Magic Momo Kafe, West Footscray

588 Barkly Street
West Footscray
Victoria
3012

Being a fan of Nepalese food, I'd been wanting to give Magic Momo Kafe in WEFO a try for a while, and an offer on Groupon prompted me into action.

We ended up visiting on Friday evening after booking via the eponymous website. When we arrived there seemed to be some confusion about our reservation, but we were soon found a table. The venue is very small with maybe 6 tables and the decor is basic. We took advantage of the byo option, but the glasses offered were misty, so we stuck to sipping from our beer bottles.

We had a fixed menu kicking off with a plate of entrées including vegetable momo (Nepalese dumplings) with a tasty lentil heavy filling, crunch and flavoursome vegetable pakoda and basic chicken 'lollipops'. There were two pots of sauce a lightly spiced curry option and straight up tomato.

There was a choice of goat, chicken or vegetable curry with rice and Alu Achar (potato salad) for the main. The veggie curry was fine if a little bland and watery, the side salad was more interestingly flavoured.

Unfortunately the goat curry had more bone than meat.

The desert options were yogurt and Lalmon...

...or yogurt and  Rasbari, both cottage cheese based dumplings.

The groupon deal meant the meal was good value at only $29 for two. Unfortunately the quality of some of the food, service and atmosphere wont have us rushing back.

Barkers Cafe at the Whitten Oval

417 Barkly Street
Footscray
Victoria
3011

Barkers Cafe occupies most of the foyer at the main entrance to the Whitten Oval's and looks out across the ground. We'd never really thought of visiting, but I won a voucher so took the opportunity to give it a try. Although the street address is Barkley St, the actual entrance is opposite Sutton Way, behind the statue of Ted Whitten.

The cafe counter has a modern look and stands out from the rest of the space. We found a seat near the window, but it turned out to be a bit warm, so moved further back.

My Allpress coffee long black was great, smooth with no bitterness.

We shared the "Scrambled Special", the eggs being augmented with dill, chilli marinated feta, grilled pepper, rocket and avocado served on toasted ciabatta. I wasn't sure the combo would work but it turned out to be a winner, and satisfied both our breakfast needs.

The eggs were $15 and coffees around $4 each. We got there soon after it opened at 9 on a Saturday morning and were the only customers when we ordered and got our freshly prepared meal pretty quickly. We were impressed by the set up and have another good local cafe option...

Ovest, West Footscray

572 Barkly Street
West Footscray
Vic 3012


We'd been keen to try Ovest after hearing of its impending arrival and subsequent popularity. The distinctive former bank building on the corner of Buxton and Barkly streets struck me as an odd choice when I first heard about the venue, however it really works and is distinct from the other restaurants of #wefo.

We went for a slightly later than usual 8pm booking on a Saturday evening, thinking things may have quietened down, but it was packed with a mix of family groups and tables of adults. The fit out worked for me, with the geometric lines on the white walls, parquet floor, feature industrial lampshades and wooden chairs of mixed designs. Behind the bar the kitchen was open, and the large metal pizza oven sat behind floor to ceiling shelving.

We were quickly provided with menu's and served some water while we pondered the entrée, main, side and pizza options.

We decided to share the crumbed zucchini fritters to start, which retained a little more bitterness than we'd have liked but when paired with the truffle mayo were winners.

I went for the sardine pizza, with the wild fish sitting atop a tomato base and 'scamorza affumicata' smoked cheese. The base was thin and crisp with a dough not entirely familiar but still bubbling a little at the edges. The combination of flavours and textures hit the spot though.

The Ovest pizza with it's tomato base, mozzarella, olives, anchovies, capers, chilli, tomato and fresh basil was packed with fresh flavours along with a decent kick.

With a few beers our meal came in at just under $75 and the service all evening was both efficient and friendly. As we wandered back to #mifo we discussed the proliferation of good pizza joints in the greater Footscray area since we moved west in the late naughties. Back then pizza meant a call to Domenico's and picking up a (decent) classic Aussie takeaway, now with Ovest joining the Mozzarella Bar and Casa di Tutti in Seddon and the Plough in Footscray there are numerous decent options, which all seem to be doing well. It's great to have choice and an Italian in #wefo is a welcome addition to Barkly street.

