Eat Like Ushi

I'm pretty sure Ovan's is quite new. I don't know how but it just appeared one day with a distinctively more modern design than the rest of the Vietnamese restaurants in Footscray. The inside partially reminds me of the reputation of Hoi An - designed to look authentic but really just a front for tourists. Ovan's does however seem to be quite authentic inside - the patrons I saw were Vietnamese, the staff are Vietnamese (and may not speak much English), and there was another review claiming issues of hygiene (which I only just saw). How authentic to Asia can you get...

In any case at about 845pm on a Monday, they were still open and willing to serve even though they probably close around 9pm. I like how the menu on the wall is only in Vietnamese. I like how the waitress commended me on my pronunciation of bun thit nuong. It's these little things...

The waitress heard me being indecisive and suggested that day's special of bun bo hue and the xoi. I wasn't in the mood for rice and she thought the bun thit nuong was better than the bun cha.

- Bun bo hue $11 - a nice clean and flavoursome broth with a bit of spice but could have used more. The noodles were thin soft circular ones and not the thicker more chewy hole in the middle that are typical;
- Bun thit nuong $12 - interestingly the nuoc mam sauce was much more savoury than the tangy version I'm used to everywhere else. Perhaps they are Northern and it is different there? The pork was intensely flavoured and absolutely delicious. I would have liked more herbs to really diversify the flavour;
- Che Thai $6 - a nice dessert with durian (on top, which I don't like) and bits of jackfruit, palm seeds, jelly and coconut milk. Next time I'd ask for it without the durian.

I thought the food was overall very good and definitely not inferior to the other places around. I'm very keen to try the Xoi next time.

07-2016 & 08-2016

I found myself there again twice in the next month. I managed to test a few more dishes and form more opinions. On both occasions the place was still quite quiet.

- Coconut pandan sticky rice with fried chicken $10 - the serve was quite small for 3 chicken wings on fluorescent green rice. It tasted ok but I suppose the dish couldn't find a place between savoury chicken and sweeter rice. I think a savoury chicken rice dish would be better for me (which they have as chicken rice from Ha Noi);
- Bun mam nem thit quay $10 - vermicelli served in its own bowl with a very flavoured pork mince slices and some herbs for balance. Quite nice;
- Bao burger nem nuong $4.5 - they have recently changed the price and so I thought it said $1.5. Sadly not. Now it is $5. It was a little bao and nothing worth getting again;
- My quang ga $10 - a bowl of soft wide noodles, boiled chicken and tiny prawns and a few peanuts thrown in. Overall a nice tasty dish.

I'm still a fan even though not all the dishes are my cup of tea. It definitely has some different things to the other places around and even though I can't say any are exceptional, the flavours are still nice.

How lucky is it in this current economic and Melbourne property climate is it to have this large a block of land in the middle of hip and happening Footscray? The shipping container thing isn't new to me (ie. Shoreditch) but it's good to see it in Melbourne and doing well. The space of Rudimentary is possibly the finest feature with indoor and outdoor seating, in addition to a vast amount of clean space to sprawl in the sun and tie up the pets/kids.

The soy chai was mildly spiced and slightly weak but at least wasn't overburdened by cinnamon/honey/sugar. It isn't a bad one at all.

Unfortunately on this late lunch day, the most interesting Braised Beans and Poached Kingfish were sold out. The white pudding intrigued me also to see how it compares to one of my favourite breakfast items in black pudding so will have to leave that for next time (with eggs and potato hash).

- Barley porridge (with grilled octopus, pickled vegetables, soft egg, rice crisp) $18 - a savoury dish with Asian elements of octopus, pickled ginger, nori and enoki. It was overall quite nice;
- Pork fillet (smoked kipfler potato, apple puree, braised lentils, jus) $22 - the pork is cooked beautifully with a soft slightly pink core and good seasoning. The smoke is easily discerned in the potatoes and the rest fill the dish.

The cooking is skilful, dishes creative and quite tasty - although I'm not sure I liked them enough to specifically go back for them again. I did think the serves are a little small for the prices too.

Next time I would order Braised Beans with chorizo crumb or otherwise Poached free range eggs with white pudding & mushrooms or potato hash (that would be quite an expensive egg dish in Melbourne at $19 with no vegetables).

It's been a long while since I've wandered along Racecourse Road in search of lunch. I've driven a few times and thought I Love Dumplings had closed down this branch (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/i-love-dumplings-melbourne-01-2014). In fact I was correct - that branch did close down and a new one sprung up bigger than before such that I didn't realise. The big writing in red should've redirected me but I suppose I wasn't looking in the same place.

