noodleoodle

Have been meaning to upload this picture. On the day of Chinese new year we went to Footscray. The streets were quiet with most businesses closed for the day, but a team disseminating firecrackers was loose in the streets. They went from shop to shop frighting the crap out of small children. The dragons and explosions were very impressive. E put her fingers in her ears. We ate at Hien Vuong, the smoke was so thick we could hardly breath. Was much fun.

Top 5s are pointless. I mean, as soon as they’re done, they’re redundant. My recent top 5 has been shattered by a recent visit to Footscray.

Pho Tam is a fish bowl of a place, on a corner across from the Little Saigon Market. It has chairs and tables out on Ryan Street, which are filled with blokes drinking icy drinks, smoking and talking seriously.

E and I had a feast. We started with a few prawn spring rolls ($7.00), and followed it up with Hủ tiếu Gả Dòn (described on menu as; Crispy chicken on side plate, with celery, chive and shrimp cake, $7.50). It was big bowl of fragrant chicken broth with lots of greens and thin rice noodles. On the side was a plate of fried chicken melting from the bone. Delicious.

We finished with a three colour drink. E hadn’t had one of these before and was thrilled by the overly sweet syrup and sugary beans. I could have had another and spent the rest of the afternoon with the blokes out the front, but E wanted to go to the park. Fair enough.

Pho Tam - 03 9687 2680 - 9 Leeds Street Footscray

The team was back in Footscray today. Toby and I are now trying to convince our spouses to move there. I bought some fish in the Little Saigon Market and thought about how good it would be to do my shopping there on a permanent basis.

Lunch was at a new noodle shop for us. Tra Vinh, just across the road from the market. They don’t do Pho here, their specialty is Hu Tieu Mi, which is apparently a pork based soup. I opted for their Bo Kho, which was good. The kids had spring rolls and tea. Another great noodle joint.

Ta Vinh - (03) 9687 8008 - 70 Nicholson Street Footscray 3011

Pho Hung Vuong - (03) 9689 6002 - 128 Hopkins Street Footscray

I’m doing some digital versions of these drawings in the lead up to a set of oil paintings. As part of the integral research for such a project, E and I joined Toby and Asha on a trip to Footscray.

A couple of weeks ago the group had lunch at a small cafe in Little Saigon shopping center. The noodle soup was basic but fine. We speculated that at just $20 for the four of us, lunch couldn’t really get any cheaper. So this week we decided to go a bit posh and picked out a noodle shop on the main street. All shiny glass, neon and upholstery. We were worried that this joint might blow the budget but it was pissing down rain when we arrived, and the corner bench seat was a welcome retreat.

As is the habit of late, we order two noodle soups and BBQ chicken on broken rice. The pho was of a fine standard, and there was plenty of patrons here. A brilliant lunch on a cold day. The bill came in at a staggering $23. At that price we’re going up market all the time.

The voyage continues…

The Victoria St Correspondent (silent at this stage), dropped by the other day. He came with treats! He’d been over Footscray way and had dropped by the Little Saigon Market. It’s something that I haven’t mention yet, another brilliant food introduced to Australia by the Vietanmese, Báhn mi, (they’re call Vietnamese Pork Rolls in Melbourne). My god, what an invention. Vietnamese ingredients in a French baguette. The variations are endless, generally they contain pork products, salad, and three more types of pork products. The ones The Correspondent presented me with, had egg butter, liver pate, cucumber, picked carrot, soy sauce, chili sauce, and Barbecued pork balls from a skewer, (very garlicky).

The Correspondent also picked up a few Chinese treats. A couple of combination steamed buns, the big ones with Chinese sausage and quail egg. He also got what is referred to by his son as “Footballs”, (real name unknown). These were deep fried pastry/batter casings around a spiced mince pork filling. OK, but after a pork roll and steamed bun, they were hard going.

Little Saigon Market - (9687 3505) - Nicholson Street Footscray

Hien Vuong - (03) 9687 9698 - 144 Hopkins Street Footscray 3011

Every Thursday, E and I usually go to the Vic Market to get out weekly food. This week we decided to mix it up a bit, we headed out west to the Footscray Market. E was walking solo, so it made shopping a little difficult but we did pick up some fresh fish and chicken for the week.

After groceries, we got to the real point of the expedition and went out to Hopkins street in search of Pho. There are many Pho shops in this area, and some are even looking a bit upmarket. We chose an eatery that was unassuming. We were greeted by the owner who flatly stated, “We specialise in Vietnamese rice noodle soup!” “Great!”, I said.

E sucked and slurped and dropped things and made a general mess. No one seemed to care and she had a great time. I fed her soup from my spoon. I really enjoyed my Pho, it’s a really great breakfast, among other meals. I’d like to go back to Hien Vuong but there are so many Pho shops in this area, it could be awhile before we taste this specialty again.

By the way, you’ve got to wonder what’s up with the mirror walls in Melbourne Pho shops!