Eat Like Ushi

The Vietnamese noodles person's alternative to pho is BBH. Other than trying a famous version in Hue itself and making an excellent version from Luke Nguyen, most of my BBH has been from Victoria Street's Co Do. Footscray's equivalent is supposedly Dong Ba who also advertises their specialisation in BBH.

Interestingly they only serve only BBH dish - I suppose you could call this traditional rather than bastardised. This version includes pig blood and cartilage which many would probably not order. For $10 the medium bowl is ample for my appetite. The broth is actually very sweet, perhaps a marker of MSG? It takes a good addition of the sate lemongrass & chilli sauce and a bit of requested fresh chilli to bring some heat and a squeeze of lemon to bring out the complexity. The meat quality is very good and tender.

For some reason they were out of che ba mau and all combinations of these. I settled for basil seeds and grass jelly in coconut milk which was a fine alternative.

I think I like Co Do better. But I definitely like Luke Nguyen's recipe even more.

I'm starting to like it around here. Maybe it's the cheap produce at the markets or the cheap ethnic variety of restaurants around. I kinda like the new place I'm living in too if I'm honest. I don't think I'd heard of Seddon (let alone ever been there) up until a couple of weeks ago. It's a pleasant area with quite a lot of cafes within a small proximity and somewhere I can see hipster-ing up in the near future (some are there already).

Mixed in there is a well rated Japanese place. After my recent return to Samurai (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/samurai-melbourne-01-2016) some extra cheap Japanese food wouldn't go astray. Since I had to pickup nearby dry cleaning (the reason I visited Seddon for the first time) lunch was a good idea.

- Agedashi tofu (with ground ginger & daikon in sweet dashi) $9 - the winter warmer and pleaser is very nice here. The tofu has a crisp outside and the dashi is extremely strong;
- Tonkatsu (panko-coated home-made deep fried pork with spiced sauce) $11 - nice and crunchy although a little small for the price;
- Shabu-shabu udon (chicken salad with shabu-shabu style sesame dressing) $15 - I'll admit I thought it would be a hot dish and didn't read the description properly. The chicken was ok, minimally on the dry side and the dressing quite savoury;
- Soupless soba (sesame-fried fried, niku-beef & egg) $15 - I do like cold soba noodles with sesame dressing generally. This had much less sesame flavour but instead the specks of pink ginger really made it delicious. I liked it a lot.

I'll definitely be back for some cheapish Japanese fare. I don't think the sashimi smash will live up to legendary chirashi at Ume Nomiya on Gertrude Street (any hipsters heard of that place?) but I can dream. Additionally kara age, tempura and takoyaki staples will need to also be tested.

I knew that Konjo sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. Even the tribal orange coloured sign looked familiar. It wasn't after the meal when the host said there was a branch in Collingwood did it make sense. I'm sure I've been once on Smith Street.

Considering the much more well known Lalibela is next door, it's a curious question why I ended up in Konjo. Two reasons - I needed to use credit card that day (and Lalibela is cash only) and I had read Konjo had a buffet for around $15 per head. In the end Konjo didn't have a buffet. Looking now at the website the buffet is only Friday and Saturday lunches but the a la carte isn't much more expensive anyway.

As three of us were eating, we ordered three dishes which were served together. The injera is dark and so extra sour. It isn't for the faint hearted or those very new to Ethiopian cuisine. Indeed once when I bought a pack of 5 (for $5!!) from Flemington Road I couldn't eat them all due to sour overload (and they don't keep long at home before mould or drying out in the fridge). However for a once off meal, the extra tang really does bind the flavours of the dishes together.

- Beyeinatu (6 vegetable sampler) $14 - a colourful assortment of split peas, lentils and vegetables. None were individually great (often I find one of the vegie dishes supreme) but a good combination for variety;
- Lamb misto $14 - half lamb kai wot (spicy stew in onions, garlic and berbere which I liked more) and half lamb alicha (non-spicy stew with potatoes, carrots cooked in turmeric, onions & garlic);
- Doro Wot (single piece of chicken marinated in lemon, simmered in onion, garlic & spice blend with a hard boiled egg) $16 - they told me this was hot and having made it from scratch before I can attest that it can be fiery. However this version was very mild and sweet which was unexpected. I think I do prefer the hotter more savoury version.

I did like the extra tangy injera and will next time request that at all Ethiopian places. Overall I have liked the stews at Lalibela and The Abyssinian better previously.

Next time I would order the beyeinatu (for vegetables and contrast) and the lamb kai wot or try the half/half (beef tibs and rare kitfo) or the fried lamb derek tibs. It's a communal eating experience so there should be opportunity to order several types. Otherwise there's always the buffet option!