Using my last entry as a guide, I didn't have a lot of difficulty in choosing dishes. Fried meat dumplings, lamb ribs and whatever else.

- Wonton noodle soup $9.8 - a typical mild flavoured clear broth with thin egg noodles and soft wontons;
- Pan fried lamb & beef dumplings $9.8 + Sichuan chilli sauce $1 - an excellent dumpling with chewy skin (base could have been that bit more fried and crisp), a deep soft mince meaty core and an outstanding savoury sauce with a bit of tang (black vinegar?) and not enough chilli. I wonder if the sauce has chicken/pork broth added to it?;
- Deepfried lamb ribs with homemade chilli sauce & cumin $24 - the serves seem to be smaller than they used to (my previous picture has at least 2-3 more ribs) and they now serve the cumin salt and cold tangy chilli sauce separately. Still delicious with delectable meat and crisp skin.

On the lunch menu they also offer a quickie of rice & lamb ribs for $10. I wonder how many ribs you'd get for that price and if it is better value for money?

Next time I would order the lamb ribs and more pan fried dumplings to eat with the Sichuan chilli sauce. I suppose for variety the mapo tofu and other Sichuan things may be worth a try.

09-2016

I went back shortly after for dinner. After a short 10min wait (on a Friday night), a table was free tucked in the back corner minimally separated from another dining pair. Their calamari smells were alluring.

- Salt & pepper calamari (small) $9.8 - very heavily salted and flavoursome calamari that begged to be eaten with rice. One of the most flavoured without being overwhelming. A large size would be in order next time;
- Chilli green beans with pork mince $16.8 - another heavily flavoured dish with some bites of chilli coming through. The beans make it healthy, the pork makes it more filling;
- Fried tofu in Sichuan spicy hotpot $15.8 - it was served in a wok sitting on top of a flame. For some reason I expected the hotpot to be have more broth. It was fine but nothing special and wouldn't order it again.

I also got the lamb and beef dumplings but they didn't give me the Sichuan chilli sauce I ordered. I'll have to be more vocal about receiving it next time considering how good it is.

It's been a long time since I was united with Longrain. There's nothing quite like the special birthday reminder to give me any excuse to revisit the beautiful drinks, the atmosphere and the pork hock. There are some visits where I feel the shared tables are too wide to comfortably have a conversation across it, but on this weekday late night, private tables were available.

Since my last Longrain post (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/longrain-melbourne-10-2012), I have been once for the pork hock but have also tried many modern Thai contenders, of which the most recent have been in Canberra (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/morks-restaurant-canberra-12-2015) and Melbourne (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/chin-chin-melbourne-05-2016).

- Caramelised pork hock with five spice & chilli vinegar $23.5 (entree) - as good as I remember. Outstanding mixed textures of meat, sweet thick coating and a little sprinkle of vinegar for contrast and added chilli hit;
- Jaew curry of snapper fillet with baby corn & betel leaf $36 - a much more thin liquid soup base than what I expected as a thicker curry. Nice fish, ingredients and a lighter flavour;
- Braised beef cheek, black vinegar, ginger, Chinese celery (special) - tender beef cheeks in a tangy black vinegar sauce.

The pork hock was still the best dish and flavour. I think partially as my cooking skills have improved, I realise I could possibly make the other two dishes with less difficulty (not to detract anything from the outstanding kitchen). I'd prefer the thicker curries and heavier flavours, as that has always been my association and affinity to Longrain.

Next time I would order the Pork Hock again (perhaps the large size and take the leftovers home). Of the current menu I'd add the Coconut-poached Chicken and Mussaman lamb curry or Red Curry Scotch Fillet (not that interested in scotch but I am in red curry), although I agree it's a heavy meat selection (albeit 4 different meats).

It's been a while since my last fried chicken craving. In actual fact I was craving Belle's Hot Chicken but didn't want to travel so far to wait in line. A satisfactory alternative was KFC - the Korean one, not the Kentucky one. It's been a little while for that too, the last being Arisoo in Melbourne http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/arisoo-melbourne-12-2015) or B-One in Canberra (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/b-one-korean-restaurant-canberra-07-2015).

They serve original, sweet soy and spicy. Other KFC places tend to have a chilli and a particular spicy sauce also. It would be interesting to see if their spicy was a nice heat that I like or more fiery and too hot for me to handle (like Gami). The price is a good 15% more than the other places so hopefully that reflected quality rather than the reputation (Broadsheet's favourite is mentioned outside) or the neighbourhood.

