Qua'n 888, Little Saigon, Footscray

What level Vietnamese diner are you?

Level 1: *crosses arms* "I don't eat chilli, seafood or garlic.  Or rice." (Thinks: 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!)

Level 2: *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?" 

Level 3: *slurps iced water*  "Oh...um...I don't know what I want.  What do you want?  *Flips pages helplessly*  Let's just get some spring rolls and rice paper rolls." (Thinks: Why do I always order the same things?  I need to try something different one day.) 

Level 4: *blows delicately on cup of free tea* "The Vietnamese pancake, please." 

Level 5: *swizzles cà phê sữa đá with long teaspoon* "The banh xeo, please." 

Level 6: *sips corn milk and smiles* "Tôi muốn bánh xèo."

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.

Typical southern dish - hu tieu mi (at Phu Vinh, Footscray)

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).

Typical northern dish - bun ca (at Sen, Footscray)

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).

Typical northern dish - bun cha Ha Noi (at Sapa Hills, Footscray)

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 Serious Eats article, "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.

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.

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 southern-style banh xeo.

Banh xeo 888, $13.50

Here at Qua'n 888, the banh xeo is central style. 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.

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.

I won't explain here how to roll them up, but check out this YouTube video (I've started it at the "rolling" point).  Suffice to say the finished product should look something like this.

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.

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, Co Do'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.

Banh beo, nam, loc thap cam, $10

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 - Thanh Ha 2 in Richmond and Co Do 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 Lune.  THESE ARE OFF THE HOOK.

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.

Goi du du kho bo, $7

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 exhilarating) 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.

Goi mit tron, $7

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.

Com ga Hoi An, $10

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.

Nem lui, $10

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.

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!

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.

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 Co Thu Quan, Ashton at HM Quan 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.

From Qua'n 888's Facebook page

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 here.)  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?!

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.

Qua'n 888

Shop 24, Little Saigon Shopping Centre, Ryan and Leeds Streets, Footscray

Hours:  Roughly 10am-5pm daily (sometimes later on Friday and Saturday nights)

FFB 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.

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.

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!

FYI, this post is going to be pretty epic.  Pretty much as epic as this oyster I ate!

It was from these guys 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.

The food highlight (apart from the above oyster) was the degustation and matched sake at Three Japanese.  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.

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.

But get on I did, back to the west.  Even giant oysters can't trump the yum cha at Gold Leaf Sunshine.  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].

Oh, Gold Leaf, I do heart you!

Speaking of dumplings, we recently decided to give Magic Momo 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.

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.

The momo here are really pretty good.  Here we have steamed, fried and in a spicy sauce.

We loved the lamb choila, with spicy, tasty chunks of lamb, spicy soybeans, and rice bubble-like "beaten rice".

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.

Over December we also really got into the Plough.  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.

LOOOOOOVED these oysters with creme fraiche and fish roe!!!  Such an inspired combination.

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.

The other big news in the Footscray pub scene is that Sean Donovan has sold the Station!  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.

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!

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.

Speaking of ice cream, you must try the green tea ice cream at Sapa Hills.  You met Long in this post 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.

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.

The adults didn't miss out either, merrily scarfing Italian beef sandwiches...

...Pequod's special caramelised cheese crust Chicago-style pizza...

...and Paradise Pup'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.

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.

And it is here that I am delighted to present their banh trang cuon as the Footscray Food Blog dish of 2014.  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!

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?

Thanh Vinh, Footscray

Imagine 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.

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 Phong Dinh, and makes it really easy for you with a list of specials out the front.

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.

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.

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 Sapa Hills).

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.

If you want to see the menu, you can do so on Thanh Vinh's Facebook page right here.  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.

Thanh Vinh

152 Hopkins St, Footscray

Phone:  9077 9098

Open:  Daily 10am - 9.30pm