Dosa Hut Footscray
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Having opened since 2006, Dosa Hut has won the hearts of Footscray locals and other Melbournians who travel from near and far for their Indian fix.
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Hanzo Babekyu
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Hanzo Babekyu is a hidden gem located near Footscray station serving up an incredible selection of fusion Japanese and Korean cuisine that is best known for its AYCE BBQ.
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Bax Food Co
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The brainchild of three passionate members of the Caribbean community, brothers Roderick and Dalton Grant, and friend Romain Grenville, Bax Food Co is a restaurant concept born from the trio’s desire to share their Caribbean culture.
The partners have worked to create an environment at Bax Food Co that is true to heart of their culture, and one which offers diners a high quality and authentic experience.
Prince of darkness - Appleton Rum, Tamarind, Apple juice, Dash of lime, Demerara sugar
The décor is warm and welcoming, embodying a vibrant vibe perfect for casual dining with friends over a couple of their delicious cocktails.
Cassava chips; Ackee, saltfish and mushroom pattie w tomato love apple sauce
With a communal-style dining fit-out and a selection of smaller and larger dishes designed for sharing, Bax Food Co offers guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in the spirit of the Caribbean, without leaving the country.
Dahl
Small or ‘Irie Grub’ menu items include mini goat sliders and smoky BBQ pork ribs, whilst the ‘Boss’ grub menu features more substantial dishes, such as traditional Jamaican jerk chicken, a jerk platter featuring a selection of jerk-style meats and corn, goat curry, and escovitch whole baby snapper.
Jerk platter, jerk chicken, pork ribs, chicken wings, roast jerk corn
The platter was very impressive and we loved tucking into every corner of it. The pork ribs were falling off the bone. While the, jerk chicken were delectably covered in a delicious array of herbs and spices and juicy. The wings were sticky and moreish. Just. Yum.
Goat curry with potato and wicked spice with roti bread
The goat curry was decadent. The full-bodied, curry had just the perfect balance of heat and creaminess and paired beautifully with melt-in-your-mouth morsels of goat. We enjoyed the richness of the curry and the generous use of spices which showcased customary Jamaican flavours.
Dark shadows - grapefruit, condensed milk with a dash of spices
Sections of grapefruit covered with sweetened condensed milk - it was delightful. Make sure you order this if you are in the mood for a treat.
Sweet potato pudding
A comforting dessert made from sweet potatoes and yam with sprinklings of plump raisins is a hit. We loved the hints of aromatic vanilla and nutmeg and the addition of sherry wine and rum which produced a soft slightly gooey pudding.
Bax Food Co is injecting a touch of Caribbean culture into Melbourne’s western suburbs. The latest addition to Yarraville’s Gamon Street, Bax Food Co delights foodies and families alike with their contemporary take on traditional Jamaican street food.
Location: 83 Gamon Street, Yarraville, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9689 2854
Link: http://www.baxfoodco.com/Cuisine: Caribbean, Jamaican
Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Bax Food Co.
Fox in the Corn
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With a love of coffee between them, the Millgrove boys combed through all of Melbourne and carefully selected Monk Bodhi Dharma as their boutique micro-roaster, for their direct trade, seasonal and mostly single estate coffee.
Fox in the Corn showcases the finest in small batch brewing available through 8 taps and a plethora of bottled beers.
The space has been designed for beer lovers to sit and enjoy a personal connection to the master brewers of the world.
Buffalo Mozzarella Salad w cherry tomatoes & rocket
Fox in the Corn showcases the Millgrove boys’ pasta and love of local produce. Importantly, they let the pasta do the talking.
Beef Ravioli with Vegetable Broth with fresh veg, peas & spring onion
The menu is simple. Pick your pasta then choose a sauce. The sauces range from very light (like the above vegetable broth)…
Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli with Slow Cooked Beef Ragu w spring onion
…To heartier options like the hearty beef ragu to heavier creamy pasta options.
Fox in the Corn is certainly a welcomed addition to Footscray’s ever evolving dining scene.
Location: 4 Droop Street, Footscray
Phone: 9362 7858
Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Fox in the Corn.
Special occasions with T. Cavallaro & Sons
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Best known for making the best cannolis in town, T. Cavallaro & Sons is a Melbourne institution. We remember our first visit. It was truly love at first sight.
As soon as we stepped through the doors of T. Cavallaro & Sons, we were immediately swept away by the aromas of baked pastry, roasted nuts and sweet syrup.
T. Cavallaro & Sons was founded by Tommaso Cavallaro in 1956 and proudly catered for the Melbourne Olympics in the same year. The cafe proudly represents the European migrant families who made Footscray their home in the ’40s and ’50s. Since 1956, the cafe has been open every Easter and every Christmas, making sure their customers are well taken care of.
Today, Tommaso's sons, Tony and Carmelo (who has worked on the premises since its inception in 1956) continue the legacy.
Behind the shop front is where the magic happens. There, endless trays of freshly baked sweet treats and pastries are being made. The contents of which scream only one thing – decadence.
With recipes that have not changed since 1956, use of time-old techniques and fresh ingredients, the proof is in the tasting.
