Sataybar – Indonesian lunch bar- City

Cuisine: Indonesian market food
Address/Phone: 10 Manchester Lane (9663 0322)
and cnr Flinders Lane and Custom House Lane (9629 1466)
Hours: 8am – 5pm (Manchester Lane also Friday evenings)
Parking: In the city? Forget it!
Licence: Beer and wine


The first time I had satay was in another century, in a NZ town where the most exotic thing to be found was the ubiquitous Chinese restaurant that still served sliced white bread with the meal. My brother made friends with a new boy in his class, he was Dutch and his family had lived in a far off place called Indonesia. One night we were all invited over to his house for a grand feast featuring exotic spices and flavours that I had never tasted before. The biggest hit of the evening was the skewers of chicken with luxurious peanut sauce. I had entered Satay Heaven!

These days neither peanuts nor chicken rate highly on my list of favourite foods. But for some time I had heard about a wonderful cheap eatery that devoted itself to satay worshipping and kept meaning to break out of my regular lunchtime circuit to trek over to a less familiar part of town to sample its wares. Before I had made it, the little beauties opened a second outlet right smack bang on my way to “Sushi 10” and “The Organic Food and Wine Deli”. How lucky was I!

The Manchester Lane Sataybar is a skinny rectangle of laneway real estate. It’s squeezy but groovy and as yet I’ve never heard a dud tune coming out of the stereo. The handful of tables lining one side of the place run on tracks to create flexible seating which sounds like a good idea, but unless you are really, really fat (and lets face it, too many satays and that could happen to the best of us) the gap between the fixed bench seat and the table is ergonomically uncomfortable and those itty bitty paper serviettes wont do much to stop the sauce splatters as the forkful travels from plate to mouth. That grumble aside the food is fab and the lustrous peanut sauce, they promise, is made fresh each day.

The menu is small and simple, revolving around – you guessed it – satay skewers with peanut sauce. The regular choices are chicken (regular or sweet), lamb, prawn, tofu, vegie or spicy beef. There are daily specials that often include kangaroo. You can just graze on 1 or a number of skewers at $2 a pop or grab a meal package. I have to admit I go there so often that I just need to nod and they know I want a “small tofu” – 2 skewers of tofu, rice, salad and the wondrous sauce. The large version is 3 of any skewers, rice, salad, sauce and krupuk (those tasty polystyrene like vegie crackers).

Beverage wise Sataybar boasts coffee java (including soy for the lactose intolerant), a range of local and Indonesian beers and non-alcoholic drinks. There is also tea and wine. There are also $2 sweet bites of traditional delicacies.

What more can I say? The food is consistently good, despite the small menu it can suit both those who under eat (“just 1 vegie skewer please”) or like to gorge on a bigger meal. It will suit both vegans and carnivores. Though currently it’s only a lunch venue, the Manchester Lane branch is open on Friday nights for those who want to drink and graze after work.

Darn it, why did I review this place? I’ll never get a seat there at lunchtime now!

Update: The Satay Bar guys got an offer too good to refuse on the Manchester Lane branch and closed ironically on the day The Age listed them as a hot bar to check out. The original venue is still in full swing and there are promises of a new CBD location opening early 2008. Watch this space!

Colmao Flamenco

60 Johnston St Fitzroy 3065
(03) 9417 4131
Open: 7 days 6pm-1am
Closed: Good Friday, Christmas Day, New Years
Licensed, BYO, Corkage $3.5 Bottle
Cards All
Seats inside 50, Seats outside 18

The ‘Flamenco’ is one of the most vibrant, passionate and exciting dances – so it stands to reason that any restaurant clever enough to incorporate the word ‘flamenco’ in its name, would try to embody as many of those attributes as possible. Just like the legendary dance, Colmao Flamenco relies heavily on tradition – for the dance it’s cultural, for the restaurant it’s family.

Situated in the Spanish quarter of Melbourne, on the busy Johnston St, Colmao is easily discernable from the other little restaurants jostling for shoulder space – it’s the one with the cute flamenco dancer doll in the window. It was Friday night so we were prepared for the place to be packed, as it always is on the weekend, and sure enough when we walked in without a reservation the waitress smiled and took my mobile number to call me in 20 minutes when they had a table free. So the boy and I walked out and into the next door bar to have a Corona and listen to the band tune up for later.

