Eat Like Ushi

For a special occasion, Friday night was at the only modern Malaysian restaurant I like (and probably the only one I know). After recently reconnecting with this place in March (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/blue-chillies-melbourne-03-2016) it was time to share the joy around a bit more.

This occasion was certainly helped by the manager giving advice about dishes to order. The advice was to distinguish between some of the things on the menu that are aimed more toward the Western market (90% of their clientele), some toward the traditional Malaysian Chinese market, and some toward those with food preferences (eg. vegetarians). In the end that information will go a long way toward subsequent dinners there.

The menu has changed (or at least been given a facelift to a single sheet from a booklet). We asked if the dishes could be made spicier than usual but there was certainly nothing that packed much heat.

- Special of fried chicken wings marinated with pandan - a dish aimed for the Western market, these mildly seasoned chicken wings were adequate;
- Lohbak (spiced chicken wrapped in tofu skin) $8 - the manager served complimentary lohbak as he thought we would like this more. It's a far cry from the narrow chewy, oily versions that didn't enamour me during childhood. These were outstanding with thick meaty fillings and a crisp textured coating. Must easily be the best around and something I would not have ever expected myself to order and enjoy;
- Crispy rockling (with butter egg floss) $30 for main - the favourite of many at the table with tender fish and crisp salted batter. It was suggested salted egg would elevate this (flavourwise at least) but it doesn't suit the taste of the Westerners. Give it a try I say...;
- Thrice cooked duck (on a sauce of wild ginger flower, lemongrass, chillies and lime juice) $30 - still the best, still my favourite, I still can't work out how to make the sauce have such a perfect combination of sweetness, sourness and tanginess;
- Slow cooked duck rendang (with aromatic roasted spices & chillies) $30 - a dry curry which was nice but should have been much hotter for a rendang;
- Curry lamb (classic Malaysian curries slow cooked in traditional hometown spice) $25 - tender lamb in a lovely curry sauce. I probably preferred this to the duck rendang (which is unusual for me given dry curries and rendang are generally my favourite);
- Salt & pepper okra $19 - after the salt and pepper rockling, this was a much more plain option. It's marketed toward vegetarians. After seeing my comments from March, I wouldn't get this again;
- Gado gado $19 - a nice version with blocks of vegetables in peanut sauce. Probably could have used more seasoning. A nice break from the meats and heavy flavours but again would probably leave this for the vegetarians;
- Roti (x2) $8 - chewy, not particularly crisp. I preferred eating the dishes with rice.

The meal was fantastic overall and I managed to try several new things. I'd go back for the lohbak and thrice cooked duck. The other meat and fish dishes are good too and I'd opt for the spicy eggplant as my vegetable dish.

Melbourne seems to win a lot of "best in the world" awards recently. Simply Spanish was awarded the best paella outside Spain. I'm not sure what kind of accolade that is - I presume it's the Spanish judges protecting the sanctity of their dish internally. It was pleasing to see the winner was a classic rabbit and snails. It reminds me of my dream of Paco Gandia, the best in the world (within Spain) that I was so close to when I visited Alicante, but couldn't squeeze in the trip. Next time.

Although Simply Spanish hasn't yet adopted their winner for the local market, it is bound to happen soon now. In the meantime I visited the South Melbourne market one for a taste. Like those I've seen in markets before (eg. Borough and Covent Garden) there is a giant pan cooking continuously. I tend to find these nice enough however they also lack the crispy slightly burnt rice bottom that is a great part of paella. Subsequently I ordered a personalised one instead.

- Flame Grilled Calamari (served with fresh lemon & herb infused olive oil dressing) $15.5 - a deliciously tender calamari which was used to scoop up the potently seasoned oil dressing. I could swear there was minced salted anchovies in there such was the flavour of it. The smell and taste were excellent and strong;
- Smoked Pork & Mushroom paella (cooked with thyme & white wine) $21 - the paella was cooked through with a little bit of crisp base but could have been a bit more al dente. The flavour was remarkably mild, with the advertised smoked pork likely being shredded pork hock. I expected a stronger flavour - maybe it was overpowered by the calamari. It was nontheless nice and satisfying.

There's a lot of paella types to try including ones with chorizo, seafood or squid ink. Once they start the rabbit and snail I'll definitely try that. The atmosphere outside is also pleasant on market day to sit in the sun and join the people.

