Westie bits and bobs - a blog amnesty post

I'm writing this from Chinatown, Singapore.  Drums thrum and horns wail from the Indian temple down the street, and the air is thick with the smell of fat raindrops.  The Year of the Snake will soon begin, and I believe it's going to be a dynamic and exciting year for me.

But first I need a clean slate.  I admit I've been late to start back on the blogging train as all my half-finished bits and pieces feel like they're dragging me down.  Claire of Melbourne Gastronome has long been an advocate of the "blog amnesty", which is a chance to "post those stories you haven't quite finished; just the images, list the important bits in point form, do whatever it takes, just get the bloody things up so you/we can all move on" (via Eating with Jack).  In other words, I need a blog colonic.  With such an unsavoury image in mind, please now enjoy all this tidbits from the last month or so!

First up, a big shout out to Gamon Street's Advieh - a spot of sultry Middle Eastern flavour in a sleepy part of Seddon.

This well-hidden cafe makes tip top coffee.  They use Five Senses' Dark Horse blend - a rather aptly-named choice for this little-known gem!

It's a family business with handsome son on the La Marzocco and funky mum in the back whipping up Middle Eastern-influenced plates.  I love the combos, which might feature crusty felafel, wickedly good chicken shish or a mixed grill along with delicious, daily-changing dips and salads ($13.50 to $18).

Breakfasts are excellent too, with plenty of daily specials.  Advieh reminds me a lot of Flavours of Lakhoum in Richmond (now closed), which used to be my happy place in the early 2000s.  It'd be considered somewhat naff now, but the barista there used to draw faces on the top of your latte.  One friend took it back to the counter to check it was intentional - he thought he might have a contender for the Virgin Mary grilled cheese! 

Another cafe that's been there for a while but is new to me is the much-loved Jellybread in Barkly Village.  They were the first cafe on the strip and have a "secret" backyard oasis that is just heaven for parents and kids, including a vintage caravan the kids can set up house in, loads of ride-on toys, a sprawling lawn and more.

I thoroughly enjoyed this BRAT with Istra bacon and homemade aioli on Turkish bread made locally in Footscray ($13).  For kids there are creamed rice cups, organic yoghurt with poached fruit and two sizes of babycino.

Speaking of Turkish bread, get it fresh daily from Wally and family at Metro West Turkish Kebab House in Albert Street, Footscray (opposite the Coles plaza, on the same side as Savers).  It's $3 for a large or a mere $1 for a small and worth every cent.

Just around the corner is Sen, who really deserve more love.  They serve reliably tasty Vietnamese with a northern twist.

They're famous for their bun thit nuong or rice vermicelli with grilled pork.  For the ridiculous price of about $9, you get wickedly good charcoal-scented, marinated belly pork that's sliced thin so it's crispy like bacon.  I love their Vietnamese pickled vegies here, with big chunks of cabbage - so unusual and so delicious!

Sen are never all that busy but Hao Phong in Hopkins Street are perpetually so.

That evening we had muc rang muoi (salt n' pepper squid) and fried rice noodles, which were fine rather than spectacular, but this salted fish and chicken fried rice was fantastic.  Try the rice vermicelli version here too.

I've been thoroughly enjoying my avocado subscription with Barham Avocados.  For $36 a month, I get 12 glossy green emu eggs home delivered.  As the season has progressed, I've enjoyed Fuerte, Hass and just now received a box of gorgeous, grapefruit-sized Reed.  The season will be wrapping up in March, so get in quick if you want to try this beautiful fruit (just keep them in the fridge and take out progressively to enjoy perfect avos the whole month).

Sad news - the fantastic team at Rockfish are selling the business!  Apparently they need a break from their frenetic pace - they're a victim of their own professionalism and quality.  The hunt for great local fish and chips will therefore continue.  Meanwhile, we thoroughly enjoyed flake and chips from Top of the Bay in Williamstown.  I don't normally eat flake but this was tip top (the other option, flathead, looked somewhat dry and unappealing).

Grab your fush and chups and settle in at the park opposite to watch the boats and have girlie chats.  (PS:  They do have chicken salt - under the counter, like it's some sort of contraband!)

Whoa - I feel SO much better having gotten all that out there!  Hope you found something that tickled your fancy.  Next up - I dive into the Lion City, stomach first.  I hope you will join me for the ride!

A fresh look at Sims Supermarket

"West Footscray has jumped the shark," or so I saw on Twitter when it was discovered that Sims, our local independent supermarket, is now home to a coffee machine.  My opinion?  I think it's genius!

