Jantra - new Thai in Braybrook

It's somewhat true that in Melbourne, the more hidden a bar or restaurant, the better it is.  Sometimes I think this is our greatest failing - if you go for a wander about looking for something to eat or drink, you'll most likely end up in a mediocre spot on the main drag because you didn't know all you had to do was lift a manhole and do a secret knock before being admitted to the latest brew bar just beneath your feet.  Now Braybrook's getting in on the "secret restaraunt" action with a new Thai place tucked away in the business park behind Central West Plaza.

There was a Nepalese restaurant here for a while, and it's a tough gig - the place is enormous and a bit devoid of atmosphere...

Spicy mince chicken and ground sticky rice, $10.80

...but sparks start flying when the food starts arriving.  This chicken larb was awesome!  Minced chicken, mixed with a little nutty ground rice, tossed with high notes of spicy red onion and fresh mint while ample chilli provided thumping bass.  Wicked.

Soya stir-fried noodle (lunch special), $9.80

Also delicious were these sweet soy rice noodles, curling around some simple cabbage, carrot and tofu and with proper, tantalisingly charred wok hei flavour.  Some of the regular menu items seem on the dear side - $16.80 for a pad Thai with chicken, or $20.80 for seafood curry - but maybe the serves are extra large.

Soft shell crab with patty-style fruit salad, $12.80

Yes, I am that predictable.  If there is soft shell crab, I must have it.  Golden kiwifruit, red grapes and apples were mixed with slivers of red onion and a pungent fish sauce-based dressing.  Fresh (albeit small) crab with silky yellow roe worked perfectly with the fresh, crunchy, sweet yet sour salad.

We were cheeky and ordered dessert from the dinner menu, despite it being lunch.  Loved this banana rolled in sticky rice, steamed in a banana leaf and served with cool coconut ice cream.

And if it wasn't already too good to be true, a short black was tip top.

No secret knock required.  Go go go!

Jantra Thai (Facebook) - see menu here

9 Ashley Street, Central Business Park, Braybrook (turn into park and then quickly turn right, before the security gate)

Phone:  9396 1400

Hours:  Mon-Fri 8am-2pm; Mon-Sun 5-10pm (kitchen closes half hour before closing time)

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Annam Supermarket

I shouldn't say this about Footscray, but the parking situation really gives me the irrits.  It's so hard to just duck down for something when you spend half the time circling looking for a spot and then having duels over parking spaces.  A great alternative for Asian groceries is Annam on the West Footscray/Braybrook border.

I remember when Minh Phat opened in Richmond.  It was bright inside, had long aisles and it was so easy to find things.  Sometimes it's fun to rummage but other times you just want to grab and go without playing Where's Wally with the kecap manis.

Annam is spotlessly clean and very well organised.  There are a few gaps in the range (NO CRISPY PRAWN CHILLI) but it's got most of the bases covered...

....like giant packets of my favourite (MSG-coated) crackers.  I don't know if they still are, but they used to be called "Want Want" brand crackers.  You have one and then you just waaaant waaaant moarrrrr.

A small but respectable Japanese section.  Did you know Ebi are now doing a range of Japanese groceries including Japanese (ie, not the expensive Spiral Foods one I buy) dashi stock with no MSG?

These Mae Ploy pastes are quite decent, last for ages and here are $4.20 for a 1 kg tub!!!  The photo doesn't really give the scale.

Among many, many others, turmeric noodles for Mi Quang, a half soup/half noodle dish.  Footscray's Sen have an unreal version, the photo of which I cannot find, which is odd because I file all my photos so meticulously.*

*Lie.

Oh happy day - a small but neat and tidy noodle and tofu selection.  I am so over buying chow mein-style yellow noodles (good for Grandpa's special noodles) and having them go mouldy long before the use-by date, which happens far more often than it should.

Fresh herbs and leafy veg, covered this day with wet newspaper to keep them fresh.  See here hard-to-find rice paddy herb and sawtooth coriander!  See these in action at a Saigon pho shop, thanks to Bryan (@fatbooo).

All of this for under $16.  Don't bother with this rice wine - they didn't have any shao hsing wine and it isn't a substitute.  I will try using it for cooking sake in Japanese recipes.  I like this Yenson's ready-fried tofu for stir-fries, salads, rice paper rolls - anything really.  Wontons are for wontons and tamarind for tamarind paste for proper pad thai.

These are banana crack.  They are tiny Thai bananas, dried yet still so moist.  I am addicted!

There's a freezer section to cruise too and Annam also sell a small range of chicken cuts, so you really can get everything there.  Just...  Hands off the bananas.  They're all mine.