Having lived in Abbotsford and now in Footscray, it is pretty rare I'll eat Vietnamese food when I'm away from my local. There generally is no point, as I won't find anything as good for the price elsewhere. I suppose occasionally there is a desire to try some more "modern" or slightly more upscale places just to see if the extra money buys some extra quality of ingredients.

I happened to find myself in this corner place near Flemington racecourse. After scouring some gourmet ingredients at the excellent Provata Urban Larder & Cafe, I settled for lunch. A family member used to work nearby and so recommended a hearty bowl of bun topped with meats.

I ordered Bun An Kem with grilled pork chop ($11.80), added spring rolls (+$1) and nem nuong pork sausage (+$2.80). The resulting bowl was a large serve of the above ingredients sitting on top of julienned carrot and cucumber, rice noodles and some herbs. I needed a second dish of nuoc mam to drown out my bowl in sauce. The sauce itself wasn't as strong in the fish sauce as I'm used to and had a slightly sweeter flavour - both of which was fine. I would have liked more herbs (I like excessive amount of herb flavour) but overall I can't complain. The meat was tender and flavoursome, the meal was satisfying.

I'm not sure if I'll ever be in the area again but I'd happily come back. There's many other staples on the menu to try also.

10-2016

I found myself back in the area to visit First Choice Liquor, Provata and Coles. I ended up with a dish I don't normally get, Banh Canh Cua ($15.8) where I was swayed by the promise of soft shell crab and thick noodles.

The menu states "tapioca noodles has a chewy consistency, served with thin sliced pork, fish cakes, fresh mushroom, in a thick crab gravy soup. Top with fried soft shell crab and garnish with spring onions, & fried shallots." The fried soft shell crab seems a modern interpretation since I haven't seen that before and thicker noodles are something I've enjoyed more since eating thicker ramen. The crab soup was full of flavour and the lemon squeeze and crushed chilli added extra elements.

Recommended for those who only see Vietnamese noodles as pho (and occasionally BBH).

I like exploring Windsor. After a couple of meals at the new Belle's and House of Hoi An, I was keen to look around more. There's so many restaurants and bars in an atmosphere more relaxed than in the northern parts of frenetic Chapel Street.

After my first Cambodian restaurant (other than in Cambodia of course) at Bopha Devi in Yarraville, I was keen to try another. Comparatively Amok is designed to be cooler (fitting in with the surrounds), with a menu that seems more modern using such ingredients like truffle oil and pomegranate. The menu reads beautifully.

- Stuffed soft shell crab, steamed Cambodian vermicelli, pineapple anchovy salsa, fresh green tangy dip $16.9 - a little expensive for the amount of crab, but it was crisp and flavoursome. The salad was lovely;
- Cambodian duck curry $29.9 - much milder than the intense Thai versions. It was different but nice although I would have liked much more curry sauce;
- Watermelon, lotus root chips, pickle ginger, salted Cambodian dry fish salad $8.9 - an interesting salad with the occasional chewy salty fish. Not as intense as the Cantonese salted fish;
- Red rice ball, avocado ice cream, seasonal fruits, boba, toasted coconut $10.9 - strong avocado ice cream negated my need for Pidapipo down the road. The red rice ball was exceptional with a warm centre and a mildly crisp (roasted?) external texture.

I was very happy with my meal here. There's so many other dishes that move beyond the Thai and Vietnamese of which I am much more familiar. I'll be back to try the salmon amok, lamb ribs, beef ribs and salads.

When you win the best pizza in the world award, people will come and try and critique. I suppose it's difficult when you aren't the one actually cooking in the kitchen and your reputation relies on your subordinates to carry across the skill. Either way I'm sure business is fine. I've had plenty a good pizza in Melbourne, Italy, UK and USA in particular. I can't say I've eaten where the world's best is. He wasn't there during the evening I visited the mothership in Brunswick.