Looking at the Zomato reviews around Footscray, I didn't expect to find such a highly rated hotel. By hotel, it infers pub, and good pub is hard to find, great pub food is rare. Considering it was the day of the Lunar New Year festival (which I had attended for lunch), I didn't feel like going back as the food there didn't inspire me (other than the banana fritter which was excellent). The reviews seemed to summarise the food as vegan/vegetarian Mexican. Interesting and relatively healthy?

Walking into the Rev, I saw several band members leaving carrying their instruments. Unfortunately I'd missed the live music which seems to be in the mid and late afternoon.

There's a solid selection of chilli sauces, of which the MHS chipotle & cayenne was my favourite, followed by the smoke jalapeno. There's also the widely found El Yucateco red and green versions but I find them a bit too spicy for my enjoyment.

- Street Style Corn (chargrilled corn on the cob with creamy dressing, the Rev's spice mix & lime) $6 - nice juicy and slightly charred corn with a paprika spicing. I think I still prefer the excessive coatings from Mamasita or my own homemade Thomasina Miers-inspired version, but this was very good;
- Nudist Burrito (spinach, tomato & red onion salad dressed with chilli & lime with housemade mock "pork", served with guacamole, salsa, pepitas, crunchy tortilla strips & chipotle lime mayo) $18 - I was reminded why a non-vegetarian would ever eat mock pork instead of the real thing. There was effort put into making it look pulled but the texture and flavour was clearly vegetable and did not appeal to me. The tortilla strips were very nice though;
- Smoky Tofu Quesadilla (in a flour tortilla with refried pinto beans, cheese, corn salsa, spinach & homemade BBQ sauce, served with salad & the Rev's spicy fries) $16 - I don't quite remember what the tofu burrito at Trippy Taco was like, but this was quite excellent. The tofu wasn't very "smoky" at all, but the overall flavour of the quesadilla with good particularly topped with chipotle & cayenne sauce. The fries were hot and crisp with a strong smokey paprika coating. The salad of the day had radish, charred corn, Spanish onion and greens which complemented really well.

This meal enforced a few things for me - there's good quality vegetarian in Footscray that isn't African, I shouldn't waste my own meals on mock meat when the real thing (or tofu) is available, I'll definitely be coming back especially considering how close and away from central Footscray hustle it is.

Next time I would order anything I haven't tried yet with the exception of mock meat. The list include empanadas, mesquite fried chicken, nachos, fish or pork belly tacos, beef burrito or Mexican beef pizza (I wonder how hot the Napalm Chili Napoli sauce is). I'll also try to catch some live music although I'm unsure if it will really be my taste...

02-2016

Tuesday night is taco night at The Rev. It seemed like a great idea to avoid cooking for an evening. The place was bustling with everyone ordering their tacos and drinking cheap cans of beer.

I'm not sure if the Tuesday tacos are specifically different to usual, but they didn't have the ones I was most looking forward to - beer battered fish, tofu or slow cooked beef. Nonetheless there were 4 decent ones listed on this evening. My favourites were the mixed bean and pulled pork. I thought the chicken was ok but thought the sweet potato was very plain. Of course the MHS chipotle & cayenne lifted all the tacos but the mixed bean and pulled pork had the best overall tastes.

Once again the fries were very tasty and a good snack for contrast.

This could become a regular Tuesday event for me.

I'm starting to explore my new neighbourhood and discovered the suburb of Seddon. A. Bongiovanni & Son was a nice local organic grocer that I'm sure I'll spend more time in. But the first cafe visited (and there certainly seem to be a few) was Seddon Deadly Sins complete with devil-looking images throughout. Funnily enough the menus are handed out in children's books and the dishes named after sins. The breakfast menu looked more interesting than lunch even though I went in at 3pm.

Coffee was reportedly decent and strong. Chai tea with milk was served in a pot with a squeezer of honey. The chai was nice but only very mildly spiced.

- Beer Battered Haloumi (with onion, fig & chilli jam, on baby spinach with bacon & two poached eggs) $17.5 - beer battered haloumi?? I can't say I've seen it before, but the haloumi is deepfried in advance, refrigerated, then re-fried for 3-4mins on order. The result is a very tasty crisp batter and soft cheese inside. The outside reminded me of the Chinese fried mantou bread (which is delicious). The rest of the dish fills space but the haloumi is the star;
- Sloth (housemade flourless chilli corn loaf with crispy bacon, guacamole & spicy baked beans) $16.5 - a local rendition of Irish cornbread with a hint of chilli and not dry like I've had elsewhere was excellent and I hoped there would be more. The guacamole is served cold and the baked beans could have used a little more seasoning but complete the dish.

Bacon overall was crisp and flavoursome, but I still have (Australia's best) Pialligo Estate bacon fresh in mind.

I was impressed with what I had and the Wrath (Spanish eggs), sweet potato latkes (whatever they are) and Envy (green eggs) will certainly be eaten at some point.

