styled dressing.
And there you have it folks! A slightly discombobulated wrap up of this year's food "adventures".
An Honourable Mention:
Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana
10 - 12 Manchester Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000
Just a little up or down (depending on your approach) from Shebeen is this larger than you might think restaurant - Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana. Slightly more rustic in decor than its sister branch in Clifton Hill, this is a charming little cafe that serves simple honest Italian fare popular with the business lunch time crowds. My Pappardelle Funghi e Tartufo ($22) was slippery with a bite and nicely turned over in the Mushroom sauce. And that pistachio cake ... heaven.
Ok ... so I've finally transferred most of my photos from camera to hard drive, giving myself a panic attack in the process at how far behind I am in my posts. Still lets codral on and see if we can't reach an even keel by year's end.
So you know how much I love Seddon, and if you don't, well I do ... and would move there in a heartbeat ... being "just" around the corner no longer cuts it I'm afraid.
Ordinarily when somewhere or something new opens in the hood I'm there as soon as I've heard about it! But The Little Man Cafe looked a tad on the clinical and obvious side. Bare brick walls given a coat of white paint, blonde wood tops and pastel coloured accents. Mind you they could have Beci Orpined the shit out of it, but thankfully they exercised some restraint. It felt more like a business opportunity with food as an afterthought.
So when we eventually ate there it was more a question of geographical and horological convenience on one of those hectic Saturdays. And we were pleasantly surprised at both food and beverage being churned out of the kitchen.
First up I am in love with their water jug! And their salt and pepper shakers for that matter.
What seemed obvious and clinical from the outside was light, relaxed and comfortable on the inside. The coffee is 5 senses and done well.
I ordered scrambled eggs on toast with bacon on the side. Beautifully fluffy texture, clean flavours, and an interesting touch with a couple of slices of radish, although I could have done without the sprouts!
M went for the Karage Chicken Sandwhich served with a creamy and dramatic layer of purple cabbage. It looked beautiful and tasted great. I can't remember if this was on the regular menu, or if it was a special. But I definitely recommend trying it out if its still available. I do like my fried chicken so I might be a little biased.
All in all, we enjoyed our brunch here and would probably have made repeat visits if not for all the other places to get to in the hood. Have we reached saturation point yet fellow westies?
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 ... please indulge me a little.
I started the year with good intentions. It was one of my new year's resolutions to document the European trip we took in 2013. And I was determined to wrestle apathy to the ground and continue to be a contributing and productive member of the blogosphere. But fate had something completely different in mind.
Yes it would have been better to have started as soon as we got back, while the memories were still fresh, but shit got very real soon after that!
As a result of having nothing more pressing to do, I'm now trawling through half scribbled notes in old diaries, and barely legible jottings on discarded receipts and about a million photos on flash drives galore to try and capture the essence of what it was like stepping out into the Iberian air at the start of a well deserved break from the routine of old.
So perhaps I'll eschew the manic Gaudi grandeur, the crowded streets of Barri Gotic and the tourist traps round L'Rhamblas and start with the sleek, quiet contemplation of the Mies van de Rohe pavilion in Barcelona.
The Pavillion was built in 1929 for the Barcelona International Exhibition and dismantled the following year. It was then reconstructed to exact specifications and re-opened in 1986. All steel, glass and marble, the misleading simplicity of its design and geometry is reflected in much of modern day architecture that we see today. Its almost mind boggling how very contemporary it all looks considering it was developed more than 80 years ago.
Ever the slave to fashion and trends, I was caught up in the brief fascination with designer furniture in the early noughties, but never quite had the financial nous to trully indulge such a passion. So there was a certain anthropological thrill at seeing the Barcelona chair in its original habitat.
There was a time you could walk the grounds and only had to pay an entrance fee if you wanted to enter the building. These days its 5EUR for the lot. So if you're up for some quiet contemplation in amongst the bustle of this busy city, spare a half hour or so and have a wander.
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.