This is a satellite, if you like, of West 48 in Essex Street, so you can expect lovely Allpress brews through a La Marzocco.  Jag and Steffan built the cart themselves.  Traditional Sicilian bickies are care of North Melbourne's Dolcetti, with a few Dench salted caramel tarts if you are feeling indulgent.  Takeaway only, with KeepCups to purchase.  (PS:  Sims are now stocking Bonsoy.)

When I first moved here, Sims still had the old-school registers that emitted a skinny paper strip for a receipt instead of the snappy laser-printed ones everyone else was doing.  If a coffee machine here is not a giant neon sign in the story the inner west's evolution, I don't know what is.  But in fact, Sims has been evolving for a long time.  I wanted to find out more behind the decision to serve lattes next to the Tatts counter so I got in touch with David Cotter, the co-owner/director of Sims, to find out more.

If you're not a WeFo local, Sims is a completely independent supermarket with two branches in West Footscray and Werribee.  What you might not know is that it's been around since the 1930s, including at the same Barkly Street/Warleigh Road corner.

Check out inside, with jaunty wicker baskets instead of shopping trolleys!  The Sims family are still involved in the supermarket - that's three generations of the same family until present day.

David's been a partner for 21 years.  He's vivacious, enthusiastic and speaks a mile a minute, and is genuinely keen to please his customers.  He can sense the changes happening in the area.  "For 20 years I couldn't sell nappies here," he says.  Now they unload pallet after pallet.  "We used to sell one box a week of free range eggs," he says.  "Now we sell twenty!"

One new initiative of David's is fresh seafood.  Local flake, fresh (not frozen) Tasmanian salmon and more come in daily from a local western suburbs supplier.  Check it out next to the tub of baccala - traditional Italian salted fish.

Sims have tried to introduce free range chicken a couple of times over the last few years, but it hasn't taken.  Now suddenly some sort of tipping point has been reached and it's apparently viable for the first time ever.  James, the butcher, reports that free range Otway pork will be coming back very soon as well.

The Sims meat department is awesome - from lamb shanks to lamb brains, and everything in between!  I love this continuing connection to the older generation who are the main buyers of this range.

David's trying to increase the range in the fruit and veg section and make the layout more like a market. I'm digging the yellow wax beans, broad beans...

...and loads of different potatoes.  I have to say I've been disappointed with the fruit and veg at Sims in the past, but this looks super inviting and delicious.

When asked about organics, David says, "We could do it but we wouldn't do it well.  Go to that little place in Seddon - Pompello, I think it's called.  Why hurt his business?"

Um, legendary attitude or what?

This is Irma who runs the deli.  She manages all the buying and does so through her own network of small-scale manufacturers and suppliers - no buying from a warehouse or wholesale aggregator here.  I'm already a Sims deli believer but wanted to discover some of Irma's own personal favourites.

Italian prosciutto, calabrese salami and more, all sliced to order.  (You're welcome to ask to taste anything.)  Irma suggests trying the Ventricina for something different.  It's a salami that's a little bit spicy and lovely to eat on its own.  PS:  Free range ham, which made a brief appearance in the last couple of months, will be back soon and hopefully to stay.

This little-known cheese is fresh ricotta that's been salted and pressed so that instead of being soft and wobbly, it's hard and crumbly.  Try it instead of Parmesan - the taste and texture is halfway between Parmesan and feta.  Irma recommends making a very simple sauce of tomato and onion for pasta, grating loads of ricotta salata over and tossing through.  Yum.

Next time you're reaching for the triple cream brie, Irma recommend you try the Fontina instead.  It's a lovely, mild table cheese that also melts well.

Another deli hot tip is the range of roast meats, from chickens to pork hocks to gorgeous, mahogany-coloured turkey marylands.  Sims also sell quivering hunks of roast pork neck, of which you can have as little as one (warm, juicy) slice.

Halva is a love it or hate it deal, and I adore it.  It's a thick sweet made with sesame seed paste, almost like a fudge but with a slight graininess that reminds me of fibreglass.  I love the way it makes my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth....and right now you will either be nodding vigorously in agreement or furrowing your eyebrows in bewilderment!

I also love Sims' fresh Turkish delight, rose and lemon pieces nestled in icing sugar (also try orange blossom Turkish delight from Pompello)...

...and check out this new super-soft, flavoured nougat!!!

There are more sweets care of local Polish bakery Erik's - the vanilla slices come highly recommended, but only if you have a fresh shirt on hand for when you've finished trying to manoevre it between your jaws.  Nick's in Altona provide cannoli, rock cakes, rustic continental bread and more.

