tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21666410609164905852024-03-16T12:09:49.100+11:00Footscray Food BlogWhere to eat at the best restaurants and cafes in Footscray, Seddon, Sunshine, Yarraville and the western suburbs of Melbourne.Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.comBlogger359125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-80301541236960414152015-09-17T11:22:00.002+10:002015-09-17T19:10:50.775+10:00Kolik jazyků znáš, tolikrát jsi člověkem.There is a Czech proverb I love, which can be translated as:<br />
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<i>As many languages you know, as many times you are a human being.</i></div>
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Earlier this year, I decided to return to an enduring passion of mine - languages. I grew up bilingual in English and Auslan, speak good French and decent Modern Standard Arabic. I spent the first half of 2015 revising my French and Arabic, and on 3 June, hopped a plane to Paris!</div>
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Yes, this is the reason I have been AWOL for the last few months. I stayed in wonderful places throughout France, from this houseboat on the Seine to a country home among the cherry orchards of Ardèche.</div>
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From Marseille I flew to Morocco where I spent three weeks at a language school, studying the Moroccan dialect.</div>
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I lived with a local family, shopped in the wonderful old city full of twisty-turny lanes and had numerous days where I spoke absolutely nothing but Arabic.</div>
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On a linguistic note, it was a very fast switch to go from Modern Standard Arabic to Darija (North African dialect). If you are studying MSA and despair that everyone thinks you sound like Chaucer - with the right tuition, you can move very fast to a dialect.</div>
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From Morocco I flew to Spain, or more specifically Catalonia. Catalonia is an autonomous region in northeastern Spain - Barcelona is the capital. Catalan - not Spanish - is the native language, and what most people speak on a day-to-day level. It was a fascinating experience to see such a strong and proud minority language at work.</div>
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But what about the food, you say?! Here are just a few tasty highlights. This pissaladière was possibly the best thing I ate in France. It's a sort of savoury tart, this one on gorgeous, burnished puff pastry, layered with anchovies, beautiful tomatoes, olives and cheese.</div>
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I ate so, so much incredible food in Morocco - of which I have virtually no pictures. Most of it was eaten as breaking of the fast meals in Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. So a., no pictures because there is a spiritual element, and b., I was honestly so starving by the time it rolled around I just shovelled it in!</div>
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Here is "warqa" pastry being made - sort of like filo or spring roll pastry. I never did not see the guy on the left working at this stall, no matter what time of day (or night) I went past. This would be used to make wonderful little pies filled with chicken, green olives and preserved lemon.<br />
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In the town I was living in, women would come down from the mountains and sit in the alleys of the walled city, selling bottles of homemade yoghurt, homegrown garlic, fruit or eggs.<br />
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People generally shop daily and everything is just so fresh. As in - this is the chicken shop!!! As in, you choose a chicken, and they kill it for you!</div>
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In three weeks in Morocco, I only ate couscous about three times! It is not something people eat very much at home, or at least not in the region I was in. On the contrary, there was lots of bread - one variety that was essentially roti, various yeasted loaves, and little breads that looked like English muffins which my host sister would fill with meatballs, cheese, olives and mayo to make delicious Moroccan sliders.</div>
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Fresh sardines by the beach with my host family, served with bread, a thick split pea soup/dip, and a plate of chopped onion and tomato doused in vinegar. About $1.50 and one of the best things I've ever tasted. I ate a lot of fish - I loved one particular tiny variety that were battered and eaten whole, bones and all. The weirdest thing I ate was snail soup - the snails, with brown and cream-striped shells, float in a dark, herbal broth. You pull out their long bodies with safety pins. They taste like mushrooms!</div>
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Amazing paella in Cadaqués, Spain...</div>
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...and also so amazing was fideuà, which is a Catalonian version of paella, made with short spaghetti.</div>
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From Spain we travelled to the UK to see family and friends.</div>
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I couldn't get into the warm, flat beer, but my traitorous tastebuds found this traditional English fish and chips so delicious and better than anything I've had in Oz for a long time. When I got home, I smelled something acrid in my room, and opened my bag to find my Australian passport singed around the edges.<br />
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That Czech proverb I mentioned before can actually be translated another way:<br />
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<i>For every language you speak, you live a new life.</i></div>
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I have been reflecting a lot about this blog. I have decided to put it on an indeterminate hiatus. There is only so much time in both a day and a life, and after many years of happy blogging, I now want to use my time to do other things.</div>
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I do have a sense as well that "my work here is done". I feel that the western suburbs are now firmly on Melbourne's food and culture map. Yes, there may be issues of balance, but I feel that wider Melbourne is switching on to the western suburbs' delights.</div>
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Frankly, though, I never set out to be an unofficial PR agent for the west. Even if I didn't realise it at the time, this blog started as a way for me to get over the deep feelings of isolation and confusion that I experienced as a new mother. I felt isolated geographically, and as a younger mother who was still at university and had never had jobs beyond waitressing and office temping, I felt very confused about what had happened to - or what I was doing with - my life.</div>
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I used to read a blog occasionally about another younger woman's experience of motherhood. It was called "Once Edible, Now Consumed". I identified very much with the feeling of being consumed - both in the sense of being swamped by the demands of mothering, but also with the sense of lost potential, that my life had taken a turn that did not fit with "the plan".</div>
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This blog was a big part in turning that feeling around. Some incredible experiences have blossomed from it, from becoming a writer for The Age, Time Out and Broadsheet despite having no writing qualifications; running really fun and well-researched food tours for the CAE and then as part of my own business; running delicious dumpling-making workshops; and coordinating the truly epic 2014 Rickshaw Run for the Food & Wine Festival. The exhilarating afternoon after the Rickshaw Run finished and the morning my first cover story was published were truly some of the best moments of my life.</div>
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Thank you for coming with me on this wonderful journey. Keep eating and loving the western suburbs. And may the <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(pork)</span> floss be with you!</div>
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Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-80260145195651040552015-05-31T10:28:00.001+10:002015-05-31T10:28:25.504+10:00Dosa HutAnyone remember "hit the hut" from Pizza Hut?<br />
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Growing up with one health freak and one culture freak for parents, hitting that particular hut was strictly verboten. It therefore followed that as a child, it was all I ever wanted. I remember on maybe my 12th birthday my dad saying I could go anywhere I liked for lunch - anywhere at all! I know he wanted me to say Mask of China or wherever else was the "it" place in the early 90's. I said - you guessed it - Pizza Hut. He was horrified!</div>
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Something must have rubbed off, though, as I now have zero interest in unlimited quantities of bad chocolate mousse and every interest in this particular hut, which I recommend you hit with vigour. Meet Dosa Hut.</div>
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Dosa Hut has been in Barkly Street for at least as long as I've lived in the area (9+ years). Over that time they have expanded into the place next door, and continued to expand their menu into a greatest hits of South Indian cuisine.</div>
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One of the best-known South Indian staples is dosa - very light, impressively huge pancakes made from a lightly fermented (like sourdough) rice and lentil batter. They have crisp, burnished bottoms and are unflipped, making their top layer capable of soaking up all manner of delicious juices. This was a nontraditional but particularly awesome dosa "filled" with Chicken 65...</div>
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...which are battered chicken pieces in a sticky red sauce spiked with curry leaves. It's an Indian spin on Chinese food, but instead of being dumbed down, it's amped up. Spicy, rich, tangy - awesome.</div>
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If that all sounds a bit much, start with the classic masala dosa. This one is filled with a dry-ish potato dish made with peeled potatoes fried with spices.</div>
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It's a classic and deservedly so. The dosa come with a zesty, runny pickle, amazing coconut chutney and sambar. If you like it a bit hotter, get the Mysore version, which has special chilli powder added.</div>
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Sambar is a South Indian soup of sorts made with onion and other vegies (here, carrots), lentils, spices and tomato. You spoon mouthfuls in between bites of dosa.</div>
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Mango lassi are awesome.<br />
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Dosa Hut's menu is voluminous. If you don't know what things are, just ask - the staff are very friendly. A few things I can tell you is rava dosa is a dosa made from semolina; uttapham is like a very thick pancake with toppings cooked into the top (kind of like a pan-fried pizza); the spring roll dosa is rolled up tight, almost like a burrito! I have not partaken of the "Lindt chocolate dosa", but that sounds like a particularly worthwhile ordering experiment - and just as good as an all-you-can-eat dessert bar!<br />
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<i>Dosa Hut</i><br />
<i>604b Barkly Street, West Footscray</i><br />
<i>Check out the menu <a href="http://wyndhamvillage.com.au/dosahut.php" target="_blank">here</a> (Tarneit store, but as far as I can tell, the same as the WeFo one)</i></div>
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Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-9517847369478148832015-03-25T13:55:00.000+11:002015-03-25T14:02:01.344+11:00Quelque chose s'approche...<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16399215096" title="IMG_20150201_123108 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20150201_123108" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7363/16399215096_ef08dfed88_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Remember this photo from <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/rhubarb-wholefoods-seddon.html" target="_blank">a few weeks ago</a>?</div>
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So it turns out, going front-to-back in Schaum's French Grammar is the worst possible way to revise (or learn) a language. This book is drier than a box of stale Saos.</div>
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Rather than give up, I have been doing a lot of reading about the best way to learn languages. <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kató</span></span> Lomb was a Hungarian female polyglot (speaker of 4+ languages). At her death in 2003, she spoke 16 languages, most of which she learned in her 30s and 40s. She was completely monolingual (Hungarian) until about the age of 24. She insists there is no special "innate ability" or "gene" for languages, and that what makes one good at languages is your degree of passion and amount of available time, combined with your level of inhibition (ie, low inhibition - prepared to make a lot of mistakes/sound silly = good).</div>
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One of her tips is to create for yourself a "linguistic microclimate". If you sit down with a tutor once a week and think "that's that", you will learn excruciatingly slowly. Instead, think of what you do in English and do it in your target language. So now I watch French music videos while I cook. On long drives, I listen to French audiobooks, not English. I write my shopping lists in French. I changed my phone language settings so it's all in French.</div>
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I am constantly scanning my day for more ways to include French, to create my own personal "linguistic microclimate". Basically, the best thing that could happen to me right now is if a small French bar opened in the neighbourhood.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16733678898" title="P1130959 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130959" height="640" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8696/16733678898_859b41e423_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Footscray, meet Stefan Armentano. He is a French chef who has taken up a lease of one of the little shops in the old Royal Hotel redevelopment and is in the process of turning it into a bar/deli, modelled on the French "bars du quartier" or "community bars" - the little place on the corner where you can drop in for a glass of wine and maybe a bit of interesting cheese and ham, freshly carved.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I've got this passion for cheeses," he said. "It's a bit selfish - I'm opening a deli just to provide cheese to my kids!" The idea is to have a fully-stocked deli that is open from about 11am-11pm, so you can stop in in the day and pick up some <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">pâté</span>, or stop in at night and eat said <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">pâté</span> with some wine. (Or stop in in the day, and eat said <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">pâté</span> with some wine - I'm not judging!)</span></div>
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Menu-wise, you'll be able to have something from inside the cabinet, or "little French rural things" - Stefan's thinking beef tartare or duck confit. Or a nice French sandwich where Stefan tells me butter isn't merely a spread, but is so thick and of such quality, it's considered a filling!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16301321973" title="P1130964 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130964" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7596/16301321973_aebbae4e1c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(It's the place with the whitewashed windows!)</span></div>
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Stefan plans for maybe two or three beers on tap, a good selection of wine and "a couple of good French calvados" (apple brandy). His previous business was a tapas restaurant in Perth called <a href="http://gypsytapashouse.com.au/" target="_blank">Gypsy Tapas House</a>. Regarding Small French Bar, Stefan is very humble, saying that he wants it to be a place for "a good old cheese and a good old red", and only wants it to seat about 20 people.</div>
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Stefan and Small French Bar are currently chugging through the maze of building permits and licences. The aim is to open sometime this year. You can keep up to date on his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Small-French-bar/787950977960469" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>. All I can say is - "Vite! Vite!" (Hurry! Hurry!)<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are learning a language and can point me in the direction of more good resources, whether online, offline, traditional or non-traditional, I'd love to hear from you! For example, I recently discovered <a href="https://www.italki.com/" target="_blank">italki</a> and am blown away; can't wait to get started! I'm sure there are more good sites or blogs out there that I just don't know about yet. Or if you speak/are learning French or Arabic, I would deeply appreciate some good music, good podcast or good online radio station tips. Send me an email :) Also, if you are interested in or work in languages or linguistics, I would also love to chat with you, whether just generally or to pick your brain about particularly well-regarded courses or directions within the industry. Email addy to the right. Massive TIA!</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A bit of French music for you - I love this song, the lyrics and the video:</i></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CAMWdvo71ls" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">And I have been enjoying Sexion d'Assaut - really like this song, but the video is a bit random - I think they got sponsored by Smart cars!</span></i><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-jm-OujiGYk?list=PLFF9BlTe_Of8v3lmCnzw4ASMG3GO2F3f2" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are interested in Kato Lomb's book "Polyglot: How I Learn Languages", you can read it for free <a href="http://www.cc.kyoto-su.ac.jp/information/tesl-ej/ej45/tesl-ej.ej45.fr1.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> or buy from <a href="http://www.lulu.com/au/en/shop/kat%C3%B3-lomb/polyglot-how-i-learn-languages/paperback/product-21397884.html" target="_blank">Lulu</a>.</span></i></div>
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Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-29393211733771122512015-03-09T17:13:00.000+11:002015-03-09T17:13:32.110+11:00Melbourne Market tour winner revealed!<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hi everyone - thank you so much for your fantastic entries to my <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/giveaway-win-two-tickets-to-tour-of.html" target="_blank">first-ever giveaway</a>! I put out a call for "<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.5919990539551px;">your best westie story - the one that just sums Footscray, or the inner west, up". The winner gets two tickets to an upcoming tour of the Melbourne Wholesale Fruit & Veg Market. I said I'd publish the winner today, and I will - plus a few more, because so many were just too good!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.5919990539551px;">There was a real theme of history among many of your entries. Roslin writes that:</span><br />
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<i>"1995, 5 year old Roslin would get her hair cut at Forges by Marina, then navigate through the hustle and bustle of Footscray Market with her mum. Fast forward to now and 23 year old Roslin is eating her way through Footscray: Cannoli. Pho. Ethiopian. 8bit and more."</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.5919990539551px;">And from Lan:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"My mum used to work at the Asian grocers that's still on the corner of Hopkins and Moore St. As a little girl, dad would bring me with him when he went to pick her up from work. I remember waiting by the register with her whilst she finished her shift and watching people from all walks of life come in, have a little chat with Mum before taking their goodies home. Mum seemed to know everyone and many conversations revolved around what they were going to make with their ingredients. It was fascinating to hear the variety whilst I sat perched up on a stool having a durian or red bean ice cream! The things you learn growing up in the west!"</span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.5919990539551px;">I loved Kate's Saturday morning Footscray ritual:</span><br />
