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Hoi An: Relax, Explore, Eat, Walk

Paul

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8 September 2013

Hoi An lies on the coast of the South China Sea, in the centre of Vietnam. The entire old town is UNESCO Heritage Listed due to the fact that it is a very well preserved example of a South East Asian trading port, with architecture and street layouts that date as far back as the 15th century. Influences in Hoi An come from it’s time as a major town of the Hindu Cham people, as well as subsequent Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Dutch influences.

Because it was such a busy trading port for so long, the architecture in Hoi An is a unique mixture of many different styles.

My wife and I only had half a day to spend in Hoi An. We didn’t have much of a plan, other than to sample some of the great food that everyone talks about and to walk around and check out the architecture and vibe of the town.

Hoi An was basically left to rot by the French, when its status as a major port was taken over by nearby Da Nang. Today tourism keeps the city alive, and it’s very obvious. Heading towards the market, walking along the main strip next to the major river on the banks of the old town, everything is geared up for tourists. Steakhouse playing American country music, check. Pubs full of westerners downing cheap lager, check. Tourists wearing conical hats, purchasing trinkets and carrying around SLRs that they never take out of auto mode, check.

There were a lot of touts in Hoi An trying to sell all kinds of junk, and a few individuals that did not quit even when it was obvious that we were not interested in what they were selling. Nonetheless, my wife and I had several encounters with people that just wanted to have a chat.

Vendors like this can be found throughout Hoi An. Banh Bao are delicious steamed buns that come with a variety of fillings including pork, chicken, vegetables and shrimp. The vendors also often sell “White Rose” which is a translucent, rose-shaped shrimp dumping – a local speciality.

To the right of the photo below is Hoi An’s Central Market. This is the market that all of the tourist guides tell you that you must visit. It’s interesting to walk through, with vendors selling all kinds of things but, as you’d expect, it’s overpriced and there’s not really much of value here.

One thing that Hoi An is very famous for is its dressmakers and tailors. In the space of a day you can get suits, dresses and shoes made very cheaply. My wife and I had no need for any of these things, however if you are interested I’d recommend doing your research before hand. There are a lot of touts here that will vie for your custom and by all accounts, many of the ones in the centre are either overpriced or of poor quality. Find out who is reputable before you arrive and don’t be swayed by others when you arrive. Be warned – the touts can be very persistent.

Despite what I just said before about the Central Market, the food hall there is very much worth checking out. My wife and I had two great meals here – they key was avoiding places that didn’t have locals eating at the tables and avoiding anybody who tried to come up to us to get us to eat at their stall.

The lady below made a great bowl of noodle soup. this soup was similar to Pho crossed with chicken soup. The broth was a chicken broth and the noodles were very thin. We went for beef brisket on the meat side of things, and the usual set of condiments were available.

After eating our noodles my wife and I spotted a few locals eating at the stall below. The food looked good so we decided to order a plate of what everyone else was eating.

If any of my readers can tell me the name of the below dish I’d be really grateful as my research has drawn nothing but blanks. It was steamed rice topped with a bit of everything that was cooking above really. A fried pancake, shrimp, sprouts, an almost curry like pumpkin concoction and some unidentifiable pork bits. It was very delicious, and there were all sorts of flavours going on.

The colours and architecture of the shop houses in the old town is very charming. Once you head away from the crowds, Hoi An is a very pleasant town to walk through. It’s very peaceful and laid back.

As to be expected in Vietnam, there are people eating and relaxing down alleyways and unassuming areas. My wife and I stumbled across a place further down this alleyway which was in a residential area and had a few tables full of old men playing cards. We got a few odd looks when we took a seat but soon enough they went back to their card game and we were left to enjoy our Vietnamese coffees, sitting under a roof fan watching something with very bad reception on a television that must have been at least 30 years old. The atmosphere was perfect, and I didn’t want to be anywhere else.

Overall I think that Hoi An is a city that is worth visiting. You can find some great food, the architecture is very interesting and the laid back vibe of the place is refreshing, especially if you’ve just arrived from one of Vietnam’s larger cities.

Yes it’s touristy and the touts can get annoying at times, but wander only a few minutes away from the centre and things really change. The tourists and touts disappear, and peace and quiet is yours to enjoy. The immediate surrounds of Hoi An looked very interesting and if I’d had a full day there I would have loved to have hired a bike and spent a few hours exploring. It’s an area that certainly lends itself to such an activity.

Food wise, Hoi An has a reputation as being a hotspot and from what I could see this was certainly the case. My wife and I ate as much as we could in half a day, which only allowed us to scratch the surface of what was on offer.

Young Bloods Diner, Fitzroy

Paul

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1 September 2013

0

Young Bloods Diner Fitzroy is a new venture by brothers Adam and Christian Ferrante, owners of the Roe Street Artists Market next door. The venue appears small from the street but don’t be fooled. Apart from the obvious inside space there’s seating out the back and a generously sized roof top bar.

I am a big fan of March Studio’s award winning interior design of Carlton bakery “Baker D. Chirico”, so my curiosity was instantly piqued when I heard they had designed the interiors of Young Bloods Diner. The design is modern and industrial and manages to feels fresh and modern but never clinical or cold.

Moving on to the food, I must admit that I had some concerns when I heard that the aim of Young Bloods Diner was to serve all day breakfast and lunch “taking a different approach without being pretentious”. Often places that state that they aren’t pretentious end up being so – especially in this part of town. Thankfully my fears were unfounded and I found the food that head chef Sascha Radall (formerly of The Builders’ Arms Hotel, The Albert Park Hotel and PM24 amongst others) dishes up to be simple and fresh, with interesting touches here and there to make each dish just that bit different.

There’s a definite English flavour to the menu with black pudding, HP sauce, curried rice and porridge amongst other things all making appearances.

Coffee is roasted in house, and the choice of either the house blend ($3 whichever way you want) or single origin ($4 whichever way you want) is offered. The coffee was made just right and the blend tasted really nice.

Chicken Pot Pie ($16.00)

My dad ordered the chicken pot pie and was surprised to find an English style pie with a crust lid but no “bottom”. My dad is very traditional and no-nonsense when it comes to the food that he likes to eat, and once he got over the novelty of having a pie without a bottom crust, he got down to the business of eating it and was very impressed. I had a bite and enjoyed it.

“Breakfast Salad” Black Pudding, Tomato, Potato Croutons, Soft Egg and Lettuce ($17.00)

My brother ordered the breakfast salad and really enjoyed it. I tried some and agreed that it was great. The black pudding especially stood out.

Devilled Eggs With Bread & Butter Pickles ($9.00)

I never used to be a fan of devilled eggs but this past year I’ve really taken a liking to them. My favourite are the ones from Rockwell & Sons in Collingwood. The Young Bloods Diner version was nice and very tast, but the filling could be a bit fluffier as it was quite heavy. The pickles were very tasty.

Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Confit Ocean Trout and Hazelnut ($15.00)

The Roasted Cauliflower Salad was my dish and I really enjoyed it. The textures of all the ingredients worked well together and the flavour of the confit ocean trout went really well with the hazelnuts and roasted flavour of the cauliflower.

I visited a few weeks after the above visit and tried some more things with some friends but didn’t take my camera with me. I ordered the Linguine with clams and bacon which was very tasty and quite light. All of my friends ordered different things and they were all impressed with their food.

Upstairs is the open rooftop bar which seats 50 and offers a similarly industrial design to the inside for those who want to watch the world go by over the Artists Market downstairs. A decent, focused selection of wines and local craft beers available both inside and upstairs.

Overall, I really liked Young Bloods Diner and have already been back a second time. The vie is unpretentious, and you’re just as likely to see the artistic crowd hooked into the WiFi while sipping on a coffee as you are a family gathering for lunch. The service is also completely unpretentious, with the staff being very cheerful, with a genuine desire to make sure you’re having a good time.

What also really stood out for me was the fact that the staff seemed to want to know what people genuinely though about their meal and experience. It’s nice to see a new venue being proactive in trying to gauge from its customers what it is and isn’t doing right in order to help tweak things it its early days.

Young Bloods Diner is still a place that’s finding its feet, however if the foundations that it has set are anything to go by, I can see it becoming a stable in the Fitzroy cafe scene.

Young Bloods Diner

60 Rose Street
Fitzroy
Victoria 3065
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9419 3864
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://theyoungbloods.com.au/

Open
Wed – Sun: 7:00am to 5:00pm

Street Scenes Of Ho Chi Minh City

Paul

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25 August 2013

10

After writing all of my Ho Chi Minh City (“HCMC”) posts that related to specific topics, I found myself with almost 300 photos that didn’t really belong anywhere. Looking through the photos, I managed to whittle the number down to and assortment of 26 photos of street scenes, people and buildings which still resonated with me for some reason or another. I hope at least one of them resonates with you.

There is so much going on all over HCMC that it’s hard to know where to focus your attention at times. When I took the photo below, the angle was much wider, as I was trying to capture a row of shops. Looking back on the photo it didn’t really look “right” however I noticed this man standing in front of one of the shops and zoomed in to discover the boy and old woman in the scene as well. I don’t recall noticing this when I took the photo, but I really like how it turned out.

For me, this photo is the perfect example of why one should never delete a photo from a camera soon after it’s been taken. You never know you might discover that isn’t obvious from glancing at your camera’s screen.

People are sitting on seats or their parked scooters all over the sidewalks of HCMC, doing a variety of activities (or not doing much in the way of activity at all as might be the case).

When I took this photo, school had just ended and the streets were full of parents who had picked up their children from school and were walking to wherever they were headed. It’s fascinating to see small children who have grown up in such a hectic city act so confidently around all that is going on – to them it’s just normal.

Because HCMC is such a densely populated city and very mixed use in regards to residential/work/dining/entertainment all being lumped together in the same areas, it’s sometimes difficult to know what is what. An example is in the photo below. A lot of the good stuff in HCMC is tucked away down alleyways and the like. This alleyway looked interesting so my wife and I walked down it to see what was going on.

We got to the end of the alleyway and it opened up to this residential area, with people chilling out, cooking, cleaning and doing all of the usual things that one does at home.

This was another example of an alleyway that led to a residential area.

I stumbled across this street in District 3, which was really wide and lined with trees and shops. It was a really nice street, and I even found a huge supermarket which was selling all kinds of interesting products.

HCMC doesn’t sleep at night – on the contrary, this is when the city really wakes up. The proverbial volume is turned up to 11 and everything steps up a notch. This street just outside of the Bến Thành market was bustling and full of locals, tourists and scooters trying to zip their way through it all. The market itself is overpriced, aimed at tourists and full of stuff that you don’t need, but it’s still fascinating to walk through.

This side street looked very interesting so I wondered down to see what it was all about. There wasn’t actually too much happening beyond the usual mixture of vendors and food stalls, but at the end was a cul-de-sac that contained some beautiful old houses/apartments that had been well maintained. If you lived at the end of this street, you could enjoy some luxury and peace and quiet while still being only a few minutes walk from the hustle and bustle.

Looking up in HCMC, you’ll often see a jumble of wires, cables, and boxes. I don’t envy the person who has to work on these lines whenever they need maintenance.

Most of the government buildings in HCMC take their design cues from the 1970s socialist architecture handbook. There are some really interesting concrete structures about but unfortunately from a photography point of view, most of them are inaccessible to the public, and surrounded by lush greenery when looking at them from street level at a distance that would be far enough to get a good photo.

The Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica was constructed between 1863 and 1880 by the French, and was built using all French materials.

They aren’t exactly everywhere, but I was surprised at the number of chickens that I saw on the sidewalks of HCMC.

This street, heading towards a rather large roundabout, was perhaps one of the most intense that my wife and I walked down. At this section, just before the roundabout, the barrier between road and sidewalk almost becomes non-existent. Scooters pile up at the red light, squeezing into any gaps between cars and other scooters that are on the road. Shops and seats extend all the way to the end of the sidewalk. Some drivers decide that they don’t want to wait for the lights to turn green, and drive their scooters onto the small gaps on the sidewalk to take a shortcut. Finding a way to walk through all of this is very daunting at first, however after a few days in the city it becomes second nature.

One thing that I thought was really great in HCMC were the parks. Not only is there some great parkland, but there are lots of courts and spaces for people to engage in various activities. The exercise machines on the side are a great idea and the parks were being used well into the late hours of the night.

The rich end of town is very different to the rest of the city. Gardens are manicured, beautiful buildings with opulent fittings that wouldn’t look out of place on the Champs Elysees in Paris line the streets and gleaming skyscrapers reach for the sky.

Ho Chi Minh City Hall was built in 1902-1908 in the French Colonial style. It’s a grand building that is lit up at night.

As I hope you can appreciate, HCMC is a truly diverse city that offers a lot to visitors. If and when you do visit, take some time out to put away the guidebooks and just wander around the city, letting your senses take you on a journey.

Mr & Mrs Howell, Brunswick

Paul

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17 August 2013

2

Mr & Mrs Howell Brunswick is the latest restaurant to open on the increasingly diverse and evolving Sydney Road. Taking it’s name from the eccentric, wealthy couple on 1960s television series Gilligan’s Island, Mr & Mrs Howell greets patrons with a space that is suitably casual and eclectic, with assorted toys and nik naks dotting the restaurant.

The food is typical of dining in 2013 Melbourne. Fresh, seasonal and local. There’s no particular style to the food, however the occasional Asian flourish is apparent in some dishes.

