Hao Phong 2

Hao Phong is great.  It is bright, busy and fast - perfect for anything from a quick meal with the kiddies, to a girls' night out.  We did the typical but delectable entrée thing:

 

Vegetarian rice paper rolls with hoi sin/peanut dipping sauce

Pork spring rolls - but if you don't know what these are, despite the bad pic, I contest you are not really a Melbourne person!

 

Bo la lop - usually translated as "minced beef in vine leaves" - more specifically minced beef in betel leaves - divine!!  If you are stuck in the spring roll/rice paper rut, much as that is a very delectable rut to be in, do mix it up with these little beauties.

I was very proud of my friends - we all decided to be adventurous.  Here is Minced Chicken and Salted Fish with Rice Noodles (Bun Xao Thit Ga Ca Man):

Prawn meat stuffed eggplant with capsicum and beancurd (Com Ca Tim Ot Dau Hu Don Tom):

 

We also ordered Coral Trout and BBQ Hot Pot (Ca Mu & Xa Xiu Tay Cam) - I did take a pic but my self-consciousness about using a flash meant it is all blurry.  Send me your bloggy vibes so I stop being so shy!

And of course we had to have crispy squid (salt & pepper, properly called Muc Rang Muoi) - every time I cannot take a photo because it is just inhaled instantaneously!!)

The dish we expected the least from was the chicken & salted fish noodles, but that was the far and away success.  Chopped chicken, rice vermicelli, egg and a little lightly cooked Asian greens, plus every few bites, a bright spark of something umami - must have been the salted fish.  I am so curious about this ingredient as I have never heard of it nor tasted it before, but it has been hard to research, and others seem to be confused too.  I'm looking forward to asking about it next time I'm at the market.

Getting back to our meal, the prawn meat stuffed eggplant was good, just a little one-dimensional in terms of saltiness.  Normally these style of dishes are really good - eggplant or tofu, slightly hollowed and stuffed with minced prawn - but I prefer when they have a light, stock-based sauce rather than the black bean sauce this was served with.

The hot pot was OK - lightly battered pieces of fish with fried tofu, shiitake mushrooms and carrots in a cornflour-thickened soy-based sauce.  But the squid - squmptious!

(Was that bad?  Well, you gotta try it!  You too will be inspired to make bad squid word play!)

All these goodies, plus 4 bottles of BYO wine, was $82 for 5 people.  Although, while my wallet was happy, my head did pay for it the next day!

Hao Phong, 136 Hopkins St, Footscray

Indi Hots

I set out with two tasks - get an eyebrow wax and eat a banh xeo.  The beauty salon was packed, though, and the weather was decidedly un-subtropical, so I decided to opt for a stick-to-your-ribs lamb curry and a good read of my book.

 

Indi Hots is at the far eastern end of the Footscray CBD.  The decor is basic, but the complex wafts of spice coming from the kitchen doors makes you realise they are just focused on the flavour.  The menu is written on a small whiteboard and various dishes glisten from the bain-marie.  You can choose from a chicken, egg, goat or vegie biryani, a thali (combo of 3 curries with 2 roti or rice) or a single bowl of curry, again with 2 roti or rice.  Nothing over $12, folks!

 

I was on a lamb-quest, but the very friendly server informed me that they only had goat.  Now I want to like goat like I want to be able to say I only use bicarb and vinegar to clean my bathroom, or like I want to be able to watch the whole of the PBS NewsHour with a concerned look on my face, nodding sagely, when in reality I fall asleep with my mouth open 5 minutes in.  Nevertheless, in a quest to better myself, I ordered a small goat with roti.

 

Now goat, if you have not had it, is like lamb on steroids.  It is so gamey it is outrageous.  This goat was good - really, really good.  The gravy was rich and redolent with really fresh spices, heady with cardamom and with an earthy base of cumin.  The meat was still on the bone (as is traditional), and it was truly melt-in-your-mouth.  If you are a goat fan, this is nirvana.  Me - I still have some way to go before I go the whole goat.  That said, I did lick the bowl clean.

 

Thankfully, there is so much to love about Indi Hots, even if goat on the bone sounds totally unappealing to you.  The roti bread was fantastic - chewy, flavoursome but light.  Everyone knows naan, but roti is the Cinderella of Indian flat breads.  While naan is made with white flour and is usually leavened, roti is made of whole wheat flour and is cooked, rather like a tortilla, on an iron griddle.  I like both, but roti is much more flavoursome I think, due to the atta or sifted whole wheat flour used.