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<i>"My Saturday morning in Footscray - a sense of adventure in the air. I battle the masses at Nhu Lan for my beloved Tofu roll. A jump to Vy’s for my Vietnamese Iced-Coffee. A cheery ‘hello’ to the elderly street side vendors. A myriad of curious stores and restaurants longing to be explored. The vibe is unique and incomparable. I am energised and inspired!"</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.5919990539551px;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/8541051300" title="P1070948 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1070948" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8091/8541051300_81b5765122_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And I really feel Footscray's capacity to subvert your expectations in Georgia's entry:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"One of my most memorable moments in Footscray was with my Somali friend, her dressed in her colourful hijab and me in my traditional melbourne winter outfit of BLACK! We entered an Arabic store which looked like a shop which sold various foods and kitchenware of odds and ends. My friend suggested we enter and I was wondering what we would possibly buy here... as we walked towards the back of the shop the heat and gorgeous cooking smells hit us and there was a man making fresh injera on a supersize pancake maker with his wife sorting and packing it for customers. We left with beautiful bread and me with the experience of a lifetime having met wonderful people and entered a world I would never have known existed."</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wendy got a peek into an "inner world" too, at Gold Leaf, Sunshine:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Treating a visiting Nimbin hippy fresh off the plane, we eschewed Melbourne's CBD, instead heading for Sunshine (how could you not love a place with a name like that!) As the last diners sharing a very relaxed late lunch with wait staff, laughing as they all dived on the best trolley baskets for their own meal break... Only in the West!"</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kathryn apologised for offering four entries and told me clearly that if this was "overkill or cheating", to just consider her first entry. Oh, but I love all of these little vignettes so much. I love their honesty and the way they make me pause.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Two African guys argue (something about rabbits) at Sunny Nguyen’s counter, while the Vietnamese lady serving looks nonplussed. Finally, one says to the other, ‘No, last year was Year of the Rabbit, this year it’s Year of the Snake, and after that, it’ll be something else.’ He looks at me and we exchange grins."</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"A grizzled white man wheels a stunt bike along Footscray station, stopping to admire a pit bull (‘Fucken beautiful dog, pardon my French’) and tell me this joke. ‘You know the government’s changing the family subsidy - what do you call a white person with six kids? An entrepreneur!’ He grins. ‘It’s a good one, isn’t it?!’"</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Further up the Maribyrnong they sit in family groups, their fishing rods wedged into upright tubing, but this angler sits alone, holding his rod in gloved hands. Once he’d plunge carp into ice to banish the mud flavour from their flesh; now he throws them back, and his faded red bucket holds no ice, just river water."</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Overheard. Two men (one begging), Footscray station. <br />
A: (Calmly, but becoming belligerent) No, no, no. I won’t. I won’t give you money so you can smoke. I won’t do it. What do you think you’re doing? It’s not right. I’m not gonna do it. I’m not. So don’t ask me.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">B: (Quietly) Alright, mate."</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But in the end, I am going to award the tickets to May, whose entry I felt was as bright and crisp as the snow peas she describes.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.5919990539551px;">"</span>As I inspected the snow peas at Little Saigon, a friendly member of staff approached holding a box above his head carefully, as if presenting Simba to the Sahara. Slowly, it tipped and rained crisp, glorious, snow peas into my waiting hands. I put on my war mask and went into battle as the vultures descended..."</span></i><br />
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Congratulations, May! I hope you have an awesome time! Thank you also to everyone who entered. I loved reading your wonderfully diverse submissions. Keep living and loving the west!</span></div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-75858282919113817502015-03-03T10:24:00.002+11:002015-03-03T10:24:14.737+11:00GIVEAWAY - win two tickets to a tour of the Melbourne Wholesale Market!<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Disclaimer: I have two tickets to give away to a Food and Wine Festival event (more details in body of post). I am not being paid or otherwise compensated to run this giveaway. See below for full disclaimer.</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/5278759889" title="African Taste and market 013 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="African Taste and market 013" height="480" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1417/5278759889_28d7dd3f81_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So sometime this year, a big part of the western suburbs is going to disappear. It's the Melbourne Wholesale Fruit, Vegetable and Flower Market, which has been trading on the northern side of Footscray Road since 1969. The market has been continuously trading, whether at Footscray Road or on other sites in the Melbourne CBD, since 1841.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16698908015" title="_15A9272 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="_15A9272" height="427" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8650/16698908015_d7f8921659_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image c/- Melbourne Market Authority</span></div>
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The market is moving to Epping to a new purpose-built facility later this year. I have two tickets to give away for a tour of the market, which is pretty much your last chance to check it out before it hitches a ride north!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/5278775061" title="African Taste and market 047 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="African Taste and market 047" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5289/5278775061_b742215299_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I did a tour of the wholesale market <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/melbourne-wholesale-fruit-vegie-market.html" target="_blank">back in 2010</a> and loved it. It's the point in Melbourne where produce changes hands from growers to retailers, and it is normally closed up tight to the general public.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/5278762763" title="African Taste and market 033 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="African Taste and market 033" height="640" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5242/5278762763_bb76162928_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image c/- Lauren Wambach</span></div>
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Says Karen Vella of the Melbourne Market Authority: "Many of the local products are picked and placed on the shelves within 24-36 hours... Market-sourced fruit and veg is the best way to get the freshest as the growers and retailers meet in one place, exchange goods and it’s then on the shelf all within one day."<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16698876075" title="market2 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="market2" height="412" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8569/16698876075_15bd36e214_z.jpg" width="599" /></a><br />
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The market is not only populated by growers, but by wholesalers too. When I went on my tour, I remember a fascinating peek behind the scenes of a family-run, sixth-generation ginger wholesaler. The great-great-great x 6 grandson had some wonderful stories and tall tales to tell about his family's life and work in the market over the years and down the generations.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image c/- Melbourne Market Authority</span></div>
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The two tickets I have to give away are for the tour on <b>Friday 13 March, 6am-8am</b>. Karen Vella reports that "our tour operator Jan will be taking visitors around the market on a little train. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet growers and wholesalers and see a wide range of produce. Jan will talk about the trends of produce and show visitors different varieties including heirloom vegetables, newer Asian vegetables etc… <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16698908515" title="market3 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="market3" height="425" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8596/16698908515_e044a065f1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image c/- Melbourne Market Authority</span></div>
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"Each tour will be different as it depends on the growers and wholesalers available on the morning. We will be providing a light breakfast and a take-home pack." (PS: You don't normally get this pack if you go on a regular tour - this is a Melbourne Food and Wine Festival special!) See more details on the MFWF website <a href="http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/event-calendar/fresh-trends-of-2015-5647" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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And how do I win these amazing tickets, you say? Inspired by Ros's beautiful <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/a-postcard-from-footscray.html" target="_blank">postcard from Footscray</a>, I want to hear in 50 words or less, your best westie story - the one that just sums Footscray, or the inner west, up.</div>
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Here's an example: I remember being at Rina's Coffee and Nuts in Footscray Market having a coffee with Annie, the owner. There were two old guys there - one Southern European, one Asian - and we got chatting. One was the acupuncturist to the other - he'd been treating him at his Footscray clinic for, like, 30 years - and they always went for a coffee and a chat at Rina's after. Footscray in a nutshell.</div>
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To enter, email your story to lauren@laurenwambach.com by <b>midnight</b>, this <b>Friday, 6 March</b>. I'll announce the winner on <b>Monday, 9 March</b>. The winning story will be published on Footscray Food Blog (if you want to remain anonymous, that is absolutely fine - I'll check with you how you'd like to be credited before publishing).</div>
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PS: I'm not going to count the words, so don't have a fit if you're a few words over! You can also write about elsewhere in the west, eg, Sunshine, St Albans... And if you miss out, I believe there are still tickets to the tour available - get 'em <a href="http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/event-calendar/fresh-trends-of-2015-5647" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: The Melbourne Market Authority contacted me asking me to help promote their Food and Wine Festival event. I suggested a giveaway of tickets. I was motivated to do this because I genuinely believe the Melb. Wholesale Market is an important part of the west and soon it will be gone forever. I attended one of their tours in 2010, paid completely out of my own pocket, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am not receiving any financial or other compensation for running this giveaway.</span></i></div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-71882410290844501042015-02-27T09:56:00.000+11:002015-02-27T09:56:01.940+11:00A postcard from FootscrayI got the most lovely email the other day and felt it really encapsulated everything I love about Footscray. I know I blog about the west, but reading through, I felt like I was seeing it with fresh eyes. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face the whole email! With the author's permission, I'd like to share it with you. (I've added some links to the places either she or I refer to, and also some purty pics from my collection...)<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/8255724601" title="P1060488 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1060488" height="640" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8071/8255724601_4926c65335_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<i>Hi Lauren,</i><i> </i><i>Thanks so much for your reply...and don’t feel bad about the delay... I can relate to that :-)</i></blockquote>
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<i>Thanks to your blog, I had the best day on Friday in the market and surrounds! I drew myself a map and marked in all your suggestions, going first to the <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/a-christmas-banquet-from-footscrays-two.html" target="_blank">grocery market</a> (your suggestion) across the road from the station...where I found the <a href="http://ladyrice.com/red-boat-organic-fish-sauce/" target="_blank">Red Boat</a> <a href="http://ourdailybrine.com/fish-sauce-taste-test/" target="_blank">fish sauce</a>! Sorry, can’t think of names and I’ve thrown out my bit of paper.</i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16656310332" title="pho by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="pho" height="516" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7281/16656310332_e5583c8c97_z.jpg" width="390" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pho from Hung Vuong Saigon, 128 Hopkins St, Footscray</i></span></div>
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<i>As it was around midday when I arrived on the train from Geelong, I headed for the place you recommended for Pho (<a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2010/09/hung-vuong-saigon.html" target="_blank">Huong Vien</a>?) Wow. I had the beef & chicken one. I’ll be back!</i><i></i></blockquote>
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<i>Then went looking for Mama Rosina’s, but couldn’t find it anywhere. Never mind, found a little place selling grains and went in and asked them about Teff. They told me I’d get it at <a href="http://bharattraders.com.au/" target="_blank">Bharat Traders</a>, 580 Barkly St. As I was in Barkly St, I thought it can’t be too far.........!!! Anyway, got my Teff...and found out I could get a bus back...thankfully! </i></blockquote>
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<i>This was another lovely memorable part of my visit. On the bus, I felt like I was a tourist in another country (not sure which one though...Vietnam, Nth Africa, India? :-) ) So many ladies offered me a seat beside them (taking pity on an elderly foreigner!) I sat with a Vietnamese lady and struck up a conversation with her, then an Indian lady in the seat behind joined in, both offering to help with directions. They were just lovely... One of them even got off the bus with me and walked me in the direction of <a href="http://mesnoyinjera.com.au/" target="_blank">Mesnoy Bakery</a>.</i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/9585978835" title="P1090555 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1090555" height="640" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2828/9585978835_c73c33df09_z.jpg" width="480" /></a> </div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Meftuha from Mesnoy Injera Bakery "baking" injera at a festival in Footscray</span></i></div>
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<i>So...I got my Injera!! The two girls at Mesnoy were so friendly and helpful too. When I showed them my Teff they rolled their eyes a bit and told me exactly what you said :-( * Never mind...think I’d already decided I wasn’t going to attempt it. My son-in-law is going to though; he loves fermented stuff, so it won’t be wasted.</i><i></i></blockquote>
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<i>Anyway, I’ll try and shorten my story. I had a great time stocking up...well, as much as I could. My fingers were nearly cut in half from the weight of my two shopping bags...and I had to get back to Southern Cross to catch the 6.30 train back to Swan Hill...finally home about midnight. Put all but two pieces of Injera straight into dehydrator overnight. Next morning, beautiful crisp Injera chips, which I’ve put in cello bags & sealed.</i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/8227975923" title="P1060389 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1060389" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8485/8227975923_2cc630d747_z.jpg" width="640" /></a> </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Misir wat (red lentils) at front left - I can't remember where I ate this but I wish I could!</i></span></div>
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<i>For lunch on Saturday we had Injera (freshened in microwave), with the <a href="http://mesnoyinjera.com.au/lentil-stew-or-mesir-wat/" target="_blank">red lentil recipe</a> that I found on Mesnoy’s website. Yum! But it was even better cold as a dip that night with Injera chips!! Then on toast for breakfast yesterday morning!! The recipe made heaps. Half of it is in tubs in the freezer ready to have dip & chips again!! </i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/8256781684" title="P1060516 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1060516" height="640" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8080/8256781684_4d90507068_z.jpg" width="480" /></a> </div>
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<i>Can’t wait to go back...and take my husband. Very doable from Swan Hill. SH train passes through and stops at Footscray at about 10.30 am, then can pick it up again at about 6.45 pm without even having to go into the city! What a day we’d have...BUT first stop next time will be to buy a shopping jeep...or two!! </i></blockquote>
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<i>As you can probably tell...I’m still on a high! </i></blockquote>
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<i>So...a big thank you again for introducing me to the culturally diverse culinary delights of Footscray! </i></blockquote>
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Thank you so much to Ros from Swan Hill for allowing me to share her delightful email. She has really touched on everything that makes Footscray amazing.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* What I said re the teff was: In terms of teff flour - it's not legal for export, so you cannot buy it. The only exception is Bob's Red Mill which is an American company that produces teff flour (among others - coconut, amaranth etc). It's available at health food shops and at Sims supermarket in West Footscray. The catch is that that teff is apparently a poor grade so it's not very nice. The Ethiopian community here in Melbourne don't use teff - they use combinations of corn, wheat, rice and sorghum flours to approximate the taste.</span></div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-35666547209384109572015-02-25T10:31:00.000+11:002015-02-25T10:31:06.138+11:00Ovest, West Footscray"Ovest... Now, why does that seem so familiar?" I couldn't pick it. Then it dawned on me - it's the name of Footscray Hospital's cafeteria! As a friend said on Facebook yesterday, let's hope the name is the only thing the Ovests have in common!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16612050036" title="P1140023 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140023" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8644/16612050036_bbd2284350_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But anyway, let's rewind. This post is not about "hospital Ovest"; it's about "new upmarket pizzeria Ovest", which just opened last night in Barkly Street, West Footscray.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16612049236" title="P1140025 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140025" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8596/16612049236_8ae8b65bbd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is a partnership between Alex and Kate Rogers of Seddon's Sourdough Kitchen and Ben Sisley, ex-Mr Wolf, the Karen Martini-owned pizzeria in St Kilda. It is patently obvious they know what they are doing. Ovest has arrived fully formed, like some sort of incarnated being - at least from what we saw last night, there is no messy infancy here.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16431430297" title="P1140030 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140030" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8682/16431430297_dbc09b5816_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">$18</span></i></div>
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Loved this bresaola (air-dried beef) with huge fresh figs, vincotto, fresh mozz and rocket. The bread is of course from Alex's other business, Sourdough Kitchen. All the flour there and all the flour here is certified organic.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16016451224" title="P1140031 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140031" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8628/16016451224_e8b6dabb07_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">$12</span></i></div>
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Zucchini fritters were gorgeous, with a non-oily breadcrumb-y crust just clinging to surprisingly juicy zucchini fingers. A good swizzle through some "truffle mayo" and they were even better.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16636966412" title="P1140033 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140033" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8589/16636966412_ac0b158485_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">$21</span></i></div>