Fried Potato & Buckwheat Gnocchi With Gorgonzola Sauce ($12.00)

This was a great way to start the meal. The gnocchi were light and fluffy and the Gorgonzola sauce provided just the right kick to them.

Tuna Tartare With Tom Yum Pickled Cucumber & Crispy Wontons ($24.00)

This was one of the highlight dishes of the night. The tuna tartare was very tasty and the dill evoked memories of Hanoi for me. The wontons were super crispy and not at all greasy and everything worked really well together.

Grilled Scallops With Black Pudding Crumbs & Almond Cream Apple ($24.00)

The scallops were very tasty, and the black pudding crumbs were a novel addition. I thought that the scallops and black pudding worked best when eaten separately.

Beetroot & Freekah With Meredith Goats Yoghurt & Mint Dressing ($14.00)

My wife and I both agreed that this was our least favourite of the dishes. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as good as the other stuff we ate. It was just missing something texturally – we both agreed that some crumbled goats cheese was exactly what this dish needed to elevate it.

5 Spiced Duck Leg With Sweet & Sour Orange Marmalade & Steamed Buns ($24.00)

This was without a doubt the highlight dish of the night. The duck leg was so juicy and the spiced skin was full of flavour and very crispy. Everything combined perfectly and I could have easily have eaten just several servings of this dish and nothing else. When and if you do visit, order this.

Jock’s Passion fruit Sorbet ($4.50 per scoop)

Does what it says on the box. Tasty sorbet, which actually went really well with the wine that my wife was drinking.

Mini Doughnuts Filled With Apple & Rhubarb Jam ($12.00)

I really enjoyed these. The dough was light and fluffy and not heavy or greasy at all. The jam was not too sweet and was very flavoursome.

The wine selection at Mr & Mrs Howell is very good, and the staff are extremely knowledgeable and passionate when it comes to explaining what’s on offer. The beer selection is solid, but could be better – this is not to say that the beer selection is bad, but it just hasn’t received the same kind of attention that the brilliant wine list has. I have a feeling that once Mr & Mrs Howell has settled into it’s place, that there will be some improvements in this area.

Overall, Mr & Mrs Howell is a very welcome addition to Sydney Road. The food was great, and if the impression I got at this early stage was anything to go by, it will only get better as the owners iron out the few kinks that any new restaurant is bound to have.

Service is excellent and all of the staff seemed just as excited to be working there as we were to be eating there. Nobody took themselves too seriously and it was all very genuine. It felt like a real “local’s” restaurant.

Mr & Mrs Howell

173 Sydney Road
Brunswick
Victoria 3056
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9381 0846
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://mrandmrshowell.com/

Open
Dinner: Tue – Sun: 5:00pm to late
Lunch: Fri – Sun: from 12:00pm

Bowery To Williamsburg, Melbourne CBD

Paul

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3 August 2013

2

Bowery to Williamsburg in Melbourne’s CBD is a cafe that, as the name suggests, is inspired by Manhattan’s Bowery, Brooklyn’s Williamsburg and all things cool and New York City in 2013.

Run by the same team that own the popular Hardware Societie, the aim is to bring a slice of this New York vibe to Melbourne. When I went to New York, Williamsburg and the Bowery were two of my favourite areas (you can click the links to read my Manhattan and Brooklyn food reviews) and I was keen to see if the team at Bowery to Williamsburg had succeeded with their new venture.

Walking down Oliver Lane, you’re greeted by the friendly staff member behind the outside coffee station where you can grab a coffee-to-go. The enthusiastic, but never forced friendliness of the staff really stands out. Walking down the stairs and into the cafe proper, you certainly get a New York vibe. The use of iron and the smattering of New York paraphernalia throughout evokes memories of the New York subway.

“Flat White” $3.80

The coffee is from Brunswick’s Padre, with 2 Slayer machines and a Mazzer grinder taking care of proceedings. As to be expected with such a setup and quality beans, the coffee was top notch and the Hershey’s Kiss on the side was a nice touch.

Bowery to Williamsburg takes both Williamsburg’s hipster cues and food. Browsing through the offerings on the menu took me right back to the part of Williamsburg where the hipsters and gentrification make way for what is a very traditional, Hasidic Jewish neighbourhood.

For lunch, the main deal is $12.50 for one of the many sandwiches on offer or $16.50 or a sandwich, side, pretzels and a pickle. There is a board that contains all of the options that contains some interesting creations, as well as classics like the Reuben.

There is a huge selection of bagels with an impressive array of options to fill them with (the bagels themselves come from Melbourne’s 5 Dime Bagel and, although I didn’t try any on this occasion, I have had 5 Dime bagels before and they are excellent.

“Lox On Latkes” Heirloom Tomato, Pickled Fennel, Cream Fraiche, Poached Eggs ($17.00)

Latkes are shallow fried potato pancake, and lox is the yiddish word for salmon. This dish was pricey (prices are on the higher end of the scale here) but the serving was massive and I just managed to finish everything on my plate.

The latkes were crispy on the outside and dense on the inside and not too greasy which I really appreciated. The flavours all combined really nicely and the poached eggs were perfectly gooey .

A variety of typical Jewish and New York products are on display in the “open pantry” behind the service counter.

A changing selection of cakes and pies are also on offer. I wasn’t going to leave without grabbing something to take back to the office with me.

“Sesame Bar” ($4.50)

It was a toss up between the sesame bar and the pumpkin and caramel pie but on this occasion, the sesame bar won out.

This thing is intense. It’s very chewy and tasty, with a burst of kosher salt that doesn’t really hit until you’ve almost finished each bite. It reminded me of the “crack pie” from Momofuku Milk Bar in a way. You take your first bite and it’s very sweet and very salty, too much many would say. Despite this, you just can’t stop eating it. I got about half way through it before calling it quits and saving the rest for the next day.

Working out in the suburbs these days, I unfortunately haven’t been able to visit as many places in the CBD for lunch as I’d like to and my visit to Bowery to Williamsburg was a strictly breakfast affair. If what I ate was any indication as to the quality of the rest of the food then I can’t wait to try a bagel and a sandwich sometime, plus the peanut butter hot chocolate which is already gaining a cult status.

Edit 16 Aug 2013: I returned to Bowery to Williamsburg this week for lunch and was not disappointed. The peanut butter hot chocolate was very tasty and surprisingly not overly sweet. I tried the Rueben and some of my companion’s Chicken Schmaltz. Mac and Cheese was the side of choice. It was all delicious.

Bowery to Williamsburg is a really welcome addition to the CBD. The staff are really friendly – yes there is a hipster vibe (it wouldn’t be authentically Williamsburg if there wasn’t) but there’s not pretension at all and I left really satisfied.

