Let's talk food...Blue Train

Blue Train Café
MR5 Mid Level Southgate Landing, Southbank

Ah, Blue Train, the place where music students would usually go to grab food and beer after seeing a show at Hamer Hall because it was the "cool" place to be...how deluded were we back then? Needless to say, those days have long passed and Blue Train is no longer on the list of places to go, however, on this one occasion I felt like reminiscing, so a one-time only visit ensued. 

Glorified Hawaiian (1)...tasty, but expensive

It didn't take very long to be reminded of why this place fell off the list. It was one of those places where if you had a large group of people and needed somewhere that would kinda please everybody, this was it. When I say please everybody, I mean, barely...The thing that struck me first was the huge hike in prices since I went there last. $18.90 for what was essentially an upmarket Hawaiian pizza? Seems a little steep...rent on Southbank must be going up...

Glorified Hawaiian (2)

The second item on the list was the "Garlic naan bread filled with spiced potatoes, tomato kasundi and yoghurt". Now, as you'll see from the photo below, the tomato kasundi and yoghurt are actually condiments, and not in the garlic naan itself...that's what happens when you get a non-english speaking asian person to write your menu for you...This meal was actually the best part of the visit. The combination of naan and spiced potatoes provided quite a hearty meal and the kasundi added an extra tangy punch to the overall experience...I didn't touch the yoghurt though, but I'm sure it was...good?

Garlic naan with spice potatoes...
serves family of 8 starving asians, or 1 white person

The third item, and definitely the worst item was the supposed "roti canai". Now, I admit I was to blame for this one. After having the authentic thing at Laksa King, to think that this sort of restaurant could do this sort of asian dish was a mistake, and deep down I knew it wouldn't be good, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway. Somebody should've been fired for this crap. If I wanted cheap crappy flatbread from Coles, scooped out "Home Brand" crunchy peanut butter and 6 leaves of lettuce garnish I would've bought it all myself and still saved at least $9 from your $12.90 price tag. I think I had 2-3 bites before giving up from the shit experience. I took a crap photo of a crap dish so you can all to see what to avoid...

"Roti bread served with peanut dipping sauce...don't go anywhere near it...
Coles flatbread + microwaved peanut butter + garnish

So the moral of the story is this...The days of the coolness of Blue Train are over...It's now just over priced semi-ok food that's trying to accommodate a wide variety of cuisines and only half managing to succeed. If it's convenience you're looking for over everything else, then fine, go for it, otherwise there are plenty of other good options around Southbank, even possibly at the food court downstairs! 

(>_<)

Yoghurt accompaniment 

 

Tomato kasundi accompaniment

Lemon, lime and bitters
Something that wasn't too expensive and done right!

Let's talk food...Laksa King

Laksa King
6-12 Pin Oak Crescent, Flemington

Let me just start by saying that the name of this restaurant says it all! This is my ultimate favourite Malaysian place in Melbourne and is one of the most popular places for its curry laksa. It started off as a humble dingy place next to a "Blockbuster" with dirty floors and a small number of tables. Since its renovation, it has now taken over the space of where "Blockbuster" used to be and expanded to a large open restaurant with a lively ambience and fresh new look with ample staff and shiny new surroundings.

This restaurant is reasonably well priced and doesn't have that crap staff issue that a lot of asian places have. The staff is made up of mainly young asian uni students, thus the IQ of the restaurant has a pretty high average...that being said, why aren't they home practicing the violin or piano?

There are usually a whole lot of asian people in this place so that is a definite plus! Just in case you don't know, this is how (we) asians know whether an asian restaurant is good or not...I'm going to call it the "white noise" balance (or imbalance as the case may be).

Roti canai with satay sauce (1)

Starters at Laksa King are a must. I've tried their Roti canai and Vietnamese spring rolls and both a delicious. The roti (flat bread) is soft and flaky accomapnied by a delicate satay sauce. After one bite with the sauce you'll begin to realise how moorish it all is and it'll soon disappear as your friends try to steal more than their fair share...so next time, leave them behind.

Vietnamese spring rolls (1)

The spring rolls come with the usual suspects of accessories, ie. lettuce, vietnamese mint and dipping sauce. Unfortunately, unlike my Thy Thy spring roll experience, the amount and size of lettuce is a little disappointing as too modestly cut portions can make eating the spring rolls seem a little stingy. They're still very tasty though even with this tiny gripe. 

Laksa King offers a number of different curry laksa on their menu, 10 to be precise. With this amount of choice, pretty much every curry laksa taste has been catered for. I'm a simpleton when it comes to laksa, or just food in general, so I stick to the chicken curry laksa. It's extremely tasty and comes with eggplant, bean curd, fried shallots, chopped basil on a bed of rice vermicelli. The broth is rich, yet not overpowering and the spiciness of the curry will be suitable for most people. I like having extra heat in mine so I add sambal (Malaysian shrimp paste) to spice it up a bit.