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Look at that gorgeous thing, just rippling with prawns and tommies! I've always been a bit unexcited by fancy pizza joints as they seem dear for what you get. Twenty-odd dollars for dough and a smattering of toppings - but when the pizza is this good, it feels worth it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16636964412" title="P1140036 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140036" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8663/16636964412_20f1d1e99d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">$12</span></i></div>
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Plus, Ovest's pizzas are big - if you have starters, you probably only need one between two. If you want to be extra greedy, get a side like this lovely coleslaw with cabbage, pear, radish and lemon.<br />
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If you want to bypass the pizza, there's a tuna nicoise that looks the business, as well as pork and veal lasagne, cannelloni, and a daily roast special. The kids menu is good value and a smart addition to a family-heavy area - your choice of lasagne, two pizzas or cannelloni plus ice-cream scoop for $12. There is gluten-free pizza for $1 extra.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16015677574" title="P1140026 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140026" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8614/16015677574_b6eece0097_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ovest were almost full on opening night last night, which had not been publicised widely, so I would imagine they are only going to get even busier. Queues in WeFo - who would have thought?<br />
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And as for "hospital Ovest"? For all I know, they do a brilliant Friday lasagne special. If you have a hot tip there - let me know!<br />
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<i>Ovest</i><br />
<i>572 Barkly St, West Footscray</i><br />
<i>9687 7766</i><br />
<i><a href="http://ovestwest.com.au/">ovestwest.com.au</a></i>Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-71460893364160315572015-02-13T14:34:00.005+11:002015-02-13T16:11:22.173+11:00Qua'n 888, Little Saigon, Footscray<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What level Vietnamese diner are you?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Level 1:</b> *crosses arms* "I don't eat chilli, seafood or garlic. Or rice." (Thinks: <i>Can't wait till this birthday/office dinner is over and I can go to Macca's on the way home. Everyone knows when you eat Asian food, you're starving again an hour later!)</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Level 2:</b> *cracks open Fanta* "I'll have the beef in black bean and the prawn crackers. Hey, darl, next week let's try the Vietnamese food at Laksa King, eh?" </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Level 3:</b> *slurps iced water* "Oh...um...I don't know what I want. </span>What do you want? <span style="font-family: inherit;">*Flips pages helplessly* Let's just get some spring rolls and rice paper rolls." (Thinks: </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Why do I always order the same things? I need to try something different one day.</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">) </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Level 4:</b> *blows delicately on cup of free tea* "The Vietnamese pancake, please." </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Level 5:</b> *swizzles <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">cà phê sữa đá with long teaspoon</span>* "The banh xeo, please." </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Level 6:</b> *sips <a href="http://vietnamenu.com/vietnamese-food-sua-bap.html" target="_blank">corn milk</a> and smiles* "<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;">Tôi muốn b</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">ánh xèo."</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">Don't think I'm level 6. I got that phrase off Wikipedia. (Hopefully it doesn't actually mean "crazy hog mattress" or something equally bizarre, or rude, or embarrassing.) Anyway, if you are a level 3 through 6 - ie, if you're willing to try something really different - I have an absolute treat for you.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16326502418" title="hutieumi by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="hutieumi" height="481" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7417/16326502418_57e65e57f3_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">Typical southern dish - hu tieu mi (at <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/new-phu-vinh.html" target="_blank">Phu Vinh, Footscray</a>)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">So you know how there is northern and southern Vietnamese food? (Level 5s and 6s, of course you did.) The south is mad for sweetness, seafood, and mountains of herbs, whereas northern dishes are supposedly plainer (although to me, they taste equally - if not more - amazing).</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16326808130" title="bunca by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="bunca" height="461" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8621/16326808130_322f0475ca_z.jpg" width="618" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">Typical northern dish - bun ca (at <a href="http://footscraylife.com.au/2013/09/26/signature-dishes-footscray-sen/" target="_blank">Sen, Footscray</a>)</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">Typically southern dishes include hu tieu mi (rice/egg noodle soup with prawns and pork - see pic above) and banh xeo (giant, coconutty filled pancake) while the north specialises in bun cha Ha Noi (chargrilled pork pieces and patties with rice vermicelli), cha ca (fish seasoned with turmeric and dill and served with rice vermicelli), and bun ca (fish soup with dill, tomato and taro stem).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16326483848" title="bunchahanoi by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="bunchahanoi" height="469" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7445/16326483848_45376328f5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">Typical northern dish - bun cha Ha Noi (at <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/new-dishes-at-sapa-hills-footscray.html" target="_blank">Sapa Hills, Footscray</a>)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /> But there's another entire Vietnamese regional cuisine that often gets completely overlooked - central Vietnamese cuisine. (Level 6s already knew that.) To quote Jamie Feldmar in this <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/05/snapshots-from-vietnam-central-vietnamese-dishes.html">Serious Eats article</a>, "Central Vietnam has its own spicy, strongly-flavoured cuisine, distinct from the Chinese-influenced fare of the North and the light tropical flavours in the steamy South". And Footscray now has a dedicated central Vietnamese restaurant for your dining pleasure.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16505770652" title="P1140001 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140001" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7299/16505770652_24d6690864_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">Meet Qua'n 888, quite literally tucked away in Little Saigon market. This newbie serves food from the central Vietnamese cities of Hoi An, Hue and Da Nang.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16326841720" title="P1130985 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130985" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/16326841720_49ac453c11_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">The banh xeo or Vietnamese pancake mentioned above is normally a giant crepe as long as your forearm, stuffed to bursting with mung beans, bean shoots, prawns and chunks of pork. Apparently that is not "the" banh xeo, but <u>southern-style</u> banh xeo.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15884257364" title="P1130990 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130990" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7426/15884257364_95fb6cc440_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></span><br />
<i>Banh xeo 888, $13.50</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">Here at Qua'n 888, the banh xeo is central style. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">That translates to these two fat, yellow little pancakes, not over-filled with prawns and bean shoots, plus herbs, two dipping sauces, and a really intriguing giant rice paper-wetting contraption.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16506814575" title="P1130996 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130996" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8613/16506814575_8e83eb83f4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">What you do is set out your gridded plastic mat and then gently and quickly roll your rice paper around the thin yet deep reservoir of cool water in the rice paper holder. Place the still quite hard sheet of rice paper on the mat. Wait a minute or two and then start loading with 1/2 a banh xeo, herbs, rice vermicelli etc etc. Level 4 and below should put less in to start with. Level 5s and 6s can go to town right off the bat.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15891785464" title="P1130998 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130998" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8676/15891785464_0f85e159ff_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">I won't explain here how to roll them up, but check out this <a href="http://youtu.be/8CaadFo3sw0?t=2m8s" target="_blank">YouTube video</a> (I've started it at the "rolling" point). Suffice to say the finished product should look something like this.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16505086561" title="P1130992 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130992" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8659/16505086561_8f80bcf8a8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">You can then go crazy dipping your roll in either the house-made special sauce (I tasted sesame?) or the classic nuoc cham seasoned fish sauce. Want more chilli? Get stuck into the pot of sambal oelek-style chilli sauce on the table - Qua'n 888 make it themselves.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16480790426" title="P1130991 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130991" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8641/16480790426_548e82ef92_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At first I was not so crazy about the banh xeo pancakes themselves - they didn't have that super coconut flavour and delicate texture that, say, <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/co-do.html" target="_blank">Co Do</a>'s have - but once you've got them in the roll, I see how they really work with all the other textures and flavours. You've got the cool of the cucumber, the slippery rice vermicelli, the rich crunch and squidge of the pancake, plus a big dousing of the delicious dipping sauce (I preferred the nuoc cham with them) - you've just gotta try these.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16505773562" title="P1140005 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140005" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8657/16505773562_aa57e0b2c8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Banh beo, nam, loc thap cam, $10</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But what you really, REALLY have to try is the banh sampler. I have an ongoing obsession with these varieties of steamed cake. I order them whenever I see them (which is pretty much nowhere - <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1515053/restaurant/Melbourne/Thanh-Ha-2-Richmond" target="_blank">Thanh Ha 2</a> in Richmond and <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/co-do.html" target="_blank">Co Do</a> in Sunshine spring to mind) - and I've always liked them. But now I realise I've liked them in the way you might like a croissant from Baker's Delight, until you taste one from <a href="http://lunecroissanterie.com/" target="_blank">Lune</a>. THESE ARE OFF THE HOOK.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16319068808" title="P1140011 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140011" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/16319068808_ef23f260ab_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've never seen the banh beo served traditionally like this in little dishes before and now I see why the best ones have to be contained - they are so delicate, like a rice custard almost. They're topped with minced shrimp, fried shallots and peanuts. Then there's the banh nam, a Vietnamese tamale of sorts - a delicate rice flour batter mixed with mushroom, prawns and pork. So delicious. Finally, banh loc, which I believe is tapioca flour with a bouncy, al dente texture (others I've had have tended towards gumminess - not here). Inside hid pieces of prawn and pork like fossils in amber. All were absolutely spectacular.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16320545659" title="P1130987 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130987" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8594/16320545659_a25ee76b79_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><i>Goi du du kho bo, $7</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">I really liked this green papaya salad with beef jerky. Sure, it didn't immediately punch you in the nose like some versions do (that's a compliment - sometimes that big rush of sweetness, herbs and chilli is </span></span><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">exhilarating</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">) but crept up on you slowly. The dressing was quite muted, but I liked being able to really taste that rich, deliciously dry and almost feathery seasoned beef jerky, the little roasted peanuts, and all the delicately julienned papaya without just tasting "things" drowned in nuoc cham.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16505060571" title="P1140012 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140012" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7401/16505060571_37269ee7b3_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Goi mit tron, $7</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Likewise, I really enjoyed this steamed jackfruit salad, which I've never had anything like anywhere in Melbourne. Rather than being a maze of crunchiness like other Viet salads, the steamed jackfruit was tender, with bits of bouncy cooked prawn, bi (shredded pork skin) and julienned herbs. You pile it onto the crackers like a Vietnamese tostada. I shared this with my dad who thought it needed more kick, but I liked its humility.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16319075488" title="P1140007 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140007" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/16319075488_d20e2ef42e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Com ga Hoi An, $10</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a special chicken dish from Hoi An - shredded chicken with a little cooked onion and herbs, with yellow rice, crunchy veg and a ginger dipping sauce. Level 1s and 2s, if you are dragged here by some intrepid foodie, this is the one for you to order. Level 3s, this might be a good place to start. The chicken and rice were fine; the ginger sauce was delicious...but I am more interested in the really unusual dishes on the menu.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15884236024" title="P1140015 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140015" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7442/15884236024_e46481d18e_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><i>Nem lui, $10</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">More wrappy-rolly action with nem skewers. Do these in exactly the same way as the banh xeo. I didn't find the pork skewers particularly flavoursome but as with the banh xeo, once they are all tucked up with herbs, vermicelli and so on, the ensuing roll is really delicious. I reckon this one goes perfectly with the sesame sauce rather than the nuoc cham.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16480799226" title="P1140013 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140013" height="640" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8576/16480799226_15803056ed_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The lovely owners taught my dad how to ask for "strong coffee" - ca phe sua da "dam" (said like "dumb", with a low tone) - and this was the delicious result. And if you want to get some level 6 cred, try their sua bap or "corn milk", served in adorable peaked bottles. I haven't gone there yet, but I will!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16505784732" title="P1140021 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140021" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7416/16505784732_e0151d4633_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are the super lovely owners of Qua'n 888, sisters Katie and Donna (L-R, with Donna's gorgeous bubby in between). They are originally from Da Nang and are very excited to share their regional specialties with you. They are so friendly and I am sure will be happy to give you any eating tips. Their dad comes in from time to time to help them out, so it's a real family business.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16505789972" title="P1140003 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140003" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7360/16505789972_105397424d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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And you know, no matter how many bars, snazzy cafes or other tropes of gentrification manifest on the streets of the 'scray, it's THIS trend in Footscray's development that makes me the most excited. Younger first- or second-gen Vietnamese-Aussies like Thu at <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/co-thu-quan-little-saigon.html" target="_blank">Co Thu Quan</a>, Ashton at <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/hm-quan.html" target="_blank">HM Quan</a> and Donna and Katie here at Qua'n 888 starting small, uncompromisingly authentic food businesses that make no attempt to dumb down their food at all - and nor should they when it tastes this good.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16328997289" title="miccacaolao by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="miccacaolao" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7299/16328997289_31496ac1da_z.jpg" width="479" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">From Qua'n 888's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/quan888melbourne?fref=photo" target="_blank">Facebook page</a></span></div>
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Two new regional Hoi An dishes have just landed at Qua'n 888 - cao lau, which is a dish of BBQ pork, croutons, greens and maybe some bean shoots on top of special noodles that can apparently only be made with a special type of well water from Hoi An. (Read more <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alison-spiegel/cao-lau-one-vietnams-grea_b_5853172.html" target="_blank">here</a>.) Katie had told me about the cao lau (the second picture above), but I'm mystified by the other new dish (the first picture above) called "mi ca atixo", which I think translates to fish with egg noodles and artichoke?!</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16319081258" title="P1140002 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1140002" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7425/16319081258_70499d8f38_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So if you fancy levelling up in the Vietnamese diner stakes, head through the Ryan Street entrance of little Saigon and hang a right. Sip that corn milk, that coffee or that tea (or all three!) and order up something you've never had before. And I reckon even if you're a Level 6, you will find something on Qua'n 888's menu that is completely new - and delicious - to you.<br />
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<i>Qua'n 888</i></div>
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<i>Shop 24, Little Saigon Shopping Centre, Ryan and Leeds Streets, Footscray</i></div>
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<i>Hours: Roughly 10am-5pm daily (sometimes later on Friday and Saturday nights)</i></div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-37158581727133186222015-02-04T11:40:00.000+11:002015-02-10T13:08:10.698+11:00COMING SOON: Rudimentary, Footscray<div class="vk_ans" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large !important; font-weight: lighter !important; margin-bottom: 0px;">
<span data-dobid="hdw"><br /></span></div>
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<span data-dobid="hdw">rudimentary</span></div>
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<div class="lr_dct_ent_ph" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
<span class="lr_dct_ph">ˌruːdɪˈmɛnt(ə)ri/</span><span class="lr_dct_spkr lr_dct_spkr_off" data-log-string="pronunciation-icon-click" jsaction="dob.p" style="display: inline-block; height: 16px; margin: 0px 2px 4px 5px; opacity: 0.55; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;" title="Listen"><input height="14" src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAA4AAAAOCAQAAAC1QeVaAAAAi0lEQVQokWNgQAYyQFzGsIJBnwED8DNcBpK+DM8YfjMUokqxMRxg+A9m8TJsBLLSEFKMDCuBAv/hCncxfGWQhUn2gaVAktkMXkBSHmh0OwNU8D9csoHhO4MikN7BcAGb5H+GYiDdCTQYq2QubkkkY/E6CLtXdiJ7BTMQMnAHXxFm6IICvhwY8AYQLgCw2U9d90B8BAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;" type="image" width="14" /></span></div>