Nuevo Latino Los Rodriguez, West Footscray

553 Barkly Street
West Footscray
Vic 3012

We'd walked past Nuevo Latino (facebook) a few weeks ago, and after checking out Kenny's review decided we had to pay a visit. The large windows give  a good view inside, but there isn't much to mark the name.

The fit out inside mixes a polished concrete floor and eclectic furniture with many homely and south American touches. Even with only a few diners present when we arrived at around 7:30 on a Saturday there was a nice atmosphere, and as it filled up and the band kicked off it built up quite a buzz.

We were given a warm welcome by Jose Rodriguez, part of the family behind the venue as well as a couple of other members of the team. While checking out the menu we grabbed a couple of beers, an Estrella from Spain and my first Quilmes from Argentina which showed it's Germanic origins.

We started by ordering a few of the smaller dishes, the first of which to arrive were two croquettes moros y cristianos, the crispy coating filled with a rice and bean mix which provided a satisfying earthy flavour and was nicely complimented by the mint and yoghurt dressing.

Next up were the photogenic garlic king prawns with Aiguaste. The grilled crustaceans were fantastic and the 'Pepitas Pesto' a Salvadoran cuisine made from ground (pumpkin seeds) was a great addition which we mopped up with the bread that arrived at just the right time.

We hit the menu again and we tried the Yuka chips (a first for us) which had a flavour somewhere between parsnip and potato and produced perfect fries, with a crunchy skin and soft interior and were served with a moreish spicy salsa.

We'd tried to order the grilled corn kernels the first time around, and made sure we got some the second time around. The better half is a corn connoisseur and loved the dish, high praise indeed!

We planned to have a main each, but they came separately, so we shared both. 'My' main was the tamale, steamed stuffed corn leaves, made to Mum's own recipe by her in the kitchen. The origins of the dish go back over five hundred years to pre-columbian times in south america, and are made with a corn dough similar to polenta with added chilli, spices nuts and chicken in this case. These were another new dish for us and we both enjoyed with the accompanying salsa and picked coleslaw.

Last up was the other main plate, pupusaw a Salvadorian speciality of corn tortilla filled with quesillo soft cheese which was happily lighter than I expected and came with great re-fried beans, salsa and pickled veggies.

All evening the service and team were friendly, Jose and the waiters chatted to us and everyone in the room. The band played creating a great atmosphere without overriding the dining experience. There are live acts every Saturday. The bill including five beers came in at $98, which given the amount we ate seemed like good value. We really enjoyed our evening at Nuevo Latino, and can't wait to head back to West Footscray to try out more of the menu!

 The menu doesn't seem to be online so here is my snap of it.

Hyderabad Inn

551 Barkly Street
West Footscray,
Vic 3012

We decided to try a different wefo Indian restaurant to Aangan, which is still a fairly regular destination for us. After a bit of research and stroll down Barkly Street, we selected the Hyderabad Inn. 

 When we've glanced in previously, it has often looked pretty empty, however on this Friday evening it was well over half full. The fairly large open space, tiled floor and relatively bare walls gave the place a slightly cavernous feel. The menu is extensive and features south and north Indian food, Chinese-Indian dishes and dosa's. We ended up sticking with some of favourites.

After a poppadom each we shared the tandoori mushrooms, were the customary bright red, flavoursome but a little dry and served with plenty of salad.

The dahl saag is a favourite of mine and lived up to my expectations, and plenty was mopped up with the naan bread. The yellow lentils retained their texture amongst the spinach and were infused with the flavors from the mustard and cumin seeds and curry leaves.

We also shared the lamb rogan josh was a good rendition and pretty spicy, and contained a reasonable amount of tender meat.

The service was a little on the slow side as the restaurant only got busier while we were there. The meal came to $71 including 4 Kingfisher beers. I'm not sure it will go to the top of our list of local Indian restaurants, but it isn't a bad option...

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White Guy Cooks Thai

Foodtruck - various suburbs in Melbourne's west

The White Guy Cooks Thai food truck has been plying its trade in the West for a few months, and getting a bit of a buzz. We hadn't managed to track it down, other than a random encounter when we were out for a bike ride and the truck was closed for their afternoon break.

