Guest Post - Bo De Trai

I have just come back from a weekend in Rhode Island, Baltimore, and NYC, in which I think I have eaten nothing but meat, cheese, and white flour.  Vietnamese Buddhist vegetarian cuisine could not be a better counterpoint to my "street meat" weekend!  Thank you so much to Deb from Bear Head Soup for coming to my rescue again while I am overseas and sending in another Footscray review for your enjoyment.

I’ve walked past Bo De Trai several times and have often wondered about what a vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant might be like. There isn’t always a lot of people in there so that made me a little hesitant too. How wrong I was.

Imitation Claypot Lamb (Tu Buu Tay Cam) $14

I chose the imitation claypot lam (sic) or tu buu tay cam as suggested in a review, on the wall at Bo De Trai, by John Weldon in The Age from 2003.

My meal was a luxurious dish of carrots, cubes of white radish, cloud ear mushrooms, lily buds, dried tofu sticks, bok choy and faux meat (TVP type product) in a rich broth, made more flavourful with the addition of julienned ginger.

It was absolutely delicious and I could easily have returned the next day and had the same thing. In his review of Bo De Trai, John Weldon says of the imitation claypot lamb, “gentle on the spice and heavy on the comfort side,” and I completely agree.

Bun Hue, $8

A couple of days later I returned to have a different meal, just to make sure that the fabness of the first dish wasn’t a fluke.

This was a lovely spicy soup with the thicker rice noodles, as you would find in the traditional bun bo hue. It was topped by TVP type sausage slice and some sliced fried tofu. I think the beef was replicated by fried gluten. There also some shitake mushrooms in the soup and some other vegetable or mushroom, I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. The dish came with a plate of mung bean sprouts and mint and a dish with fresh chilli and a wedge of lemon. It was a delicious soup, perfect with its spice for a cold Melbourne day.

Bo De Trai is owned by the Quang Minh Buddhist Temple in Braybrook and is staffed by volunteers. Some of the volunteers have little English, but I was lucky and was able to speak to someone on my first visit. It was a Friday night and she had worked all day and then came to Bo De Trai to work there as a volunteer and was able to tell me a little about the place.

The décor is basic but the food more than makes up for it and I am really looking forward to a return visit to try some more dishes.

Thank you Deb!  This has been on my "to-try" list for some time.  I really want to try Bun Bo Hue but as I am a gutless offal avoider, this might be my chance to sample the chilli and the spices, at least.

This is the last stop in the west... next stop, the Midwest!  I have lots of artery-clogging American goodness coming up next, but if you want any more Melbourne-based reviews for the next 6 weeks, you are going to have to help me out!  You could write a review of a restaurant or a food store, or even a recipe with an interesting, locally-obtainable ingredient.  Email footscrayfoodblog@gmail.com. 



Bo De Trai
94 Hopkins Street, Footscray (map)
Phone: 9689 9909
Hours: 10am to 7pm (to 8pm Fri and Sat nights)

Guest Post - Phu Vinh 2

Here in Chicago, I am busy gorging myself on fresh corn tortillas, American bacon, and Junior Mints (don't worry, not all in the same meal).  In my absence, fellow blogger Deb has very kindly sent in a guest review for Phu Vinh in Hopkins St.  Deb's blog, Bear Head Soup, is a choice menu of tasty and thoughtful bites which reflect her love of all things food.  Do check it out, and enjoy her review and photos of Phu Vinh!

Phu Vinh forms part of the Footscray Market complex.

The menu isn't overly huge.  I settled on 'special wonton soup with rice noodles' (hu tieu hoanh thanh)

They have bowls of food at $7 for children, $9 for a regular bowl and $10 for a large bowl.

The soup was one of the best bowls I've had in a very long time.

My soup had a 'lid', a crispy prawn cracker.  When I lifted the lid, there was a boiled quail egg, a prawn and some calamari.  The prawn and calamari were soft and not overcooked.  The soup contained some sliced pork, four pork wontons with lush pastry and some rice noodles.  It was garnished with some garlic chives and fresh coriander.  There were fried shallots on top.  As I slurped my way through the soup, what I thought were fried shallots turned out to be small squares of pork crackling!  Delicious.  There were fried shallots too.