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<i>adjective</i></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; padding-top: 10px;">
<span style="line-height: 17.3333339691162px;">* involving or limited to basic principles.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; padding-top: 10px;">
<span style="line-height: 17.3333339691162px;">* relating to an immature, undeveloped, or basic form.</span></blockquote>
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Well, if this is what creator Des thinks "basic" or "immature" is, I think we probably all have a lot of catching up to do in the ambition stakes!</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16251609680" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="P1130973 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130973" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7410/16251609680_a3826435da_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Footscray - meet the very modestly titled Rudimentary. This is a new cafe, set in a gorgeous, rather huge native and kitchen garden, at the corner of Leeds and Donald Streets in downtown Footscray. It's not open yet but it is not far off.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16439022175" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="P1130977 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130977" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7433/16439022175_e326c34f96_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The story behind Rudimentary goes like this: The block is owned by Des' father and has been a derelict car park for about 15 years. Rather than develop or sell it, Des' father asked his son if he'd "like to do something with it" - and this is the result.</div>
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Des studied architecture and is passionate about reusing old materials. The actual structure of the cafe is made of four decommissioned shipping containers welded together. It would be tricky, he says, but it could technically be picked up and moved elsewhere, rather than having to be demolished. "The actual structure could be anything," says Des. "One day, maybe my house!"</div>
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This malleability is where the "rudimentary" tag originates. Des wanted to keep it basic, to keep it simple. This also translates into a commitment to environmentally aware design and features. A box gutter on top of the containers collects water and siphons it into a huge on-site tank, and Des has calculated there will be only 50 days per year they will need to rely on mains water. There is passive cooling and heating design incorporated into the building, plus worm farms and composting systems on site.</div>
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Des preferred I didn't take a pic of the interior as it's still a bit of a bomb site, but I can tell you you would have no idea you are in a series of shipping containers. It's bright, light and airy with polished floors and an open kitchen, and there's going to be a big communal table.</div>
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The garden has been designed by local landscaper <a href="http://sallybrownelandscapes.com/" target="_blank">Sally Browne</a> and incorporates hardy natives and kitchen garden staples like chillis, chives, bay leaves and Vietnamese mint. There are apple, pear and lemon trees too. Just here near the walk-up takeaway window will be a big row of bike racks.</div>
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Des has recruited a chef but is tight-lipped about who he is (it is a male). What he could tell me was Rudimentary will serve breakfast and lunch, focusing on "good quality fresh produce and seasonal food". The coffee is going to be by Small Batch and will be delivered to your adrenal glands via a La Marzocco PB.</div>
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And who is this mysterious Des? He wouldn't let me take a picture, but he is a capable and confident young man who is working on this project with his two partners, Lieu (also his partner in the other sense) and Michael. His family own a seafood wholesale business and at one time owned the fish shop inside the old Bi-Lo at Little Saigon. He tells me that while he has never lived here, he essentially grew up in Footscray due to his parents' local business.</div>
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Given the interesting comments made on my <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/fox-in-corn-footscray.html" target="_blank">Fox in the Corn post</a> debating the changes in the area, I asked Des what he thought. "Footscray is interesting because it just goes on doing what it does without giving a crap," he said. Nailed it.</div>
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Rudimentary is scheduled to open on February 23. Stay up to date with all the developments on their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Rudimentarycafe" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</div>
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Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-27309081152747602002015-02-02T17:28:00.001+11:002015-02-02T17:28:42.187+11:00Rhubarb Wholefoods, SeddonSo an era ended for me on Friday. After over 9 years of being pregnant and/or raising little kids, all three of my daughters are safely delivered to primary school.<br />
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Taken in 2006!</div>
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Everyone keeps asking me, "What are you going to do with yourself?" The question is more what aren't I?! I am so excited for this new beginning and for weeks I had been planning the perfect place to have a celebratory meal.<br />
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I wanted somewhere delicious. I wanted somewhere serene. And I also wanted something symbolic, something that would signify a fresh start - not just another plate of smashed avocado. Enter Rhubarb Wholefoods.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15802087854" title="P1130940 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130940" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8616/15802087854_ab15c4ed11_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This has opened on the old site of the May Hong pool hall on the corner of Buckley and Victoria Streets.<br />
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When she was a baby, every Friday I used to put my oldest child in the occasional childcare on Buckley St kind of opposite (it has since closed). I would drop her off and walk past May Hong, feeling free as a bird, down Victoria Street to brunch at Le Chien. It's not an exaggeration to say that I lived for those few hours on a Friday morning.<br />
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Rhubarb is going to sell organic dry goods and they already have a quite decent range. There are herbal teas, including <a href="https://www.facebook.com/chaiwalli" target="_blank">Chai Walli</a> chai...<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16423655792" title="P1130941 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130941" height="640" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8620/16423655792_b7b853cceb_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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...and local raw Maidstone honey - totally trying this.<br />
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Not pictured is the fridge full of cashew cream, chocolates, and various pickled things.<br />
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<i>$12</i></div>
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The full menu is not yet up and running but they have a small spread in the meantime. This was everything I wanted and more. A big wedge of great sourdough, spread with tahini, and surfing on top gorgeous springy slices of mushroom in lemon and hot paprika, loads of perfectly cooked kale, and tangy, bursty pomegranate seeds. This wasn't your average soggy, undersalted "health food". You could tell that the cook knew their way around a pan.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16422825721" title="P1130944 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130944" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7421/16422825721_617d04c5de_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There's no espresso here - only stovetop (this was had by @cubbieberry who I ran into - hiya!)...<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16398597856" title="P1130949 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130949" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7329/16398597856_baa8a85669_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>$3.50 plus 50 cents for soy</i></div>
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...but there is chai which is more the authentic Indian style vs a chai latte. It was delicious.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16398594666" title="P1130950 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130950" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7400/16398594666_84273ca4e7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Meet Natasha, the owner. The plan is to have a spread of different salads at lunch that you can make up a plate with, and an Indian night once per week. I love this kind of food - I can just feel my liver vibrating joyously at the sight of it - but if you can't imagine brunch without poached eggs, bacon and a latte, this is probably going to be the wrong spot for you.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16424577815" title="P1130942 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130942" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7334/16424577815_ae1a83b901_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This year is also a new beginning for me as I am taking my life in a new direction. I have decided to return to university in 2016 to pursue graduate study in linguistics. Languages are a deep and abiding passion of mine. I was raised in a bilingual Australian Signed Language/English home, became fluent in French through eight years at school, and did an undergraduate degree majoring in Arabic. I'm spending 2015 getting all my languages back to the standard they were at before kids took over.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16399215096" title="IMG_20150201_123108 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20150201_123108" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7363/16399215096_ef08dfed88_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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So unfortunately, if you missed out on one of my food tours or food events before now, there won't be any more - at least for the foreseeable future. Likewise, I will not be contributing freelance to any more publications - the only place you will be able to read my words is right here on Footscray Food Blog. I love bashing away at this blog, even if my contributions are on the sporadic side sometimes. Rest assured I am not going anywhere!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16423638662" title="P1130956 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130956" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7327/16423638662_1ac730378b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So what else did I do on my fresh-start Friday? What else but have a flotation tank? No, I do not like to do anything by halves! And I look forward to bringing that same attitude to my new direction.<br />
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<i>Rhubarb Wholefoods (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/rhubarbwholefoods" target="_blank">Facebook</a>)</i><br />
<i>129 Buckley Street, Seddon</i><br />
<i>(I'll add the hours next time I'm there!)</i>Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-10597322935506797682015-01-29T15:05:00.000+11:002015-01-29T15:05:44.733+11:00Fox in the Corn, Footscray<div style="text-align: center;">
The fox is in the corn in Footscray.</div>
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No, that is not some kind of code. The corn in question is this rather drab building on Droop Street...<br />
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...and the fox in question is this verrrrrry foxy fitout!<br />
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Our new vulpine friend is a pasta bar, owned and run by the owners of <a href="http://www.millgrovepasta.com.au/" target="_blank">Millgrove Pasta</a>, who are specialty pasta manufacturers in Williamstown. Josh Bayne and Josh Murnane met while working at Alligator Pasta, another rather delicious pasta maker in Yarraville, and a few years ago decided to go out on their own and start Millgrove. Now they are taking their pasta straight to the people by opening Fox in the Corn.<br />
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The menu is small and snappy. Pick your pasta - fettuccine or ravioli - and something from a gorgeous list of sauces. This is fettuccine with the pancetta, leek and tomato and it was bloody amazing. Dense yet supple strands of fettuccine with a sticky, totally plate-lickworthy sauce, punctuated with generous chunks of rich pancetta. Gorgeous and a very generous serving, too.<br />
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A nice green salad because I am trying to be healthy (despite keenly coveting the buffalo mozz, rocket and tomato number). Loved the balsamic dressing. Feedback: Don't keep the tommies in the fridge. They were obviously good ones and would be even better at room temp.<br />
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As I shovelled in the gorgeous noodles, I present to you a texted exchange I had with my friend J. When I heard that Fox in the Corn was specialising in pasta, I admit I was a bit ho-hum too. Maybe you, like me, cook pasta for the kids at least a few nights per week and are just not that excited by it. But like I said to her - trust me. This is not your average spag.<br />
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I had a nice chat to one of the Joshes. The ingredients they use are all A-list - Riverina beef, minced in house; Istra bacon; three-hour slow-roasted onions. No Kardashian-grade tap-washer olives here, folks. (Those avoiding gluten, there is no gluten-free pasta as yet but hopefully soon. You would have to make do with a salad and maybe an octopus starter.)<br />
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Coming soon is BEEEEER on tap. The "house beer" will be from <a href="http://www.blackmansbrewery.com.au/" target="_blank">Blackman's Brewery</a> in Torquay (a pale ale, a sweet cider and an unfiltered lager). There will also be a rotating cast of interesting craft beers. With Littlefoot and the Plough just down the road - I sense a Footscray bar crawl coming on! (Did you ever thing we'd be able to say that?!?!?!)<br />
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Coffee beans are roasted by Monk Bodhi Dharma in Elsternwick and an espresso was absolutely tip top. As for the icecream - served in a pot, it's a Dixie Cup flashback, and you can decide if that's a good or bad thing. (I'd prefer it served in a bowl personally.) It's from <a href="http://www.gundowringfinefoods.com.au/" target="_blank">Gundowring</a>, made on the farm in northeastern Victoria. The banana flavour was divine.<br />
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If it couldn't get any better, Fox in the Corn is open 11am-11pm, meaning we <u style="font-weight: bold;">finally</u> have a late-night coffee spot in Footscray!!! They will also soon be open from 8am, and are in the final stages of nailing down croissants from Sourdough Kitchen in Seddon and pastries from Candied Bakery in Spotswood.<br />
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What does the fox say?<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x15v923" width="480"></iframe><br /><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x15v923_ylvis-the-fox-what-does-the-fox-say-official-music-video-hd_music" target="_blank">Ylvis - The Fox (What Does the Fox Say...</a> <i>by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/GVideosSeries" target="_blank">GVideosSeries</a></i></div>
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Actually, it says - you need to be at Fox in the Corn NOW!</div>
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Fox in the Corn (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/foxinthecorn" target="_blank">Facebook</a>)</div>
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4 Droop St, Footscray</div>
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<a href="http://foxinthecorn.com.au/">foxinthecorn.com.au</a></div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-68663572724907890272015-01-27T09:08:00.000+11:002015-01-27T09:12:01.404+11:00Littlefoot bar - opening this Friday!What will you be doing this Friday at 4pm? Herding a snotty gaggle of kids on the way home from school? Imagining those bubbles popping as you watch the clock creep slowly to knock-off time? Well, here's what you should be doing - beating down the door of Littlefoot, Footscray's very own bar!<br />
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I was so very lucky to get invited to the friends and family sneak peek last Friday night. Now, a bit of a disclaimer - when the Littlefoot journey first began, I didn't know owners <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/coming-soon-littlefoot-bar-footscray.html" target="_blank">Stu and Liana</a> that well, but since then we ended up working together on the new Footscray Food Guide (more about that later) and have hung out quite a bit socially. So essentially Littlefoot is my friends' bar.<br />
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When I first walked in, my first thought was, "There's the bar - what will I have?" Then I stopped myself - "No!" I thought. "You need to savour this moment. This is momentous." But the thing is, Littlefoot just feels so natural, kind of like <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/guerilla-espresso-great-coffee-at.html" target="_blank">Guerilla</a> did when they opened at Footscray Market. Not thirty seconds in, I felt completely at home, and like it had always been a part of the 'scray I so dearly adore.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15744853624" title="P1130876 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130876" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8635/15744853624_a578d364e9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now, bubbles in hand, let me take you on a little tour. There's a gorgeous communal or big-group table...<br />
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...a back room with tables to spread out (love the wall art)...<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15747314383" title="P1130880 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130880" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7365/15747314383_9d5d65068b_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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...and these super-cute, ever so slightly seedily sexy booths! I love them!<br />
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The opening was a blast with a high-energy gypsy-style band. There are great beers on tap (including Two Birds' taco beer!) and lots of interesting spirits.<br />
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The brand-new chef will not be fully ensconced until two weeks or so, but I LOVED one of his creations - nutella injera "pinwheels" with a coconut dipping sauce. Seriously, these were amazing. Liana and Stu have a really genuine desire to celebrate Footscray's existing food cultures, and I believe they're going to do it in a non-gimmicky way.<br />
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Littlefoot's door will be open wide from this Friday 30 January at 4pm. Be nice the first few weeks as the staff get used to everything, and as I mentioned, the chef will not be firing on all cylinders until a couple of weeks in. Make sure to like their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/littlefootscray" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> to stay up to date with everything little and footy!<br />
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<i>Littlefoot</i><br />
<i>223 Barkly St, Footscray</i><br />
<i>9396 1282</i>Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-6312465911061332112015-01-24T15:30:00.000+11:002015-01-24T15:31:13.906+11:00FFB mega-post - Footscray pub goss, dumplings galore, and the FFB dish of the year!To me, leftovers are like dominos. Each skerrick, each tidbit does not get thrown out but joins the next meal in an endlessly delicious loop. That bit of leftover rice is perfect mixed into a spinach and ricotta pie...and that last scoop of ricotta is perfect spread on a thick bit of toast, topped with frozen berries, and grilled till soft, warm, gooey and sweet.<br />
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The point when it gets a bit tricky, though, is when I'm going away for a while and need to clear out the fridge. Sometimes it's kind of awesome - bacon, featuring in today's breakfast, lunch AND dinner! - but it's a real challenge making a dinner out of a manky end bit of cheese and a pile of cucumbers.</div>