To find out where the truck is, follow their twitter account or their facebook page.

Regular haunts include parks in Yarraville, Footscray and West Footscray, all not far from home for us, and when a Friday in Seddon came up, we planned to make our way down.

Various reasons meant it wasn't until about ten to eight that I finally arrived and found a menu full of items already sold out. As it was pretty much all that was available I grabbed the Chicken and water chestnut Gyoza with extra Asian Coleslaw.

The Gyoza were deep fried and looked perfectly golden and crisp. I took them home to share, and they were probably a little on the cool side after the 5 to 10 minute walk. They were enjoyable and nicely flavoured and the coleslaw was pleasant. Perhaps we'd been expecting too much, but it wasn't the knockout we were expecting.

The food was prepared quickly and the staff were very friendly. We will have to give the truck another chance, and get there a bit more promptly next time!

Ebi Fine Food

18A Essex Street
Footscray,
VIC 3011

We'd been meaning to try Ebi Fine Food for a while, and finally made it there on a cold and wet Friday winter evening. The concept of a Japanese and fish and chips fusion restaurant on Essex street in West Footscray had always intrigued me. The mix in styles seemed slightly dissonant in my mind, but on arriving it was possible to see the two themes mixing and complimenting each other from outside.

Inside there are some Japanese touches, but the overall layout is definitely chip shop style, with two 2 seater tables and a counter/bar with another 6 spots. Although it was pretty busy while we there, and a bit of squeeze getting sat down, the dining area doesn't feel overrun by people waiting for or picking up takeaway. The menu, which is available on the 'about' page of the Facebook site is complimented by daily specials which also appear on the main fb page daily as well as the blackboard.

The veggie balls are billed as a vegetarian version of an Osaka street snack. The crunchy exterior covered a tasty interior, and the mayo style sauce was a little reminiscent of McDonald's burgers, in a good way, although I may be a little off the mark on that one as I haven't eaten at Macca's for over 10 years...

The prawn gyoza were brilliant, the golden crispy shells containing real chunks of prawns, and must be the best I've had!

The special bento on this occasion starred two korokke, a Japanese take on croquettes, the first packed with Beef and Shitake which worked well together, the other containing a mix of Salmon and potato.

I went for the prawn bento, which came with a great little salad, interesting eggplant with a satayish topping, tofu, bamboo and rice as well as the well cooked prawns with their tangy sauce.

Ebi is apparently trying to get a license, but at the moment is booze free, which helped keep our bill down to only $42. The service was friendly and swift given how busy they were with both diners and takeaway customers. Rather than feeling like a takeaway it almost feels as if you are in the kitchen, in a good way. I'm sure we will head back, and I'm interested to try their Japanese take on fish and chips...

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W48

48 Essex Street,
West Footscray
Vic 3012

One of the new wave of cafes that have opened in and around Footscray during 2012, W48 is tucked away in Essex Street. From the outside it is fairly anonymous, we first spotted it due to people seated and standing outside. We got the fear at that point, we'd unsuccessfully tried to visit the Milking Station a few weeks back, and had both just taken part in Run Melbourne, so didn't want to have to wait for ages...

Fortunately however, things weren't super busy once we got inside and we shown to a spot on a long high table running along one of the walls. Fortunately the chap on the end finished his meal soon after, so we could scoot up and get his spot, as in the middle the drawers under the table unfortunately meant we couldn't get our tired and sore legs under. The fit out was as modern and stylish as I had expected after reading about it elsewhere, with a balance of industrial, antiquey and homely items.

The menu covered plenty of healthy brunchy options, with a special up on the board.

My long black was lovely, not too bitter sans sugar.

I had the avocado, hummus and lemon on toast, which came with bonus rocket. The hummus was a little on the runny side, but otherwise it was perfectly prepared.

The toasted ciabatta of buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto and tomato was huge, the kind of sandwich that can require disassembly, it certainly looked great and was rapidly completely devoured. We abstained from a raid on the pastries etc. displayed in the counter...

Although it was reasonably busy the service was prompt, efficient and friendly, the bill came to around $30. I'm sure we will wend our way to wefo again in the future to sample the delights this comfy oasis.




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