20 minutes later and we’re seated on comfortably padded chairs in a much quieter restaurant. On the table we had salt, pepper, cutlery and cloth napkins – yay! Our menus were delivered and we settled back to decide on food. I had heard of the Sangria from Colmao before – almost the stuff of legend around Melbourne … and surely the drink of choice at the annual Latin Festival (in November). We ordered a litre ($15) which came in a real ceramic jug accompanied by two matching tumblers – perfect for keeping the Sangria chilled.

There is the menu with a selection of cold and hot entrees followed by the meat, fish and specialty dishes, there is also a blackboard above the bar with recommended dishes and then a ‘daily specials’ further left of the main board. In the menu you can choose from empanadas, fried sardines, patatas bravas, chorizo skewers, marinated green olives and octopus in tomato sauce. We chose the chorizo skewers and cod-fish fritters (from the recommended board) – the sausages were nicely grilled and smoky with paprika, a little chewy for my liking but the boy liked them. I really enjoyed the fritters, which came in a tiny tapas pan, all golden and fluffy swimming in a rich tomato and garlic sauce which begged for bread to sop up … mmmm..

So many mains to choose from but for us we couldn’t go past paella – that wonderfully golden Valencian dish of rice studded with chunks of chicken, fresh sweet prawns, New Zealand green-lipped mussels, olives and gloriously tender strips of calamari. The serving is for two – and believe me when I tell you its enough – can easily feed four. The rice was cooked perfect for a paella, some people complain when they encounter a bite to the rice, expecting a more risotto-like feel in the mouth but it’s normal for paella to have some al dente.

As full as you will undoubtedly be, you will have room for chocolate con churros (Spanish donuts with dipping chocolate). Four strips of dough deep-fried and tossed in cinnamon sugar cuddled up to a tiny shot-glass of melted chocolate – surely if there is a heaven and this is the dessert they serve for afternoon tea. Any dessert that lures you to stick your finger in the almost empty chocolate glass and lick with moans of pleasure will get my vote any day.

Piadina Slowfood, Melbourne, CBD

Type: Epicurean Café

Address: 57 Lonsdale St (Rear )Melbourne 3000 VIC

Phone: (03) 9662 2277

Open: Monday to Friday 6am -5pm

Piadina Slowfood in Adjectives
Warming, home style/traditional, comforting, eclectic, fresh, fucking scrumptious.


Being a city office worker, you become familiar with the limited menu choices offered to you by the cafes surrounding your office. It is the blight of your concrete dwelling existence that you are reduced to consuming hard ciabatta rolls filled with fried schnitzels and arugula; or substandard sushi with tuna that doesn’t taste fresh nor in fact tuna like at all.

And please, let us not get into the discussion of juice bars either. I’ve eaten hamburgers that are far healthier then some of the beverages these juicers churn out to the masses under the guise of well-being.

And the particular menu item mentioned above honestly did say arugula instead of rocket/roquette in what I can only assume was an attempt to distance its own replicated menu from the other 986 other cafes frequented by the workers of the city of Melbourne.

So it came as a pleasant surprise to me the other day when I stumbled across a small review in one of the weekend newspaper supplements about a café called Piadina Slowfood that was but a short stroll from the place where I work.

This same Piadina Slowfood review mentioned meatball stuffed piadina’s with shaved Romano cheese that were so extraordinary; the reviewer continued to go back daily for his lunch. Also, this particular reviewer was a chef at one of the finest dining establishments in this fair city. A decent review, if I have ever read one.

But before we continue, please read this again.

Meatball stuffed piadina’s with shaved Romano cheese.







Did you feel that?






You did?

Don’t be frightened of that feeling, it’s just your tastebuds asserting themselves and making you feel culinary aroused.


Now, as an office worker who has been denied the gastronomic pleasures of good fucking lunch food, the idea that someone could create superior lunches for the office packs whilst still maintaining affordability and variety was a revelation to me. I have truly missed that feeling of awakening that only good food can bring.

And no one knows like an office worker that the only thing you have to look forward to in your day is your lunch break.

