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60 Hamersley St, Broome WA
Phone 08 9193 5811
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Broome is in a beautiful part of the world. We went there recently for our first-year wedding anniversary and some much needed R & R, and we definitely got that. Walking on the white sand of Cable Beach at sunset, then dipping our feet into the waters of the Indian Ocean was one of the best experiences in my life. I also loved the fact that, within minutes, there is desert earth so red, you’d think it had been dyed. Broome really is where the outback meets the sea.
Being rather isolated, it’s not surprising that Broome is a pretty expensive place to eat out. We noticed that most “mid-range” eateries and resort restaurants were charging $30-plus for mains, which didn’t always equate to a top meal or commensurate service. One thing that Broome does very well, though, is seafood. You don’t get the variety of fish that you do elsewhere, but what you do get is damn fresh and tasty.
Our first really enjoyable Broome meal involved some of this seafood, beers and one of the most idyllic places to lunch – Matso’s Broome Brewery. Matso’s is Broome’s oldest brewery. Actually, it’s probably Broome’s only brewery. Specialising in a range of Craft Beers, they also offer a menu of classic pub grub and a setting that’s perfect for whiling away the afternoon with a few schooners on the massive verandah.
We plonked ourselves on a table that offered primo views of Roebuck Bay – just look at that pristine turquoise water! Magnificent. A crisp lager, colourfully named “Hit the Toad”, provided the perfect refreshment on a warm day.
Both of us couldn’t resist the fish and chips ($28), done here with threadfin salmon, which is actually a white-fleshed variety of the salmon familia. Grilled to perfection, the flesh was so soft it literally fell apart at the slightest prod. It was bloody delicious, I tells ya. The tartare sauce that came with it was tasty too, and the chips were salty, crispy and magnificent. Truly it was one of the best fish and chips I’ve ever had! So good, we actually came back for an encore on our last day.
The menu also had a selection of burgers, sandwiches, pastas, salads and grills – the steak sanger which another table ordered was HUGE. They also have a range of tapas-style sharing plates, and from 6pm Thursday to Tuesdays, North West curries (by a bonafide Indian chef) are available from Matso’s “Curry Hut”.
Though it’s in all the tourist brochures, Matso’s is well worth visiting if you’re ever in that part of the world. The craft beers are cold and tasty (I also recommend the Smokey Bishop), the fish and chips are awesome, and that magnificent view and setting are priceless.
122 Bourke St, Melbourne
Phone 03 9663 2788
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(Sigh) Another bloody ramen post, you ask? Damn straight!
We have, of course, blogged about Ito before, but not since their renovations and not about their noodle. (Note that the pic’s actually an oldie from back in June, but I have been back several times since and the noodles have remained the same).
Ito is not Japanese-owned but certainly looked and felt the part, especially since they have now dispensed with the Happy Days decor (the premises used to be Johnny Rocket’s I believe). Other Japanese touches lent to the authentic vibe, such as the welcoming Irrashaimase when you arrive; getting your bill straight after you order, and the awesome Dyson hand dryer in the bathroom! A warming towelette would have sealed the deal.
The reasonably priced menu is a mix of sushi, sashimi, donburi, noodles and sets. It’s certainly Japanese-inspired but some dishes looked and tasted as if they have been interpreted by non-Japanese eyes. Katsu in ramen? NIJ (Not In Japan).
Still, Ito have longed professed their specialty with ramen, previously stating that their noodles were handmade and imported from Sapporo. I have eaten their noodles before but didn’t think they were much chop (the broth was more the let-down rather than the actual noodles). However, I felt that they deserved another go; they may have improved since their renos.