The sweet treats at T. Cavallaro & Sons are baked to perfection so when Gastrology got hitched recently, it only made sense that we would get our cake from these passionate creators.
We absolutely loved our 3 tier octagonal white fondant chocolate marble cake.
Every bit was handmade and absolutely moreish. Every element of the cake was perfect: the beautiful flavour, the design, the decorations and even the size. The cake truly impressed - it was beautifully moist and had the perfect airy yet dense texture.
If you have a sweet tooth or need a cake for a special occasion, we certainly recommend taking the trip down to Footscray to see what the fuss is about.
Location: 98 Hopkins Street, Footscray
Phone: 03 9687 4638
Cuisine: Coffee, Bakery
Cô Thư Quán
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Cô Thư Quán offers up some authentic Vietnamese street food that will surprise and delight.
The menu features an array of unfamiliar Vietnamese delights which can range from "exciting" to "acquired taste".
There are also some of the usual suspects on the menu for the non-adventurous.
And a pretty neat drinks list too with lots of different things to try.
Perfect for the adventurous foodie. While we didn't enjoy everything we tried, it was definitely an interesting experience. Come here with an open mind or you're better off going to one of the other Vietnamese restaurants around the area.
Location: Shop 22, Little Saigon market, 63 Nicholson Street, Footscray
Phone: 0412 685 558
Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese
Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese
Indian banquet @ Tandoori Flames
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Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Tandoori Flames.
Tandoori Flames is an incredibly welcoming Indian eatery on Foootscray's bustling Barkly Street.
Gastrology recently enjoyed a banquet with friends which featured a flavourful array of authentic Indian dishes while relaxing in Tandoori Flames’ comfortable ambiance.
The menu is extensive - featuring a whole range of Indian dishes from distinct regional influences and tandoori specialties such as lamb seekh kabab out of their charcoal clay oven tandoor.
Chicken tikka
The Chicken Tikka was our favourite starter. The boneless pieces of chicken were tender, having been roasted to perfection in a traditional clay oven.
We also enjoyed the Seekh kebab which was made from minced lamb mixed with aromatic spices .
The goat curry was full of flavour, courtesy of being cooked on the bone.
The dal makhani was another enjoyable dish. Prepared by simmering black lentils overnight over the ambers of the Tandoori oven together with onions, chilli, ginger, fresh cream and butter, the flavours were strong and were a great pair with the fluffy naan.
Belly dancing (every Friday, Saturday & Sunday night)
Fish malabar
The fish Malabar was a beautiful yellow fish curry. It was a crowd favourite which had us fighting for the last morsel.
Lamb biryani
The lamb was incredibly tender and the rice was flavoured with special herbs. We loved the generous portions of lamb that were dispersed throughout the rice.
The dessert menu at Tandoori Flames features a selection of popular Indian treats. All of the desserts we sampled were delicious.
Left: Gulab jamun
Right: Ras Malai
The Ras Malai was beautifully made – rich, creamy, and amply sweet with a generous hit of cardamom, it was the perfect winter indulgence.
Happy ending - Gulab Jamun served with Pista Kulfi
The cheekily named “happy ending” quite literally ended our meal on a happy note. We loved the steaming hot balls of khoya paired with the cold and creamy pistachio kulfi.
Tandoori Flames serves up delightful Indian dishes in comfortable surrounds with excellent service and is a great place for a decadent banquet with friends over authentic curries and exotic delicacies.
Location: 583 Barkly Street, West Footscray
Phone: 03 9077 3733
Cuisine: Indian
Event: eat.drink.westside
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eat.drink.westside is proudly presented by the Maribyrnong City Council and forms part of this year's Melbourne Food and Wine Festival - Australia's internationally acclaimed celebration of food and wine.
The eat.drink.westside program unveils a host of local events from 28 February to 16 March 2014 that reflect the inner west's rich cultural diversity and love of food.
To promote Eat.Drink.Westside, we were taken on a wonderful tour of Footscray. Our tour started at 1+1 Mandarin Dumpling, where we had a taster of one of the festival events, "Steamed Silk Road Delights".
The lovely Amy of 1+1 guided us through how to make traditional Western Chinese lamb dumplings.
We loved the lamb dumplings (which we devoured for dinner). The dumplings were filled with a dense pocket of finely minced lamb, onion and spring onions. The medium-thickness skins had a lovely chewy texture which we enjoyed. It is no wonder, 1+1 Mandarin Dumpling is well regarded as one of Melbourne's best dumpling purveyors.
Our tour concluded with a gorgeous Ethiopian feast at Dinknesh Lucy.
Our feast featured beautiful house-made injera bread and a host of Ethiopian delights. Each dish was full of flavour and absolutely delicious.
After the decadent feast, we participated in a traditional coffee ceremony.
Get on board...
eat.drink.westside is part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and offers a festival program that is diverse, delicious, and a fantastic showcase of Footscray and its surrounds.
Discover Footscray
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Gastrology bloggers were taken on a foodie tour of Footscray recently as part of the 'Your Footscray' campaign which brings together all aspects of life in Footscray including safety, transport, holidays and most importantly—food...