The owners have got the vibe just right, and as I walked out with Erykah Badu’s “Sometimes” playing through my headphones, the only thing missing was the rumbling of the L train above.

Bowery To Williamsburg

16 Oliver Lane
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9077 0162
Email: n/a
Website: n/a

Open
Mon – Fri: 7:30am to 3:30pm

Hanoi: The Street Is A Stage

Paul

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28 July 2013

6

The streets of Hanoi are full of life and vibrancy. Whether people are shopping, eating, or simply walking from A to B, the city streets are like a stage, with everyday people fulfilling the roles of actors playing their part. When I visited Hanoi, simply walking around the streets and observing life as it was happening was one my favourite things to do.

Hanoi is a very interesting city architecturally. There is a mixture of run-down shop houses, grand colonial era French buildings, brutalist concrete structures and modern gleaming glass skyscrapers.

To the right of this photo (you can see the black bricks) is an ultra modern building with big glass windows and expensive designer clothes that those who live next door could never hope to afford. The contrast between new and old, rich and poor is everywhere to be seen. I am curious about how long the two worlds will be able to live side by side before the poor are moved away to make way for a more moneyed populace.

As with everywhere else in Vietnam, the scooter is the king of the roads.

One of the themes that is often discussed by urban planners around the world is that of “transit oriented development” – essentially the development of residential/entertainment/business precincts around public transport. With trains still actively running along these tracks, these developments are certainly transit oriented.

One of the big advantages of riding a scooter is that you’re not just restricted to the roads. This does, however, provide pedestrians with an added incentive to be alert.

Hop onto the back of your friend’s scooter.

Go on a family outing.

Transport goods from A to B in a single trip.

The Dong Xuan market is very large and all sorts or things can be found amongst its vendors. It is quite touristy and there are a lot of shops selling tacky useless stuff. The second storey appeared to be more popular amongst locals, with lots of fabric and material for sale.

I found the streets and shops outside of the market to be much more interesting. I bought a few things from one of the many cookware shops outside and saved a lot of money versus what I would have paid in back home.

There were heavy showers forecast for the afternoon on this particular day. As the skies turned from blue to grey, and the inevitable drew near, the streets of Hanoi took on a different vibe. Shop keepers brought in anything that looked like it could be blown away, vendors selling ponchos and umbrellas appeared out of what seemed like thin air, other street vendors hurriedly packed up their wares and headed for shelter. Before I knew it, the streets were (by Hanoi standards) very quiet and soon afterwards, the skies opened up.

Looking through the photos above, you could be forgiven for thinking that everywhere in Hanoi is intense and hectic. You wouldn’t be too far from the truth, but there are certainly pockets of the city where it felt like being transported to another place.

Just to the north of the old city is an area full of very nice homes that is clearly very popular with the French expatriate community (given the shops and cafes in the area). Compared to what I had experienced in Hanoi up to this point, it felt like the world was standing still and everyone around seemed very relaxed.

There is a lot to do in Hanoi as a tourist, and it’s all very affordable. One of the best things to do in the city however is completely free and if you ever visit, I would highly recommend you set aside a decent amount of time to simply walk around. Skip the cabs, skip the rickshaws that seem to be so popular with tourists and walk.

Hanoi Food Guide

Paul

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14 July 2013

41

Hanoi, Vietnam, just like most of the cities in Vietnam, offers a wide variety of food to those who visit it.

Much of what I discussed in my Ho Chi Minh City Food Guide applies to Hanoi. You can read my thoughts on why you should eat street food and be adventurous in my Ho Chi Minh City Food Guide. Similarly to that guide, I’ll be providing a mixture of actual establishments and dishes that I recommend you try.

Overall, the food in Hanoi was sweeter than that in Ho Chi Minh city, and it also tended to be more fragrant as opposed to the more herbaceous flavours of the south. It was a trend that my wife and I noticed as we moved further north through Vietnam.

In Hanoi the food is plentiful, it’s everywhere that you look and is an integral part of the livelihoods of many locals. More often than not, the street is the stage where much of what is food related in Hanoi takes place.

Street food can be found on the main streets of Hanoi, and down many of the side streets and alleways. Most areas aren’t dedicated to food, and you’ll find places to eat sandwiched in between residences and all kinds of businesses. Several times my wife and I would walk down an alleway that looked interesting only to find ourselves in the courtyard of a residence. The looks we received on these occasions ranged from puzzled to nonchalance.

I’m not sure whether there is any regulation as to where people can sell food. Most of the time the wandering vendors seem to simply set up shop where they want, and then move on to another spot depending on how busy things are.

I loved buying fruit from these vendors. It was generally cheap and fresh. One thing you need to be wary of is vendors trying to rip you off in the touristy parts of town. A tactic I used was to gauge what a reasonable price was by asking how much something cost from a few vendors in a few areas. Once I had an idea of what the usual price was, I could determine how much I’d be willing to spend on something. The same as shopping around for anything really.

One of the ways that vendors transport their food and other goods is by balancing two containers on either side of a long pole. I tried lifting one and they are quite heavy.

It’s not just young people who carry things food around the city this way, but also people who appear to be quite old. I suppose if it’s something that you’ve done for most of your life you just get on with it.

The big container on the back of a bike is a less strenuous way of getting things around Hanoi and is also very common.

Bun Cha

Bun Cha is a dish of grilled pork and noodle. It’s served with grilled pork patties (cha) and white vermicelli noodles (bun). Usually it’s served with some banh goi (a pork, onion and mushroom spring roll type item) and herbs, chilli, garlic and dipping sauce.

Bun Cha is quite common in Hanoi. Some of the places that we saw didn’t look like they were selling the best Bun Cha, so my wife had a walk around until we found the place below. You could see the food being prepared and cooked right there, and there were locals coming in and out the whole time getting food so we knew it was the one to eat at.

Bun Cha Nem Cua Be can be found at 29 Cau Go.

Another place that served great Bun Cha Nem Cua was Bun Cha Nem Cua Be Dac Kim, which can be found at 67 Duong Thanh.

As you can see in the photo below, it was a little bit different than the one we’d eaten above. That is one of the joys of street food – every vendor has their own way of doing the same dishes – just like home cooking.

Hanoi beer is one of the local “go to” beers in Hanoi. Interestingly, I didn’t really see Hanoi beer in Ho Chi Minh City, but Bia Saigon was very popular in Hanoi.

Cha Ca

Dill is uncommon in Vietnam, but in the north of the country, it is one of the key components of the dish Cha Ca. Cha Ca is small fish fillets marinated in turmeric and galangal, and sauteed with a very generous helping of dill. The best Cha Ca restaurants in Hanoi will only serve this one dish and on many occasions you’ll actually find the dish referred to by the name of the restaurant that invented it, Cha Ca La Vong.