A hot tip - a second bakery delivers "wood oven" bread on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, containing only flour, salt, water and yeast.  (You can also buy Sourdough Kitchen bread from Rocco's fruit shop, a little further down Barkly Village.)

When I saw the new development going in behind Sims, I did really worry that our local supermarket might get bought out and become a big, sterile Coles.  It seems, though, that Sims is responsive and keen to continue evolving.  We are so lucky to have a truly independent grocer, one that has strong cultural roots but is also willing to adapt to the changing demographics.  And really, where else can you get a proper coffee, buy a jumbo jar of sauerkraut and groove in the aisles to Fleetwood Mac?  Only at Sims...and long may it stay that way!

Sims Supermarket

511 Barkly Street, West Footscray

Hours:  Mon-Fri 7am-10pm, Sat-Sun 8am-10pm
Coffee cart open Mon-Sat 7am-4pm, Sun 8am-4pm

Besito - Colombia comes to West Footscray

I saw a hashtag on Twitter recently - #WeFo, as in West Footscray.  This prompted much undignified snorting at the time.  SoHo and TriBeCa, watch out, WeFo is burning up - bringing velour blankets and split peas to all the hipsters!  A new opening, however, is making me eat my words, and with pleasure, too.

Besito is just three days old today, a cafe that serves Five Senses coffee and a really exciting Colombian-informed menu.  The colours blossom like a tropical flower inside, with joyous, rustic  rainbow tables and an effervescent mural on the walls bursting with colourful silhouettes of rainforest birds.

Uncompromisingly great coffee, coaxed from a Synesso machine.  They use Five Senses' Dark Horse blend never more than 6 to 12 days post roasting.  The sugar is panela, evaporated cane juice, ie, totally unrefined sugar.  It actually has healthy qualities such as trace minerals compared to regular sugar.  The lovely Colombian waiter explained that back home, a Colombian version of Gatorade is panela and lemon juice mixed with water.

Arepas, $6.50

These are arepas which are a Colombian staple.  They are thick pancakes made from low-processed whole white corn.  They're not made from a flour as are tortillas and pupusas but more of a meal, similar to polenta I believe.  The right way to eat these is to nick with your knife all over and then smoosh with heaps of butter, letting it meld with the soft middle.  They were delish, perfect with the great quality butter and salt flakes that melted like snowflakes on the tongue.

"Plate of everything", $24.50

There is so much to try on the menu, from intriguing breakfast dishes such as changua, free range eggs poached in coriander-infused milk, to lots of little bites like smashed chickpeas or things with manchego cheese.  This tasting plate seemed a good place to start.  The jamon (similar to prosciutto) was divine, with multidimensional saltiness and savoury umami hum.  Gorgeous creamy guacamole melted in the mouth while the fat little potato-stuffed empanadas were great with the zesty coriander salsa dressing. The Spanish tortilla (egg and potato omelette) was excellent while light queso cheese-filled peppers were slippery and delicious.

Sweets, $2.50 each

That shot of happiness is arequipe, fudgy Colombian caramel sauce made from fresh milk, served here with a raft of chocolate ganache.  Mini salted caramel cakes are next.  We loved the swirl of luscious caramel on top but the cake was slightly on the dry side - it's hard to get these tiny cakes still moist.  As well as espresso, they serve filter coffee with regularly-changing single origins (currently Colombian, of course!)  I'm really getting into filter.  It's like a tea, and taken without sugar and milk, so many more floral notes come out in the coffee and you can relax languidly into a cup or two in a way you can't with a punch-in-the-face short black.

This is probably funny from me who photobombed them on their second day, but GO SLOW - they are very new and still getting settled.  Be neighbourly and just be patient.  A liquor licence is coming soon and then they will be opening for WINE and NIBBLY THINGS in the EVENINGS.

WeFo, I'm sorry I doubted you.  ¡Bienvenido to the neighbourhood, Besito!

Besito (Facebook) - www.besito.net.au

590A Barkly Street, West Footscray

Phone:  9689 0586

Hours (updated Aug 2012):  Wed 9am-4pm, Thu-Fri 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-4pm


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New cupcake boutique from Cupcakes by Paolo

Cupcakes by Paolo are evidently firm believers that "if you build it, they will come".  Originally, these swoonworthy cupcakes sold on Saturdays only from the family Filipino takeaway shop at Footscray Market.  It was quite a trip to browse the bain marie - oxtail in peanut sauce, spicy blood stew, cookies n' cream cupcake!  The business has grown enough for them to open their own standalone store, now on truck-buffeted, windswept Ashley Street.