Annam Supermarket
1/75a Ashley Street, Braybrook
Phone:  9687 3330
Hours:  TBC



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Quan Viet, Braybrook

My friend wrote to me recently with a scandalous confession.  "I have never eaten Vietnamese food before," she confided.  "Will you teach me?"  Absolutely!!  Where else better to do it too than her new local Quan Viet which has opened on the site of an old chicken shop in South Road, Braybrook.

Sometimes when something is the only "one" in an area, you worry they have no bar to meet.  Not so here - the food is unreal and there are heaps of interesting regional specialties from the southern part of Vietnam's eastern coastline.  It's only small but the decor is lovely, contemporary yet colourful.  With six kids between us, we made so much mess and noise but no-one minded a jot.

Some rocket fuel to get the tummies rumbling.  J remarked that Vietnamese coffee tastes like Tootsie Rolls - I have to concur!  Don't suck it down too fast, let the ice melt a little to create a long, cold drink.

Nem cuon Nha Trang (Nha Trang grilled pork patties rice paper rolls), $9

These are a house special and a delicacy from Nha Trang in south-eastern Vietnam.  They are freshly rolled with chargrilled nem nuong pork patties (very springy from the baking powder and very finely ground pork used), a skinny, crunchy spring roll with a little spring onion inside, and plenty of fresh herbs and vegies.  The sauce is totally new to me.  It was orange, smooth, mild and lip-smackingly good!  We asked and were told it contained pork - maybe this is it.  These are fabulous in flavour and in texture, with juicy, smoky meat, the crunch of the roll and the sweet, cool vegies.  See here for a home-style banquet of these rolls.

Banh hoi dac biet (sugarcane prawn, grilled pork & spring rolls on angel vermicelli), $12

Poor J - I was torn between wanting to show her the classics and selfishly wanting to try unusual things!  Luckily Quan Viet offers this fantastic combo which means you can have your spring rolls but eat your sugarcane prawns too.  Take a cup of lettuce, fill with herbs and a "mat" of very fine vermicelli (they come in little squares), lay with your choice of spring roll, sugarcane prawn (prawn mince molded around sugarcane and fried/grilled) or excellent, smoky, juicy grilled pork.  Roll up tight and dip in fish sauce.  The classic Vietnamese flavour combo - superb.

Com bo luc lac (Shaken beef on rice), $9

This was J's favourite dish of the day and indeed it was excellent.  It's called shaken or shaking beef for the motion of the searing hot wok as you quickly toss cubes of beef back and forth.  The beef here was really tender and juicy. To be really authentic, it doesn't come with a thick cornflour-based sauce but the beef juices just speak for themselves, soaking into the classic tomato-red rice.  Here it was served with a dipping sauce made with just freshly-squeezed lime into a mix of salt and pepper.  Really great.

Com tam dac biet (broken rice with pork spare rib, shredded pork, eggloaf, fried egg), $9

The Vietnamese everyman's meal - the most classic everyday lunch.  It may or may not come with a bowl of chicken broth but will come with a bowl of seasoned fish sauce for dousing.  The egg here was gorgeous with a runny, sunny yolk, atop a generous serve of broken rice.  The pork chop was delicious, big and meaty with a tasty, sweet marinade.

Com chien cua (Crab meat fried rice), $11

I spotted a couple having a plate of this to themselves each.  It was fantastic - rich and tasty with soft shreds of egg and pieces of sweet, good quality crab meat.  This sort of fried rice isn't really for covering with another meat-based stir fry, but for enjoying on its own merits.

Banh khot vung tau (Vung Tau Crispy Mini Rice Cake), $9

I went back with another friend recently to investigate more regional specialties at Quan Viet.  These are teeny little patty pan-sized steamed cakes made from coconut milk and rice flour (see here for a recipe).  Each is dotted with a juicy niblet of prawn and (I think) sprinkled with prawn floss (essentially ground dried prawns).  They taste just like mini banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake).  Roll up in lettuce with mint and pickled carrot and dip in classic seasoned fish sauce - a flavour and texture sensation!  These are very rarely seen on Melbourne restaurant menus - Alan enjoyed some at Richmond's Thanh Ha 2.

Mi ga chien don (egg noodle with crispy chicken), $9

When we came here originally, we totally neglected the other side of the Vietnamese food coin - all its soups in their sweet, sour, herbaceous or chilli-slicked glory.  This is a naughty favourite of mine - a bowl of egg noodles in flavoursome chicken broth, with a crispy fried chicken Maryland on the side.  Oh my!  The chicken was awesome, the skin crackly and gorgeous and the meat succulent.  The noodles didn't rock my world though - I think they were dried rather than fresh, which is perfectly acceptable but I love that springiness fresh mi (egg noodles) have.

