Thanh Vinh

152 Hopkins Street
Footscray
Vic 3011

We'd eaten at two predecessors of Thanh Vinh, Thai Tho and Phong Dinh but not the latest incarnation.

The small outdoor dining area remains, with a modern fit out inside....

 ...featuring white walls and wooden tables and chairs.

There were a generous range of condiments on each table which were labelled to avoid confusion.

I went for the Laksa, which lacked in the shrimp paste department, resulting in a  fairly bland dish.

The Seafood Char Kway Teow was great, with plenty of smokey flavours from the wok permeating the thick rice noodles along with the fruits of the sea.

Both dishes were in the $10 - $15 dollar range, and I'd happily go back for a plate of the stir fried noodles, but would leave the Laksa for Roti Road down the street.

SugarBun

205 Russell Street
Melbourne
VIC 3000

I'd failed on my only previous attempt to visit SugarBun, heading there on a Monday when they are closed. It sits next to the Exford Hotel, near the corner of Little Bourke and Russell streets.

Inside you enter via a corridor, which ends in a doorway into the main dining room, with stairs to another area, both had modern clean fit outs.  When we arrived downstairs was full and we were given menus to read while we waited for for a table. In the end we were directed upstairs, along with a couple of other groups.

We were able to order soon after we were at our table, and didn't have to wait too long until being served our meals. Merry went for the seafood hotpot featuring wok-fired prawns, squid, fish and vegetables simmered in seafood broth which was bubbling as it arrived. It was served with mixed grain rice and seemed to go down well. 

I had the Laksa which is inspired by the Sarawak version and was loaded with prawns, shredded chicken, strips of egg, beansprouts and vermicelli noodles in the house-concocted spicy broth.The flavour was good, especially after topping up with the extra paste and lemon, but I missed the tofu and veggies found in the versions from Laksa King and Chef Lagenda in Flemmington.

The meals were satisfying and good value at between $11 and $14 each, there were also lunch specials on offer with sweet Malaysian hot drinks included. The service was a bit haphazard, but still amiable. It certainly not a bad option if you want to get a taste of Borneo on Russell Street.

Roti Road

189-193 Barkly Street
Footscray
Vic 3011

After reading Lauren's post about Roti Road (and more on Facebook) when we felt like a a bite in Footscray for lunch on Sunday we decided to give it a try.

We'd only been to the former incarnation Yummie Yum Cha once or twice and I'd noticed there was a refurbishment under way, but hadn't been around town to witness its completion.

I couldn't find the menu online so here you go... there are still some Yum Cha options available until 5pm, and beyond that there are plenty of Malaysian options.

We started off by sharing the roti canai. The roti was great, super light and fluffy, and hot when it arrived. I didn't get much of a chance with the curry sauce, as it was the better half's favourite, the sambal and dhal were good to though.

Soon after we scoffed our way through the roti, the 'background' dance music was turned down and a new tune pumped up...

Out came one of the flying roti chefs with a fantastic display of roti spinning and throwing whilst moving all around the restaurant. There's no need to stand up to watch, he makes his way to most corners!

We were sat right outside the window into the kitchen and the chef's all seemed to be having a good time throughout our meal, and were spinning the roti in there some of the time too. As you can see there have been a few changes to the decor since the Yummie days with a modern look with a bit more wood and plenty of roti road branding.

We didn't have to wait much longer for our mains arrived. The vegetable curry laksa was packed with tofu, eggplant, tomato, broccoli carrot and beans sat atop the noodles and bean shoots.

I had the chicken laksa which also featured tofu and eggplant with thin strips of chicken breast which were easy to eat with the chop sticks. The mint and gave some extra brightness along with the lime, and the shrimp paste which came in a separate little dish which added depth to the already tasty broth.

It was pretty busy on the Sunday lunchtime after the Friday grand opening, but the team seemed to have things under control. The bill came to $27.90 although there's currently an opening 10% off! It's great to have more variety in the 'scray and I'm sure we'll be regular visitors, the question is will it stop our occasional forays to Flemmington?

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Chef Lagenda, Flemington

16 Pin Oak Crescent
Flemington
VIC 3031

We spotted Chef Lagenda next to the famed Laksa King on a previous visit to Flemmington, but it wasn't until after reading an article on Melbourne's best Laksas in the Melbourne Broadsheet that we decided to pay it a visit. It is operated by Thomas Lee who has worked in Malaysia, Melbourne and Taiwan and was born in Ipoh, a town in central Malaysia not far from the Cameron Highlands, which we've visited.

From the outside it looks pretty small with just a pair of doors and a small wall with the menu showing, but it is modern and well presented.Inside there are several areas, with a few tables just inside the door, a rear section on the ground floor and stairs up a level.