- Fiori di Zucca (zucchini flower stuffed with buffalo ricotta, spanner crab & chilli) $19 - very large flowers in a nice salty batter. The filling seemed to be plain ricotta without any detectable crab flavour nor chilli. It was disappointing for that;
- Margherita verace (San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, basil & EVOO) $22 - the specific world winner allowed the mildly chewy crust with some smoky flavour get cleanly sampled. The passata and cheese were ok but perhaps I prefer it a bit more seasoned. The basil added good contrast;
- Frutti di mare (San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, mussels, prawns, clams, scallops & rocket) $29 - this was a more seasoned version due to the topping of a good amount of quality seafood, exemplified most by some juicy crunchy prawns and two large soft scallops;
- Calzone with figs & mascarpone $11 - a dessert sleeper with a core of sweet rich hot fig and the cheese around the sides. I think the inside should have been mixed better but was still a good finish to the meal.

Like most gourmet pizzerias in Melbourne the quality is definitely there. It wasn't my favourite pizza place in the world but the chef that evening wasn't the winner, so I guess that wouldn't be expected either. Nonetheless the food is still worthy of pizza night out.

Advieh has been on my mind recently, firstly because I keep reading the ingredient in some of my cookbooks (mainly The Jewelled Kitchen) and also a highly rated Middle Eastern venture in Seddon. I was surprised pleasantly to find a little offshoot a little way down the road in the next suburb of Yarraville. I haven't (yet) been to Advieh, but after this testing of Little Advi, I can't wait to.

The concept is similar to Kastner & Ovens in Spitalfields or my visit to the original Ottolenghi, in that there's a bunch of delicious salads to pick from and you can also choose a main to complement it. Of course there's some full meal options to keep things more standard. The soy chai pot had a solid 4 serves in it ($6.5) with some nice spice and cardamom aftertaste and not too sweet.

- Homemade baked beans (with cumin & coriander, sprinkle of dukka & finished with a dollop of Tzatziki & sourdough) $13.5 - a wonderful warm and savoury set of beans lifted by the tzatziki, fresh coriander and dill. One of the best renditions of breakfast beans I've had anywhere;
- Falafel Plate (with 3 salads & hummous) $16.5 - warm slightly crisp (could have been more so) falafels with a grainy palpable texture, the best hummous I've had with a deep, savoury and exceptional flavour, a delicious barley salad (very similar to Hellenic Republic's), tabbouleh (using whole parsley leaves rather than chopped and well balanced) and a chickpea salad with eggplant (and a bit too much cumin I think).

I wanted the Moroccan meatballs initially but they were sold out. I'm not sad though as the falafel plate exceeded my expectations. The food was very good. I'll certainly be back (or to try Advieh first).

Ready to compete with the local cafe sprouts in Footscray, Seddon and Yarraville, Maidstone seems to finally have arrived. Not that there aren't ones already there, but a friend who lives there tells me that up until now there weren't any good ones. JBN seems to have been a welcome arrival and after my first visit, I tend to agree and can now have an option up north of Footscray rather than always south (or east to North Melbourne).

A warming matcha latte (with soy for me) was a nice slightly thicker and sweet version with the green tea flavour unmistakable. It was well balanced and didn't need any additional sugar. They advertise a chai from leaves and spices which I'll have to test next time.

- Omelette (with smoked king prawns, leeks, spiced tomato broth, lemongrass & prawn oil, chilli, lime, Vietnamese mint & crispy tofu puffs) $19 - wet egg folded over and housing some creamy and delicious prawn chunks and surrounded by an unexpectedly nice and savoury tomato soup to soak into the bread. From the salad there was an occasional hit of mint that I could have used more of;
- Roasted Cauliflower (with chickpeas, hommus, kale, sumac-spiced yoghurt, tamarind, cucumber, fresh coriander, pomegranate & crispy quinoa) $16 - a healthy dream of ingredients headed by warmly spiced cauliflower with unexpected crunchy (fried?) chickpeas.

The food and flavours were very good and the other menu options of black pudding and cotechino (whatever that is...) mean I'll definitely be back.

I hadn't heard of Nora until a friend linked their Facebook post being humbled to be listed as one of the best Melbourne restaurants by Timeout (https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/restaurants/the-best-restaurants-in-melbourne). To keep company with Attica, Brae and Dinner is a remarkable achievable. I read their story about Thai origins and their online menu which gives away absolutely nothing and so immediately made a booking for a few weeks later.

It's a cosy little place and the full glass windows meant I walked straight past it initially trying to look for it. Inside is reasonably heated for winter and there's the choice of private tables, the voyeuristic counter and a communal table where couples avoid looking at the other couples.