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In the spirit of the fridge clean-out, then, I present to you a banquet of a blog amnesty post, bringing together all the treats and tidbits I've enjoyed over the last few months. Join me in clearing out the virtual crisper drawer and making a gorgeous word salad out of it all. Then we'll be ready to enjoy all the new and exciting treats that 2015 is set to deliver!</div>
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FYI, this post is going to be pretty epic. Pretty much as epic as this oyster I ate!</div>
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It was from <a href="http://www.hobartoysterhouse.com/" target="_blank">these guys</a> and was amazing, going from minerally and sharp at first chew, to creamy and unctuous at the end. 'Twas et during a trip to Hobart which I just loved every minute of.</div>
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The food highlight (apart from the above oyster) was the degustation and matched sake at <a href="http://threejapanese.com.au/" target="_blank">Three Japanese</a>. This place is proud to not do the usual sushi and teriyaki chicken thing, and to serve food that Japanese people would apparently go out to eat in Japan - not necessarily what westerners expect. The sakes we tried were incredible and so varied. If you thought like I did that clear sake was essentially metho, this is where to go to have your mind thoroughly blown. Food highlights - chawanmushi savoury custard with sea urchin, and sesame-encrusted rice ball in sublime chicken stock.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16164247890" title="P1130676 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130676" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8618/16164247890_9156e4d546_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I just have to show you where I stayed - a gorgeous Air BnB in West Hobart. I love the architecture in Hobart. The Tuscan toilet block units Melbourne is so enamoured with have not yet spread there, and long may they never. Look at that roaring fire! Not visible are the harbour views from every room in the house. It was very hard to get on that bus to the airport.</div>
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But get on I did, back to the west. Even giant oysters can't trump the yum cha at <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/yum-cha-at-gold-leaf-sunshine.html" target="_blank">Gold Leaf Sunshine</a>. This continues to be my go-to, not just in the west, but anywhere in Melbourne. (Recently tried elsewhere - Golden Dragon Palace, Templestowe [overpriced and yawningly average]; Me Wah, Hobart [strange, staid, expensive and unremarkable]; Tao Tao House, Hawthorn [exxy, boring].<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16352151645" title="P1130124 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130124" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7290/16352151645_68862280fb_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Oh, Gold Leaf, I do heart you!<br />
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Speaking of dumplings, we recently decided to give <a href="http://www.magicmomokafe.com/" target="_blank">Magic Momo</a> in West Footscray another go. The guys who own this place are so nice and are trying so hard. In the last year or so they redid the whole menu to focus exclusively on Nepalese food.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16164231948" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="P1130379 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130379" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7332/16164231948_869bb5abd6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">A lot of the south Asian restaurants in West Footscray and surrounds have the atmospherics of a bus shelter. Hats off to Magic Momo who have gone to some effort with colourful piccies and posters and nice tunes playing.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16165959597" title="P1130381 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130381" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8673/16165959597_54aa92b771_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The momo here are really pretty good. Here we have steamed, fried and in a spicy sauce.</div>
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We loved the lamb choila, with spicy, tasty chunks of lamb, spicy soybeans, and rice bubble-like "beaten rice".<br />
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Also had this vegetarian thali-style dish which we weren't mad about - everything on the plate needed more oomph. Go, bring a BYO bottle and give Magic Momo a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16351833865" title="P1130401 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130401" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8605/16351833865_66b9eddc2d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Over December we also really got into the <a href="http://www.ploughhotel.com.au/" target="_blank">Plough</a>. Scott Thomas, who used to run the Courthouse in North Melbourne and the Montague in South Melbourne, recently took over as head chef and the food has done a complete 180.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16164478600" title="P1130467 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130467" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7418/16164478600_f9d9523e1f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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LOOOOOOVED these oysters with creme fraiche and fish roe!!! Such an inspired combination.</div>
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We have eaten a lot of things on the menu now and are always very happy. There are a few small misfires, like kipflers in duck fat that weren't crispy enough, or a millet salad that needed a bit more zing. But on the whole, I think the food here is fab. Congrats on snaring Scott Thomas and long may his steady hand steer this plough.<br />
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The other big news in the Footscray pub scene is that Sean Donovan has sold the <a href="http://www.thestationhotel.com.au/" target="_blank">Station</a>! This news was met with much devastation. I have never blogged about it, but the Station is one of my most regular haunts. We went back with trepidation to see if it was still any good.<br />
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Well, a rump like this does not lie. Still as gorgeous as ever. People think the Station is too expensive, but their entry-level steak is $28 (including chips, salad and sauce) and is bloody amazing. A steak at most other pubs in Melbourne would be around the same price, and most are nowhere near as good. Try it before you knock it!<br />
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PS: Did you know the Station do possibly the best pub kids' meals in Melbourne? They're not cheap - about $18 from memory, which includes drink and ice cream - but much better quality than the normal crappy offerings. And the ice cream had real vanilla beans in it.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16165656349" title="P1130858 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130858" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8628/16165656349_f57db4d73f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Speaking of ice cream, you must try the green tea ice cream at Sapa Hills. You met Long in <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/new-dishes-at-sapa-hills-footscray.html" target="_blank">this post</a> and Ha, his wife, makes this ice cream at home for the restaurant. It's delicious, richly flavoured, refreshing and not too sweet. Totally going back to try the black sesame and coconut flavours.</div>
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I know our banquet table is beginning to groan, but let me just wedge a few more delicious treats into those gaps. Just a few weeks ago we got back from an amazing two-week trip to Chicago, where my children proceeded to claim their culinary birthright in the form of Lucky Charms (cereal with mini marshmallows), ranch dressing, mozzarella sticks and other nutritionally disastrous delights.</div>
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The adults didn't miss out either, merrily scarfing <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2010/09/italian-beefs-and-bawlmer-pit.html" target="_blank">Italian beef sandwiches</a>...</div>
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...Pequod's special caramelised cheese crust <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/deep-dish-pizza.html" target="_blank">Chicago-style pizza</a>...</div>
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...and <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/paradise-pup.html" target="_blank">Paradise Pup</a>'s drip-down-your-forearms juicy burgers and fries with sour cream, bacon, and Merkts spreadable cheddar!!! Some of these things we ate while watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on Food Network, which is kind of like drinking Bollinger when you're already completely pissed. It was the most deliciously debauched two weeks ever.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/16164350930" title="P1130086 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130086" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7455/16164350930_8d3ac7f7b5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But much as I love Chicago food in all its colon-blocking glory, it was yet again time to come home to treats like those at Co Thu Quan. I continue to be completely enamoured with this fast-paced, cute-as-a-button and uncompromisingly Vietnamese cafe, tucked away inside Little Saigon market.</div>
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And it is here that I am delighted to present their banh trang cuon as the <b>Footscray Food Blog dish of 2014</b>. These are rice paper rolls, made with either a different rice paper or a different process so that the skins are slightly crackly and tantalisingly al dente. They're filled with julienned sour green mango, tiny dried prawns and spicy, rich beef jerky. They are completely amazing, and just five bucks a plate. Run, don't walk!</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15729416254" title="P1130865 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130865" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7475/15729416254_1d55fbd75a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And so that concludes this pot luck of a post! I feel refreshed and ready for all the delicious things 2015 will bring. My fervent hope for Footscray is that as gentrification continues at breakneck pace, while we may be having lots of fun with what's new, let us continue to appreciate what we already have. Will you join me in a cheers to that?</div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-62859907697493035242014-12-04T13:39:00.000+11:002014-12-04T13:41:47.974+11:00Deli 4 You, Maribyrnong<div style="text-align: center;">
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Edgewater? Edge of the earth, as far as I'm concerned. I think I got lost there pushing a pram once and have never been back. So when a hot tip arrived for a brilliant Polish deli tucked away in the estate, I approached it with both trepidation and delight.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15754380889" title="P1130258 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130258" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7548/15754380889_84be378261_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There was no-one in there when I arrived, which allowed me to go completely photo crazy, unfettered by shopkeepers' raised eyebrows or curious glances.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15754661607" title="P1130259 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130259" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7543/15754661607_27a8571714_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You know, I really love that show "American Pickers" where two blokes roam the backroads of small-town USA, rummaging through hoarders' collections for antiques or other hidden treasures. I got the same feeling at Deli 4 You. Here we have an enormous tray of goodies from Erik's Polish bakery in Braybook, including freshly baked plum jam-filled donuts!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15320783753" title="P1130260 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130260" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7544/15320783753_520ac29a6a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Also from Erik's, all manner of babkas and kugelhopfs in all their unpronounceable glory...</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15318142324" title="P1130263 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130263" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7477/15318142324_d174bf857e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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...real European-style rye bread from "Baker in the Rye" in Elsternwick...</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15940405875" title="P1130261 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130261" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7462/15940405875_985ecfa00e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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...and link upon meaty link of every conceivable type of Polish sausage.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15754369689" title="P1130266 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130266" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7564/15754369689_470e7ede59_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Completely prepared to forget that chorizo is as Polish as pina coladas, given how good this stuff looks.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15914600716" title="P1130267 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130267" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7576/15914600716_bb76a05c6b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In the fridge, there are those dips they have at Sims, plus kefir (a fermented milk drink), quark and other Polish-style soft cheeses.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15318136894" title="P1130268 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130268" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7541/15318136894_96de60571d_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Plus a great selection of pierogi dumplings, which I would have raided the entire freezer of, if not held back by their quite high prices ($9 for about 10, and more for the Ola's brand on the top shelf).</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15754371259" title="P1130264 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130264" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7471/15754371259_bbe40fc6f4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There are also all the usual pickles, UHT borscht and Polish teas, but also a small range of spices from Gewurzhaus in Carlton and other nice Christmas hamper-worthy things.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15753112360" title="P1130273 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130273" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7566/15753112360_d06cafdd8f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Eventually the owner arrived to ring up my goodies. I went with a pineapple kugelhopf which if I remember correctly was about $7. Ridiculous! All birthday cakes shall henceforth come exclusively from Deli 4 U.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15754646117" title="P1130279 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130279" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7471/15754646117_b7ebbdafb6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Both it and the plum jam donut were completely off the hook - so moist and tasty!</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15940211411" title="IMG_20141026_125721 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20141026_125721" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7504/15940211411_a914d44050_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have a bad habit of buying things like pickles and relishes at farmers' markets which then proceed to moulder untouched at the back of the fridge. The owner was so nice and let me try this pickled carrot which was awesome not just for its spicy, vinegary flavour, but for the fact it is made by "Russians in Bentleigh" (according to the owner). This stuff was crack. It was all gone in about three days. It's not cheap but I highly, highly recommend it!</div>
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Not pictured are the very delicious <a href="http://www.krysiaspierogi.com.au/" target="_blank">Krysia's</a> brand pierogi, made in Sunbury, Vic, which were all consumed with gusto by Mr Baklover. I tried to hide them under the fish fingers but his Central European instincts sniffed them out like a truffle hound.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15752968448" title="P1130269 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130269" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7492/15752968448_f0e64674af_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I guess the only thing I'm slightly hesitant to buy is the meats, as I just can't understand how somewhere so well-concealed can have significant turnover. But I am ready to be proven delightfully wrong on that point!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Thank you Monique for the great tip!</b></span></div>
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<i>Deli 4 You</i></div>
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<i>55 Cumberland Drive, Maribyrnong</i></div>
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<i>Phone: 9318 6669</i></div>
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<i>Open daily 7am - 7pm (but check that as I'm not sure I'm recalling it correctly!)</i></div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-26199213290256083502014-12-03T10:28:00.002+11:002014-12-04T13:39:26.684+11:00Thanh Vinh, FootscrayImagine walking into a brunch place and there being 300 things on the menu. Eggs with bacon, eggs with spinach, eggs with spinach and bacon, muesli with yoghurt, muesli with fruit... Sounds crazy, right? No wonder people get thoroughly overwhelmed when leafing through the 20+ pages of most Vietnamese restaurant menus.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15747964817" title="P1130455 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130455" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8577/15747964817_f3b8bece77_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The trick to navigating them, though, is realising that no one place can do EVERYTHING well, but every one place has some specialties. Newbie Thanh Vinh has just opened up on the old site of <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/phong-dinh.html" target="_blank">Phong Dinh</a>, and makes it really easy for you with a list of specials out the front.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15747674209" title="P1130432 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130432" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7473/15747674209_0ce53be483_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm sad Phong Dinh is gone, and hope Bao and Anh are doing well wherever their next opportunity has taken them. The team at Thanh Vinh have kept the layout the same but brightened up the space with some pretty pics and lightshades.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15747680239" title="P1130436 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130436" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8614/15747680239_eb8eb6b73b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was a standout rare beef coleslaw. It was actually quite different to other renditions, with loads of pungent aniseed Thai basil and diced lemongrass. The beef was truly rare, almost tartare-like, and the whole thing packed a wicked chilli punch. I loved it.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15747681929" title="P1130438 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130438" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7562/15747681929_d180a2b50e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Curious about the diff between "rice vermicelli" and "fine rice vermicelli"? Banh hoi, or "fine rice vermicelli" as they are often translated, are little square "mats" of rice vermicelli. To eat this dish, you take a piece of lettuce, line it with a noodle square, then load in beef in vine leaves, carrot, mint etc before dunking in seasoned fish sauce. These were good but you can get fatter, juicer bo la lot around (try <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/new-dishes-at-sapa-hills-footscray.html" target="_blank">Sapa Hills</a>).</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15311473884" title="P1130444 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130444" height="480" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8678/15311473884_c42685d025_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In Anglo Australia, you have meat n' three veg. In Vietnam, you have veg n' three meat! This special chicken broken rice is a new take on the standard com tam dac biet. There's the runny-yolked fried egg, the bi (shredded pork skin) and steamed pork cake, but instead of the usual pork chop, there are two juicy grilled chicken fillets PLUS bonus Chinese sausage slices. This meat love-in comes on top of lots of broken rice, with a bowl of broth on the side and one or two bits of token cucumber. Highly recommended, even if it's not super cheap at $15.</div>