So today I was pleased to become financially replenished with my pay deposited into my bank account and a long overdue catch up with a dear friend to inspire me; we decide to hit Piadina Slowfood for lunch.

Piadina Slowfood specialises in just that; piadinas (Italian flat bread not unlike pide/pita) and dishes keeping with the slowfood philosophy such as currys, stews, bakes or as I like to call slowfood “grub that takes a lot of time and a lot of love”.

My chum had the pleasure of eating at Piadina Slowfood previously and had suggested that we get there earlier as seating is sparse.

Heading west down Lonsdale Street, about 200 metres from the Spring Street intersection, a small pedestrian alley way on the left will lead you to your new favourite lunch spot.

At the rear of No. 57, glass windows steamed by the tagines, pots, pans and coffee machine welcome you to this positively tiny establishment. We take a step down into the café to see only 2 tables, crammed with people eating hot lunches with the look on their faces of contented satisfaction. Was it the look of relief? Comfort even? Who cares actually, these people looked happy just because they were eating something real and I already knew I liked this place.

And then the smell hits you. The sweetness of cooked onion and basil mixed with the pungent pull of curry, red meats and tomato.

I looked at my companion and mouthed the words “Oh. My. Lord” as the heady aroma of cooking smells hits my brain. She just smiled at me and said “I told you so, didn’t I?”

As the coffee machines hisses and pans clang in the minuscule open kitchen, I look around at the surrounds and at the windows facing onto the laneway. Sitting below the windows are rows of fresh vegetables lined up to be used in today’s lunch pot. One window was crowded by butternut pumpkins while the other surrounded by cauliflowers. A tower of Italian pomodoro tins separated the two. It reminded me of the provincial delis and market places I have visited in Europe where you can see and touch what you will eventually eat.




The wait staff, who all have kiwi accents and are all ridiculously gorgeous offer us a small table outside. Although the middle of winter in Melbourne, I take consolation in the fact that I am wearing a coat and I am about to indulge in some wintry comfort not unlike that of those that crowd the tables inside.

A chalked menu is pointed out which is written on the side wall of the building. I am told that the menu changes daily so if you order something today, you may never experience it again.

But what to order? There are only 12 things on the menu but each one is exactly what I feel like eating this very day. Such as the Japanese Curry or the pasta bake with provolone. Or the vegetable soup of the day or maybe the stuffed capsicums filled with risotto. There is a range of pre-made sarnies on the front counter but what I really came here for was the hot piadina’s.

I order a piadina with prochiutto, leek, tomato and cheese which I believe was mozzarella. I was delighted that the bread wasn’t so crisp that it would snap if I cut it or graze my inner cheek if I bit it. It was grilled nicely leaving the contents of the piadina warm and soft; the cheese melted but still firm enough that it didn’t slide off my cutlery. The tomato base was marinated in garlic and basil which left a delicate after taste.

My companion ordered the sausage curry pie which was presented as a hearty slice from a larger pie. The crust was crunchy and golden whilst the contents of the pie were robust and not overly liquidy with gravy. The sausages appeared home made.

Coffee followed after lunch and I was delighted to find that the drop was a cut above. Someone in this place knows how to make a real cup o’ jo! Add to that my joy at stirring my cup with a Charles and Diana commemorative wedding teaspoon and my lunch bill tally being a measly $11, my splendiferous dining experience was complete.

I can’t specifically tell you what it is about Piadina Slowfood that pique’s my interest so. Sure, the food is completely unbelievable and reminds me somewhat of the creations made by my ethnic ancestors and I do adore a tiny laneway secret that Melbourne hides so well within its walls.

I think what I find is so enchanting about it is that it is a lunch time place, a venue where you can shut away the mundane for 30 minutes while you enjoy a moment of soothing indulgence. And they say food is a massage for the soul, and the clock watchers of the world need that more then anything.