After 4 years away I was finally returning to Melbourne. Whereas I'd previously lived in Abbotsford, my new haunt was going to be Footscray. In the midst of December summer heat and the tedium of rental hunting, I was glad there was a reputed burger joint in the area. Considering the burger craze of everywhere 1st world, it wasn't surprising someone had brought it to the western market.

What I like is the nerdy-geeky old school gaming feel. There's even an arcade machine in the corner (that may be decorative - I didn't get close enough to look). What I also like is the open kitchen, watching the staff hard at work cooking and assembling and also mildly concerned (or amused) at the pool of black grease hanging off the ceiling...

- 8bit with Cheese (beef, tomato, lettuce, red onion, pickles, mustard, cheese, ketchup, 8bit sauce) $9.50 - I had to try the namesake standard burger for a comparator. It was quite nice however to me the patty was too thin. Considering they advertised medium-rare (did they advertise this or was I just hoping/expecting this?), it was too cooked for my liking and I can see with a thin patty how easy this is to do;
- 1 Up Mushroom Burger (crumbed mushroom, cheese, tomato, red onion, green tomato relish, lettuce, mustard, 8bit sauce) $10.00 - the vegetarian burger offering had a lot to live up to considering the incredible BrodVeg (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/brodburger-canberra-2014). There's no way it could've compared given the ingredients (essentially the same as the beef burgers but with mushroom) but having said that the burger overall was good quality and tasty;
- Chilli Cheese Fries (beer battered fries, chilli beef, cheese sauce, jalapenos, spring onions) $8.50 - ever since MEATliquor (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/meatliquor-london-03-2012) Chili Fries I've had to order these every opportunity I get. Good on 8bit for an offering. I haven't found one that gives me the same feeling, including using the one from the MEATliquor Chronicles cookbook, but 8bit had a good solid attempt with a strong cheese sauce. It's not a replacement but for now it'll definitely do.

I'll be back, not just because I'm now going to be local, but because I want to.

Next time I would order the After Burner (beef with chilli) or Golden Axe (fried chicken) burgers, the Fatal Fury hotdog (topped with chilli beef reminiscent of my best ever dog at MEATmarket), chilli cheese fries or the excessive looking Loaded fries, and wash it down with an unhealthy sounding Strawberry Cheesecake milkshake.

02-2016

I decided to have a second run at 8bit after wandering through Footscray deciding what pho I should have.

After re-reading my earlier post, I settled on the After Burner and the Loaded fries.

After Burner $10.50 was definitely a more enjoyable burger for me than the 8bit. The brioche bun was particularly soft with crunchy edges on the flat side adding nice texture. The beef was once again thin and more cooked than the advertised medium rare. The collation of tomato, red onion, lettuce, jalapeno and the fused sauces of chilli, chipotle and mustard worked well. I think the cheese made it too much for me and toward the end it was the dominant flavour.

Loaded Fries $10 was excessive. The first few bites were great, of potato gems with crispy salty coatings, chilli beef, cheese sauce, salty bacon and some pickles, cucumber, jalapenos and onions for contrast. Toward the end, the saltiness of the gems and bacon and cheese got too much for me and I couldn't finish it (I suppose it wouldn't be expected for one person to finish an entire serve though). I think the gems were nicer than the fries from last my visit, but I'd have to think hard whether it would be worth ordering the Loaded over Chilli Fries just for that.

After all the saltiness as I stood to leave I asked for a cup of tap water. It was refused and I was told "we don't serve tap water". I'm expected to buy a bottle of water or another drink? Sorry, but that's crap.

06-2016

I couldn't decide what to eat for a birthday lunch. Of all things, I looked to the internet and various "what is my favourite food" surveys and their incredible inaccuracy and bias toward food types of the commoners. Not that common foods are bad, but I doubt these surveys were designed with the connoisseur of any food in mind.

Nonetheless with an indecisive mind and no other guidance, the three common themes were fried chicken, burgers and 40% junk food (which really isn't that much). I decided a fat treat of 8bit seemed to fit.

The Golden Axe burger has a thick fried chicken patty a bit of slaw and some token cheese. The chicken had decent texture and some crisp coating but the flavour seemed very mild and didn't really have a strong "chicken" presence. What stood out the most was an intense slightly buttery flavour from the bun and possibly the chicken, as well as some kind of burnt sensation from the chicken coat. The butter taste was much too strong for me and I'm surprised how it even got there at high levels.

The potato gems reinforced themselves as delicious salted parts ruffled to maximise fried surface area, crisp and good. Even the small serve was too much for me to finish on my own but that doesn't detract from how good they are.

I'll stick to the After Burner burger (with or without cheese) and some gems (loaded or naked) to share from now on. The dog does intrigue me still so perhaps give that a go.