Hand-made soba noodles at Shimbashi

Disclaimer:  I attended Shimbashi Soba as a guest of the proprietor.  Please see end of post for full disclosure.

What are your recipe deal breakers?  Will you stuff, bone and truss, or are you a chicken shop boy/girl?  (I confess I'm the latter.)  Do the terms "soft crack" and "hard ball" freak you out?  (They're used in confectionary making, you dirty person, you.)  I know for me, a terrible afternoon with a bowl of dough, a slow-press juicer, a vapid instruction manual and a clothes horse festooned with claggy strips of home-made fettuccine meant that I will never, ever attempt to make my own pasta again.  Same goes for noodles.  And anyway, why bother, especially when we have so many wonderful specialty noodle shops to choose from?

Shimbashi Soba has recently opened in Liverpool Street, Melbourne and specialises in making soba noodles from scratch...and I mean scratch.

The noodles begin life as Tasmanian buckwheat kernels (grown chemical free) which are ground in house daily on a slowly turning millstone.  The freshly milled flour is then mixed with a small amount of wheat flour before being kneaded, rolled and chopped just hours before service.  With the exception of the miling, the production is totally non-mechanised, with Chef Taka Kumayama rolling, folding and - with eerie precision - cutting the buckwheat noodles into uniform lengths with an imposing steel blade.  You can catch him in action in the window of Shimbashi between about 10 and 11am, and again in the afternoon if there's a soba rush at lunch.  (Check out this pictorial of a soba noodle workshop in Tokyo.)

I've tried to make soba from packaged, dried noodles in the past but it's never been very nice, the dried noodles turning soft and claggy very fast.  It was the chance to try hand-made soba that piqued my interest when contacted by Chef Taka's lovely friend and ex-colleague Harumi, who is helping with the PR for his new Melbourne venture.

Agedashi tofu, $8

I love going somewhere and just saying, "Feed me food".  The Japanese have a word for it - omakase, which means you're in the chef's hands.   We couldn't resist making some suggestions as well, though!  This agedashi tofu was good - it's a deliberately benign dish, the neutral, slightly savoury tofu in harmony with mild dashi-based dressing.  Loved the touch of very authentic grated daikon on top.  More bonito flakes though please!

  

Oysters, $2.50 ea

Aren't these gorgeous - like little ikebana flower arrangements!  Loved these oysters with their lip-smacking yuzu citrus dressing.

Echigo beer, $15/500 mL bottle

Shimbashi have an impressive Japanese drinks menu with interesting sake and plum wines.  This beer, made with short-grain sushi rice, was utterly crisp and delicious.

Sashimi, $16/14 pieces)

Anyone who eats with a food blogger knows their meal is not their own for at least 30 seconds after arriving on the table.  I'm not as "bad" as some - one friend has been known to commander your lunch, carrying it off to a sunlit windowsill for a photoshoot before you're "allowed" to tuck in!  It's telling then that I was so excited when this arrived, for the first time ever I had to be reminded to take a photo. This sashimi was divine.  Getting away from the salmon/tuna/something white tired triumvirate, we had Tasmanian ocean trout, sand marlin and classic, rosy tuna.  This combo changes daily according to what the chef finds at the Vic Market.  Sublime.

"Ooh, lovely!" we exclaimed on being presented with this little dish.  We should have stopped right there and tucked in, but I had to ask, "What is it?"  Turns out it is fish eggs and milt or fish sperm sacs!!!  Apparently Chef Taka found a lovely pair of striped jack, a kind of mackerel, at the market that morning, from whence these delicacies came.  So we stared.  We spun the bowl.  "I don't think I can do it," said my friend.  But we did, and boy was it good.  The eggs (on the left) had a grainy texture and a not unpleasant fishy taste (like tuna), but the fishy boy parts (shirako) on the right were delicious - smooth and buttery, not unlike pate or brains.  Definitely the strangest thing I've eaten all year, and probably the most surprisingly delicious!

This is a new discovery for me (thanks K!) and I LOVE it.  It's called nigorisake and it's sake (or rice wine) that is unfiltered, leaving it with a creamy, viscous texture not unlike drinking yoghurt.  It's served chilled and is delicious, both sweet and tart at the same time.  If you want some street cred, try ordering this next time you go Japanese - it's relatively unknown and boy, is it YUMMY.

Tempura (normally served with soba, $16)

Delicious tempura, featuring Aussie prawns from the Vic Market, eggplant, broccoli and other vegies.  It was served on paper as is traditional, to demonstrate the chef's skill in making it non-oily.