Chicken curry laksa (1)

Beef with crispy noodles (1)

I have also been quite a fan of their combination crispy noodles over the years. There's always a terrific crunch to their fried egg noodles and the combination of vegetables to protein is very decent. I personally usually order the combination but only ask for beef and they're happy to oblige. As you'll see from the photo, the dish comes with protein, bok choy, carrots and mushrooms glazed with oyster sauce gravy.

This restaurant is one of the best places you'll ever come to in Melbourne, guaranteed. It's a cash only establishment, but don't worry, they've fixed that issue by placing an ATM in the restaurant itself. It's also generally busy during most of it's opening hours, especially dinner, so I recommend either get in early (especially if you're in a large group) or face what could be 15-20 minute wait...

...I'm sure bribing one of the (below minimum wage) waiters would fix that problem though.

(>_<)

Vietnamese spring rolls (3)

Vietnamese spring rolls (2)

Roti canai - close up

  

Roti canai with satay sauce (2)

Beef with crispy noodles (2)

Beef with crispy noodles (3)

Let's talk food...Thy Thy

Thy Thy
142 Victoria Street, Richmond

I've been frequenting Thy Thy for many years now, probably since early 2000. It's situated above an asian grocery on Victoria street, in an area pretty much known as being Vietnamese central...you may come across an occasional Chinese place and maybe one or two poor "white" establishments, but the majority is Vietnamese. 

Complimentary tea

The main reason I always frequent Thy Thy is the service...Ok, so that's a lie, but having said that the service is above average for this type of establishment. I go because it's very cheap and it's very tasty...granted, they probably use a whole lot of MSG but you know what, I'll live...Prices have risen steadily since 2000 but are still on the fairly low side and they give you complimentary tea which should be a given, but I know of many places where it isn't...

Chicken spring rolls

Spring rolls are a general favourite starter of mine. It's kind of one of those "you really don't need to ask" type of things. The menu offers either pork, chicken or vegetarian spring rolls.

  

Ooh, look! Visual representation...

I'm going to assume everybody has had a spring roll at some point in their life so I won't bore you with the particulars of how to eat one. Then again, I suppose I should probably accommodate the most ignorant of readers/diners...

...but I'm not going to...

   

Condiments (Lettuce, Vietnamese mint, bean shoots, 
chilli and lemon)

It wasn't until recently that I really embraced the Vietnamese mint as I thought it was just fairly tasty with just the spring roll, lettuce and dipping sauce combination. The mint however as this freshness and balance that perfectly complements the ensemble and now it just seems wrong without it.

  

Bean shoots and mint close up

(as a total aside, I love my Olympus camera! It has 5 filter settings including pop art,   dramatic tone, pin hole, diorama and greyscale. The super macro works a treat too!

<= This is the pin hole setting)

  

Dipping sauce

I'm not 100% sure what's in the dipping sauce, but I guess saying slithers of carrots wouldn't really help. Oh, it also has some chilli seeds in it too.

All I know is that it's really tasty and gives a subtle sweetness to the overall taste.

Egg noodle soup with sliced BBQ pork

As I've said in previous posts, I'm a creature of habit. For Thy Thy, this usually means a large bowl of sliced B.B.Q (or B.B.O as in the menu) pork with egg noodle soup. As you can see in the photo it's also got some floaty slices of spring onion and celery. If you're lucky (or unlucky, as I see it) you may also get chunks of minced pork balls floating around your bowl. Sound appetising?

Phở Tai

On one particular occasion I decided to fight my laziness and try something different. I went for their Phở Tai (rare beef with rice noodles soup) as it's one of those standard Vietnamese noodle soup dishes that everybody has.

It came with thin rice noodles with coriander laden on top, as well as slices of spring onion and regular onion.

Slightly chewing beef

The beef was lean and above average but I think it was a little on the "hard to chew" side. I'm being particularly picky though, so please don't let that scare you off from ordering it if you go.

The only other criticism I have for the meal was the broth. I've had divine Phở broth in the past that was clear and made you feel cleansed. Unfortunately the Thy Thy one won't get you to that level but may rather leave you feeling a little on the oily side. It's perfectly drinkable and tasty, but have a look at the close up for yourself and you'll see what I mean.

Imperfect broth

All in all, Thy Thy is a great place to bring your friends for a cheap good meal where it doesn't matter how much you order as it won't brake the bank! It's very popular with the "white" community (which is not a criticism, just an observation) and a place that I think you'd thoroughly enjoy!...go for the food, not for the ambience! 

(>_<)

Mmm...noodles...

Mmm...spooned noodles...