I loved my meals here and really dig the neighbourhood vibe.  There are still more unusual goodies to check out on their menu like tom hoa tien, conical spring rolls apparently known as "rocket shrimp rolls", filled with crab and with a prawn tail poking cheekily out one end.  Lucky Braybrook residents can wander here on a summer's evening, and even if it's not within walking distance, I reckon it is worth the trip.

Check out Kenny's recent visit here.

Quan Viet - Facebook - see menu below

103 South Road, Braybrook

Hours:  6 days, 10am-9pm - CLOSED TUESDAYS

Phone:  9312 1009

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Nepalese food in a Braybrook business park

 

Food in a business park - what springs to mind?  Bowling ball-sized muffins, hot dogs in a water bath?  It did to me at least.  Who would have thought the unprepossessing Cafe Centro on semi-industrial Ashley Street metamorphosed into a Nepalese restaurant by night?

These guys need to do some serious marketing.  On a cold winter's night, the lights are dim and the entry concealed.  No one would think to visit unless you had a hot tip (thanks Chris!)  There's no helping the corporate vibe once inside but at least the cavernous space means the kids can run around without upsetting anyone.

The menu has Indian overtones but with some Chinese accents, reflective of Nepal's location sandwiched between India and China.  Complimentary pappadums to start with a quite lovely sauce made from ground sesame, chilli and tomato.

Spring rolls, $5

These spring rolls were quite nice, evidently home made and served with a light plum sauce.  The deep fryer needed to be a bit hotter as both these and the pappadums were a little oily.

Pakheta, $6.95

Pleasant chicken wingettes with a spice mix that was quite unique - I tasted cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper.  One was a bit underdone, but Grandpa still ate it!

Momo veg, $6.95

I think momo are so cool - they are a bona fide fusion food and are so delicious.  They look like Chinese dumplings but inside these vegetarian ones is a very Indianesque spiced, mashed vegetable filling.  These were good but the steaming seemed inexpert as the skins had cooked unevenly and split in places.

Momo meat, $6.95

You can find good momo in Footscray at Fusion Cafe and Momo Bar.  These meat momo didn't stack up to Fusion's, however.  The filling was tasty with ginger but somewhat heavy and the skins had split.  The price is also vastly incongruent - 10 for $8 at Fusion.

 "Matar paneer" (sic), $11.90

Things picked up with the main courses.  This was great aloo matar (incorrectly called matar paneer or peas with cheese on the menu).  Unlike some more Northern-style Indian versions that have a thick brown curry sauce, the sauce was light, tangy tomato with a sprinkle of fenugreek leaves.  I liked the addition of capsicum a lot.  I actually got a child to eat this which is testament to how yummy it was.

 Okra, $11.90

Excellent okra, diced and dry-fried with tomato, onion and chilli.  This was simple and tasty with quality ingredients.  Props that they had okra - in so many places when you order the more obscure vegetable dishes, they don't end up having them in stock.  The menu says that "meals are served mild to fit local taste" - ask for spice levels to be authentic and you will be rewarded.

Goat curry ("mutton curry" on menu), $13.95

Boneless goat pieces in a very rich, thick curry sauce spiced with cardamon.  This was good - some pieces of goat were fatty, others meltingly tender but I think that is authentic - the textural variation is part of the appeal and goat always seems very rich.

Chamre, $5

Oiled, seasoned saffron rice that was quite delicious.  I liked the crunch of the cashews and peanuts.  We had gorgeous, deep-lipped brass trays to eat our meals from.

Roti baber, $3.90 (2 pieces)

This was yummy roti, I think house-made, cooked as is traditional on a somewhat dry griddle so you get the contrast between the dark, flaky spots where it has touched and the tender pastry in between.

Masala roti, $4.95

Roti stuffed with spiced mashed potato.  This is really a meal in itself rather than a bread to mop up sauce.  The potato was thick, tasty, spiced with cumin and well seasoned.

As is often the case in Indian restaurants, the price here really added up fast once you add in all the entrees, rice and breads.  I did really enjoy the main courses - it seems like really authentic food, not overpoweringly rich like some restaurant Indian that is so inflated with ghee and cream.  The prices seem steep for the location and atmosphere, however.  Next time it would be worth trying the thali-esque dhal bhat masu or dhal bhat tarkari ($15.95) for variety but lower price, or one of the banquets which start at $20 per head.

Cafe Centro

9 Ashley Street, Braybrook (map) - if coming from Barkly, go straight over Ashley and turn right at the security gate

Phone:   9396 1400

No Wheelchair access

Hop & Spice

City of Melbourne High School muck-up day.  Who do we have here?  Well, there's Footscray, the edgy cool girl who gets As in every class (without trying) but wears her uniform too short and smokes down at the end of the station.  Yarraville had a rough childhood but fools everyone that she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.  Seddon has it all but is still everyone's best friend.  Maribyrnong lives to shop and jog along the river - you may not think she is all that fashionable but she is a good honest sort, always reliable and there for you.