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If you want to see the menu, you can do so on Thanh Vinh's Facebook page right <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thanhvinhrestaurant?fref=nf" target="_blank">here</a>. But all you really need to do is order the beef coleslaw. Order the special chicken broken rice. Order whatever other special takes your fancy. Eat. Smile. Repeat. Thanh Vinh, welcome to the 'hood.</div>
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<i>Thanh Vinh</i></div>
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<i>152 Hopkins St, Footscray</i></div>
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<i>Phone: 9077 9098</i></div>
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<i>Open: Daily 10am - 9.30pm</i></div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-23695535206624237042014-11-05T12:36:00.000+11:002014-11-05T12:36:46.162+11:00New dishes at Sapa Hills, FootscrayI've been trying to think of a fancy way to say it. But sometimes the simplest is the best. I love Sapa Hills. Let me count the ways.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15518588478" title="P1130230 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130230" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7569/15518588478_82bdbfa2b4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've always felt a certain connection to Sapa. It opened not long after I started blogging, and despite being Footscray Vietnamese restaurant number 5,002 (or that's what it felt like), quickly became one of the most popular in the strip.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15519151450" title="P1130195 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130195" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5613/15519151450_403f1f77cf_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love the food but I equally love the staff and the way they put paid to the taciturn Asian waiter stereotype. They are really friendly and always appreciate one's feeble attempts to pronounce Vietnamese words.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15704074565" title="P1130224 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130224" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3943/15704074565_1a5ba6c7ae_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I should do a quick disclaimer here, but it's not really much of one. I have written about Sapa Hills a number of times in published articles, and they were an integral part of the <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/the-official-rickshaw-run-wrap.html" target="_blank">Rickshaw Run</a> earlier this year. But they are probably also my most blogged-about restaurant (this will make <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2010/03/sapa-hills.html" target="_blank">post</a> <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/family-style-dishes-at-sapa-hills.html" target="_blank">number</a> <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/talking-big-west-over-lunch-at-sapa.html" target="_blank">four</a>) - I write about them because I genuinely love them. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15519156240" title="P1130201 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130201" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3946/15519156240_1da632eabb_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Recently a number of new dishes have popped up on the menu, so this time, the beef in vine leaves got put to one side and the crab spring rolls ($13) stepped in. These are similar to Sapa's Ha Noi-style spring rolls in that they are wrapped in rice paper, not wheat wrappers, making them devilishly crackly. You can definitely taste the crab in the mix, along with rice vermicelli and black mushroom. Nice but I'd be just as happy with the bo la lot.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15518105549" title="P1130199 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130199" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7549/15518105549_910eb03162_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Just a simple vegie soup ($5.50) to contribute to my five a day. Simple, cleansing, mighty fine.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15518110329" title="P1130208 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130208" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5606/15518110329_5cd021a172_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some old dishes have made way for the new, but Sapa would never, ever take off this one. It's practically their raison d'etre. It's bun cha Ha Noi - two types of marinated, chargrilled pork (strips and little patties), with tangy dressing, rice noodles and herbs ($13). Layer it in a bowl, douse with dressing and eat. So incredibly amazingly wow.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15084021934" title="P1130216 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130216" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5602/15084021934_1894627aff_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I really wanted to try the green apple salad with crocodile fillet and the fish with Hanoi-style fresh tomato sauce, but the new dish we went for was the lamb cutlets in honey pepper sauce ($25). This was awesome - the lamb really tender, rich, sweet and completely gnaw-able. Underneath was a lovely saute of spring onion, regular onion and lettuce that had soaked up all the lovely stock and juices. I prefer my broc a bit crunchier though - this was pretty soft.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15518574657" title="IMG_20141024_145113 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20141024_145113" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5605/15518574657_55db023f98_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I went back another day for a classic - beef fried rice noodle (dried) ($12). Always look for that "dry" or "dried" in brackets (or "khô" in Vietnamese) to get the right dish, otherwise you will get a thick, glutinous sauce. I am mildly obsessed with this dish. It has only the slightest lick of sauce but the flavour is so concentrated. A lot of it comes from the char of the searing hot wok it's cooked in. This is a Cantonese-style dish and can be found in various guises from Hong Kong to Singapore (where it might be known as beef hor fun). Sapa's version is excellent.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15518589518" title="P1130233 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130233" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5612/15518589518_63fe6ea35e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A lot of Sapa's magic comes from owner Long. He is a total professional and an all-round lovely bloke. It's always wonderful to see a successful small business, but I'm extra happy to see Sapa doing so well, because I think Long and his wife Ha genuinely put their hearts into what they do. And that is something you may not be able to smell or touch - but it's something you can definitely taste.</div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1515315/restaurant/Melbourne/Sapa-Hills-Footscray"><img alt="Sapa Hills on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1515315/biglogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 34px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
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<i>Sapa Hills</i></div>
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<i>112 Hopkins Street, Footscray</i></div>
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<i>Phone: 9687 5729</i></div>
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Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-30206073896790842262014-11-04T07:56:00.000+11:002014-11-04T07:56:38.140+11:00Plume, MaribyrnongI find midweek yum cha so deliciously naughty. It's like an afternoon nap, or a bath before noon.<div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15518537397" title="IMG_20141103_122218 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20141103_122218" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3954/15518537397_c191767139_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Plume, just outside the Highpoint shopping complex, do yum cha daily.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15084358113" title="IMG_20141103_121923 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20141103_121923" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7500/15084358113_965a4737f8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Things started off well with really good ham sui gok. Very delicate fried skin gave way to soft glutinous rice dough, with a sweet pork and mushroom filling.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15083761264" title="IMG_20141103_122352 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20141103_122352" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3950/15083761264_1272453024_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But Plume had peaked too early. All the dumplings were just all right. The siu mai (prawn and pork were OK, very chunky, perhaps too much so. The har gao (prawn) and prawn and chive were mushy.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15701810261" title="IMG_20141103_123007 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20141103_123007" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3950/15701810261_769104e405_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Didn't like the char siu bao - the pork and sauce had an odd, overly floral taste.</div>
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Ordered these prawn rice rolls which were soggy and just looked like they had no love in them.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15518339018" title="IMG_20141103_124803 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20141103_124803" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7563/15518339018_bec00f788c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We didn't have dessert. I didn't have high hopes. And that is what the fish are for, anyway.</div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-83120885593464505082014-10-23T17:46:00.000+11:002014-10-23T17:46:24.952+11:00Brother Nancy<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14985309414" title="P1130255 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130255" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3948/14985309414_304626a12c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You know those stories about women who go turn up at the doctor's with a touch of heartburn, and the doc tells them they're nine months pregnant? Who the bloody hell are they, I want to know. How can you withstand forty (plus) gruelling weeks of cankles, mood swings and twelve wee breaks a night without noticing that something was cooking in the oven? (Obviously I do not adore being pregnant!) But I kind of feel like one of those completely oblivious (and perhaps lucky) chicks when I was told there was a new cafe opening on Essex Street. The Essex Street I drive or walk down at least once per day. How could I have not known?!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15582375926" title="P1130236 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130236" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5605/15582375926_52cb35f34e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Of course, if you have a bath and a baby pops out, that would be somewhat of a shock. Realising there is somewhere with a classically trained French chef and Proud Mary coffee just a hop, skip and a jump away was equally a shock - and just as equally a delightful one. WeFolk, meet your new family member, Brother Nancy.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15420459630" title="P1130234 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130234" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5598/15420459630_b1d157cbc6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Firstly, I LOVE the name. So fresh and cute! Although there are a few Melbourne cafe tropes like succulents in jars and a communal table, the interior doesn't have a cookie-cutter Melbourne cafe feel. There's a real freshness in the slightly unusual wooden chairs, the interesting parquet-style woodwork on the bench, and the little pops of green on the clock, the stools or the espresso cups.<br />
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Now, Melbourne. I know you probably want to see some #yolkporn. You probably want to see some smashed avo. (Maybe you don't. I know I couldn't care less if I ever ate another serve of sodding smashed avocado with effing Meredith feta.) But - Brother Nancy have BEEF TARTARE. That is crazy impressive for a cafe in the deep heart of West Footscray.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15420045677" title="P1130239 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130239" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3953/15420045677_cf855ba8fd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It is also one of my favourite things in the entire world, and this one was incredible. It's 100% raw beef, and here it's given a little bit of an Asian spin by being ever so gently spiked with sesame and Thai basil. I know people like to go on about food being sexy, which normally I absolutely cannot stand - what is sexy about a cake? A bowl of pasta? - but this beef tartare was so silky, so smooth and supple, it was a seriously sexy meal. My only complaint is such a studly dish deserves a plate mate with a bit more personality than mesclun mix (I told this to the owner - in between swoons).<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15420455730" title="P1130250 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130250" height="640" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3939/15420455730_f30995cd69_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The rest of the menu is really interesting. There are some potential crowd-pleasers (like the "fish and chip burger - brioche bun, cos, aioli") but there's also a watermelon and tomato gazpacho, and the "Chapin breakfast" with fried plantains, scrambled eggs and black beans. The chef, Jordi, is French, "has travelled the world" and has previously worked at Philippe Mouchel's PM24. His specialty is desserts. Ooh la la!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15582373446" title="P1130247 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130247" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3953/15582373446_467a2a8fd2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I had a chat with very proud dad Leigh. He has a background in design, and lives locally. He said he is determined to keep prices reasonable (the tartare was $14.50, which is crazy good) and also to make families feel welcome. (There are kiddy breakfast options like a soft-boiled egg and a ham & cheese toastie.)<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15582375236" title="P1130238 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130238" height="640" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3942/15582375236_6ca40b1063_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Coffee is Proud Mary and quite good - maybe could have been a touch less hot, just to let the sweet milk really mingle with the evidently quality coffee. But this will still be the first of many.<br />
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Leigh, Jordi and team are open tomorrow prior to their official opening day, this Saturday at 7am. Go easy on 'em, WeFo!<br />
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<i>Brother Nancy (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/brothernancy" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>)</i><br />
<i>182 Essex Street, West Footscray</i><br />
<i>Hours: Wed-Mon 7am-4.30pm (closed Tues, but check this with them!)</i>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-37534856377529638662014-10-17T11:29:00.000+11:002015-02-04T11:40:52.918+11:00COMING SOON - Nuevo Latino, West Footscray + Barkly Village ShowcaseRemember <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/besito-colombia-comes-to-west-footscray.html" target="_blank">Besito</a>? For newer WeFolk, this was a Colombian cafe that was open for about a year a year or so ago, and brought beautiful white corn arepas and Five Senses coffee to Barkly Street. Sadly it closed (for family reasons, I believe). But we are going to get another chance to bring some South American sunshine into our lives (and bellies) - Nuevo Latino is opening soon!<br />
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So, here's the goss. Nuevo Latino will be opening soon in the old Cafe Bianco premises. The folks behind it are the Rodriguez family, namely brothers Salvador (aka Sal) and Juan, plus their mum. They are originally from El Salvador and have run a successful Latin American catering business in Melbourne for a number of years. Sal tells me they are the official caterer for a number of Melbourne's central and south American consulates. That's a pretty big endorsement!<br />
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Sal tells me they are really excited to take up residence at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Bianco.Entertainment" target="_blank">Bianco Cafe</a>. "We loved the vibe of Phil, the previous owner, who would feed the poor by giving soup," he tells me. In the same spirit, Nuevo Latino will have a suspended coffee scheme (a voluntary system where you can pay in advance for someone in need's coffee - read more <a href="http://www.suspendedcoffeemelbourne.com.au/" target="_blank">here</a>). "We still want to keep that community feel," says Sal. In terms of decor, a graffiti artist is coming from Colombia to decorate the beer garden with "an Aztec or a Mayan feel".<br />
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And the menu? It's not locked down yet, but Sal told me of inspiration from "Nuevo Latino"-style cooking from Miami, which embraces a modern spin on traditional central- and south-American recipes. His partner is Japanese, so there might be some Japanese-El Salvadorean fusion going on!<br />
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Neuvo Latino's big launch is on November 6th, but if you can't wait till then, you should check out the Barkly Village Showcase, happening on Wednesday October 29th. This has been put together by <a href="http://colcameron.com/" target="_blank">Col Cameron</a>, local resident, comedian and MC. He runs the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/barklyvillage" target="_blank">Barkly Village Facebook page</a> and says, "I created the page because I live close to the short strip and felt that it could be so much livelier. My dream is to have all the restaurants regularly posting their specials for locals each week. I also want the restaurants to work together on events to liven up the area."<br />
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Tickets are $60 and include:<br />
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* A three-course dinner, with each course at a different Barkly Village restaurant. It's a lucky dip, with punters learning the location of their first restaurant two days before the event, and then being guided "to their second mystery restaurant and the same for dessert". Participating restaurants include 540 on Barkly, Thai Angels, Hyderabad Inn, Akshaya Sweets and Chat, Magic Momo Kafe, Gusto at Barkly and Nuevo Latino.<br />
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* A donation to Soulhouse Men's Cooking Program, a cooking program run by the <a href="http://wfnh.com.au/" target="_blank">West Footscray Neighbourhood House</a> which<span style="font-family: inherit;"> "responds to a keen interest among local rooming house men in
coming together each week to develop their skills in the kitchen in order to
provide nourishing meals, both for themselves and others". </span><br />
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<b>PLUS</b><br />
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* All restaurants will be hosting live entertainment...<br />
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* Nuevo Latino will serve savoury and sweet tapas throughout the night to all patrons as they move between restaurants and courses...<br />
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* Non-restaurants on the strip will be contributing prizes and gift bags to be won throughout the night...<br />
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* <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/two-birds-nest.html" target="_blank">Two Birds</a> in Spotswood will bring their "mobile brewing station" !<br />
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To purchase tickets, head to <a href="http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=103953" target="_blank">TryBooking</a>. I have no financial association with this event - I just think it's a great idea.</div>
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Also make sure to like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/barklyvillage" target="_blank">Barkly Village</a> on Facebook to stay up to date with the strip. You can also get all the news and updates from Nuevo Latino right <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nuevolatinolosrodriguez?fref=photo" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-88592153709549612382014-10-13T11:57:00.000+11:002015-02-04T11:41:01.271+11:00COMING SOON - Littlefoot bar, Footscray<div class="p1">