A truly tasty bowl of soup.  I'd been looking at the menu planning my next meal on a return visit.  I went to the counter to pay and mentioned how fantastic their soup was and that I was looking forward to returning to try my things.  They broke my heart.  'We are closing tonight for renovations for two weeks'.  Nooooooooo.  I know about renovations, I know when people say two weeks.  Oh well.  I wait patiently for their renos to be complete.

Deb, thank you so much for the tasty review!  I am a big fan of Phu Vinh's soups.  Whenever I go there, it seems to be full of 'regulars' who confidently order their favourites, and for good reason.  A revamped Phu Vinh, the new Korean BBQ place opening up soon, and the upcoming redevelopments of the Royal Hotel and Forges - there are lots of exciting things happening in our neck of the woods!

I do have a few Footscray reviews saved up, but in my absence, if you would be so kind to consider contributing a review or even a recipe featuring an interesting, locally-obtainable ingredient, I would be so grateful.  It has warmed my cockles to hear from Eileen, Phil, and Deb who have so kindly responded to my call for help while I am away.  Email footscrayfoodblog@gmail.com.  Photos optional but encouraged.  In return, I will share my Junior Mints with you... oh... does one count as sharing?


Phu Vinh

93 Hopkins St, Footscray (map)
Phone: 9689 8719
Hours: 9.00am - 9.00pm, 7 days

Guest Post - African Taste

I am here in the house where my husband was born.  Slightly weatherbeaten but proud homes line the street, which is utterly quiet, the silence broken only by a passing car.  Later on, evening will fall.  The cicadas will begin their deafening roar, and the smell of burgers on the grill will begin to drift enticingly through the neigbourhood.  Out on the porch, "bloody" in hand (Bloody Mary) - it is so peaceful here in the American Midwest.

As I will be here for a while, I put out the call recently for submissions to Footscray Food Blog, so that we could keep celebrating and sharing the food of our wonderful suburb and surrounds.  Eileen and Phil have very kindly and eloquently responded, with a review of one of their faves, African Taste in Seddon.  Thank you so much, and enjoy!

There’s a warm, humbling ambience when you walk into African Taste. The décor is basic but the friendly welcome from the café-bar owners – a big smile and recognition that we’ve eaten there on other occasions – is more like a homecoming.

African restaurants, predominantly Ethiopian, are dotted all over Footscray and they offer traditional cultural cuisine. African Taste is a great addition to the area. The food here is inspired by Chef Ben’s country of origin Ethiopia, but with a hint of difference - all dishes are a modern take on the traditional cuisine. For instance gnocchi, a well known Italian staple, is made here the African way using barley. The gnocchi are then pan fried and tossed through a creamy sauce, rich yet light, topped with natural yoghurt. You can have them just as described or with diced lamb, fish (Chef Ben’s favourite), or by request with ricotta and spinach - yum.

The African Enchilada is a revelation. A wicker covered ramekin holds tender pieces of chicken and torn pieces of flat bread, oven baked in a creamy, cheesy sauce. The flat bread soaks up the flavours of the dish and is a wonderful addition. This dish is a surprise and utter delight.

We accompany our two mains with an African Taste salad – a simple lettuce mix with tomato, cucumber and pieces of toasted pita bread tossed in a tangy lemon, oil and sumac dressing - simply delightful. The Harar Beer we order is perfectly refreshing and goes well with our meal. Wine is also available by the glass and bottle.

For dessert, we sample the baklava. It’s a delicately sweet ensemble of nuts, filo pastry and syrup - sublime. We devour this with coffee, served hot and strong to our liking. Ethiopians are well known for having pride in their coffee and this cup doesn’t let us down.

While in traditional Ethiopian culture it is custom to leave some food on your plate after finishing your meal, Ben prefers to see empty plates at African Taste. The food is so delicious here that we never have any problem clearing our plates, much to Ben’s appreciation.