Seiro soba, $10

The grand finale!  Soba can be served hot or cold but this is the most traditional way.  The noodles are served chilled on a traditional mat (once upon a time, soba noodles were steamed on a mat like this).  Under the bowl of spring onion is a small cup.  A thin, soy-based, ever so slightly bittersweet dressing (tsuyu) is poured from the small jug into the cup, and each chopstickful of noodles is swizzled briefly before being guzzled up.  The idea is to "haul in" the noodles quickly without having to bite them off.  Slurping is not considered impolite and heightens the sensation of silky soba entering your mouth.  The noodles have such a distinct, earthy flavour - delicious.  I love the ritualistic way of serving and eating too.

Soba have vast health benefits including being very high in protein and various polyphenols and bioflavenoids.  The broth soba are cooked in is very nutritous and it is traditional to mix a little with the leftover dipping sauce for a final drink.  This was delicious, balanced and soothing.

Matcha green tea ice cream, $4

LOVED this - house-made green tea ice cream, ever so slightly bitter and with an intriguing graininess (from the finely milled matcha or green tea).  It married perfectly with soft, sweetened adzuki or red beans.  YUM.

Here's Chef Taka Kumayama with his stone-based buckwheat flour mill.  The Shimbashi "brand" has a history that warrants explanation.  A chef named Yoshinori Shibazaki opened the first soba bar in Sydney in 1994, committing to making soba traditionally and later, grinding his own flour.  Success led to a partnership with a Singapore company, R E & S Enterprises, and Shimbashi Singapore was opened in 2003.  Chef Taka (above) had been making soba in Sydney for "Soba Master Shibazaki", as he is known, and he was then sent to oversee operations in Singapore.  Mr Shibazaki has now moved back to Japan, having sold his Sydney business and later opening and also selling another soba bar on the Gold Coast.  Chef Taka has now migrated to Melbourne, owns this restaurant independently and, due to his longstanding association with Mr Shibazaki, has been given his blessing to continue using the same traditional methods and recipe as the original Shimbashi restaurant in Sydney.

So come for the soba and stay for the unique sake and well-made Japanese fare.  I know there are plenty of good Japanese places in town, but the soba really makes Shimbashi stand out.  The interior, while unpolished to a degree, is quaintly charming in its homeliness.  Chilled soba, sashimi and sake in the peaceful laneway on a hot summer evening sounds like a definite plan.

Chef Taka is very focussed on good ingredients and it shows - his signature dish, warm soba noodle soup and duck is coming soon.  Speaking of recipe dealbreakers, anything involving duck is another one of mine, so duck and hand-made noodles sounds like a most delicious plan!



Shimbashi Soba
17 Liverpool Street, Melbourne
Hours:  Mon-Fri 11.30am-2pm, Mon-Sat 6-10pm (last orders 9.30pm).  Closed Sunday.

Disclosure:  I attended Shimbashi as a guest of Chef Kumayama, which means a guest and I did not pay for our meal or drinks.  We left it up to the chef to design our meal but we selected our own drinks.  This offer was not conditional on subsequently writing a post.  Shimbashi has not sought nor been given any editorial control of this post.


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Bulgogi Express - Korean in Footscray

My friend firmly believes that the windswept strip of shops at the corner of Gordon Street and Ballarat Road, remarkable for its Pizza Hut and long-shuttered doctor's surgery, is the next big thing.  I wasn't so sure.  However, the revelation of Bulgogi Express' homestyle Korean menu could be the turning point the strip is looking for.

This shop has a curious history, and I've never been quite sure if it was a public restaurant or a dining hall of sorts.  Ian gave me the hot tip on the FFB Facebook page, enticingly describing bibimbap and bulgogi grilled tableside.

Bulgogi Express now has new owners (only for the last three weeks at time of writing) and while there's no more tabletop bulgogi action, there is a simple and enticing menu of homely Korean fare.

The restaurant has a contract to feed Korean students at Vic Uni, and while we ate two separate groups came in, flung their bags dow and began raiding the slow cookers and bowls of kim chi at the back of the restaurant like adults coming back to mum's house and rifling through the pantry for snacks (not that I would do that!)

Japchae, $10

Japchae is a dish made from chewy, clear noodles made with sweet potato flour.  Often it can descend into glugginess, but this version was awesome - the noodles still springy, not at all soggy, aromatic with sesame oil and entwined with beef and vegies.  YUM.

Beef bulgogi, $10

Top points for value here with a heaping serving of wafer-thin, well-marinated beef cosying up to white rice.  I preferred the lighter flavours of the japchae, though - the very sweet beef got a bit much over time.