- Bibimbap Beef $19 - a nice bowl with good ingredients and an excellent gochujang (had to ask for a second container to make it as wet and spicy as I like). I'd prefer there to be more of the crisp crunchy base and I did ensure not to disturb the bottom until toward the end;
- Spicy Fried Chicken $39 (whole) - a nice bird with quite tender meat and a thick coating of crisp hot batter. The chilli was just enough and definitely not too hot for me although left a little burn;
- Wasabislaw $6 - coleslaw with a bit of wasabi tang in the mayo (as an aside I wonder if they make it themselves or use the Kewpie?).

The food is good. The flavours are nice. Most of all it's close to me and more convenient than Chimac or Gami or whatever else is around. The price is a bit higher so I'll suppose I'll just have to wear it.

Other than the bibimbap and fried chicken (which I'd order again, but less likely the slaw), the mandoo dumplings, tteokbokki, seafood stews and lamb ribs all also appeal to me.

It's not often I frequent a Malaysian place, although each time I seem to remind myself why some of the flavours put me at ease. The most recent places have been C&R in London (before the months long renovations) and Roti House in Canberra, with a special mention to Chef Lagenda closeby. I do have a place in my stomach for PappaRich but that's mainly to do with the Entertainment Book and their sweet drinks (most of their product is premade and even precooked... apparently).

Nonetheless as close as Lagenda is, Roti Road is even closer and walkable. I've heard some mixed reviews but on the whole informed their laksa is a decent rendition in town.

- Deepfried Squid Tentacles $7.8 - not too bad, a bit chewy, quite heavily salty, could have used more chilli;
- Curry Laksa Seafood $13.5 - a real Malaysian curry mee with strong flavour and only a hint of coconut. Not the Singapore or Thai laksa style that most people might be used to with the salty/sweet/sour combination, but a good straight forward Malaysian type. A small amount of seafood (squid, prawns) and some eggplant rounded out the ingredients;
- Roti Chanai with Ayam Masak Merah $10.8 - a nice wispy roti with a bit of chew to it. The chicken reminded me of tandoori and I'd opt for the rendang beef next time (as I feel that should be the roti default, but not my choice this time...).

07-2016

I came back again a few weeks later to try a few other things (no photos):

- Roti Telur & Bawang $7.9 - a roti made thicker with egg and onion, although I felt didn't add much to it. I prefer the simple roti from the first time;
- Har Mee $12.9 - I've always had trouble choosing between this lesser eaten dish, Assam laksa (which isn't on the menu) and laksa at any Malaysian restaurant. On this occasion the har mee had a thin clear soup with mild prawn flavour. There were only a few small prawns and some chicken. I preferred the thicker laksa (maybe a reflection of my recent tastes changing);
- Ipoh Fried Noodle $12.8 - also generally known as Ipoh combination hor fun. This was a good sized serve with nice ingredients and a very strong egg sauce. Not bad at all;
- Fish Head Noodle $12.9 - I'm usually having this as a clear thin sour(ish) broth, but this was a milky consistency (not strongly coconut that I could tell) with a little bit of tang. There were a nice amount of fried fish swimming within. I was pleasantly happy with this.

Next time I would order the Curry Laksa Seafood with the backup options of Fish Head Noodle (if I'm feeling healthier) or Roti Chanai with Rendang Beef (if I want bread and curry). I still am interested in testing the standard breakfast of Nasi Lemak and some of the sweet drinks, if I get around to it.

One of Melbourne's great treasures is exploring the cafe culture. I don't mean that in a snobby, hipster, coffee-drinking way, but the cafe competition has risen so high that well-rated ones now have a solid standard to live up to. From my old area, the memories of Three Bags Full, Proud Mary, De Clieu and recently Archie's also extended toward Top Paddock and up further to Hammer & Tong. In this new region, I'm closer to Auction Room, Fandango and Twenty & Six which were all once a little too far to go. However I am yet to really explore that much in my immediate area - I haven't been to Milking Station (other than for a drink), Happy River Cafe or Rudimentary. I like the Seddon area a bit more (and they don't have the cheap Asian alternative of Footscray) and enjoyed Seddon Deadly Sins and Common Galaxia. It only seemed natural to move further south to what is possibly one of Melbourne's nicest suburbs to live in - Yarraville.

There's a few places in the village that I'll eventually get around to - the very busy and unexciting name of Cornershop, the smoothies and veg fare of Healthy Self Co, and even a trip to distant Yarraville to Butcher 128.

For the sake of convenient location, rating and first impressions, Cobb Lane was my first neighbourhood entry. Although the heart of winter, it was a sunny and semi-warm day (although there was a 1min spatter of rain in true Melbourne style).