The first floor has another couple of area's inside and a small terrace, which was covered and heated on our visit on an autumnal Thursday evening. Most of the indoor tables were taken and we were offered a spot outside, which was fine with us. The decor throughout was stylish and modern.

Our tea came in a pot/jug a nice upgrade from the 'traditional' flask and even the teacups were branded.

We shared the plain roti which was light and not quite as buttery as sometimes, which kept me happy and came with a satay sauce that was more spicy than a Thai style satay, which we enjoyed.

We both ended up choosing the curry laksa which featured tofu, chicken and prawns, as well as a few veggies and egg and rice noodles. It was fantastic with the rich flavours we'd hoped for and just the right amount of heat from the chilli.

We didn't have to wait too long for our meal and the service was friendly if chaotic. We ended up waiting a little while for our bill, which we needed before heading downstairs to pay (cash only). The atmosphere was good and the various areas made it feel more intimate than its  slightly cavernous neighbour. I think we've found a new a favourite laksa spot, and I'm sure we will be making a return visit soon. The bill was around $30.

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Wok Noodle

92 Charles Street

Seddon
3011 Vic

We had been past Wok Noodle a few time since it opened almost a year ago, but hadn't ventured in, perhaps because it seemed a bit too cafe or takeaway like rather than a place to enjoy your food. Being inspired by 'the street kitchen, hawker food from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia', a casual vibe is about right! On arrival the friendliness of the staff was immediately obvious, and they continued to chat to us throughout the meal in a genuine way. We'd ended up here because a few of the other local dining spots were closed for most of January, but we weren't disappointed to have had to walk just a little bit further from home.

We shared a couple of dishes, the five spice fish with vegetables, featured pan fried battered fish with stir fried cabbage, broccoli and greens in oyster sauce with some garlic flavours in there too. The dish was good and certainly brought some memories back, the sauce did start to feel a little gloopy towards the end.

The Malaya village style sambal fish contained pieces of filleted fish, again lightly battered with egg plants, tomatoes, capsicums and spring onions in a thick dark sauce. This came with a side dish of house made Malaysian sambal sauce/paste topped with sliced raw chillies, the paste is house made from chillies, dried shrimps and lime. The dish again reminded me of eating in South East Asia and the sliced chillies were strong in that lovely buzz inducing way!

We also had rice and some roti which was nice and not quite as buttery as I remember from visits to Malaysia, but felt healthier which is good! The meal came to just over $50 including a beer Chang and a couple of glasses of wine. There are many other items on the menu to try, including Laksa, and stir fried noodles and rice in a few styles! I'm positive we will be back to have a go with a few more!

Update: 5/2/12

We've been back and sat outside on a warm evening and tried a few more dishes, the mee goreng, indonesian style wok fried noodles had the familiar and distinct almost burnt flavour. The tofu, chicken and prawns tucked within noodles were all good.

The eggplant sambal contained huge tender pieces of aubergine coated in the thick sweet and spicy sauce, although it wasn't quite as hot as on the previous visit.

The gado-gado salad had plenty of shredded cabbage with potatoes covered in a peanut sauce not quite as intense as the ones I remember from Bali, but I think I almost preferred this rendition.

Again the service was friendly and except for the waiter on his first day, smooth. We didn't have quite so many chats with the owners, perhaps because we were away from the heart of the action inside, or maybe just because it was busy again...

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Laksa Bar - Melbourne

108 Little Lonsdale St
Melbourne
Vic 3000

Laksa Bar isn't far from the office, and I'd noticed the fit out work going on as I wandered past, eventually the sign appeared.

There are floor to ceiling windows to the street and also through to the chef's working in the kitchen with big pots of I'm assuming stock or soup.

Based on a had a quick scan of the launch menu and some favourable noises, it seemed like a good idea to go along and introduce a friend to the joys of laksa.

The interior is modern with a mix of tables for 2-4 people and tall stools at long benches. The services are exposed, walls are bare and the floor is polished concrete.

We were shown to a table and given the short 'launch' menu's, ordered at the counter, grabbed cutlery and bibs and returned to the table with our unlucky table number.

I tried to be healthy with the skinny laksa, made with light coconut cream/milk with vegetables mushrooms two types of tofu, tomatoes, beans, onion, vermiceli and thicker noodles. I asked for a medium level of spiciness and added some of the extra chili sauce/paste provided. The soup was a little less rich than sometimes as I'd expected, but still flavoursome, and it was certainly packed with ingredients.

Brendan went for the traditional curry laksa with chicken, which also contained eggplant, tomato and tofu. The soup looked a little richer and may have been more filling as he didn't quite manage to finish the bowl!

The service was very friendly and efficient, the place feels lively and the laksas are good, although probably not quite up there with laksa king, but it's only a block from the office! At the moment prices are $12 for a veggie or chicken laksa, $14 for fish and $16 for seafood. I'm sure I'll pop in again at some stage, there are a few more laksa's to try!

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