When I left, I had a look in the bain marie and it had filled up with a checkerboard of saucy delights.  There was the goat, as well as chicken and mixed vegetable curries, a dal, and an interesting dry-fried vegetable dish with peanuts.  Upon asking, the server explained it was tindora, which is apparently a type of gourd, also known as "Gentlemen's toes".  I am intrigued to try this next time!  There were also whole green chillies, fried in spongy chickpea batter, which customers were eating dipped in a little chutney, as well as a mini-Himalayan ranges of samosas, their little peaks standing upright in neat rows.

If you like your Indian food uncompromisingly authentic, Indi Hots should definitely be your next stop.  You will be rewarded with delightful service and a warm, inner glow.

Indi Hots, 5/68 Hopkins St, Footscray (near the corner of Hopkins & Moore)

See updated review here

Shelf gleaning - Fried shallots

These golden, crunchy beauties are fantastic for adding texture and deep-fried naughtiness to food.  Traditionally they are used to top various dishes in many Asian cuisines, for both visual appeal and a contrasting crunch.  I like to use them to top laksa and other noodle soups, but they are just as good tossed through salads or even added to the mince when making burgers, to give a subtle onion flavour.  They are great when you have something really simple, like pumpkin soup or steamed vegies, and you want to add a bit of pizazz.

Ideally, you would make these yourself, slicing the shallots and deep-frying.  I just buy them ready-fried, although some brands (or batches?) have a slightly bitter taste, as if the oil was old.  Try different brands and see which you like.  If you get a bad batch, you will be, like, less than $1.50 down, so be adventurous!

Here they are topping my fried rice.  The texture of fried rice (well, my recipe at least!) is similar throughout, with tender rice, egg and vegies, but the shallots add an interesting crunchy dimension.  That Jess Ho makes a great point about fried rice:

What I have never understood is how people have recipes for fried rice. It is just the Asian version of using up leftovers.
It’s like bubble and squeak,
a fritatta,
a toasted sandwich.

That said, if you want my very loose recipe, it's after the jump.

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

Community Service Announcement

I can't work out how to make the video fit - so here is the link if you are interested.

Kitchen Samrat

Kitchen Samrat are persistent, if nothing else.  I get a new menu in my letterbox about every week, it seems!  Happily, they are more than just good at letterboxing.  They do great North Indian food at insanely low prices.  Curries are $7/$8 and you get a choice of rice or two naan included for free.  We ordered everyone's fave, Butter Chicken, as well as Karahi Paneer (cheese cooked in a creamy sauce), two samosas, Hara Bhara Naan (stuffed with cheese, spinach and parsley), raita, two chutneys and pickle.  All of that for $28, delivered!!

 

I've heard Kitchen Samrat's curries criticised for having too much gravy and not enough meat, but I love the fact they are really saucy.  (And yeah, I know I just gave you a lecture about 'curries' and too much sauce, but just like I love proper Cantonese food, sometimes only a steamed dimmie in a paper bag will do!)  They have some unusual touches, like mini chick-pea puffs in the raita to add an interesting texture.  The times I've eaten in, I've been given a complimentary appetiser, a little glass of spicy tamarind water.  They are super-friendly and they are becoming more widely known - I'm glad their persistence is paying off!

Kitchen Samrat, 36 Leeds St, Footscray (between Paisley and Hopkins)

Shelf gleaning - Black Russian tomatoes

Found these Black Russian tomatoes at Masters Fresh Fruit at the Footscray Market.  $3.99 a kg!  Farmers markets, eat your heart out.  They are an heirloom variety which are dark olive in colour.

To make Black Russian bruschetta, take some crusty bread, toast and rub with a cut garlic clove.  Slice tomatoes and place on top.  Season with plenty of good salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Scatter torn basil over the top, and drizzle with extra virgin.  Oh yeah!!

Tomato heaven!  These little babies are really sweet, almost no acid.  If only it were tomato season all year round, as I could eat this for breakfast every day.

Masters Fresh Fruit is where I shop every week for my fruit & veg.  It is family-run and the ladies at the checkout are always up for a natter.  The F&V is super fresh.  Masters is in the centre part of the fruit & veg section, opposite the chicken shop - they are straight ahead, to your left if you are coming out of the meat aisle.  You can see their name if you look above the stall.