The dish is served with the usual condiments, and the not so common addition of peanuts. You mix a bit of everything in your bowl and eat it together.

It was unlike anything I’d ever tasted before and I can highly recommend it. A truly iconic northern Vietnamese dish.

My wife and I had Cha Ca at Cha Cha Thanh Long, which can be found at 31 Duong Thanh.

Mien Xao Luon

This dish consists of glass noodles stir fried with crispy little eels, bean sprouts and egg. It’s topped with cucumber, purple perilla and fried shallots. All of the different soft and crispy textures really combine to produce a dish that’s both tasty and texturally great.

My wife and I couldn’t figure out what the purpose of the plate of light soup with mushrooms was for – we used it as a pallet cleanser after the main dish.

White tiles, metal tables and plastic chairs – common aspects in many of the places you’ll find street food at in Hanoi.

The bags that you see that are tied at the top in the photo below are full of the little dried eels mentioned earlier. A lot of people seemed to be dropping past just to pick up a bag of these.

Nha Hang Mien Luon had a few other interesting looking dishes too, and can be found at 87 Hang Dieu.

Walking back to the hotel one night, my wife and I spotted this fruit and vegetable “store” in what appeared to be a garage at the front of someone’s apartment down a lane way. As I mentioned earlier, food can be found in the least likely of places in Hanoi.

Coffee

Most of what I said about coffee in my Ho Chi Minh City Food Guide applies here, and the Vietnamese coffee is plentiful and cheap. Highlands Coffee is the common chain in Hanoi – my wife and I only saw one Trung Nguyen in the city.

One place that I wanted to mention on here was Reng Reng Cafe. It’s run by Duy Biểu Nguyễn, who started with nothing more than a bicycle and coffee beans from his family’s coffee plantation in Lam Dong. Nowadays he has a stall in the most unassuming of locations next to what looked like a bike/car parking station.

His equipment isn’t fancy as funds are limited. It’s a Baby Gaggia and old Gaggia grinder. I had an espresso and the coffee was pretty decent. Duy was very passionate about coffee, sustainability and the like and it was a pleasure to talk to him (his English was broken but pretty good). I love what Duy is doing and I hope that when I visit Vietnam in years to come that he’s been able to get some better equipment and achieve his dream of having a chain of take away stations that sell sustainable, locally produced take away coffee to the people.

Dessert

Desserts, especially cold ones. are very popular in Hanoi. A great place to try a variety of local desserts is Thu Nga. The menu isn’t in English, so pointing at the tables of those around you is basically what you’ll be doing. If that’s not something you feel comfortable doing, here are the things that I ate that I can recommend for you. How did we find out that these things were good? Well apart from the first which was a recommendation we, you guessed it, pointed at things that looked interesting on other tables.

Kem Xoi is an easy one to recommend to someone who is just starting their food adventure in a foreign land and isn’t yet ready to take the full plunge into the deep end. It’s sweet sticky rice topped with vanilla ice-cream and roasted coconut. This is the dish that we originally came to Thu Nga for, and it was delicious.

Literally (and I used that word in its true sense) had this on their table at some stage during the night so ordering it had to be done. Nem ngot ran is what it was called, and basically it was crumbed and fried sausage with ketchup dipping sauce. It turned out that not only was dessert served, but also a variety of savoury snacks too. These were tasty and in a way you could say they are a Western/Vietnamese fusion.

Finally we tried Che thap cam. It was a glass full of ice, taro, red beans, coconut milk and some other stuff (not the best description I know). I later discovered that Che thap cam is actually a generic term for this sort of dessert, the exact composition of which can vary depending on where you get it from. There were about four on the menu.

Something that I noticed in Ho Chi Minh City that was also prevalent in Hanoi was the number of Western-style cafes in the city. They aren’t what you’d call common (especially compared to the type of street food that you see everywhere) but there are certainly enough of them about for it to be noticeable. Vietnam is getting wealthier, and the new generation of teenagers and young people want to go to places that, in their eyes, are “cool”.

Chillout Cafe was one of these types of cafes and they did really tasty smoothies. The vibe was eclectic and, well, chilled out. A piano and guitar were lying about for customers to play, and you had to take your shoes off before going inside to the cafe area proper upstairs. It was a nice change and just what we needed at this point of our holiday.

Chillout Cafe can be found at 89A Ly Nam De.

Dining In Style

Flowing on from my comment above about “a nice change” are two recommendations that are anything but street food. The colonial French influence in Hanoi is clear to see in various parts of the city, much more so than in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Hotel Metropole Hanoi (owned by Sofitel) was built in 1901 and oozes French luxury. Walking through the various parts of the hotel that are open to the public feels like stepping back into the early 1900s during colonial times.

Alas, my wife and I were not staying in this luxurious hotel, which is located in Hanoi’s beautiful French Quarter. What we did come here for was to eat at the Chocolate Buffet.

Between 3:00pm and 6:00pm every day of the week the Le Club bar offers a Chocolate Buffet. Almost every kind of French patisserie imaginable is available, as well as a selection of fruit and savoury sandwiches. At around USD$35 it’s not cheap by Hanoi standards, but I cannot think of too many places in the world where you can enjoy this sort of decadence in such opulent surroundings for this price.

The Hotel Metropole is at 15 Ngo Quyen Street.

Green Tangerine was a restaurant that a friend of mine had recommended to my wife and I if we felt like having an “expensive meal”, the use of quotes being to indicate that, as above, expensive is all relative in a city like Hanoi.

After eating lots of street food during out time in Vietnam, my wife and I decided that we’d go for a different sort of meal and Green Tangerine hit the spot with its fusion of Vietnamese influenced French cuisine. The wine selection is excellent too.

I cannot remember what this appetiser was.

The duck liver mousse was one of the highlights of the meal.

The crab mille feuille was delicious too.

Scallops with an orange jus. Also delicious.

The salmon fillet was probably the least exciting of the dishes that we ate on the night. The salmon was cooked perfectly, but I’m more of a fan of simpler salmon dishes. There were too many flavours going on here.

Green Tangerine can be found at 48 Hang Be Street.

For a final slice of Hanoi indulgence, my wife and I had a cocktail each at the rooftop bar “The Rooftop“. It’s a modern bar with all of the trappings you’d expect from such a place. An extensive drinks selection and food is available. We weren’t interested in any of this and headed straight for the balcony to take in the stunning view.

Overall, prices for food in Hanoi are in the same range as that of Ho Chi Minh City. The average price we paid for a meal for 2, with drinks was about USD$5. I was glad that the majority of what I ate in Hanoi was street food, but also have no regrets about the few times we decided to go for a bit of French inspired luxury. The bottom line is that food wise, Hanoi really does have something for everyone.