Everything on the menu at African Taste, from the homemade chilli sauces to the luscious desserts, is delicately crafted by Ben, a professionally trained chef. It is clear from chatting with him and his wife Sunny that their café-bar is not just a business venture but a way of sharing a passion for good food, and it seems to come naturally to them.

Ben is often chatting to customers and you can see his passion for food in his broad smile and expressive hand gestures. It’s a pleasure to be able to chat with the chef, usually hidden in the kitchen, and to sample Ben’s lovingly made, wonderful culinary creations. A meal at African Taste is a memorable experience with beautifully cooked food and friendly service.

Thank you both so much!  I have not tried African Taste but am so excited to do so soon.  I do love all the traditional Ethiopian fare available in Footscray, but it is also exciting to find riffs on traditional themes.  When accompanied by delightful service, so much the better!

If you too would like to consider submitting a review, with or without photos, or even a recipe using an interesting, locally obtainable ingredient, I would be so appreciative.

I would like to leave you with a wonderful quote that Eileen and Phil had at the bottom of their email. 

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

What lovely words to reflect on.

African Taste

124 Victoria St, Seddon (map)
Phone: 9687 0560
Hours: Daily 10am-9pm, Friday/Saturday til 10pm

Hong Kong BBQ & Seafood

Hot on the heels of her dosa discovery mission, Footscray Food Blog welcomes back the paan-chewing, ramen-slurping Lizard for another guest review.  It seems the quest for good BBQ meats in Footscray is not as easy as one had thought...

One of the features of a good Chinese restaurant is usually when its name comes with the BYO sticking stoutly on the end, with cheaper-than-IKEA chairs and tables hosting little baskets of condiments ranging from chilli sauce to soy sauce and vinegar. The restaurant should be filled with herbal-smelling grandmothers and poorly laminated menus, the plastic peeling back to expose paper that’s already been stained somehow by various liquids of dining. It’s almost as someone should write a book titled “Feng Shui Of Fine Food: The Signs Of An Excellent Chinese Restaurant”.

Hong Kong BBQ & Seafood Chinese Restaurant BYO, in Footscray, had all of those favourable signs above, as I seated myself opposite my mother, taking care to check the table for any stickiness or hidden oil spots (favourable signs – but not so favourable for those who wear expensive clothes).
 

My mother adores Hot n’ Sour soup, and I adore BBQ meats. I cannot pass a shop window of hanging BBQ meats… Crispy Pork, Peking Duck, Char Siu (Sweet) Pork, Soy Chicken, without causing a scene. As a matter of fact, I used to live in Abbotsford and I tasted every BBQ restaurant’s produce until I found my clear favourite in Victoria Street’s Little Vietnam. But I digress.

The dour hostess waited impatiently as my mother and I scoured the Specials menu (a light reading to arouse our appetites), noting Salt and Pepper Duck Tongues, Pig Hooks, Mongolian Deer, before settling for the old-time favourites: Hot n’ Sour Soup, Two Roast (Char Siu Pork and Peking Duck) on Rice, and Steamed Greens with Oyster Sauce. The total came to $18.80, not too bad for two people.

Mother and I were getting into reminiscing about past meals at other Chinese restaurants, including that one delicious Hot n’ Sour soup at a Thai restaurant, but we had been only talking for 3 minutes when our dishes arrived – certain dishes will always be lightning fast, the amount of time for the stone-faced men in the shop window to dice the roast meats with their oversized cleavers and for the greens to steam nicely.

At first glance… only the Steamed Greens looked appetising. The roast meat that sat on top of the rice looked as though it was 70% fat to 30% meat. The Hot n’ Sour soup – well – it reminded me of this one waiter, at the pub I was a dish jockey at, who would pour both sour cream and sweet chilli into a small bowl, and mix it up before dipping his wedges into it.

Tasting the Char Siu Pork first, my worse fears were confirmed – what meat there was, overcooked and flaking, a worse sort of contrast to the greasy fat that overpowered the sweet red marinade. The Peking Duck was better, but the duck must have come from Australia’s Next Top Model: Duck Version – too much bone, not enough meat. The skin was still nice, with star anise flavours.

