D Asian post sponsored by Eat Now

68-82 Hopkins Street
Footscray
VIC 3011

This post has been sponsored by the EatNow website.

We had tried the site once before to order takeaway so were happy to give it another go. The site is simple to use, first selecting your postcode before choosing your suburb and pick-up or delivery, e.g. Melbourne CBD Food delivery, and you are then presented with a range of options of places to order from.

We chose to try out a D Asian, which I ride past most days but hadn't visited, as we 'd have to walk past so many other favourites to get there and it often looks quite empty. After placing an order around 7pm a text soon arrived promising a delivery time of 45 minutes, enough for my hunger pangs to fully develop. In fact the order arrived around 50 minutes later, so pretty good accuracy.

It was the first time I'd had a dosa delivered and it was warm rather than hot, despite the two layers of foil insulation. The onion version of the rice and lentil crepe came with sambar a watery but spicy curry with root vegetables including carrot and a mild coconut chutney.

The Cutmet Aloo was a new dish to me, the boiled potatoes were dressed with Indian spices and served with a firey tamarind chutney. The bright red chunks of tuber were a surprisingly sweet and filling entrée.  

The Kothimeera Vankai was a vibrant green eggplant curry, with the verdant colour coming from plenty of coriander which along with a blend of different spices combined to give a punchy edge to the brinjal flavours.

 The Palak dahl with its lentils cooked with spinach and spices had a fantastic smoky flavour. I'm not sure how to get a good photo of dahl, and this one was on the runny end, which makes things harder!

 The wholemeal Tandoori Roti lived up to my expectations.

As often with takeaway the plain naan had lost something on the way from the tandoor oven to my plate but still soaked up the curries well.

Through the eat now site first time orders at D Asian get 25% off and all orders over $30 get free delivery. The meal ordered came to $30.22 after the discount and was certainly both packed with flavour without being too oily and satisfyingly filling.

Rudimentary, Footscray

16 - 20 Leeds Street
Footscray
Victoria
3011

Our previous attempt to try out Rudimentary had been stymied by a public holiday closure. We checked it was open before we wandered down for a late Sunday brunch and on arrival just before 2 it was heaving!

We were quickly greeted and informed there would be a 10 minute wait for a table for two. We gave our names and a coffee order and found a perch outside on the grey winters day.

There is a bit too look outside, both the innovative build of the café, utilising shipping containers and raised bed featuring a range of herbs, plants and some young lemon trees.

Our coffees arrived fairly promptly and my long black hit the spot.

Soon we were shown inside to our table, and at that time every other seat was still taken. We were informed a few of the dishes were no longer available, fortunately they weren't amongst the ones we'd chosen while perusing the menu we'd grabbed whilst outside. The feel inside is modern, with lots of clean lines and white paint, offset by retro chairs and the a few hits of the containers we were inside!

The open kitchen is quite small, and the two chefs were busy throughout our time there... and we did end up spending a while waiting for our meals to arrive, at least half an hour after ordering.

I went for the soup of the day, pea and prosciutto on this occasion. The colour was vividly green, and the flavours were heavy with the puréed legume, which was perfect for me. There were plenty of hunks of ham too and some lightly toasted sour dough. The bowl was a decent size and I was surprised how quickly it filled my empty stomach!

The scramble features smoked trout and salmon roe along with the eggs and sour dough toast, topped off with pickled fennel and watercress. The fish and eggs were rich, which the fennel and herbs complimented well, the slice of toast could have been larger too.

We were both happy with our meals overall and the $37 seemed fair enough, if a bit above our average for a Sunday lunch in the 'scray. The only issue was the wait for our food, and if we go back we will try our best to time our visit better, although it is great to see this innovative addition to the Footscray scene getting so much love.

Yes Taiwanese Street Food

128 Little Bourke Street
Melbourne
VIC 3000

I'd wandered past the Yes Taiwanese Street Food restaurant a couple of time, and thought it was about time I gave this style of food a try. The signage on the window recalls the traditional carts of food vendors.

Inside was however more modern with the menu displayed on flat screens! We arrived just before the official opening time of 12:30pm, but found a couple of customers already ordering, despite stools still being up on some of the tables. We made our selections and ordered, but were warned that our meals would take about 15 minutes to arrive... which was fair enough!