Saint Crispin, Collingwood

Paul

-

30 June 2013

6

Saint Crispin Melbourne is a new restaurant (or, according to the website “eatery”, which seems to be one of the 2013 dining buzz words) by chefs Scott Pickett (Estelle) and Joe Grbac (formerly of The Press Club).

Saint Crispin is housed in what was originally a shoe cobbler’s on Smith Street in Collingwood (most recently, the home to dining spot Cavallero), and is named after the patron saint of cobblers, tanners and leathers. The space is long and narrow, with high ceilings and a very casual atmosphere. It is very well suited to Pickett and Grabc’s stated aim of delivering “contemporary cuisine combined with “sophisticated, warm friendly service and accessibility and approachability for regular diners”.

Another recognition of the venue’s original use is the use of leather for the menu folio covers, the wait-staff’s apron ties and various other otherwise small things that one might not notice on first glance. It’s easy to tell that a lot of attention has been put into the small details at Saint Crispin, and expectations were high for the rest of the night.

There are a range of beers, cocktails and spirits on offer. The wine list contains a focused selection of wines from around the world. The 2011 Kurt Angerer Barrique, a Zweigeit from Austria was what caught my eye. I love trying new things and had never heard of a Zweigeit before. When it comes to wine, I’ll admit that I fall into the “I like what I like” camp – I don’t really pick up the subtleties in the same way that I do with beer and coffee. The waiter poured some for me to try, and I really liked it so ordered a glass.

Before your meal begins, a starter arrives at the table. House made crisps with tomato puree and rock salt. It was a great twist on the humble crisp.

The menu at Saint Crispin is small and easy to understand. There is a list of entrees, mains and desserts, and you can choose from two courses for $50.00 or three courses for $60.00. A selection of “little bites” can be added at a variety of prices, as can sides, which are all $9.00. Finally, there is the option of a seven course tasting menu for $120.00. The ingredients are fresh, local and seasonal.

Snap, crackle and pop ($5.00)

This “little bite” was lightly salted pork skin that had been turned into something that reminded me of a prawn cracker. The name was very apt as when I snapped a piece off and put it into my mouth it crackled and popped. As fun as it was tasty..

The bread was great. Regular butter was provided alongside a very tasty caramelised onion butter, with two little onion rings on top. In a rarity for a Melbourne restaurant, especially at this price level, we were offered more when we had finished it.

Eel croquette ($5.00)

Regular readers of my blog will know that I do love a good croquette. The eel croquettes were light and super crispy and tasted really nice.

Entrée – Grimaud duck,heirloom beets foie gras parfait and cumquat

My wife ordered the duck entrée and had the truffle supplement ($25 to have Tasmanian black truffles on her entrée and main). The dish was very tasty and quite rich. The heirloom beets were especially tasty and the duck had just the right amount of fat and tenderness.

In hindsight my wife said that she wouldn’t have gone for the black truffles as they didn’t really add anything to this dish or her main – the ingredients and dishes are amazing already.

Entrée – Pullet egg,mushrooms,parmesan goats curd and black rice

I really enjoyed this dish and usually I’m not the biggest fan of mushrooms. All of the ingredients worked well together when combined in a single mouthful. The texture of the rice provided a nice contrast to the parmesan and egg. The egg was especially gooey and flavoursome – one of those eggs that makes you remember just how amazing the simple egg can be.

Main – Veal cheek, hand rolled macaroni, miso eggplant and almonds

My wife and I were checking out the dishes coming out on the tables next to us and everything looked amazing. We ordered separate things so we could try more, however when it came to mains we both couldn’t go past this one.

The veal cheek was very tender with a great level of char on the outside. The macaroni and veal cheek were very much left to their own devices flavour wise, with the miso providing a sweet contrast and the bacon providing a salty contrast. A rich jus topped it all off. It came together very nicely.

Dessert – Chocolate, earl grey, milk and ginger

This dessert hit all of the right notes. It is sweet and very chocolaty. The earl grey in the ice-cream was very subtle and reminded me of a similar ice-cream that I had tried at the Fat Duck. I couldn’t really discern much of a ginger taste, but in any case it was a very enjoyable dessert.

Dessert – Carrot, star anise, almond and honey

Calling this dessert carrot cake would not be doing it justice. The carrot cake portion is dehydrated and crumbed, with bursts of honey and almond appearing in every bite. The actual carrots (both crisp orange strips and more substantial purple portions) were not sweet at all and really contrasted surprisingly successfully with the rest of the sweeter elements of the dish. The sweet cream held all of the elements together.

To finish off, an ancient looking book that opened up to reveal two sugar dusted sour apple jellies. A refined playfulness that summed up the whole experience at Saint Crispin really.

We had a very good view of the open kitchen from our table. I loved being able to see the dishes being put together component by component with a focused attention to detail.

Saint Crispin is a great addition to the constantly evolving Smith Street dining scene. The food is excellent, the atmosphere is relaxed and fun, and the service is brilliant. The ingredients are fresh and seasonal, and put together in ways that let the ingredients do the talking. It turns out that Saint Crispin might not only be the patron saint of cobblers, tanners and leathers, but the patron saint of good food too.

Casual, mid-range dining has always been Melbourne’s forte, and in 2013 venues like Saint Crispin and Carlton’s Town Mouse, are successfully combining this casual ethos with seriously good food. 2013 truly is a good year to be a diner in Melbourne.

Saint Crispin

300 Smith Street
Collingwood
Victoria 3066
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9489 4609
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.saintcrispin.com.au

Open
Wed – Thu: 6:00pm to late
Fri – Sun: 12:00pm to 3:00pm; 6:00 to late

The Vietnam War And Ho Chi Minh’s Legacy

Paul

-

25 June 2013

27

The Vietnam War And Ho Chi Minh’s Legacy

Vietnam. The word, indeed the nation, has come to represent much of what a new generation of travellers seeks in a destination: exciting, vibrant and affordable. For many, however, especially those who grew up in the aftermath of the sixties zeitgeist, the word is synonymous with the Vietnam War.

This is not a post about the Vietnam War. I have no desire to delve into the rights and wrongs of the conflict, nor the legitimacy, or otherwise, of the justifications presented by various parties involved. Such differences have already been stated by countless others over years past. Instead, this post is intended to convey the observations I made on this, and related issues, during my time in the country.

The War Remnants Museum, one of Ho Chi Minh City’s (“HCMC”) most popular attractions, says much about the changing relationship between the US and Vietnam. This is immediately evident in the numerous name changes that the museum has experienced over the years. When the museum opened in 1975, it was known as the “Exhibition House for US and Puppet Crimes”. In 1990, the name changed to the “Exhibition House for Crimes of War and Aggression”. Upon normalisation of US-Vietnam relations in 1995, the museum’s current name was adopted.