Bye bye Thy Thy

Let's talk food...Sugardough

Sugardough

163 Lygon Street, Brunswick

If you're looking for food decadence then you've definitely come to the right place with Sugardough. They describe themselves as a panificio and patisserie...It is full of delights from bomboloni, cornetti, muffins, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, biscotti, slices...oh and the list goes on.

The thing that really takes the cake, and probably attribute to an onset of early diabetes is the RIDICULOUSLY rich Italian hot chocolate. Think chocolate Yogo that's been melted into a cup and you're heading in the right direction...Sweet things is just one half of what they do. There's of course the savoury side too with pies, sausage rolls, tarts, pizzas, soups and a range of breakfast items as well.

On this particular occasion a friend and I indulged in some afternoon tea and sweets...

   

Vanilla cupcake (1)

Quite small was this vanilla treat yet so sweet and fluffy it was. The icing so delicate and soft it just melted in your mouth...

 

Vanilla cupcake (2)...close up!

Warning: staring at large photo of the close up of vanilla cupcake may cause some serious jealousy and possible tongue on screen action.

Earl grey to wash the cupcake down

I love a cup of Earl Grey tea...probably been programmed into me from watching all those episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation...damn you Patrick Stewart!

Cupcake miraculously disappears...

 

Half of a chocolate brownie

This chocolate brownie may look quite dense but it is still quite easy to cut through with a lovely soft chewy centre. It's packed with chocolate goodness that may just make you feel sickly after a while.

Chocolate brownie close up

My friend couldn't get through her half so she decided to have it "take away" and save it for later...when she wasn't looking I kindly relieved her of it...you would've done the same! :-P

If you're on Lygon street and you feel like something sweet, there's no reason for you not to visit this place. It's a charming little place with a outdoor section in the back and it's fairly reasonably priced, however some items I do raise my eyebrows to considering the size of things...but that's just my Asian "value for money" stinginess creeping out...

Anyway, to misquote Justin Timberlake, Sugardough is bringing Diabetes back (but in a good way...)

(>_<)

Sugardough interior

Let's talk food...Small Block

Let's talk food...

First things first...I'm a creature of habit and am usually reluctant to try new things...some people would call this boring but I call it "go f*ck yourself"...

The above is not entirely true as I will try new things, but I also like what I know...

I'm going to start with one of my two favourite places in the suburb of Brunswick in Melbourne. This is a fantastic café that has a lot to answer for with me adding to my waist line, but it's so worth it!

Small Block
130 Lygon Street, Brunswick

Interior wall

Steaming long black!

I'm not a coffee drinker so I can't comment on what the standard is like, however all the people that I have frequented this place with have said it's very good. 

Hot Chocolate

Me, I'm a hot chocolate person. It seems like a kids kind of drink or something you'd only order on a cold winter's day, but it's what I order. Try to limit it to one a day though otherwise I get milk regret...

Pesto and feta scrambled eggs with bacon and hash brown (1)

Pesto and feta scrambled eggs with bacon and hash brown (2)

Speaking of regret, those pesto and feta scrambled eggs are to die for, and depending on your egg tolerance it may give you egg regret, so be warned! The highly compact potato slithered hash brown is also highly recommended and the proportion of bacon is well balanced. 

    

Pesto and feta scrambled eggs with bacon and hash brown (3)

I think that breakfast set me back  about $15.50 + $3.50 for the hot chocolate...pretty reasonable!


 (>_<)

Taking the plunge...

Hello blogging world!!!

Ok, so I'm a little slow to jump on the blogging bandwagon, and when I say slow, I mean that the way I see it, the blogging world has evolved to a point where they've started putting people on Uranus while I'm just learning how ride a bike for the first time.

I'm foo(d)manchoo. Don't let the name fool you, I'm actually quite asianly racist, but only when it comes to myself, in a self-deprecating kind of way! (>_<) Somebody very close to me suggested I start up a food blog as I was filling up my Facebook gallery with a whole lot of photos of meals that I had been eating while back in Melbourne. My response to them was that I only liked taking photos of food but not really talking about them...and here we are...

I don't really care who reads this as, in a way, this will be somewhat therapeutic for me and I will try and restrain from filtering what I say here as much as possible. Having said that, if you end up enjoying the photos that I upload then that's a plus.

When I was in Sydney about a month ago, I lost my Olympus XZ-1 camera in the back of a taxi. I was fairly pissed as one often is when they lose something of importance. Anyway, in my sadness in the days to follow I ended up re-purchasing the same model and have been snapping away ever since. I love sharing the photos I take and I hope whoever ends up reading these blogs will enjoy them as much as I like taking them.

foo(d)manchoo (>_<)

Chicken satay from Mamak, Chinatown, Sydney