Korean-style ramen and rice, $10

Normal people would be quite sated at this point but greedily we wanted more...until I was faced with my nemesis, plastic cheese!  Korean cuisine has co-opted some elements of the Western pantry, particualrly in the dish budae jjigae or "army base stew"- an (IMHO) nauseating combination of instant ramen, frankfurters, Spam, plastic cheese and baked beans.  It's a favourite of Melbourne blogger The Quince Poacher, who fondly calls it "a seven year old's dream dish".  Underneath the cheese this dish was quite good, with large jiao zi-style dumpling, springy instant noodles, kind of thick, starchy discs and broth with a good chilli hit but I couldn't get past the fromage au plastique.  Not doubting its authenticity though!

With lovely, friendly service and all the tropes of a good budget restaurant including a single-page, handwritten menu, chattering telly in the corner and only one drink on offer - Coke, $2 - Bulgogi Express is definitely worth checking out.  Save some japchae for me!

Bulgogi Express

203 Ballarat Road, Footscray (shop is on Gordon Street)

Hours:  Daily noon-3pm, 5-9pm


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Petitou

My husband was working in Sydney last year and in a textbook case of "sounds good in theory", me, my sister and my merry band of snot-nosed children drove up there in the school holidays and stayed for two weeks on the floor of his bachelor pad.  This was in the middle of a very groovy inner-city part of Sydney that was remarkable for being like something out of Children of Men - there were no children to be seen.  In the empty local park, rusty swings creaked forlornly while crumpled autumn leaves blew back and forth.  At the bottom of the slide languished a stagnant puddle of water that just cried out for a jolly padded bottom to shoot down and disturb.

Part of this was good.  The ladies in the milk bar/laundromat plied the children with lollies and took endless photos on their iPhones, as if the kids were some kind of rare creatures they had never encountered.  But when my 2-year-old had a minor wobbly at the fancy, farmer's market-style Coles and a man leant down and muttered at her to "shut up" before storming off, I began to feel there was something sad and wrong about this adults-only world.

Community is about tolerance.  It's about tolerating children, just as we tolerate lonely old people who bail us in the street for a (rather one-way) natter.  I swear, when I am on the bus, I think a big arrow saying "soft touch" comes out of the ceiling and points to my head, as anyone who wants to chat about their bowels seems to decide I'm their best bet.  We were all children, and we will all be doddery old people one day - and hopefully, with the community we've cultivated, we may be doddery but we won't be lonely.

Almost effortlessly, Petitou in Kingsville have created a space that you could visit with kids or without. There's a light, airy, "grown-up" front room...

...and a big playroom out the back where you can spread out and let your guard down.  Now, I take my kids to any cafe, but a child-friendly space like this means you can really, truly relax.  Sure, some of the toys are a little worn, but there were colouring books and the kids had great fun.

The genius is that the counter (where you do your ordering) is in the middle of the cafe and serves as a divider of sorts between adult-world and kid-world.

The first time I went here I met up with Lisa aka Lady Lunchalot.  When I first moved to the west and was marooned on planet baby, living vicariously through other people's food blogs became my life raft.  Lisa wrote some wonderful posts on eateries in the area which were a real inspiration to me to start my own food blog.  It was such a delight to meet her, and I'm so glad she has taken up blogging again!

Chai latte, $3.50

We shared lovely, honey and spice chai lattes, while my daughter was placated with a gorgeous raspberry muffin.

Panino, $7.50

An awesome breakfast panino of delicious bacon, bursty tomato, mayo and greens on good bread - yum.

Kids' milkshakes, $2.50 ea

I went back again for a coffee and dared to sit in "the good room" with the kids!  They loved strawberry milkshakes.

Coffee, $3.50

Coffee (Jasper) was good, the milk not as ethereally silky as, say, Common Galaxia but nice all the same.

Jaffle, $7

Petitou are famous for their jaffles and it was a struggle between the special with homemade creamed corn and this sweet delight, raspberries and lemon ricotta.  This was just delish, the ricotta mixed with real lemon zest, setting off the pleasantly tart raspberries perfectly.

We moved out the back and while the kids played, I sat on the couch, knitted, finished my coffee and felt like I could stay here all day.

I know kids are annoying - trust me, I have three of them!  But as this anonymous commenter said above, lots of things are annoying.  It's all part of life, and Petitou is a lovely spot to spend part of yours.

To Meaghan S, who wrote to me recommending Petitou back in February 2011 - if you are still a reader, I am so sorry it took this long!!!  The list is long, but everything does eventually get its day!