Despite the isolated location, the love is evident inside.  Cupcakes by Paolo is a family business.  The eponymous Paolo (seen here) is a third-generation baker and is assisted by his parents.  They originally owned Masarap, the Filipino bakery in Churchill Avenue, and baked all the bread for their shop Lutong Pinoy in Footscray Market.  Now they bake on the premises here in Ashley Street and still supply the bread for Lutong Pinoy's new owners.

There's a select range of large cupcake flavours.  Check out the website for special orders including their mini cupcakes and to drool over all the flavours available.

There are two styles at Cupcakes by Paolo - rich, moist chocolate/red velvet bases and very light, sponge-like fruity bases.  My favourite are tender chocolatey bases which are complemented perfectly by creamy swirls of frosting.  My friend S loves Asian chiffon cakes and as such loves the light, fluffy texture of the fruity/vanilla bases.

A cupcake and a coffee is a pretty unreal $5.  They're open from 7am if you need your coffee hit on the way to Tottenham station.  The only hard thing is resisting a cupcake for breakfast!

Cupcakes by Paolo

28c Ashley Street, West Footscray

Phone:  9689 1983

Hours:  Sun & Mon closed, Tues 7am-4pm, Sat 9am-4pm



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Gusto at Barkly

"Oh, you will love it!" gushed the real estate agent.  "It is right near Barkly Village."  Barkly Village!  thought I, clasping my hands.  Couples strolling hand in hand past sidewalk cafes, cute shops selling objets, the jolly baker passing out a finger bun to every child that passed.  "Just turn left at the end of the street and you can't miss it."  Five minutes later, heads craning out the windows expectantly, we hit Geelong Road.  My husband and I looked at each other.  That was it?!

That was five years ago and Barkly Village has grown on me.  We lost our bakery and our bank, but Aangan has grown from a little seed of a shop to a great restaurant.  Perhaps inspired by its success, more Indian grocers and restaurants have moved in and every year the local Neighbourhood House runs a fabulous Diwali festival to celebrate our Little India right here in West Footscray.  We still have a proper old-school op shop as well as a great library and new street trees.

Still, there is much work to be done and hence the arrival of Gusto at Barkly - wine bar, cafe and gourmet pizza shop - was sweet water to the parched throats of West Footscray residents.  It's on the old site of Mama Theresa's, a fairly unremarkable traditional pizza shop which I think may have now moved to Newport.

The decor is classic inner-city cafe with exposed brick, communal table, interesting mags and lovely long-stemmed wine glasses.  I love the arty bulldog banner.  The owners are West Footscray locals and I feel that while Gusto may look like many other chic eateries around town, it's firmly grounded in the Western suburbs.

Eggplant chips, $10

These were great!  The eggplant was soft, meaty and amazingly not at all oily.  The crunchy coating was perfectly crisp and non-greasy.  Swiped through the garlic mayo, they were delish.

Greek salad, $8.50

This salad was substantial but lacked some zing - the feta was surprisingly quite mild (too mild for my taste) and the dressing was also a bit light.  While they were delectable whole baby ones, there were too many olives all clustered at the bottom of the dish - I mean probably more than 20!

"The Gusto", $15.50

Gusto's signature pizza was excellent - small pieces of roasted pumpkin that were not at all overpowering, mild goat's cheese, wafer-thin zucchini and sweet caramelised onion.  The pine nuts were a fabulous textural accent.  Despite the presence of ingredients that can easily become overpowering, like pumpkin and pesto, it was very well balanced, with a tasty, well-made crust.  An impressive five out of all of their ten gourmet pizzas are vegetarian.  Get in early as they do tend to run out of dough quite regularly it seems, based on both my own experience and what I have read online.

Latte, $3.30

Cheers to good coffee, too - a well-rounded, chocolatey blend from Coffee Supreme served at the perfect temperature.  The froth was a little sparse but it really was a very nice latte.  Gusto are soon to open daytime and have a spacious outdoor seating area perfect for those with pooches.

Sidewalk cafes - check.  Shops selling objets - there is a fabulous new shop called Post Industrial Design run by a local sculptor and his partner coming to the old computer shop, further down Barkly Street towards Ashley.  They will be opening later this month - watch that space!

Baker with finger bun - ok, not really.  Unless it were a sourdough bun, perhaps!



Gusto at Barkly
587 Barkly Street, West Footscray (map)
Phone:  9396 1755
Hours:  Tues - Sun 5pm - 10pm (til 11 pm Fri & Sat)
BYO only at this stage - $3 corkage per head

Wheelchair Access
Level entry plus spacious outdoor seating