Photo time!  Hang on, someone's missing.  Typical - Braybrook is wagging school again.  No great loss, smirk the mean girls, tossing their hair.  Her uniform is never on right, it's always unironed and she seems to skulk around on the outer.  Still waters run deep, though, and I believe Braybrook will come good.  Right now she's lying on her bed in her fibro house, dreaming of the person she will be and all the places she will go one day...  maybe even Sri Lanka.

Braybrook is often where you drive through to go somewhere else, but if you slow down you will be rewarded.  Right near the shell of an abandoned factory and next to an old-school Aussie takeaway, Sri Lankan restaurant Hop & Spice offers refuge from the roar of passing cars on Ballarat Road.

Sri Lanka has been called "the pearl in the ear of India", delicately poised just off its larger neighbour's southeast coast.  It was known during British rule as Ceylon and the tea brand Dilmah for one still uses this term.  The cuisine has overtones of south India in its use of curry leaves and a final "tempering" for dal (popping whole spices in oil separate to the lentils and adding them at the end of cooking).  It is also very unique, particularly in its use of Maldive fish, chips of dried tuna that looks like pinebark, and its unique dark-roasted curry powder.  There are echoes, too, of Sri Lanka's colonisation by the Dutch and the Portuguese, as well as their trading partners from Malaysia and the Middle East



Pan roll, $2

This is a typical Sri Lankan "short eat" or snack - a spicy minced meat, potato and pea filling (similar to that a samosa filling) tightly rolled up in a coconut pancake, dipped in breadcrumbs and deep-fried.  So yummy!  It came with a side of good ole dead horse.  Pan rolls - if only the tradies going in and out of the takeaway next door knew what they were missing out on! 

String hoppers are a very cool foodstuff unique to Sri Lanka.  They are little "webs" of what looks like rice vermicelli.  They are made from rice flour that is extruded by hand through a special press and steamed on individual mats (see here).  Bharat Traders sell them ready-made dried in boxes if you want to cook them at home.  Anyway, they taste different to rice vermicelli and because they are like little mats, you can pick them up and use them to mop up sauces and grab pieces of meat that you couldn't do with regular noodles.

String hopper pack, $7.50

My "pack" came with my choice of curry (I chose chicken) as well as dhal (parripu) and pol sombol (coconut chutney).  The dhal was absolutely fantastic - creamy and sweet with coconut, fragrant with curry leaves and mustard seeds and with a big chilli kick.  The lentils were perfectly cooked, neither hard nor too mushy.  The coconut chutney was fabulous - I am sure it was fresh coconut, not dessiccated, mixed with red chilli and lemon.  It hit all the right notes - sweet and somewhat cooling yet tangy, rich and spicy all at once.

Although tasty, I have to say I found the chicken somewhat dry.  Next time I will choose the lamb or the beef and see if either are the Sri Lankan "black" curry style, which is made with spices that are roasted until a very rich, dark brown and ground until they almost resemble coffee.  There is a really exciting range of vegetarian dishes like bathala - "sweet potato in thick sauce", stir-fried snake bean in hot chilli and even kaju hodi in which cashews are cooked with coconut and green peas until amazingly plump and creamy.

Pol roti (coconut roti), $4.50

These small roti were flavoured with onion, fresh coconut and a little green chilli and came with a very sweet onion sambal.  I did find these somewhat heavy.  Really I was craving the aapa or "hoppers", bowl-shaped pancakes made of a fermented rice flour and coconut batter, cooked in a special pan and not flipped - dosa or injera's Sri Lankan cousin.  These are available only on Friday and Saturday nights when Hop & Spice have their fabulous-sounding buffet.  For $20 for adults and $8 for kids, you can have a veritable feast of pan rolls and other "short eats", breads, hoppers and string hoppers as well as curry of all persuasions.  Unreal!

Kalu dodol, $2

Who can resist subcontinental fudgy sweets?  This was a yummy, jelly-like sweetmeat made from jaggery (unrefined cane sugar said to be higher in trace minerals than the white or even the raw supermarket stuff), coconut milk and cashews.  Ah, naptime may be sweet but it is made even sweeter when savouring a little slice of Sri Lanka, and sweeter still to know that it is from this fabulous little restaurant - a Sri Lankan pearl in Braybrook's slow but inexorable awakening.

Hop & Spice

284 Ballarat Road, Braybrook (map)

Phone: 9310 2000

Hours:  Tues - Sun 10am - late (buffet Friday and Saturday nights)

Wheelchair Accessibility

Entry:  Large step inside the doorway

Layout:  Could accommodate