Westies - buckle up your boots. A bar in downtown Footscray is COMING SOON!</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15520896602" title="IMG_0038 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0038" height="640" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3931/15520896602_1a0300c0b4_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Il Paesano, the rather down-at-heel pizza shop, is currently being transformed into <b>Littlefoot</b>. This new bar will feature acoustic live music, "high-end bar food and share plates", "boutique and craft beers", wines and cocktails!</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15334627138" title="IMG_6404 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_6404" height="426" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3951/15334627138_57afc87b65_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The brains behind the 'foot are Stuart and Liana. They are residents of the inner west, own <a href="http://theideacollective.com.au/" target="_blank">The Idea Collective</a> in Nicholson St (a creative co-working space) and previously ran <span class="s1">Bebida</span> Bar & Cafe in Smith Street (2003 to 2013, and shown above).</div>
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Stu and Liana are really passionate about the area and all the riches on offer. Stu was one of my amazing Rickshaw Run <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/the-rickshaw-run.html" target="_blank">volunteers</a> this year, coming down three times over the weekend (including once at the last minute) and eventually running one of the rickshaw-pulling teams.</div>
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They say: "We have a love and respect for the many cultures in the past and present of Footscray and our menu will be influenced by and pay homage to them... We believe a hospitality venue should enrich the area it is in. It is fed by the community but also strengthens, supports and nourishes it."</div>
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The name is inspired both by the above - "little Footscray" - but also reflects Stu and Liana's commitment to sustainability and minimising their environmental footprint - "little footprint".</div>
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But when, when, WHEN you say? The permits are slowly chugging their way through Council but the goal is <span class="s1">late</span> November.</div>
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I cannot wait to see these guys put the foot in Footscray! Bring it on!</div>
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<span class="s2"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/littlefootscray">https://www.facebook.com/littlefootscray</a></span></div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-34333519599458296632014-10-10T14:26:00.000+11:002014-10-10T14:26:48.859+11:00501 Receptions, Footscray<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15243600602" title="IMG_20140913_171831 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20140913_171831" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3858/15243600602_63d8731a5a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Have you ever wondered exactly what "a touch of class" could be?<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15057231019" title="IMG_20140913_171740 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20140913_171740" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5568/15057231019_9121ca65e3_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have walked past 501 Receptions maybe 1000 times in the years I've lived here, but I've never been inside. That is...<br />
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UNTIL NOW.</div>
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Would you like to join me?<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15244713845" title="IMG_20140830_195142 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20140830_195142" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3881/15244713845_1150b3d958_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Well, are you?</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15221712896" title="IMG_20140830_194625 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20140830_194625" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3869/15221712896_5c96fcaffc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The occasion was one of Women of the West's regular "Ladies' Nights". WOW is two local women who put on great evenings for local lasses, as both a way to let your hair down AND raise money for local not-for-profit organisations. This night's dosh went to <a href="http://whwest.org.au/" target="_blank">Women's Health West</a> in Barkly St, Footscray, who work promoting women's health and offer services to those experiencing family violence.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15057946559" title="IMG_20140830_194603 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20140830_194603" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5569/15057946559_2a2f3ed460_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is very commendable. But I can't help it - I couldn't stop nerding out about finally being inside the big 501. It really is a working reception place!</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15058153657" title="IMG_20140830_194712 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20140830_194712" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3897/15058153657_50b69ea32d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our $70 ticket bought us unlimited booze, entertainment and three courses of fine 501 fare.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15244321702" title="IMG_20140830_195054 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20140830_195054" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3850/15244321702_6939f882e9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some antipasti (which were fine)...</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15057952069" title="IMG_20140830_213433 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20140830_213433" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5591/15057952069_115489e8d5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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...followed by some hoopla...</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15058030180" title="IMG_20140830_205402 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20140830_205402" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3835/15058030180_ba71817da3_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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...and then the main event! Sue me, but I thought this was actually pretty yummy! I'm a sucker for a roast of the day.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15057950039" title="IMG_20140830_220103 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20140830_220103" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3914/15057950039_e86528eed8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here we are mid-shimmy. Really fun, daggy disco dancing with "<a href="http://godisco.moonfruit.com/" target="_blank">Cathy's Crazed Institute of Disco</a>". I loved that 90% of people got up on the dance floor!</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15244329562" title="IMG_20140830_221142 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20140830_221142" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3904/15244329562_e350fbb811_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Things were a bit hazy by this point, but loved the cupcakes from <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/new-cupcake-boutique-from-cupcakes-by.html" target="_blank">Cupcakes by Paolo</a>, and I do love a good Lindor Ball.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15057963689" title="IMG_20140830_204726 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20140830_204726" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5578/15057963689_0e6c380d25_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Well done to organisers Michelle and Sarah, who looked amazing in matching lace bodysuits and made putting on a big event look easy. The night embodied what I love about my fellow women of the west - we're generous, gregarious, and don't take ourselves too seriously. And as for 501 Receptions - I can honestly say that it does indeed have a touch of class!</div>
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<i>Check out Women of the West's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/womenofthewest" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> to stay up to date with future events. I have just discovered that 501 Receptions has a website, which you can check out right <a href="http://www.501receptions.com.au/" target="_blank">here</a>! Also, Women of the West have a new event happening soon - deets below. I'm not associated with these guys - I just like what they're doing!</i><br />
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Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-80190075537826618512014-10-07T12:41:00.000+11:002014-10-07T12:43:01.105+11:00Kebab Surra, FootscraySo on the last day of the school holidays, I had my friend's daughter E here. I told everyone to pack up as we were going out for lunch. "GOLDEN HORSE! GOLDEN HORSE!" shrieked E with delight. No, we can't go to <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/golden-horse-yum-cha.html" target="_blank">Golden Horse</a> (a local yum cha joint), I explained - we needed to go somewhere for Mummy Lauren's work. "It is a place that does meat on sticks, rice and bread," I explained. E looked at me for a while. "That......is......the......SAME AS GOLDEN HORSE!" she squealed with delight. I have obviously been missing the kebab, rice and bread trolley at yum cha for years!<br />
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I do love this kid - she was the same with whom I had this exchange a while ago:<br />
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"Lauren, do you write and take pictures of food?"</div>
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"Yes, I do!"</div>
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"So does that make you a food blobber?"</div>
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"......Why, yes. Yes, I do believe it does."</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15277687168" title="P1130040 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130040" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3931/15277687168_12c3eb9ebd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anyway, we set off to our meat-on-sticks meal - destination, Kebab Surra.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15277430049" title="P1130047 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130047" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5601/15277430049_af0272567e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is a "Persian" restaurant that has just opened in Barkly Street, Footscray on the old site of <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/moroccan-style-fare-at-shebelle.html" target="_blank">Shebelle</a>. What was dark and moody has become bright, white and very functional.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15277686138" title="P1130041 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130041" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3935/15277686138_3f51052151_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sure, the decor may not move you, but you will start swooning immediately when the scent of charcoal and sizzling meat hits your nostrils.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15277732867" title="P1130060 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130060" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5601/15277732867_dba8ebbabe_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is Muhammad and the place where all the magic happens. Long metal skewers threaded with meat are placed over this pit of gently glowing charcoal.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15277612380" title="P1130048 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130048" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5599/15277612380_db4ebd2caf_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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About half of the menu is varying combinations of kebabs - chicken, meat or mince - with (again) various combinations of rice, salad and bread. The "Special Kebab Surra" meal ($14.99) seemed a sensible place to start. The kebabs were just gorgeous - smoky, juicy, beautifully marinated. Lovely delicate basmati rice...<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15463966242" title="P1130050 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130050" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3935/15463966242_83710f1c72_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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...house-baked flat bread (kind of like Turkish bread, but much thinner and therefore more crisp in parts - I spied the tandoor-like oven out the back)...<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15463967482" title="P1130049 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130049" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5599/15463967482_4c2168bf3f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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...and really simple but good, crunchy salad with a thin yoghurt dressing.<br />
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Do you like dumplings? Of course you like dumplings - you live in Melbourne! (If you don't, I am very honoured you are reading this blog. Hi Uncle Thom in Colorado!) Although they're most strongly associated with Asia, many cultures around the world have dumplings and olden-days Persia (more on that later) is no exception. Their incarnation is called mantu or mantoo, and they are something I've always had an odd relationship with. People have raved about them, but every time I've tried them I've been a bit underwhelmed. They've been nice but not mindblowing.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15277679598" title="P1130053 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130053" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5600/15277679598_c077f26f03_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Well - Kebab Surra's mantoo ($13.99) are COMPLETELY OFF THE HOOK. Now I see what all the fuss is about. There's saucy lamb mince and yellow split peas, very loosely bound in a wonton-like yellow skin, drizzled with tangy tomato and yoghurt and dusted with dried mint. These are AMAZING. Although it doesn't say so on the menu, I think they come with bread and salad.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15441206396" title="P1130063 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130063" height="640" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3932/15441206396_5a31d40397_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I had a chat to owner Ali after our meal. When Kebab Surra say "Persian", they mean the cuisine of the border regions of modern-day Iran and Afghanistan. He's very proud of his new business and he totally should be. I think you can really taste the love in the food.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15277674108" title="P1130064 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1130064" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2945/15277674108_8b1784537e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was raving about the mantoo and he said that that is their specialty, and it is a particularly Afghan-style dish. Another house specialty according to Ali is the qabuli polo. The menu reads: "Rice steamed with lightly fried sultanas, carrot slices, oil, along with lamb qorma cooked with tomato, spices, garlic, onion, and served with naan & salad". Ali explains that it's incorrectly described as coming with lamb qorma, but it actually comes with a lamb shank. And vegetarians - there is a <b>traditional vegetarian mantoo dish</b> arriving any day now - I am really, really keen to try this!<br />
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One quick note - there is a bit of discrepancy between the printed menu (scanned below) and the one on the wall. Plus, I think you get bread with things, even though it's not mentioned on either menu. Don't get yourself in knots - if you're not sure what comes with what, ask!<br />
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So E, we did not get to go to Golden Horse. But we still got to eat dumplings - AND meat on sticks.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1885832/restaurant/Melbourne/Kebab-Surra-Footscray"><img alt="Kebab Surra on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1885832/biglogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 34px; width: 104px;" /></a><br />
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<i>Kebab Surra (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kebab-surra-persian-restaurant/686965394711214" target="_blank">Facebook</a>)</i><br />
<i>241 Barkly St, Footscray</i><br />
<i>Phone: 0470 665 359 or 0470 227 824</i><br />
<i>Hours: Mon-Thurs 9am-9pm, Fri-Sun 9am-10pm</i><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15441290476" title="Kebab Surra p2 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="Kebab Surra p2" height="573" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5599/15441290476_b03f499aa5_c.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15464060722" title="Kebab Surra p1 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="Kebab Surra p1" height="573" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3928/15464060722_77586d2f69_c.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-71675763608332235332014-09-19T10:51:00.000+10:002014-09-19T10:55:39.158+10:00HealThy Self Co., Yarraville<span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you know what a "crunchy mama" is? In Australia, we might say "hippie mum", but it doesn't really translate. Like GMO canola seeds drifting on the wind, crunchy mamas have taken up residence in every nook and cranny of the inner west. You can spy them being trees at creative dance workshops, burning up Facebook in various bulk-buying food co-ops, and carrying a baby on the back while gestating one on the front.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Don't come after me with handmade pitchforks. I speak with love because I am a crunchy mama too. Not nearly as crunchy as when I had my first baby (no cot, no pram, made my own ring sling, made my own cloth nappies <u>AND</u> MADE MY OWN BABY BUTT WIPES) but I'd still consider myself somewhere on the crunchy scale.</span><br />
