Sapa Hills

After spending time in Vietnam earlier this year, my fondness for the Vietnamese cuisine had grown even more so. What's not to love about fresh herbs, tasty broths and rice noodles (a surprising weakness of mine)? When I returned home I did not want a break from it... I wanted more and the real deal at that! My parents thought they'd nip my craving in the bud and take me to Sapa Hills. Real deal I ask? Well they gave me just that!

Especially after this trip, I have an even greater appreciation for how lucky we are in Melbourne to have access to the variety of cuisines that we do and not only that, but also the authenticity of the cuisine on offer - staying true to tradition. Sapa Hills is in Footscray, the Vietnamese capital of the Western suburbs. If you want a great Vietnamese meal or fresh ingredients to make your own - Footscray is the place to go!

At Sapa Hills they serve traditional spring rolls - that is wrapped in rice paper and fried. At a first glance of the menu, my entrée was immediately decided!

While on my travels we went on quite a pho journey and dining at Sapa Hills, I again couldn't resist ordering the beef pho. There's something about the combination of broth, rice noodles, sliced beef and adding a selection of herbs, sauces and bean shoots to your delight that makes this simple dish so tasty and allowing patrons to customise it in accordance to their individual taste (personally I'm a huge bean shoot fan and will pile them on for that crispy texture!). 

I have since returned to this eatery countless times now and with every meal choice, I am continuously impressed!

 

Back to School

It's Friday night after a long week at work. I'm about to head to the footy with a friend... he's supporting the opposition team and we need to get a good feed in before some good ol' fashioned rivalry!

What better option to fill us up than burgers we decide. Do we have time to head over to Caulfield? Sure do... and we're off!

Driving over to Melbourne's South-East we make it to our food stop at Tuck Shop Take Away. This school canteen vibe makes me feel like I'm back at work teaching, amused by the dotted-thirds and mixed lolly variety milkshakes - I am certainly struck with an immediate fondness.

The busy shop is buzzing with patrons excited for the weekend and Thanking God It's Friday, that we are not surprised there is a line to order and a 30 minute wait time. We are not phased though, as this gives us a chance to scope out a seat and catch up on events from the week... and before we know it, our meal is served!

I ordered the Minor burger while my friend went all out and added free range bacon and egg to his. We also added a basket of hand cut fries on the side, a Redskin Milkshake and a Passiona Soda.

The burgers were certainly tasty and non-greasy and I definitely believe you can never have too many sesame seeds... with sesame seeds both on the top and bottom of their buns, I would have to say that the Tuck Shop Take Away guys agree too!

I felt like a kid again sipping on sugary drinks and licking my fingers. It was definitely a great way to dine at the end of the week in this relaxed and casual environment... and to top it off, my team won!

A great night all 'round!

  

Kong BBQ

The Lucas Group have many great things to offer in Melbourne's dining world and one weekend of exploring lead us to one of them - Kong BBQ.

On a cruisy Sunday afternoon, roaming down Church St, Richmond looking for a bite to eat, a friend and I peer into the windows at the long, sunlit dining tables of Kong. After a discussion of making future plans to dine here "one day", we soon decide no time better than the present and slip straight through their entrance ready for an Oriental BBQ inspired feast.

After being greeted by friendly staff and seated, we were soon looking over at our surrounding tables at the delicious meals of other diners. In that instant, our eyes lit up with excitement of the choices on offer!

I was immediately sold with the Vietnamese bao inspired buns and could focus on nothing else - so we ordered the Spicy Pork Belly and the Smoked Brisket Buns to start.

For main we thought, we'd go for a shared dining experience and have the BBQ Tray, which featured a variety of marinated meats with lettuce leaves and relishes. There was more than enough on this tray for 2 people and every component was flavoursome, with the lettuce leaves creating the perfect balance to wrap up all the tasty goodness. I must say though, we did in particular scoop up every last drop of the Walnut Ssamjang!

This casual, walk-in dining experience certainly wasn't the lazy Sunday afternoon we had planned - but oh so much better!

Take me to Naples

On a cold night in Melbourne, there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good ol' carb load to help keep warm... and what better way to do so than with authentic Sicilian cuisine. 

Located in Ascot Vale, this award winning pizzeria knows how to take care of their customers, with traditional wood-fired pizzas and pasta that tastes just like Nonna's!

On my first visit to Scoozi we were kindly advised by staff that unfortunately there will not be pizzas served that night as their pizza chef is away... but with good reason. Their chef and owner Phillip Bruno was attending the Las Vegas Pizza Expo among other great AVPN accredited chefs from around the world!

More than happy to try the restaurant's other great selections, my friend and I had Pasta Asciutta Con Broccoli and Salsa Fresca, which were both delicious and full of fresh flavours. Back-tracking however, I must not miss our entrée - olives to share (which I can never miss) and the most delicious Eggplant Parmigiana I have ever tasted. Every bite melted in my mouth and before we had even finished our serving, we were already deciding to return to order this again! 

Scoozi is one of two Melbourne AVPN certified pizzerias for their Napoletana Pizza, which I had the delight of trying on my second visit. To meet the criteria and be accredited this prestigious award, a Naples-style pizza is to be cooked in a stone wood-fired oven at 400 degrees and cooked to perfection in under 2 minutes! 

Again, ordering an entrée of Eggplant Parmigiana, as we had promised our taste buds along with another girlfriend who we insisted on tasting it also - we were again taken to Sicilian heaven. 

And then it was time for the main event. The award winning pizza was ordered for my main and I can definitely see why this establishment has received all its praise. The buffalo mozzarella was perfectly melted and the base thinly rolled with a flawless rise at the crust. 

But we were not done here, we still had to try to squeeze in dessert because you can never be too full for Nutella Pizza! 

Mid-week mischief...

What better way to spend a balmy summer's night in Melbourne, making the most of daylight savings, than hitting The Night Market at Queen Victoria Market.

With street food from all over the world, vintage threads and home-made nick-nacks... not to mention a sangria stand... the market is the perfect cure for the hump day blues!

The biggest question to ask yourself when you first walk into the swirling aromas of international cuisine is... "where to begin?" My personal game plan during the tough decision-making process is to first make my way through the crowd and do a lap exploring all the delicious options for dinner, and last week was no different.

After a long day at work, a fellow teacher and I headed to the market with a huge appetite and decided on the perfect plan for optimal tasting opportunities... nothing other than the simple gesture of sharing!

To start off the night (after our first lap of the place), I stuck to my Night Market tradition and headed to the sangria stand... this time however slightly straying from my regular order and ordering a white wine sangria. The sweet, apple flavour of this Spanish delight could not be described any other way than summer in a cup!

Now that we had icy cold beverages to keep our taste buds happy while we waited in line, it was time to tackle the tough decision-making. My friend and I shared in a multi-cultural feast of Hammer & Tong's soft-shell crab burger, an Afghan BBQ of chicken and corn and chickpea chips influenced from the south of France.... and to finish off the night a gelato dessert of blood orange and Tim Tam!

A highlight would definitely have to be the soft-shell crab. The crab melts in your mouth at every bite and sits on a bed of cabbage for that extra crunch!

The Night Market is running for an extended season until March 26th and is on every Wednesday night. With over 60 food stalls to get through, you better get started now to try all the amazing tastes that this market has to offer!