And improved they certainly have! Being a stickler for the classics, I usually have the shoyu ramen. Let’s start with the noodles: long and springy, they were very slurppable instead. Toppings were classical, including dried nori, spring onions, bean sprouts, corn, carrot and menma. The broth was rich and salty, and smacked of a little bonito in the stock, along with pork and shoyu. Though lacking the punch of ramens in Japan, it was certainly up there with the better shoyu broths in this town. Ito’s take on the charshu was interesting: nice thin slices with a salty dark outer of what is presumably the skin. They are tasty, though on occasions I have found them too lean and dry to be proper ramen charshu, which authentically should maintain more fat than Ron Jeremy. The egg was a FAIL though; nary a soft gooey centre in sight.
Overall, however, a pleasing ramen that will satisfy your crack noodle cravings. Other ramen variations are also available, including the aforementioned katsu variety, and a tonkotsu broth that is listed as a special but is never available when I’m there. Anyone lucky enough to sample this broth, let me know how it is! The recent ramenhunters also rated Ito’s ramen.
13 Victoria St (The Mall), Coburg
Phone 03 9350 2949
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Apologies for the sight of half masticated food, but the beauty of these awesome lil’ wraps can only be found within. Half Moon Cafe sits in “The Mall” in Coburg, which runs off Sydney Road near the Bell Street intersection. Kicking back in the mall in the front of the cafe, with the pigeons flapping around madly for a scrap, I am impressed with the range of cultures on display around us. In front, there is a Japanese dude, his long hair kept in check with an off cut of a teddy-bear patterned fleece blanket. He’s keeping his toddler amused by pointing at the dancing pigeons. Just down from us in front of the coffee shop is a gathering of old Italian blokes, catching up with the gossip of the day. Then there are Lebanese, Greek, Vietnamese, Chinese and Middle Eastern peeps, going about their shopping, stopping for a coffee and a chat. There are kids running around, and old people leaning heavily on their walking sticks as they amble past. It is great to see such a diaspora of people and cultures.
Anyway, I digress. Half Moon Cafe is a favourite of many other food bloggers, and after visiting myself, I’ll add my voice to the fray. I do have a penchant for falafel, and these are some of the better ones (if not the best) in Melbourne. Made of fava beans instead of the regular chick pea variety, they are fried fresh on order and are wonderfully crunchy outside, and tender on the inside. I chose the “sunflower” (above), which includes hard boiled eggs, hummus, rocket, lettuce, tomato and the bestest pickles (oh, how I do love a pickle!). It’s all smooshed together and then put on the grill, so the pita comes out a little crunchy and warm.
EG instead went with a meatier option, a lamb shish. He says it was awesomely flavoursome and not at all greasy, and had a great smoky flavour. He said it was one of the best he’d had!
So props to them. We’ll be back, and often!
29/246 Bourke St (Target Centre), Melbourne
(03) 9639 4683
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When Mellie and I went to Japan all the way back in 2007, the first Japanese food I ate was an onigiri on the airport train en route to Tokyo. Although ordered from a dodgy looking food cart, I remembered it being damn tasty! Onigiri are available in most places in Japan, from 7-11 convenience stores to specialty onigiri restaurants. Wrapped in crisp nori and containing plain (rather than vinegared) rice, with a small amount of filling, they made a tasty and healthy snack/lunch item.
As with most genuine Japanese foods, they are a little hard to come by in Melbourne. Some places do put out a cracking rice ball, like Kenzan GPO, however this humble treat is predominantly drowned in a ubiquitous sea of Chinese-owned sushi roll joints. Ironically, however, it is one such sushi joint that is doing a mighty fine onigiri these days. The Japanese-owned Sushi Jin claimed to be the grand daddy of sushi joints, starting the sushi ball rolling back in 1995. Supposedly they closed up shop in 2008, but I’m pleased to say that the little takeaway is back in business in the Target Centre food court, and still with Japanese owners.
Aside from onigiri, Sushi Jin also offers rolls made from brown rice, which is great for those wishing to keep their GI levels in check. They also have hot noodle and rice dishes that curiously come pre-packaged in a takeaway container rather than dished up from a bain marie. I kinda like the ekiben angle though.