The effect of the normalisation of relations between the two countries is apparent throughout much of Vietnam’s big cities. Recognisable American brands are widely available, and there is no shortage of young people wearing American clothing and eating American fast food. I was surprised at the extent to which American fast food chains had permeated the Vietnamese market. What really surprised me was that McDonald’s currently has no presence in the country, however there are strong indications of a 2013/14 entry into the Vietnam for the Golden Arches. Edit, the first McDonald’s in Vietnam did indeed open in February 2014.

Since the normalisation of relations between the US and Vietnam, it appears the governments of both nations have let bygones be bygones. To a large extent this is the case, however the entire truth is somewhat more complicated.

When it comes to bias, the War Remnants Museum is unlike any museum I have seen. Most museums I have visited around the world have done well to deal with sensitive issues while presenting facts and not taking sides. Any bias that I’ve noticed has generally been minor. At the War Remnants Museum however, it’s a no holds barred barrage of propaganda, overwrought with emotive language and typical propaganda buzzwords

The United States Government was evil, the atrocities committed against innocent civilians and Viet Cong soldiers by the Americans were heinous and knew no bounds, the entire world (including the American people) were against the war.

The museum would have visitors believe without consideration, that the United States Government was evil; that American atrocities against civilians and Viet Cong soldiers were heinous and knew no bounds; and that the entire world, including the American people, were against the war. Conversely, the Viet Cong are supposed to have been kind to the soldiers they captured; they never wilfully harmed innocents; and all that the beloved leader Ho Chi Minh (or “Uncle Ho” as he is warmly referred to by the Government) wanted was peace.

This bias is to be expected in many ways. After all, the “Socialist Republic of Vietnam” remains a communist nation, ruled by the party that was founded by Ho Chi Minh. What governments like this don’t seem to understand is that excessive propaganda and bias weakens their argument. Put the whole truth out there, talk about what both sides did, and let the facts speak for themselves: there were instances where US soldiers committed heinous atrocities against civilians; the war was largely unpopular in the US and throughout much of the world; and the use of Agent Orange was a terrible thing, the effects of which are still being felt by children born today.

There is a very graphic, but I think important, display on Agent Orange, napalm and phosphorous and its short and long-term effects on people. It includes photos of the severe deformities caused, accounts from those who suffered terribly as a direct result of exposure, and words from those who suffer to this very day, born well after the war. The display also includes three jars of preserved deformed foetuses (there is conflicting information available as to whether or not the foetuses in these jars were deformed by Agent Orange).

The Internet in Vietnam is censored. Reporters Without Borders consider Vietnam to be an “Internet enemy” and Amnesty International has reported many instances of Internet users being arrested for their online activities. In fact, Vietnam is second only to China when it comes to the number of netizens imprisoned (121 last year). From what I have been able to gather, Internet censorship in Vietnam relates more to things like the creation and dissemination of information (for example by bloggers and journalists) that could be considered critical of the Vietnamese Government, and websites that shed light on human rights issues in the country.

Just the other week, prominent blogger Pham Viet Dao, who wrote blogs critical of government officials and policies was arrested in Hanoi; accused of violating Article 258 of the Vietnam’s penal code for “abusing democratic freedoms”. The Committee to Protect Journalists has written a very good piece on the topic of the shrinking of Vietnam’s press freedom that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in the topic.

Despite this censorship, it was easy for me to find the truth, or various versions of it, on the Internet. I left the War Remnants Museum with more questions than answers, and when I returned to my hotel that evening, I was able to clarify a lot of the issues.

As well as housing numerous pieces of weaponry and captured US military equipment (to clarify, most of this equipment was actually US equipment that had been given to the South Vietnamese army); the museum also contains a fascinating section highlighting some of the brilliant, often horrific and sometimes hauntingly beautiful photos taken by foreign photojournalists during the war.

Posters, banners and billboards such as those shown below, are found throughout much of Vietnam. The first celebrates 38-years since the reunification of Vietnam, while the second celebrates what would have been Ho Chi Minh’s 123rd birthday. Unsurprisingly, Ho Chi Minh, children and workers are by far the three most prominent themes.

I have been to former Soviet countries in Europe, where this type of imagery and paraphernalia is found only in museums, or kitsch bars going for a retro-communist theme. It is very surreal to visit a country where it has real life relevance in 2013, when it feels like it belongs to a bygone era.

The personality cult the the Vietnamese Government has built up around Ho Chi Minh is extensive. Glorified by the government as an “immortal saint”, Ho Cho Minh’s face adorns the front of Vietnamese banknotes; while statues and busts can be found outside of most government buildings; and schoolchildren learn about what a brilliant person and leader “Uncle Ho” was. Publications critical of Ho Chi Minh and his reign, and those discussing his non-celibacy are banned in order to ensure that the government can exercise full control over Ho Chi Minh’s image and story.

Ho Chi Minh is buried in Hanoi, in a Mausoleum modelled off Lenin’s in Moscow. The line to get in is very long, and photography is forbidden. Inside the huge cavernous space is Ho Chi Minh’s embalmed body, protected by a military honour guard and flanked on one side by a large hammer and sickle flag, and on the other by Vietnam’s national flag. It is very surreal.

One of the questions I kept asking myself while in Vietnam was “do regular citizens buy into all of this?” About halfway through the trip, I decided they didn’t. It must be mentioned that I only really spoke to people from cities, and I suspect, as is the case in most countries, that in the more rural and impoverished areas, the story may somewhat differ.

In the cities, at least, there seems to be an indifference to Ho Chi Minh. Many of those who fought against the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War are still alive and remain staunchly anti-communist. This is evident in the South of the country where many still refer to Ho Chi Minh City by its old name, Saigon. The further North you go, the more visible Ho Chi Minh’s presence and influence becomes.

In any case, there can be little doubt as to Ho Chi Minh’s ability to draw tourists. His omnipresence piques the curiosity of visitors and there is no shortage of those looking to cash in on this curiosity with Ho Chi Minh related trinkets and gifts.

The Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi tends to focus on the actions of Vietnamese soldiers during all wars involving the country, including those fought during the French Indochina era, as opposed to the US Vietnam War focused War Remnants Museum. It is just as biased and propaganda filled as the War Remnants museum.

Some of Ho Chi Minh’s personal cars, as well as the Illyushin 14 army transport plane that Ho Chi Minh used to travel overseas on official business from 1957 (pictured below), are on display here.

Below is the tank that smashed through the gates of the Presidential Palace (today’s Reunification Palace) on the day that Saigon fell, 30 April 1975.

Maison Centrale is another attraction in Hanoi. Originally built by the French to hold political prisoners, Maison Centrale was used by the North Vietnamese government to hold prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. Most of the prison has been demolished, however, the gatehouse remains both as part of the museum and as a reminder of its dark past. It was sarcastically dubbed the “Hanoi Hilton” and was where many POWs were brutally tortured.