The menu is set and only differed to cater for food intolerances. What is interesting is that when each dish is serve, there is no effort to explain what it is. I'm not sure if that's intentional to make our palates discover for ourselves or just an error from the wait staff, but it's certainly different considering each dish's name is cryptic.

Luckily the wait staff are happy to answer questions when asked at the end of each dish and a menu is even emailed afterwards for sentimentality and reminiscing.

what goes up must come down
- a seafood flavoured little snack with great savoury flavour. I could eat these by the handful. Reminded me of either the Chinese prawn chips or the flavour of the grilled dried squid;

beneath the ground
sardine - dirt, root, coriander root, tasty powder
- under the green revealed the fossils of a sardine with bones crisp and chewy. The dirt was a remarkably flavoursome salted chewy bit that was wonderful. I could sprinkle that onto any dish;

tagliatelle of oyster not oyster
chicken heart - onion, shallot
sadao, pomelo, sweet fish sauce
- beautifully sat above non-edible oyster shells was a little non-oyster cupped in a crisp mini non-oyster shell. Simple chewy and nice;

silver lining
silver fish - blue mackerel broth, young coconut, lovage
- a lovely fish ceviche minced and housed within a leaf, followed by a fish broth that I thought lacked impact. Maybe I'm used to the much stronger Thai soups (tom yum/tom kha);

too many italians & only one asian
papaya - sator, cashew, fermented garlic, school prawn
- green papaya salad meets pesto. Interesting to see a new way of Vegeti-style-pasta concepts;

daft punk is playing in my mouth
blue mackerel - chewy watermelon
capsicum annuum, black sesame
- I'm not really sure where the Daft Punk reference comes from (I was going through a mental list of their songs trying to figure it out). Perhaps it is Around the World because the flavours and textures vary from a firm fish sashimi, a tangy watermelon, a chilli sour granita and a strong black sesame past;

childhood bread
freshly milled toasted red rice bread sourdough style
fermented shrimp butter
- how can the simplest homely bread be so good? A warm smoky mist exudes from the claypot and the delectable and unique bread lies within. There's a firm (not crisp) crust and soft medium density interior on which to spread the butter (some thought it was blue cheese spread at the time);

duck and hide
aged air dried roast duck on the bone
fermented lady finger banana & purple kauliflr
- my duck looked quite unimpressive. Others received a piece of much thicker meat. I think this inconsistency is a little rude. Luckily the duck has a crisp skin and nice warm flavour. The banana is very sweet (thought it might be a plantain) but the rice seemed a bit too firm and slightly undercooked;

crying tiger
fermented glutinous rice, red ant eggs
sawtooth coriander, olive oil
- this palate cleanser was odd. There was a shaved ice texture, a gummy half-al-dente rice texture and tasted tart (as cleansers should) but not in a clean way;

12am in the fridge
pumpkin - egg, shrimp, mushroom
- very mixed reactions to this strange slice of firm slightly sweet, slightly savoury pumpkin. Perhaps a more standard fruit with its natural sweetness would complement better?

thai cupcake wanting to become western
king edward potato - chive
- a baked potato disassembled and reassembled to look like a baked potato. The inside of a soft mash potato and chive (couldn't taste the chive) is housed in a delicious crisp potato skin;

the study of perspective
tripe - coconut, kaffir lime
- petit four of ox tripe sweetened and crispened to sweep up the coconut yoghurt dusted with lime (I hoped initially it might be green tea powder).

The food concept is interesting and they've done well to design unusual dishes. I think the experience was good but overall the flavours weren't what I was looking for, and fixed signature menu mean that I don't think I'll come back again (at least not for a while until the menu changes). Perhaps I have a certain concept of bold Thai/SE Asian flavours associated with the cuisine and that I thought these may be parcelled in prettier, skilful and more refined ways. Nora certainly has the pretty, the skill and refinement but not my desired flavour palate (other than that seafood snack and mackerel skeleton).

In any case it's worth trying for yourself especially if you like neo gastronomy.

The wall around the toilet door is a design board of food. I'm not sure the significance of it but I assume it is as cryptic as the menu. I washed my meal down with an elixir of housemade chrysanthenum, lemongrass, corella pear, seaweed. It was an odd tasting drink with all the flavours discernible but not necessary a harmony to me. Perhaps the seaweed added a bit too much salt to a drink I hoped was more sweet. The one with tamarind, star anise and coriander may be more my liking next time.

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).