Tandoori Den - Camberwell - Indian Cuisine (Tandoor)

Venue: Tandoori Den
Address: 261-263 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, ph: 9813 2598
Parking: On Road
Opening Hours: Lunch Tues-Fri from 12 noon, Dinner Tues-Sun 6pm-10:30pm. Take-away menu available.
Price Range: $6-$18 Entree, $10-$15 main meals, $2-$13 side dishes and breads ($4 rice for two), $4-$5 dessert. Minimum charge of $20 per person on Friday and Saturday nights. BYO wine, $2 corkage per person.
Link: http://tandooriden.dining.com.au/store/page.pl?id=26

I met a lovely group of people from my place of work (and I'm not just saying that because one of them was my boss) at the Tandoori Den in Camberwell and the food was so fantastic that we all ate far too much and practically rolled out of the restaurant.

On a chilly Wednesday night I parked my car on Riversdale Road and made my way around the corner at Camberwell Junction to the Tandoori Den with my boss. The last time we all had dinner out together as a team was just before Christmas so it was high time that we had some quality social time together without interruption from our clients.

The choice of restaurant was given to the newest member of our team as he is currently reliant on public transport. The tram he catches to work each day goes past this restaurant which had been recommended by a friend and, I was led to believe, it is also in The Age's Good Food Guide which boded well for a fabulous evening.

Having looked up the menu on the web (see the link at the top of the page) in the week or so beforehand there had been major discussions of the dishes on offer while people made up their minds which dishes they wanted to try. Some people made arrangements to share dishes so that they could try a number of different things. We had a Vegetarian with us also and she was well catered for. On the day, one of the team especially wore pants with an elasticised waistband in preparation for the feeding frenzy. (We all take our food pretty seriously.)

The favourite dish of the night was the Coconut Crab. The recipe for this is posted in the window of the restaurant and the team was emailed a copy of it by one of its more enthusiastic consumers. (If anyone is interested I can post it as a comment?) The crab is mixed/blended with various ingredients (coconut, ginger, chilli and onion) to a paste-like consistency and this creamy paste is dolloped into potato skins to serve. I tried the Garlic Tandoori Prawns for entree - beautiful.

For main meal I had the Palak Beef - beef pieces cooked with fresh creamed spinach - and a Garlic Naan with a shared side of Saffron Rice. Other dishes ordered included the Vegetarian Dahl Masala with a side of Raita and more Garlic Naan, Chicken Malbari and a Kashmiri Naan, Makhani Lamb, Dahl Gohst and a couple of other things I lost track of on our heavily loaded table.

The Garlic Naan was some of the best I have ever eaten. It was fresh, light, not overcooked, buttery and garlicky and, not wanting it to go to waste, I probably ate far more of it than I should have. It had been freshly prepared in the Tandoor oven - the chef made the bread and cooked it in front of us. The Palak Beef was melt-in-the-mouth, moist and tender meat surrounded by a fragrantly spicy spinach sauce. Mm! I couldn't finish it all but I gave it a very good shot.

Of course I then had no room for a dessert of my own but was able to taste a piece of someone else's Pistachio Kulfi. Having never tried a Kulfi before, I was intrigued. Kulfi is a type of ice-cream but made with coconut milk/cream (I think) and the Pistachio version has crushed pistachio nuts while the Mango Kulfi has blended mango as the flavouring. (If there are any other traditional flavours, please feel free to let me know - I'm definitely interested.)

I was informed that the Pistachio Kulfi was not of a fabulous standard by some of the others at the table and the following week one of the team brought some in that they had made at home to their own recipe which was, I agreed, better than the one offered by the restaurant. The day after the Pistachio some Mango Kulfi also appeared at work and someone else had been inspired to cook some pappadums in the microwave. (I told you we take our food seriously.)

We all had an excellent dinner and enjoyed the evening immensely. The wait staff were attentive, the portions generous, the food amazing and the company was just lovely. It lived up to and exceeded our expectations. My only (minor) complaint is that the bathrooms were in need of a little fixing up - I like a cubicle door to close and lock easily - and if/when that happens they get five out of five. For now, though...

Four and three-quarters out of five Bollywood starlets.

Reviewed by Riss.

Co Do - Vietnamese & Chinese Restaurant - Richmond

196 Victoria Street
Richmond
Phone (03) 9421 2418
Open 7 days (9am - 10.30pm)
Definition: Cheap & Cheerful

Finding a good meal at 9.30pm on a rainy Sunday night might prove problematic in some parts of town. But Victoria Street, Richmond (or Little Saigon as it's affectionately known), is always open with a stunning array of cheap and cheerfuls to choose from.