Ok ... so when it comes to food posts I'm not a fan of combining more than one review into a single post - I'm of the school of essay writing where each paragraph should posit a singular idea or proposition. So coming up is a series of short sharp and quick reviews of places we have eaten in over the last few months. By the way, I'm listening to Curtis Mayfield while I write this, so forgive me if I go a little vintage ghetto on your ass!!
Starting with Watermelon!! As in I've been drinking ...
I'm not a natural born beer drinker. I don't dislike the taste, but I do worry ... now don't laugh ... about the middle aged beer paunch!! The fear is real people, so don't mock me! Also, I've never been a fan of highly carbonated drinks in any form ... having said that I rarely turn down a good G &T!
So I completely surprised myself at how much I enjoyed my glass of Moondog Brewing's "Bjorn to Boogie" beer. This is what they call a Heffeweizen (a german style wheat beer) - and yes I can't keep up with all this new fanglery ... I still go all Miranda Hart when someone orders a piccolo in my near vicinity! Its watermelon based and has a clear and slightly fruity taste ... on its way towards meady but taking a sharp detour to the tropics! Loved it!!
We were at the Hyde Street Hotel Pub for a recent CBA Friday. Yet another Gastro Reinvention popping up all over the West. You know the drill, once a dive for the locally soused denizens with $3 pots, now all shiny wood and vaguely sculptural light fittings and please to add a 100% inflationary rate to the bill at the end of the night! Not that I am completely against this tide of gentrification, just as long as it doesn't sweep away all the honest charm that was here in the first place. And lets not forget about having some form of quality control please!
Firstly, where are the sound technicians slash acoustic engineers in the design process. If you have a large cavernous room and are expecting to seat a hefty number of punters, then spare a thought about sound absorption, especially in the bistro part of your establishment as opposed to out in the open bar area! We would like to not only enjoy our food, but have a proper conversation as well. This is a frustratingly all too common situation amongst revamped pubs. We had to shift tables at a recent visit to the Post Office Hotel in Coburg, which I will post about later, and a birthday celebration was completely ruined at Le Bon Ton for the same reason.
Lets get down to the food. First up its gastro-pub prices so don't bitch!! You know where the door is if you are not happy. Its not like you are not spoilt for choice in this area. As Gastro-pub prices go, this is on the lower end of the scale - i.e. mains are on average between $25 to $30 pp. But there are pizzas to be had and a sizeable list of entrees/shared plates - and they don't all come out of a tin and off a slicer.
Craft beers and locally sourced Artisanal wines permeate the extensive drinks list which should keep both the hop obssessed and the budding viticulturists amongst us suitably engaged. My Tar and Roses Pinot Grigio from the Strathbogie Ranges ($9.5) was a delight and very quaffable.
As the Temasek household is currently on an enforced regime of austerity, we went straight to mains. I ordered the Swordfish with potato croquettes ($26) from the Specials menu. The fish was nicely cooked and the garnish of pea shoots provided a nice textural and earthy note, but the puree of something or other underpinning the whole dish didn't do much to pull all the flavours together. Some great ideas but maybe something was lost in translation in an effort to gastrofy proceedings. Sill there was not much left on the plate at the end of it.
I think M may have fared better with his Roasted lamb rump w’crushed kiplers, green beans and sauce vierge ($30). The Lamb had a nice meaty charred flavour and the beans were simply but beautifully cooked with just the right amount of crunch. Again there wasn't much left on his plate and isn't that the ultimate testament?
By this stage me and M had slyly slipped into date mode and were finding humour in the slightest of hooks, so we decided to hang caution to the wind and have dessert! We opted for the Pannacotta which came with some citrusy peanuty praline ($10) type garnish. The Pannacotta was well done but there was a soapy flavour amidst the preserved orange which ruined it for me slightly. Still my Bjorn to Boogie was going down nicely.
This odd little pocket of Hyde Street is rather quaint. There's plenty of street parking and I can see potential for celebratory parties here. Its not going to absolutely blow your mind. But there's certainly a steady hand at the helm here at the Hyde Street Hotel! Definitely worth checking out.
PS - woeful menu descriptions were the result of lazy and flawed note-taking and yes this wasn't quite short and sharp! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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.