Now, I haven’t had much Hot n’ Sour soup – the ones I’ve had in the past were thin, and it took some convincing by my mother that the gelatinous soup was indeed a true version of the famous soup. I tasted it – but to be frank, it tasted just like sweet chilli sauce with chunks of beancurd. Mother agreed that it was very disappointing, as it did not have the sour kick that must accompany the spiciness. It might have well been called Hot n’ Sweet Soup instead.

According to my mother, she had visited this restaurant some years ago, and its dishes had been much better – the fading proof is stuck on the glass outside, proudly proclaiming its “Good Eats” nominations for 2005 and 2006. Four years is plenty of time for any good restaurant to go into decline, be it changes in suppliers, chefs or managers. Hong Kong BBQ & Seafood Chinese Restaurant BYO is just an example of how fickle the restaurant industry can be, with new restaurants popping up every day, and old favourites becoming stagnant, dying every day as well.

So naturally we ride the wave of trendiness, rushing to a recommended restaurant within weeks of hearing it, to taste the dishes before even the slightest alternation changes the whole experience for better or worse.

Oh Lizard!  I know that when BBQ is good, it's very very good, and when it is bad, it is horrid.  This looks to fall in the latter category.  A shame, as I had been there years ago too and enjoyed it.  I guess Hong Kong BBQ needs a second chance, but really, why risk such a mediocre meal when there are so many fabulous feasts out there for the finding?

Update: This was the only place open at 9.30am the other day to buy char siu for Singapore noodles - and the pork was so good I ate half of it on the way home!  Will have to revisit.

Hong Kong BBQ & Seafood Restaurant (map) 
118 Hopkins St, Footscray (near the Leeds St corner)
Phone: 9687 8488
Hours: 10am - 10pm (11pm Fri & Sat)
BYO

Flora

 

Years ago, I went to Bangalore in South India.  The food there was unlike any Indian food I had ever eaten in Australia before.  Instead of the ubiquitous butter chicken and rogan josh, there were enormous, crepe-like pancakes (dosas), UFO-shaped rice flour patties (idlis), and the most divine light, spicy soup (sambar) that accompanied every meal (including breakfast!)  Upon coming home, I felt that I had been shown a miraculous world, the door to which was then abruptly slammed shut.  That was until I found Flora in Flinders St, which has since fulfilled all my South Indian cravings (for food at least).  Thanks to Lizard, a fellow Flora fan, for this mouth-watering guest review!

Alright, my first ‘guest’ review for Ms Baklover’s food blog! Like Ms B, I am a fierce foodie – I live to eat and I will die for the best kastu don. I even once wept over a bowl of the most amazing tempura snapper fillet on a Thai salad.

This is a restaurant that Ms B introduced me to – and I am now a fan of it: cheap, tasty and quick Indian food. Don’t you sometimes find that Indian food can be rather expensive? Also, served in kind of… smallish portions? It was only recently that I looked at the bill for the take-away Indian feast that was ritually ordered at my dad’s house for Sunday night dinner, and my blood turned to ice. Is Indian food trying to be a fad? Or is it genuinely difficult to cook, expensive to flavour and therefore, fairly priced?

 Flora, on Flinders Street, opposite that iconic station, kind of blows those expensive Indian restaurants du jour out of the water. For only 10 dollars, you can walk out of that restaurant with a painful cramp in your midsection that reminds you that your bellybutton is NOT bigger than your eye.

Step into the early 90’s décor, with Indian paintings crowding the walls, a bar available and a television screen with at 24-7 Bollywood MTV. The first thing you notice in Flora is the abundance of Indian mothers and grandmothers, complete with saris or Pakistani dress. It’s like a special chef's hat: this restaurant is a great place to take your mother/grandmother/relatives to. It attracts a parade of university Indian students (being right below a university housing), as well as a few Anglos who give you a grim look - that look where they hope you aren’t some reviewer that will tell everybody about Flora and ruin it for the real fans.

