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!