The onigiri come in flavours of sour plum (umeboshi), seaweed, flaked salmon, raw salmon and egg (tamago). They are bloody delicious, especially the plum and egg versions (pictured above), and exactly how you would get them in Japan. The sushi rolls have some interesting fillings, like sweet pumpkin, however they and the hot food definitely come a distinct second to the onigiri.
So if you’re hankering for a slice (or ball) of a genuine Japanese lunch treat, grab an onigiri from Sushi Jin. Maybe afterwards you might even take a wander through the nearby Tokuya, Melbourne’s very first 100 Yen store, and pretend that you’re wandering through Shibuya.
319 Stephensons Road, Mount Waverley
Phone 03 9807 3388
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The Swedes are known for many things: inexpensive flat-pack furniture, boxy cars, fanatical tennis fans and 1970s porn. Great pizza, however, is not in this company. Or is it? There are of course many variations of pizza around the world and, apparently, the Land of the Midnight Sun is no exception. But what distinguishes a Swedish pizza from, say, an Italian one? Would it be topped by stinky herrings or Swedish meatballs? With trepidation, we ventured out into the ‘burbs to find out.
But wait, there’s more! The only place in Melbourne that apparently serves this “delicacy” is a Chinese restaurant that goes by the distinctly un-Nordic name of Great Eastern Hakka. You’d be hard pressed to find the connection between the cuisine of a migratory Chinese ethnic group with roots in India to the descendents of the Vikings. But it turns out that the Chinese-Hakka owners of GEH used to own a restaurant in Sweden in the late 70s, thus they are versed in both cuisines.
GEH is located on busy Stephensons Road in Mount Waverley; parking is available at the rear of the restaurant. The interior is as suburban Chinese restaurant as you can get, with the exception of the marble bench top where the pizza’s are freshly made to order. If you’re expecting blond Helga waitresses, you’ll be disappointed, not that the Chinese staff are any less attractive or friendly.
We were seated in a smallish booth and presented with the menu, which listed both standard Chinese dishes like stir-fries, rice dishes and noodles, and about 30 pizzas! Do not expect fusion food here; the menu is strictly divided into East and West. Prices were reasonable: Hakka specials were around $28, and the normal mains around the $20 mark. Pizzas started from $8 for the non-gourmet ones, like margherita and capricciosa, to $18-$20 for the gourmet Swedish styles. Takeaway is also available.
With morbid fascination, we decided to start with two Swedish pizzas. The Kyckling was topped with chicken, curry sauce, onion, and fefferoni, and the Honoluleå with pepper sauce, cheese, sliced eye fillet, and bacon. The verdict? Two thumbs up for Swedish pizza! My favourite was the Kyckling. The base was deliciously thin and chewy, with a nicely puffy crust; the combination of chicken and curry sauce a revelation! Thoughts of rancid rollmops dissipated as I enthusiastically tucked in. The Honoluleå was excellent too – nicely peppery and cheesy (in a cheddary way). My parents, who are quite the discerning eaters, also gave the pizza the thumbs up, so that’s a good sign for sure. I now can’t wait to go back and try their other Swedish pizzas.
We followed the pizza with a dish of spicy squid and vegetarian Hakka noodles. The squid was tasty and tender, nicely battered and accompanied by a soy and chilli-based Hakka dipping sauce that had my man-flower burning the next morning. Approach the sauce with caution! The noodles were tasty, though lacking in wok hei and was a tad oily. Though tasty, we definitely preferred the Swedish pizzas to the Hakka dishes.
Dessert took a turn back to Scandinavia, and was another highlight. Simply called ‘Swedish Cake’ and made daily by a Swedish lady for the restaurant, this yummy treat came in flavours of dark chocolate, almond/white chocolate and milk chocolate. Accompanied by ice-cream and retro-ly plated, the Swedish Cake was the perfect end to a quirky, yet delightful meal.
So next time you’re in the hood of Mt Waverley and hankering for some pizza, drop into GEH for a surprising and delicious treat. If requested in advance, the owners are also willing to make any Swedish dishes that you fancy.
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