Okay, now, to the Food. I’ve been to Flora a fair few times, and the food is just as good every time. You have the option of a quick selection from the hot buffet cages, or from the menu for larger and typical dishes like Butter Chicken or Rogan Josh. There’s also fresh lassi available, and they have rosewater flavoured! I had that with a friend, and by gods, was it good! A bit heavy, but just what you need for a spicy dish.
 

Being a typical Taurean, I always order the small combo, foregoing rice for naan – one meat, one veg, and daal. One excellent thing about the combos – you can ask the smiling servers to swap for two meat, or two veg, et cetera. Today, I picked lamb vindaloo and chickpea balls in yoghurt, and got the compulsory dollop of daal. The naan is fresh and slightly oily, dry in spots and puffy in others. The buffet menu changes a few times a week – but there’ll always be a lamb, beef or chicken curry to pick out. The vindaloo isn’t always hot enough for my taste, but the coconut chutney that comes with the delicious dosa pancake or bohava is pretty damn spicy and delicious!
 

Speaking of the dosa, there is a list of various dosa that you can get. Word of warning when ordering the Masala dosa, the crepe-like bread that is rolled up like a wafer stick – it comes stuffed with a delicious and surprisingly light potato mix, but one person can’t finish it on their own! The same goes for the special menu items – do as the customers do: order one or two, a pile of naan, and share amongst four people. There is also mountains of deep-fried delights – bondas that are made of chickpea, lentils, potatoes, chillis and more – golden goodness that comes with the coconut chutney, a match made in heaven. Very hard to ignore, but we’re only human – buy one or two to taste to make mortality all worth the while!

I always make quick work of my curry-laden steel tray, and I always order a fresh small bowl of raita – my favourite condiment in the Indian cuisine (and I probably break a zillion Indian etiquette guidelines by slurping the raita straight up with a spoon). The meat is always tender, the sauce plentiful, and the vegetables are quite excellent – crunchy, never soggy, because of the never-ending queue of lunchtime patrons that doesn’t let the curries sit still.
 

 When you’ve finished, pull your belt back a few notches, and on your way out, pick up a spoonful of complimentary Indian breath freshener and digestion aid with its Christmassy colours (ingredients usually being coloured sugar, fennel seeds and coriander seeds). Most importantly - pick up one or two of Flora’s cards to trade with your friends!

Thanks Lizard!  I am craving masala dosa right now.  By the way, I regularly eat the entire thing on my own - what does that say about my appetite?!  If you too have a Melbourne food find you would like to share (anywhere from the city to way out west), please send it in to footscrayfoodblog at gmail dot com.

Flora, 238 Flinders St (between Swanston & Elizabeth), Melbourne City

Take Away Café at Rotunda, Williamstown Beach

Welcome to the first guest contribution on Footscray Food Blog! Christie of OH-MY-LA (a local Western suburbs blog) has kindly provided the review below. Glad to hear from a fellow chicken-salt addict, Christie! If you too would like to send in a review to Footscray Food Blog, please do, via footscrayfoodblog at gmail dot com. Picture/s optional but encouraged. Let's keep it restricted to the city and Western suburbs. Thanks and enjoy!


No trip to Willy beach is really complete without fish’n’chips and last Sunday was no exception. We cruised along the Esplanade on our bikes and stopped at Rotunda (next to Sirens) to see what the kiosk had to offer for lunch. From an exhaustive list of meal deals we selected small chips, 2 dim sims, 2 calamari and 2 potato cakes. Our lunch was served in a cardboard tray and was ready in less than 10 minutes, we didn’t mind the wait as we enjoyed strains of an acoustic performer entertaining a function upstairs. We ripped open the paper bag to see a delicious selection of golden goodies. Everything was so crispy and fresh (yes even the potato cakes) and every bite was a pleasure. Their only downfall was the lack of chicken salt, but for a measly $8.90, we very much enjoyed our fish’n’chips at the beach and I’ll happily bring my own next time.