As J and I wandered up the street we came upon Minh Tan 2, which had been given a two star rating and quip "bustling vietnamese/chinese" in the Cheap Eats guide. Unfortunately I didn't think it lived up to it's Cheap Eats recommedation on this occassion. We stood at the "Please wait to be seated" sign for no less than five minutes. I made friendly "I would love to be seated" eyes at no less than six waiters/waitresses. But not one of them acknowledged our presence. Five minutes gives you a lot of time to look around a place, and when I noticed quite a few unhappy patrons, a grotty looking kitchen pass, an overflowing bin right in the entry and extremely sad looking dumplings in the display case, I decided that I really didn't want to eat at this establishment. So we turned tail and walked out the door.

Alas, not two shops up from Minh Tan 2 was Co Do, a charming little Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant that appeared both cosy and inviting. On entering the establishment we were warmly welcomed by staff, shuffled to one of the last free tables and promptly served a cup of steaming tea. There was a happy buzz about the place; uni students creating a ruckus in one corner, an extended Vietnamese family talking it up in the other, lots of mates getting together for a feed, a spattering of couples, and even a few singles.

The table accoutrement was quite utilitarian/amusing. On a small tray one found pots of chopsticks and spoons - a matter of help yourself and use as many as you like. There was the usual salt and pepper shakers, soy sauce and fresh sliced chilli. And then there was the stainless steel pot of chilli and oil, a lethal concotion that should be identified with a biohazard sticker. I fear the stainless steel receptacle was born out of necessity and not aesthetics. Next to this was a serviette tissue box, which I assume was to mop up any hazardous spills should they occur.

The menu here is huge. Whilst the Hue Traditional Vietnamese Style Chilli Beef Soup sounded scrumptious in title, the ingredient list made me think twice; sliced beef, pork, beef loaf, pork loaf, blood. Uh huh. Blood. Yeah I know...it's all the same as meat at the end of the day. But the last time I ate blood I was four years old, and my Italian grandmother (who believed that pigs blood held some magical health property), tricked me in to consuming it by mixing it with chocolate/hazelnut Nutella spread. Urgh. Bleh. I'm scarred for life.

Anyway, I digress.

The menu covers everything from noodle soups (with or without blood), normal soups, rice dishes, rice vermicelli dishes, dropped rice noodle soups, rice noodle soups, egg noodle soups, fried rice or egg noodles - and that's just one side of the menu! Then you go on to pork, beef, chicken, prawn, squid, fish, scallop, duck, omelette, steam boat, combination and vegetable dishes. Phew!

So we decided to play it simple. It was 9.30pm and the stomach wasn't up to anything too adventurous.


Entree was a tasty batch of Vegetable Spring Rolls, served with a side of crisp iceberg lettuce and thai basil / mint. A beautiful sweet/salty/fishy dipping sauce was the accompaniment. J, who is a huge chilli connoisseur, decided to brave the stainless steel receptacle and try the chilli oil. Immediately on consumption balls of sweat appeared on his shaven head, his eyes started to water and turn red, and a big grin appeared on his face. He had found his match.



Not a minute after finishing the spring rolls, our main dishes arrived. First up, a tasty serve of Chinese Broccoli in oyster sauce. How can so simple a dish be utter perfection? Eating a dish like this with a side of steamed rice is what Nigella would term "temple food". Mmm.



Our other dish was Sliced Beef with Chilli and Lemongrass. The beef was super tender and gently spiced with chilli (...and yes, J reached for the chilli pot. Again). But what I really liked about the dish was that it was served with a mixture of stir-fried vegetables and crisp salad vegetables eg. cucumber, lettuce hearts and pickled carrots. I thought the vinegary carrots were a fantastic compliment to the dish.

The steamed rice was bottomless, as was the tea, and we were kept in plentiful supply of both without ever having to ask for more. Speaking of which, the front of house staff were quite something. Genuine smiles. Happy chats/banter. And most importantly they operated with that special "waiters peripheral vision". It is a commendable achievement.

All up our dinner cost $29.00, which I believe nominates it for Cheap Eats status. But I'll go one step further and nominate it for Cheap and Cheerful Eats status. It rocked.