The soy chai was quite nice, with a decent amount of spice and not too much sweetness or cinnamon. It was a tough call between the British Breakfast (a nod to a previous life, my lust of black pudding, the lack of it around Australian cafes) and the Pork Jowl.

- British Breakfast $19.5 - a rounded scotch egg with some nice mince, an excellent house-made black pudding that was flavoursome and very creamy in texture without too much fat cubes, thick cut bacon that was really thick sliced fried pork belly, Welsh rarebit with a strong (vintage?) cheese and some HP sauce for a bit of tangy balance. The best "British" breakfast I've had, including in the UK;
- Duck Hash (duck leg hash brown, fried duck egg, aioli & rhubarb, cress & celery salad) $20 - a nice dish on paper although I didn't enjoy the final product as much as expected. The hash brown seemed like a duck potato salad and could have used more char and seasoning I felt.

I was very impressed with the British Breakfast and the soy chai and would easily come back for those. There is a bread trolley of which I purchased an $8 seeded 100% rye loaf (vollkornbrot) with a slightly tangy dense texture for my home cooked breakfasts. There is also a nice looking selection of cakes that I'm sure will lift your spirits (and your blood sugar levels).

I didn't realise Melbourne had become so donut/doughnut obsessed. It isn't surprising since I haven't particularly kept up to date and sweets aren't so much my thing. After a nice dinner at the old haunt of Vegie Bar, our table had a direct window view to the queue outside Doughnut Time. $6 for a donut? Really?? It's a marked increase from the 80c delicious warm jam-filled cinnamon little puffs at Footscray Station.

The donuts are photo worthy. In fact they are so Instagram-focussed, they advertise it in the shop window. It's the one thing I probably have noticed with sweets - it isn't about the quality so much (eg. freakshakes) as the decadence that appears in the photo.

I tried the Stallone - a donut with Rocky Road on top. The Rocky Road bits are standard - milk chocolate with small cubes of marshmellow. It was fine but I certainly still always prefer dark chocolate. The donut itself was cold (since it isn't freshly made to order) and the texture is quite firm with a very sweet glazing, both features identical to Krispy Kreme (which I'm also not a great fan of). I'd rather a soft, chewy and fluffed piece of mild sweetness.

Overall quite disappointing for me considering I can get a better one for 13% of the price.

Bankara seems to have a remarkably low rating. I think it is because of the high price point likely due to the central location on what I imagine is a high-rent Swanston Street. Luckily it features in the 2016/2017 Entertainment Book meaning $19.8 for two bowls of noodles (and a little extra for a second serve of noodles) makes it a bargain.

My choice of the Hakata Tonkotsu was a good one with flavoursome broth (a little thin), decent noodles, quality soft meat without too much fat to remove and nice supporting ingredients. The Pork Broth & Shoyu was a slightly more salty version I sampled, but I would always go for my own simple tonkotsu given the choice.

I'd happily eat here again, with or without the discount.

The Melbourne freakshake is real. After copying the idea from Patissez (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/patissez-canberra-07-2015), the creation of exceptionally photogenic (although I didn't do a great job) dessert creations piled high into a sugar mess has taken over the world.

Funnily enough I didn't know Common Galaxia did these and it certainly wasn't my inspiration to come here for food twice. Nonetheless after seeing it on the menu, I had to try it once. The chocolate brownie with vanilla bean ice-cream, chocolate freckle, Mork chocolate and fairy floss $12.5 is an expensive piece for the eye. Overall the base liquid is less intense and more drinkable than the plain uninspired version at Patissez, but other than the brownie, the rest of the ingredients (freckle and fairy floss) only really serve for visual appeal. Perhaps Persian floss or more dark chocolate would be to my taste, but I won't order this again. If you want sweetness, I'd suggest trying the French toast as that is likely as sweet, looked sensational and would probably be higher quality.

On the other hand, the food is better.

- Crispy skin barramundi (with buckwheat, fennel, broad bean, chilli, tomato & basil salad with olive relish) $19.5 - a nicely cooked fish, very well seasoned skin, salty relish and some colourful salad for balance;
- Portuguese baked eggs (with tomatoes, bell peppers, beans, basil, fior di latte & spiced pine nuts) $17.5 - a very tasty dish with a more rounded flavour than the Spanish versions around town and served with nice dense slices of rye.

On that day the were out of the ham hock eggs benedict with spiced hollandaise $17, so I went back two weeks later to try it. I don't know if ham hock or the fact it was unavailable made me do it, but it wasn't as good as I hoped. The bread was good, the ham was reasonably soft and quite strong, but the hollandaise isn't for me.

Next time I would order the baked eggs or pine mushrooms for breakfast and any of the cooked options for lunch.