Coffees @ Cafe Cui
Footscray Market
Coffees @ Cafe Cui
Location: 58 Leeds Street, Footscray
Phone: 03 9687 6967
Cuisine: Breakfast/Brunch, Modern Australian
We met our chaperone, Jack at Cafe Cui (pronounced Café Q). Located just opposite Footscray Station, the café sources all its vegetables and meat from the Footscray Market.
Having only opened its doors in June last year, Café Cui has already gained a loyal following as a result of its location and freshly sourced produce.
The menu boasts a variety of delicious brunch options including the popular Shakshuka eggs bake, the chef’s own invention, with braised capsicum, tomato and middle eastern spices.
The cafe's modern and relaxed fit out makes it a perfect spot for a caffeine hit. Our coffees contained a perfect layer of silken froth, complete with a flawless rosetta, and tasted terrific.
The cafe's modern and relaxed fit out makes it a perfect spot for a caffeine hit. Our coffees contained a perfect layer of silken froth, complete with a flawless rosetta, and tasted terrific.
Footscray Market
Melbourne's best cannoli @ T. Cavallaro & Sons
Location: 98 Hopkins Street, Footscray
Phone: 03 9687 4638
Cuisine: Coffee, Bakery
As soon as we stepped through the doors of T. Cavallaro & Sons, we were immediately swept away by the aromas of baked pastry, roasted nuts and sweet syrup.
A Footscray institution, T. Cavallaro & Sons was founded by Tommaso Cavallaro in 1956 and proudly catered for the Melbourne Olympics in the same year. The cafe proudly represents the European migrant families who made Footscray their home in the ’40s and ’50s. Since 1956, the cafe has been open every Easter and every Christmas, making sure their customers are well taken care of.
Today, Tommaso's sons, Tony and Carmelo (who has worked on the premises since its inception in 1956) continue the legacy.
Behind the shop front is where the magic happens. There, endless trays of freshly baked sweet treats and pastries are being made. The contents of which scream only one thing – decadence.
With recipes that have not changed since 1956, use of time-old techniques and fresh ingredients, the proof is in the tasting...
The sweet treats at T. Cavallaro & Sons are baked to perfection and we can confirm that T. Cavallaro & Sons' certainly serves the best cannoli that Melbourne has to offer. Every bit is handmade and absolutely moreish. The cannolis are filled with either patisserie cream or ricotta and dusted with a sprinkling of almonds. The cannoli casing was perfectly crisp and we fell in love with the traditional ricotta filling. It was decadent, creamy and had a beautiful citrus finish.
Although it is very easy to over sweeten ricotta fillings, it seems that T. Cavallaro & Sons have found the perfect balance. Their cannoli is truly divine.
If you have a sweet tooth, we certainly recommend taking the trip down to Footscray to see what the fuss is about.
Sugarcane juice @ Vy Coffee Bubble Tea
The sugarcane juice is made before your eyes!
Location: 44 Byron St, Shop 4, Footscray (near Little Saigon Market)
Cuisine: Sugarcane juice, coffee, tea, bubble tea
We were immediately transported to the streets of Vietnam as we explored Footscray's Little Saigon Market. What better way to enhance that experience than a refreshing sugarcane juice by the vibrant bustling streets.
The juice was deliciously sweet and refreshing. We loved the addition of kumquat in the juice which added a delightful acidity and balance to the beverage.
Ethiopian cuisine @ Konjo Cafe & Restaurant
Location: 89 Irving Street, Footscray
Phone: 03 9689 8185
Link: http://konjo.com.au/
Cuisine: Coffee, Ethiopian/Eritrean, Vegetarian
A recent addition to Footscray’s Ethiopian food scene, Konjo Cafe and Restaurant already has a cult following. A welcoming ambience and delicious Ethiopian food mean that this eatery is popular among young and old alike.
If you're not sure what to choose from, Konjo does an amazing platter which consists of 2 vegetarian dishes, 2 lentil dishes, 1 mild lamb stew, 1 spicy lamb stew and 2 beef dishes served on a tray of injera and an extra basket of injera.
We enjoyed how flavoursome each dish was. The beautifully made injera which we used to pick up bites of the little dishes was the perfect canvas for the rich and spicy flavours.
The platter was the perfect introduction to Ethiopian food and was simply delicious.
We also tried Konjo's specialty dish (which you will not be able to find anywhere else) which is a finely-minced beef dish called Kitfo which owner, Abdul prepares by hand and serves with a special clarified butter.
Footscray Train Station
Our tour of Footscray was a culturally rich and eye-opening experience. It was amazing to see how passionate the small business owners we met along the way are about their suburb and hear their stories. We look forward to returning to Footscray and experiencing more of what this amazing suburb has to offer.
Special thanks to Jack Walden from The C Word for being a brilliant chaperone.
Gastrology bloggers discovered Footscray courtesy of Regional Rail Link.
Special thanks to Jack Walden from The C Word for being a brilliant chaperone.
Gastrology bloggers discovered Footscray courtesy of Regional Rail Link.