One of the bare brick wall was adorned with plant pots to bring greenery inside.

Merry went for the wonton noodle soup which also featured bean shoots and spring onion, which she enjoyed.

I went for the large deep fried mushroom noodle soup. The bowl also contained the bean shoots along with coriander, I added some chilli later. The broth and noodles were basic but satisfying. I hadn't expected the mushrooms to come separately, but I guess otherwise they would have quickly lost their battered crunch. Although not quite the same they were similar to tempura style with plenty of light batter enclosing a range of different fungi.

The meals were a dollar or two either side of $10 and the service was polite and delivered to the expectations that had been set. I'd be keen to go back and check out some of the other dishes on the menu, as the meals the other diners had chosen looked good!

Beachcomber Café, St Kilda

10/18 Jacka Boulevard
St Kilda
Vic 3182


Bruce fancied a trip to St Kilda towards the end of his visit, so we trundled across by train and tram on a cool and overcast winter Saturday. To be fair when the sun broke through it was a pleasant day to be by the beach, hence the choice to eat at the Beachcomber Café at the St Kilda sea-baths a stones through from the bay.

We chose to grab a table in the covered outdoor section, which with it's wind protection was a pleasant spot to watch the world go by.

There a few spaces inside including a few nattily decorated booths.

Initially we were offered the main menu, however we noticed other tables were still eating brunch just after midday, and after enquiring we were given the breakfast menu which both suited us better and was more reasonably priced.

Bruce went for the bacon and poached eggs which disappeared rapidly.

The better half 's breakfast bruschetta (without the egg) didn't live up to expectations. The Turkish was lukewarm the avocado watery.

I had the home-made baked beans which were flavoursome, familiar and wholesome.

My long black was fine, apparently the flat white was weak. The $9 fresh OJ was served in a jar with a bendy straw, which promptly got blocked with pulp.

The location makes the most of the great views, unfortunately the food and service didn't quite live up to them. The bill came to just over $60.

Choks Pot Cafe Williamstown

88 Ferguson Street
Williamstown
VIC 3016

The better half has decided that the Choks Pot was a good spot to check out while we were in Williamstown on a grey day, with our visitor from out of town.

The bright exterior made a strong attempt to conquer the dull weather and inside the modern café boxes were ticked.

The menu covered the normal bases for breaky and lunch with the addition of a few seafood dishes.

There were also various specials available listed on the chalkboard and outside...

Bruce went for the rosemary grilled lamb chump chop with roasted veggies and potatoes which he enjoyed.

The Johgn Dory fillet with quinoa salad was nice but missing some sauce or dressing to add flavour and moisture.

I went for the Chokspot fish curry which was a winner. There was plenty of fish along veggies in a mild but tasty curry sauce.

Our meals did take a little longer than some others to arrive, probably due to the dishes we ordered and the service was friendly from all the team. The meal came in at around $45 with some coffees which was good value and I'd be happy to head back next time we are looking for a feed in Williamstown.

The Duke of Wellington

146 Flinders Street
Melbourne
VIC 3011

We visited The Duke of Wellington early on a Saturday evening before heading to catch some footy at the 'G. It was busy downstairs, but up on the first floor where we'd booked a table it was less packed, the decor was more modern and chic too.

We ordered some drinks and soon after picked out our meals from the shortish menu. Bruce went for the $25 Steak and Wine deal, with parsley butter, chips and salad. Apart from a little gristle he seemed to enjoy it.

The better half loved her salmon fillet with minted chat potatoes with asparagus and beurre blanc. The fish wasn't too strongly flavoured and the plate was soon clean!

I had the fish and chips with minted peas. The fish was coated with a perfect crisp batter, which unfortunately was a little soggy underneath where it had been placed on the mushy peas. I'm not a fan of the wire basket for chips and the fries themselves were made from unpeeled potatoes, so looked a little grey, but tasted tasted OK.

The service was friendly, but it did seem to take quite a while for our food to arrive. With 4 drinks the bill came to just over $110. The Duke is a fair choice for a pub meal at this end of the City.