Petitou (Facebook)
206 Somerville Road, Kingsville
Hours:  Mon, Wed-Fri 8am-4pm (closed Tues), Sat 8am-3pm, Sun 9am-1pm


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American-style sandwiches at New York Minute

A "New York minute" was explained to me as the time it takes for a New York cabbie to start honking his horn after the light turns green - as in, a millisecond!

New York Minute is a new cafe in Moonee Ponds doing cafe fare as well as three American-style sangers - pulled pork, brisket and Philly cheesesteak.

As someone married to an American, I am loving Melbourne's awakening in regard to American food.  Instead of lazy jokes about American cuisine being McDonald's, Melburnians are now increasingly savvy to and appreciative of American regional fare in all its full-flavoured, all-beef glory.

Pulled pork sandwich, $8

Pulled pork is a whole pork piece (often shoulder) slow cooked, perhaps in a very slow oven or 'Q, before being shredded, tossed with BBQ sauce and slapped on a cheap white bun with loads of creamy 'slaw.  I wasn't prepared for how delish New York Minute's version was.  True, the BBQ sauce was a bit one dimensional, being very sweet, and there wasn't nearly enough coleslaw, but gosh golly gee I enjoyed every bite.

Pulled pork is not hard to make at home.  It's not uncommon for people passionate about BBQ to make their own sauce, layering ketchup with brown sugar, vinegar and plenty of spice - there is a myriad of recipes online.  My favourite sauce for pulled pork, though, is a regional variation from North Carolina that's just apple cider vinegar, chilli flakes and black pepper.  With the rich meat and luscious, mayo-slicked slaw, it's a taste sensation.

Philly cheesesteak, $8

I have had a Philly cheesesteak - once.  I ate it in Philadelphia, and it was a gut-wrangling combo of sliced steak and craploads of melted orange cheese on a long white roll.  This cheesesteak didn't resemble that hometown version, and I have to say it was a huge improvement.  Tender, hot sliced steak, richly flavoured, with just a little melted cheese was delicious.

Brisket, $8 plus chips

Kenny was less enamoured by of his brisket sandwich.  It was served cold with a kind of relish.  Brisket is one form of American BBQ I'm not familiar with - it's big in Texas, which I've yet to visit.

Large chips, $5.50

Loved these chunky steak fries so much we had to order another bowl.  Perfectly crisp with seasoned salt.

Who would have thought this cafe in such a fly-over strip would yield such yumminess?  Western Melbourne, until our councils let the food trucks in and until the food trucks deign to come here, you can get your 'Q fix at New York Minute.

Thank you Kenny of Consider the Sauce for the tip, and lovely to meet Nat Stockley of Urbanspoon!



New York Minute
491 Mount Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds
Phone:  9043 1838
NB CASH ONLY


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The best banh cuon and more at Vy Vy

I attended Vy Vy as a guest of the proprietors.  See end of post for full disclosure.

It was just a normal Thursday.  Lazily refreshing my inbox, wading between the Frequent Flyer missives I never read and foreboding overdue library book notices, I found a little gem.  "We have been in business for 20 years and both my parents are the chefs," wrote infectiously chirpy Tiffany of her family's restaurant, Vy Vy in Flemington.  "We have many dishes we would love you to try, such as crispy soft shell crabs in spicy salt, vietnamese steamed rice rolls (banh cuon) freshly made and rolled, our laksas, salty fish chicken fried vermicelli, malaysian curries such as beef rendang, vietnamese curries, etc."

Fast forward two weeks and that's how S and I found ourselves ensconced at Vy Vy one Tuesday night, sipping at cooling homemade longan iced tea and ready for the gastronomic equivalent of a foot spa, massage and deluxe facial - a tummy pampering of epic proportions!

Vy Vy in Racecourse Road just turned 20 years old.  While the area around Racecourse Road is fast turning into Melbourne's Little KL, Vy Vy was actually the first Asian restaurant in the area.

It is and has always been run by Winnie and Peter, now with the assistance of their gorgeous daughter Tiffany who runs Vy Vy's Facebook page.  Winnie in particular is lovely, so hospitable and full of stories!

It's spick and span inside and unashamedly old school - love it!  As we dined, it became clear that many of the steady stream of customers were much-loved regulars, beckoning Winnie out from the kitchen for a chat or placing orders with the ease of reeling off lucky Tattslotto numbers.