Post originally published in tummy rumbles.

Rathdowne Street Food Store, Food Store-y Style (Modern Australian? Bit of Italian/French), North Carlton

617 Rathdowne St
Carlton North
Tel (03) 9347 4064
E rathdowne_foodstore@bigpond.com
Mon-Fri 8 am – 10 pm
Sat-Sun 8 am – 5 pm
Cost: Breakfast/Lunch around $25+

It seems like I have been going to the Rathdowne Street Food Store my entire life. Actually, it's been roughly half, which is very good going in the inner city where rising rents have forced a lot of the original restauranters out of the game.
I used to get hot chocolates at the Food Store as a teenager when my mum worked across the road, we'd bring our own mugs in and walk down the street with them. Environmental, we were in the '90s.
And when I was slogging away through my honours year, and was really depressed in winter cooped up in my cold house trying to write about Virginia Woolf, I would go and get takeaway stew and mashed potatoes from the Food Store, and although it was ridiculously expensive for an arts student who paid her way by attempting to teach Koreans English and getting artists drunk on cask wine at openings, it was worth every cent for the comfort it brought.
And no matter how many times I hear they've gone downhill, or the food's not as good as it used to be, I always have an excellent meal everytime I go there.
So the other Saturday morning, post-Friday night housewarming party, I awoke at a frightfully early hour on my friends' single mattress on their living room floor. My friend Kate groaned from her own single mattress next to mine 'oh god I'm so hungover. How am I supposed to write today?' We both are no good at keeping promises to only have one drink and go home early to write that article/chapter we have to do by Monday. When we finally woke up properly, some hours later, our friend Mia was sitting at the kitchen counter, diligently tapping away at her laptop. Mia always goes to bed early and is a Very Good Girl. But then again, she writes about fashion so it's not really so hard, is it, it's more like fun, really.
Anyway, to shut us up mostly I think, Mia mentioned the words 'bacon and eggs' and I remembered it was my birthday. 'Forget B&E!' I shouted 'You all know my favourite food of all time, the entire reason I have a French boyfriend?' 'What has that got to do with bacon and eggs?' asked Mia. 'Isn't it obvious?' I demanded 'BECAUSE I was under the misguided impression that he would cook me SOMETHING everyday.' They looked fairly blank and not a tad unsure I wasn't going to suggest a nice breakfast of escargot and frog's legs. 'Continue' said Kate, cautiously. 'CREPES! Let's go eat crepes! Hell knows my boyfriend won't make them for us. Let's go out for breakfast. I know a place nearby.'
So we wandered out. Sasha found a great what she termed '50s/80s frou-frou skirt' (she's currently very into what she has termed '50s/80s frou-frou', she thinks she's inventing her own new style, or something) at a garage sale along the way. The French place on Rathdowne St didn't do crepes (unbelievable, and it's too forgettable for me to remember its name), so we went down to the Rathdowne St Food Store, with me insisting that I remembered some sort of pancake thing with lavender icecream. Thank god Kate has the imagination and food curiosity that she does, as Mia and Sasha tried to go into several places on the way, but we ignored their cries of 'I'm starving!' and persisted.
And boy am I glad we did. 'Were they still serving breakfast at 2 o'clock in the afternoon?' Yes, they were, they serve it til five.
That ALONE is good enough for me, but this, well, get a load of this:

Ricotta hotcakes with poached pear and lavender icecream

Seriously, what else could you want on your birthday? They weren't crepes, but they were just as good. There's something about the sensual combination of hot buttery hotcakes with the poached pear and the lavender icecream, which isn't strongly lavender-infused, but is more like vanilla icecream with a subtle hint of something sweet and flowery and damn right yummy.
They've been making them for years, and to me there's really something comforting about a menu that doesn't change much. Just a bit of seasonal variation then and there, but all the best stuff stays put, so when you most need it, on a cold Saturday hungover afternoon when you are turning thirty, it's there, just like it was when you were 19.
We had our own table in our own little section, which you want at the RSFS, as it's kind of the place where you meet your godmother for lunch, only she's having lunch and you're only up to breakfast.
You don't really want to be around all those well-dressed 50 something women who look down their noses at you and your unbrushed hair, and possibly stench of alcohol from the night before. You want your own little corner with your mates and the friendly waitress with the red lipstick who takes one look at you and tells you the fresh juices they've got (pink grapefruit and pineapple, orange and pineapple, yes please, just bring it, quickly), and places in front of you a strong coffee (good, strong, but not too earth-shatteringly so) without the usual weekend interminable wait.
Normally I sit outside under the trees and dream of living in one of the wonderful old unrenovated huge terraces next door, and of being able to pop next door to the Food Store for freshly baked muffins, croissants and their incredible bread (which my mother gets for free on her morning walks, they don't forget their old time customers) and god knows what other delicacies when writing gets too much, but in winter they've got a nice fire up the back and it's very cosy and sophisticated without being overly pretentious.
The other girls had a lamb soup and bacon and eggs, which they demolished in under 2 minutes, then helped me finish my hotcakes, which they were simply amazed by. Particularly the lavender icecream.
As we were leaving, Kate, unable to resist their 'wall of food' at the counter, a display of mouth-watering biscuits and pies and stews and cigar-shaped chocolates, bought me a neenish tart which was without a doubt the best neenish tart I have ever had.

Overall, Rathdowne St. Food Store will never change and I hope it will be there for ever and ever.

Penang Coffee House

Penang Coffee House
395 Burwood Rd Hawthorn 3122
(03) 9819 2092

No Reservation Taken - Just get there and line up like everyone else.

The ‘chhhhhh’ of pungent curry paste hitting a red hot wok competes with ‘hhuuuuuuuu’ of the shaved-ice machine and the bubbly rumble of tofu and lo-bak deep frying in oil – the scents are always the same yet discernable to the knowing nose – yes, you have ventured into Penang Coffee House in Hawthorne.

A while ago PCH was perched in the enviable location of right next to Swinburn University and the train station, now they are a few blocks up the road – all the locals and regulars know where to find the new abode, but if you haven’t been before it’s all the same to you. The service and the food are the same as before, which is the important thing. I was in love with the old place because it was cramped, noisy, hot, busy and in a never before seen colour of green. New place is sparkly, white and roomy.

Okay, on to the important thing – FOOD. Your menu arrives – a green laminated (a good idea for pesky liquids and food stains) outline of what’s on offer – the food is obviously Malaysian but don’t be mistaken in thinking it’s your average Malaysian fare – it’s not. It’s geared towards the Hawker Food Stalls in South East Asia, where the aforementioned lo-bak sits with the curried chicken drumetts, satay skewers and fish cakes.

Noodle dishes like Char Kwai Teow packed full of pink-edged slices of roast pork, translucent prawns and crisp crunchy beanshoots stun the diner into blissful sounds of ‘mmmm’ and ‘ohhhhh’. The king of soups here at PCH is the laksa lemak – the most satisfying bowl of rich, coconut broth redolent with fresh herbs, curry paste and the unmistakable scent of fish sauce. Thick, soft egg noodles tangle with thin slippery ones ensnaring shreds of poached chicken and pork, beanshoots add texture to go with the deep fried slices of tofu which soak up as much of the yummy goodness of the soup.

If soup isn’t your thing then you can’t go past beef rendang coupled with a perfectly golden roti which comes hot and crunchy waiting to be broken off into bits and dunked into the pungent dark meaty goodness of the curry. You might want to get a milkshake on the way home if you get the rendang, but heartburn never felt so good. Ever. Personally I love the Ayam Kapitan chicken – and would often get this to share, and by share I mean use both hands, mouth and feet if I could while wielding my chopsticks to prevent anyone else from sampling the deep-fried pieces of peanut and chilli coated chicken which comes with sweet chilli sauce. I think it’s the only think I’ve vowed to love for all eternity…that and Krispy Kreme donuts, but that’s a religion really.

There isn’t anything I wouldn’t recommend here – there are oodles of noodle dishes, vegetarians will not go hungry and even the most fanatic chilli lover will be impressed – everything is done in enviable balance, the hot, sweet, sour and salty flavors come together in a harmony that leaves one lusting for more.

P.S When you go, ask for ‘Mandy’ and tell her where you heard about the place, it’s good to name drop as you’ll get the best service and she’ll be tickled pink that she’s the best.