The museum is of course full of propaganda showing photographs of smiling US soldiers being treated humanely, joking about, playing cards and many such activities. The museum describes the “Hanoi Hilton” name coming about as a result of the excellent conditions the prisoners were supposed to have experienced. The actual accounts of the atrocities committed here are jarring, but the official Vietnamese Government line is that “the occasional slap” was as bad as it got

I had read about Maison Centrale prior to visiting the museum, so was mindful of the extent to which the propaganda might be more noticeable when compared to the other two war museums I visited. As expected, the propaganda is so over the top and ridiculous, it’s hard to fathom not only how someone might believe it, but also how anyone creating it might think others would believe it

US Senator John McCain spent time at Maison Centrale. This was the gear he had on him when he was captured by North Vietnamese forces.

The experiences that I have described reinforced two of my beleifs. First is the belief that war is futile. Vietnam is a fascinating country full of kind, decent people. Having visited the United States, it too is a country full of kind, decent people. Ultimately, it’s saddening to think of how many similarly good-natured individuals were denied the basic right-to-life, both in Vietnam and the world over, as a result of war.

Second is my belief that arguments based on facts and evidence are always more convincing than those based on propaganda and lies.

Beatbox Kitchen: Review

Paul

-

23 June 2013

0

Beatbox Kitchen Melbourne started as a single van in 2009 serving quality burgers to the Melbourne public. It grew from owner Raph Rashid’s desire to bring the kind of burgers he had been enjoying on various trips to the USA to Melbourne. A lot has changed between 2009 and 2013 as regards the Melbourne burger scene. Countless establishment serving “real” burgers have popped up – Huxtaburger, Merrywell, B.East and Mr. Burger to name a few.

The question that needs to be asked is whether or not Raph and his now 2 vans, Side A and Side B, still serve up some of the best burgers in Melbourne?

Twitter and Facebook serve the purpose of advertising the daily locations of the vans at lunch and dinner. Beatbox Kitchen generally roams around the Inner-Northern suburbs of Melbourne, in locations where there isn’t much food related going on. Occasionally the vans will head to other parts of Melbourne, and have even been known to show up at music festivals on occasion. The locations range from carparks and actual parks, to the side of main streets.

An example of the creativity that the food van concept provides can be seen when looking at one of the usual van locations outside of small bar Mr. Wilkinson on Lygon Street, Brunswick East. When the van is parked out the front, you can grab a burger and take it into the bar with you. It’s the perfect example of how street food vans can work with existing fixed location businesses to the mutual benefit of both parties (which is something certain Melbourne councils seem unable to grasp).

The kitchen is small, however the burgers and fries are served at a decent speed. Generally the wait is no more than 10 minutes, and if it’s quite busy, the wait is around 15 minutes. The menu is very focused and only uses top quality, local ingredients. Your food options are:

Raph Burger – $11.00 – 170 gram Tasmanian grass fed beef batty, cos lettuce, gouda cheese, tomato, onion and stereo sauce (a tangy mayonnaise) in a soft white bun.
‘Shroom Burger – $10.00 – Portabello Mushroom, cos lettuce, gouda cheese, tomato, onion and stereo sauce in a soft white bun.
Fries – $5.00 – Shoestring fries served with either tomato relish, spicy tomato relish or stero sauce.

Coke and water are also available.

I always go for the Raph Burger and Fries. The ratio of meat to other ingredients to bread is perfect and the beef patty is just right. Seasoned with salt and pepper, char grilled on the outside, light pink on the inside. Unlike many other burgers vying for the title of Melbourne’s best, the bun is not a brioche bun. To quote Raph “Sweet buns aren’t even in my train of thought”. I’m very happy about this, as far too many places in Melbourne get their Brioche buns wrong and end up with something that is far too sweet.

The fries are… well they exactly what you would expect. Fried to order until golden brown, salted and crispy.

The old school radio is attached to, I assume, an MP3 player and pumps out a variety of suitably old school tunes, most often hip-hop and R&B.

I have frequented Beatbox Kitchen more times than I can remember over the past 18 months. When I first tried the Raph Burger (I can’t bring myself to try the ‘Shroom when the Raph is so good) I anointed it with the title “best burger in Melbourne”. Since the second van, Side B, has opened I have noticed a change in consistency. At its best, which is most of the time, the Raph burger still is, in my opinion, the best burger in Melbourne. At its worst, it’s still a very good burger, still top 10 material, but doesn’t quite land the killer blow.

In any case, I’ve yet to have a bad burger from Beatbox Kitchen, and would highly recommend that you track down one of the vans and try it for yourself sometime.

Beatbox Kitchen

Location Varies. Check Facebook or Twitter for location on the day.

Telephone: (03) 8060 6664
Email: [email protected]
Website: n/a

Open
Mon – Sun: Lunch from 12:00pm, Dinner from 5:00/6:00pm

THE CITY LANEEAT & TRAVEL LIKE A LOCAL

THE CITY LANEEAT & TRAVEL LIKE A LOCAL

Chicken Pot Pie ($16.00)

“Breakfast Salad” Black Pudding, Tomato, Potato Croutons, Soft Egg and Lettuce ($17.00)

Devilled Eggs With Bread & Butter Pickles ($9.00)

Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Confit Ocean Trout and Hazelnut ($15.00)

Young Bloods Diner

Fried Potato & Buckwheat Gnocchi With Gorgonzola Sauce ($12.00)

Tuna Tartare With Tom Yum Pickled Cucumber & Crispy Wontons ($24.00)

Grilled Scallops With Black Pudding Crumbs & Almond Cream Apple ($24.00)

Beetroot & Freekah With Meredith Goats Yoghurt & Mint Dressing ($14.00)

5 Spiced Duck Leg With Sweet & Sour Orange Marmalade & Steamed Buns ($24.00)

Jock’s Passion fruit Sorbet ($4.50 per scoop)

Mini Doughnuts Filled With Apple & Rhubarb Jam ($12.00)

Mr & Mrs Howell

“Flat White” $3.80

“Lox On Latkes” Heirloom Tomato, Pickled Fennel, Cream Fraiche, Poached Eggs ($17.00)

“Sesame Bar” ($4.50)

Bowery To Williamsburg

Bun Cha

Cha Ca

Mien Xao Luon

Coffee

Dessert

Dining In Style

Snap, crackle and pop ($5.00)

Eel croquette ($5.00)

Entrée – Grimaud duck,heirloom beets foie gras parfait and cumquat

Entrée – Pullet egg,mushrooms,parmesan goats curd and black rice

Main – Veal cheek, hand rolled macaroni, miso eggplant and almonds

Dessert – Chocolate, earl grey, milk and ginger

Dessert – Carrot, star anise, almond and honey

Saint Crispin

Beatbox Kitchen

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