Soft shell crabs, $6 each

They may have lucky numbers but I have lucky dishes, and if soft shell crab is so much as hinted at I know I just have to have it.  These crabs are harvested at an opportune time in their life cycle which means their shell is still pliable and can be eaten just as easily as the juicy meat inside.  You are reading the words of the most squeamish offal virgin, so trust me, there is no ick factor - just all flavour!  Vy Vy's were delicious, larger than other specimens, really meaty and with light, non-greasy batter.

Hot and sour soup, $5

Wickedly good hot and sour soup with the perfect combo of pleasant sour tang, chilli heat, soothing glutinous texture and a cast of quality ingredients like silky tofu and tender Chinese mushroom.

Banh cuon, $10

What had really piqued my curiosity in Tiffany's email was Vy Vy's fresh banh cuon.  This is the same homestyle Vietnamese dish that I love for breakfast from Dinh Son at Little Saigon market - impossibly thin rice flour crepes filled with minced meat, rolled and topped with salad.  Fellow banh cuon fiends, Vy Vy's version is awesome.  While Dinh Son do pre-make and reheat them, they're made fresh to order here, and are steamed the proper, old-school way instead of being made in a frypan.  Winnie also reports she makes the batter from scratch and doesn't use any kind of packet mix.  The filling here is minced chicken which gives them a more delicate taste.  Combined with fragrant mint, crunchy bean sprouts and mild Vietnamese sausage, they are a winner!

These have been a much-loved family recipe, and now Tiffany has convinced her mum that everyone else needs to try them too.  Check out the other specials above, including vegetarian rolls in the middle.

Chicken roti chanai, $10

Vy Vy specialise in Chinese, Vietnamese and Malaysian food.  I admit I'm often suspicious when a restaurant offers more than one cuisine, as I worry they're spreading themselves too thin.  In fact, Winnie is originally from Vietnam and her husband Peter from China, and on her long journey to Australia, Winnie spent time in Malaysia where she learnt a lot about the cuisine there.  This is definitely evident in this awesome chicken curry, full of rich, warming spices and shiny green fresh curry leaves.  I was worried at first that it would be too oily but it worked perfectly, especially with plenty of rice and crisp yet pliable roti for mopping up all that wonderful sauce.

Silky tofu and eggplant, $14.50

There are two types of people in the world - one who looks at the above and turns away in horror, and another who needs to step back and stop drooling on the keyboard.  Eggplant and silken tofu are definitely a love 'em or hate 'em kind of deal - and I adore them.  This is a vegan dish and it was fantastic, delicate yet full flavoured with a light, tasty sauce, the tofu melting like snowflakes in the mouth.

Chicken ribs with spicy salt

I do love me a chicken rib, but we were so stuffed we could only manage one or two of these babies.  They were delicious but I think had the skin on, which when battered really gilds the lily.  Still yummy, just extra naughty!

Deep-fried icecream, $5.50

I have no idea how it is possible to deep fry ice cream, where a hot, crispy shell gives way to an icy scoop of vanilla.  Like the best magic tricks, I have no intention of researching it and every intention of just enjoying it.

Banana fritter, $5

Seriously, what is it with the "dessert stomach"?  Somehow we managed to eat all of the above, despite being so full.  Top marks for great banana fritter action.

Tiffany often whips up little freebies for customers, whether they're home-made chocolates or these traditional Vietnamese steamed cakes, made with glutinous rice flour and mung beans and swiped through coconut cream.

I was so pleasantly surprised by our gorgeous, authentic dinner here.  On the surface Vy Vy may look like the suburban restaurants of your childhood, but this ain't your mama's Chinese takeout.  The menu is chockers with delicious traditional fare that's made with love and no cut corners.

One thing to be aware of is that in response to some customers' concerns in the past, Winnie may modify dishes to suit the older Anglo-Australian generation's palate.  Particularly in the case of fried noodles, if (like me) you covet that authentic wok hei charred flavour, you're encouraged to ask for them "authentic Chinese style".

If only every email could lead to such a lovely discovery.  Now, back to those overdue library notices...

Vy Vy (Facebook)

318 Racecourse Road, Flemington

Phone:  9372 1426

Hours: Mon-Fri 11.30am-3pm, 5-10.30pm

Sat 11.30am-3pm, 5-11pm.

Sun noon-3pm, 5-10.30pm (closed Christmas Day)

Disclosure:  I attended Vy Vy as a guest which meant that in exchange for writing a post, a friend and I had a menu chosen for us and we did not pay for our meal.  This offer was conditional on subsequently writing a post on Vy Vy.  Vy Vy has not sought nor been given any editorial control of this post.


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