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<a href="http://crappypictures.com/images/2013/12/crappy-crunchy-scale-3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://crappypictures.com/images/2013/12/crappy-crunchy-scale-3.gif" height="266" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Image by Amber Dusick from the blog <a href="http://crappypictures.com/crappy-mohs-scale-crunchy-mamas/" target="_blank">Crappy Pictures</a>. Used with thanks per FAQ terms.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Speaking of which, you HAVE to check out Crappy Pictures' "<a href="http://crappypictures.com/crappy-mohs-scale-crunchy-mamas/" target="_blank">Scale of Crunchy Mamas</a>". It goes from level 1 ("Plans to breastfeed, owns a Baby Bjorn") to level 9 ("<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Can sew an entire quilt in one night by the light of handmade beeswax candles while sipping tea made from homegrown chamomile in a mug that was hand formed from clay mined from her backyard. While nursing"). Ba ha haaaa!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15096236507" title="P1120891 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120891" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3914/15096236507_1b88a1b535_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">So I'm probably somewhere in the middle of that scale. But I think I just got a whole lot more crunchy after discovering Heal.Thy Self Co.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">This is a new cafe in Yarraville which is basically like stepping into an Instagram feed. The menu is radiant with superfoods. We're talking kombucha tea, kale smoothies and raw vegan cheesecake. It's a little slice of San Fran in Ballarat Street.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15096097600" title="P1120874 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120874" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5570/15096097600_7a5a391990_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I have been hearing a lot about kale (and if you haven't either, you must live under a rock) but I still don't really "get" it. I've tried to cook with it but it tastes like horse feed. Finally I get a crunchy gold star, though, as I tried Heal.Thy Self's kale smoothie ($9) - and loved it!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15096231017" title="P1120878 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120878" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3907/15096231017_876b1d19d8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">This 'un has greens, banana and a whole host of ingredients I had to google after the fact. There's "super greens powder", raw vanilla protein powder and maca powder in the mix (maca powder is a dried, powdered form of a root from Peru, purported to have fertility, antidepressant and bone-strengthening qualities). </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Actually, I just realised it doesn't actually say it has kale! But surely I still get a gold star for drinking something that shade of emerald. It was really nice - sweet but with an earthy, vegetal undertone.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">My friend A decided to "be kind" to herself with the eponymous "be kind" smoothie ($9), with mixed berries, banana, lucuma powder (a dried powdered Peruvian "superfood" fruit), coconut, filtered H20 and "raw wild berry fermented super protein powder". Yum - and it matched her handbag! Instagram-approved.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Heal.Thy Self do a brunchy-lunchy menu of things like a raw choc chia parfait (chia mousse, activated buckinis and coconut yoghurt) or toasted sandwiches with roast veg and cashew cheese. If that all sounds too Jesus sandal, there is a smashed avo option or a good old ham and cheese toastie (with grass-fed butter, of course).</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">We went the choc-ana bread ($12.50) which was pretty awesome. Loved the "choc nut & seed butter", which was sweet without being cloying, and went perfectly with bananas and honey.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">But we LOVED the raw vegan raspberry cheesecake. I'm assuming it was made with silken tofu. It had a fabulous mousse-like texture, wasn't too sweet and was bursting with real raspberry flavour. I would have loved it if the base was more crunchy to add some contrast, but it was still delicious.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Detoxifying dandelion tea (actually a blend of dandelion, wattleseed & cinnamon, $4.50) - the staff had a timer behind the counter to register when it had brewed sufficiently before serving.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">I had the same thing but in latte form ($5) with the recommended oat milk. This was delicious - spicy, slightly (and not unpleasantly) bitter and creamy all at once.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">I really like this place. I only have one teeny grumble. Most of the staff were lovely and sunny, but there was one who was a bit stern/business-like when we first walked in and were dithering about wondering where to sit, how to order etc. It's probably not something I'd care about in any other cafe, but given how the concept and the menu just radiate health and happiness, I think it's really important for everyone to be on board with big welcoming smiles and attitudes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15096227817" title="P1120871 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120871" height="640" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3895/15096227817_0ae7a9bda8_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Heal.Thy Self Co. is a great thing for Yarraville, which has been eclipsed by Seddon in the last few years as the cool place to be in the inner west.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="color: #333333;">Going back to Amber Dusick's "Scale of Crunchy Mamas", she talks about how "people </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">attempt to self-righteously </span><em style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">out crunch</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> one another... </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">How we awkwardly fumbled around subjects like vaccinations or circumcision or extended breastfeeding and tried to fish out each other’s stance on it. Back in those early months, every decision felt like it defined us".</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I first mentioned nine levels in the "<a href="http://crappypictures.com/crappy-mohs-scale-crunchy-mamas/" target="_blank">Scale of Crunchy Mamas</a>", but there are actually 10. A level 10 crunchy mama "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">does most or all or some assortment of the above levels but they don’t give a crap about what anyone thinks. They aren’t keeping track and they’ve outgrown the labels. They certainly don’t preach to others or judge people about their choices. They’re just doing their own thing".</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://crappypictures.com/images/2013/12/crappy-crunchy-scale-10.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://crappypictures.com/images/2013/12/crappy-crunchy-scale-10.gif" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Image by Amber Dusick from the blog <a href="http://crappypictures.com/crappy-mohs-scale-crunchy-mamas/" target="_blank">Crappy Pictures</a>. Used with thanks per FAQ terms.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">A level 10 crunchy mama is a diamond. To my friends A and A - and anyone out there expecting a child, or parenting little ones - may you be strong, confident diamond mamas.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1884932/restaurant/Melbourne/Healthy-Self-Co-Yarraville"><img alt="Healthy Self Co on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1884932/biglogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 34px; width: 104px;" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/healthyselfco" target="_blank"><i>Heal.Thy Self Co.</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><i>26 Ballarat St, Yarraville</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><i>Phone: 9687 3330</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><i>Hours: Mon-Fri 6.30am-4pm, Sat-Sun 7.30am-4pm</i></span></span></div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-27320036629032981722014-09-15T16:51:00.002+10:002014-09-15T16:51:43.675+10:00Snow Tree, FootscraySo someone was talking on Twitter about the new frozen yoghurt place opening in Seddon, and someone else directed them to the blog, "<a href="http://nowitsafuckingfroyoplace.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">...and now it's a fucking froyo place</a>". Go check it out, but it's basically before-and-after shots of places that were "business X" and are now frozen yoghurt joints. What rancour! I thought. Who could get grumpy with frozen yoghurt? So swirly, sweet and studded with delicious toppings - why, if unicorns poo, they must poo frozen yoghurt.<br />
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But seriously, as far as I can gather, the blog "[tracks] New York's downfall" by tracing the closure of diverse small businesses in favour of corporate frozen yoghurt chains. There may be more frozen yoghurt joints around Melbourne than ever before, but I don't think we're at quite the same level of small biz displacement.<br />
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Indeed, Footscray seems to have been a particularly hostile environment for species froyus yoghurtus. <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/yogurt-house.html" target="_blank">Yogurt House</a> gave it a crack but didn't succeed. And then came <a href="http://footscrayfoodblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/waffles-in-footscray-at-snow-tree.html" target="_blank">Snow Tree</a>, who did waffles and frozen yoghurt.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15057877448" title="P1120805 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120805" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3899/15057877448_3f87c1c5b9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have no idea how successful the sweet offerings were, but for whatever reason, Snow Tree have decided to turn their attention to a new menu of savoury Korean food.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15057677029" title="P1120815 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120815" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3917/15057677029_a1d8860c85_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's not the best location - right next to a noisy bus stop - but inside it's surprisingly quiet and peaceful. The slightly whimsical, mismatched decor is endearing if a bit odd.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15244438675" title="P1120808 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120808" height="378" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3924/15244438675_d4dd5d838e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The lunch specials are total bargains. This bibimbap was $12 and came with three side dishes, salad, miso and Korean chilli sauce.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15244050142" title="P1120810 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120810" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5559/15244050142_44fe54150a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Bibambap is kinda the equivalent of Korean meat and three - or rather, seven - veg. The meat n' veg in question are all really simply seasoned with maybe some sesame oil, salt and pepper, and it's served on white rice in a searing-hot stone bowl, which is meant to crisp up the rice around the edges.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15241351341" title="P1120811 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120811" height="438" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3850/15241351341_8042a22985_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was my meal, but I have such massive food envy of the bibimbap that I have forgotten what it was called. I think it was only ten dollars, so at least I could revel in my gold coin savings!</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15244041402" title="P1120807 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120807" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3904/15244041402_3b8789c4b4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As well as miso, side dishes and salad, mine was a "bit of everything" with tempura vegies, crumbed prawn, spring roll, coleslaw, beef stir-fry of sorts and lots of nice rice.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15241343051" title="P1120813 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120813" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3919/15241343051_f118b2398c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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'Twas all good, cheap and satisfying. A good little option to have in Footscray when you're tired of pho for lunch. And there was no room for dessert - froyo or otherwise!</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/15057747440" title="P1120819 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120819" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5594/15057747440_5e016b419e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Snow Tree</i></div>
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<i>12/119 Hopkins Street (entrance on Leeds St), Footscray</i></div>
Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2166641060916490585.post-50815650969429309692014-08-21T17:05:00.001+10:002014-08-21T17:05:34.386+10:00Co DoSo...the other day I queued for a table at a restaurant. Big whoop, you say. These days, that's about as Melbourne as trams, four seasons in one day, and bagpipes at Flinders St station (if you're old enough to remember them). But this wasn't at some hidden-entrance, underground hotspot serving Chinese-Mexican fusion (don't laugh, <a href="http://lachinesca.com.au/" target="_blank">there actually is one</a> in Melbourne) - this was at a Vietnamese joint in Sunshine.<br />
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And it was totally worth it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14986806502" title="P1120771 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120771" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3896/14986806502_f0efc861de_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So I'm stealing my own thunder a little - let's back up. Co Do opened in late June with a seemingly crazy mission - to add another Vietnamese eatery to Sunshine's already well-stocked Hampshire Road.<br />
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If the name sounds familiar, that's because Co Do has also operated for many years quite happily in Victoria St, Richmond. Their specialty is bun bo Hue, a chilli-lemongrass beef soup from the old imperial city of Hue in central Vietnam. But it soon became apparent that's not all they do well.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14800483419" title="P1120798 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120798" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3907/14800483419_8cd6b0b548_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The first time we stopped in, we did have to wait a not unpleasant ten minutes or so for a table. It was chockers.<br />
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People get so intimidated by Vietnamese menus, and I get it. But once you've eaten in a lot of Vietnamese places, you'll begin to see that each menu has a couple of unique dishes that aren't part of the usual 1000 or so. They are the ones I always gravitate to first.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14984047871" title="P1120756 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120756" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3889/14984047871_bbe1659829_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Case in point - these "pork and prawn cake in banana leaf" or banh bot loc. These were really quite unusual - unwrapping each fat little parcel (you don't eat the outer leaf) revealed a fat, semi-opaque bundle of gummy tapioca flour, surrounding well-seasoned prawn and pork. I'm not selling them very well, but they were pretty cool. A very interesting and (I dare say) street food-style dish you don't see very often on restaurant menus.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14800543518" title="P1120759 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120759" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3921/14800543518_b77c01f134_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another "banh", this time banh beo. These are mini steamed rice cakes topped with dried prawn that's been whizzed up into a crumble. This is a Hue specialty. These were much less peculiar than the former offering and really quite good, lovely doused in a lot of seasoned fish sauce. Another one that's almost never seen here in Melbourne.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14800491020" title="P1120760 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120760" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3861/14800491020_072e666315_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Do be sure to check out the specials ("Dac Biet") on the papers on the walls. They're in Vietnamese but that doesn't preclude you from ordering them (as some people seem to feel) - I knew what most of them were but the waitress was happy to explain the couple I didn't. And don't stress too much, because most are in the menu itself. This is one - rare beef coleslaw, or <i>goi bo tai chanh </i>if I remember correctly. The beef has been "cured" in lemon juice, similar to ceviche. A fantastic riot of flavours and textures in this one, and perhaps not as cloyingly sweet as some other coleslaws can be.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14800467899" title="P1120765 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120765" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5561/14800467899_4b11767427_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But the number one order was this banh xeo. Translated as "Vietnamese pancake", this is something I've had a somewhat tempestuous relationship with, as the more I eat, the more I'm reminded how much better they can be. These filled pancakes always run the risk of being gluggy and soggy, and a sorry amount in Melbourne are.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14800494439" title="P1120769 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120769" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5562/14800494439_16c9d675ce.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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This one was a standout winner. The batter really tasted of coconut cream, and the filling (which we first thought was a little sparse) revealed itself to be judiciously proportioned, so that every bite had the right proportion of creamy mung beans, just-wilted bean sprouts, whole prawns (yes, you eat the shells - crunch crunch - don't be scared!) and cooked pork. ZOMG. (Pro tip - open up the pancake and spread the filling out a bit, so you get more even distribution.)<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14800499010" title="P1120766 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120766" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3898/14800499010_873bb166f2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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To eat, cut portions with your spoon, place in a piece of lettuce with an embarrassment of herbs, and spoon dipping sauce over. HEAVEN. Amazing banh xeo, and only 15 dollars. And no boring iceberg in sight - all the greens were really crunchy and unusual!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14800514490" title="P1120794 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120794" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5587/14800514490_4a785748f1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I went back the following week, and it was looking like we'd have to queue again, when a friendly lady offered to let us share her table. This turned out to be a huge score. She used to be in the restaurant business and has been coming to Co Do weekly to try more and more goodies, so enamoured she is of the food.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14987172455" title="P1120786 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120786" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3897/14987172455_0f2b65a4bd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Time for the signature dish - bun bo Hue. This soup is made with a broth rich with lemongrass and chilli, and normally has an absolute butcher's bin of offal on top. Co Do do a version with just sliced rare beef for those wimps among us. This was delicious. The lemongrass is really there, giving it an almost tom yum flavour - but more beefy. The noodles were big fat rice noodles, almost like rice noodle spaghetti.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14984069901" title="P1120787 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120787" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3887/14984069901_2f8958b971_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My favourite part, though, is the big pile of chopped lettuce and red cabbage for you to throw in, which you should do liberally. (On the left above, under the basil - the basil and bean sprouts are for the pho.) If you've done pho, if you've done <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1492383/restaurant/Melbourne/Phu-Vinh-the-noodle-shop-Footscray" target="_blank">hu</a> <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1628546/restaurant/Melbourne/Phong-Dinh-Footscray" target="_blank">tieu</a> <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1560736/restaurant/Melbourne/Tra-Vinh-Footscray" target="_blank">mi</a> - it's time to try bun bo Hue. And this is where to do it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14800480939" title="P1120792 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120792" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5571/14800480939_a1e3b62f8b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But - the pho! Normally I avoid pho unless it's a pho-specific restaurant. But this was off the hook. The broth was so good - a great balance of salty and sweet, and with intriguing herbiness. Fantastic. I only got to snaffle a few bites as this was hot property of a pho-obsessed child, but I am SO going back for this.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14800462079" title="P1120752 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120752" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3880/14800462079_d8711bb7fe_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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PS: Make sure you put some of the Vietnamese "saté sauce" in a dish to dip your meat in. It's the sauce in the glass bottle on the table, with a spoon through the lid. The one here is really dried prawn-y - yum.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/48182277@N03/14800510740" title="P1120800 by msbaklover, on Flickr"><img alt="P1120800" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3858/14800510740_d7e256a18a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My lucky tablemate had also raved about the Vietnamese yoghurt here. She explained that one of the owners makes it and "you cannot find better". I got some to take away. Now sweet yoghurt's not really my thing, and this was very sweet. It had a fabulously delicate texture and the slight funk that sometimes accompanies sheep or goat's milk. Not my thing but I could tell it was good, if you like that sort of thing.<br />
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The majority of the places you read about on these fair pages are places I very much enjoy - and then promptly go on to never revisit (or only do so once in a blue moon). It's the unfortunate reality for me, as I'm always driven to find new and exciting eats, and am bounded by both budget and expanding bum. A small proportion, though, become regular haunts. Sunshine's Co Do is <u>definitely</u> going to be one.<br />
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<i>Co Do</i><br />
<i>207 Hampshire Rd, Sunshine</i><br />
<i>Phone 9939 0850</i><br />
<i>Open 7 days, 9am-10pm</i>Lauren aka Ms Bakloverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08540872180823771651noreply@blogger.com10