Taj Palace, Footscray

After a long week at work and cooking most nights it was time for a take-away treat on Friday night. We rang through our order and headed up to Taj Palace in Nicholson St Footscray. We've ordered from here before but we're usually too hungry to wait for me to mess around taking photos of our food!

We had a five minute wait at Taj Palace so we got to watch The Main Man working his magic behind the glass at the tandoor oven. He slapped pieces of bread onto the walls off the oven and placed meat on metal skewers into the tandoor. The Bloke thought he looked like the cricketer, Merv Hughes. I was really happy to wait for our food to watch The Main Man at work.

Saffron rice $3.00 Rogan Josh $9.50

Vegetable Samosas $4.00

Chicken Tikka $7.00

Roti $4.00

Kulfi $4.00

What a great feast! The rogan josh was delicious with tender lamb. The samosas had a lovely not-to-thick pastry with a curried potato and pea filling. The chicken tikka, of which there were five pieces, were tender and had a great smokey flavour. We also got a small tub of tamarind sauce to have with the samosas and chicken which had a slight sweetness and was very nice. I had the kulfi which was okay but my least favourite of the meal. I've never had kulfi before, so I'll have to try it somewhere else, for comparison.

I love Taj Palace. It's not too far from home and the food is very tasty and extremely good value.

Mezzo Bar and Grill

I read a review of Mezzo Bar and Grill in this week's Epicure. I'd heard about Mezzo and it's not too far from work, so I thought I'd pop in for lunch. I was in need of some comfort food so had tagged the gnocchi as a potential fix-me-up.

After ordering my food, a waiter arrived with some bread and lovely fruity olive oil.

My meal arrived and looked quite pretty, with a sprinkling of chili (and cayenne pepper?).

Spinach and ricotta gnocchi with asparagus, beans, broccoletti and parmesan wafers

$18.00

It took me a minute to work out where the gnocchi was because it was all green. Then I realised that the green balls were the gnocchi. I'd expected ricotta dumplings with flecks of spinach. In her review in Epicure, Larissa Dubecki describes the gnocchi thus, "...their lightness defying the butter sauce." Lucky Larissa, because they didn't seem overly light to me. The vegetables were quite tasty but I found the sauce too watery for me and had to ask for a spoon and more bread to mop it up. I would have preferred a slightly thicker sauce.

I ordered cannoli to finish.

Chocolate cannoli filled with citrus ricotta and sprinkled with pistachios

$4.50

The cannoli pastry seemed to be too thick and crisp and it took a few goes with a spoon before I managed to crack the pastry. I like cannoli that cracks nicely when you press the spoon into it. It was pleasant but I've had tastier cannoli.

I was disappointed with my meal. I found the service efficient but not overly friendly or enthusiastic. I would like to try some other things on the menu, but I'm in no rush to return just yet.

Anada

I love going to Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, for something to eat and drink. I've been eyeing off Anada for some time. I caught up with B finally and we went to Anada for dinner. It was a Tuesday night and nearly a full-house. The service was really good and the food fantastic. The menu had plenty of tapas options and raciones (larger share plates)

B and I chose four tapas which came with some bread and olive oil. The salt cod croquettes, I could eat everyday (if someone else would cook them for me) had the right amount of crunch with soft fish inside. I've not had manchego (sheeps milk cheese) before but it was a good flavoured cheese and not overly strong with the sweet bite of quince.

The deep fried mussels were soft and crispy, the walnut dressing was great with mussels.

The char-grilled chorizo was probably my favourite on the night. The combination of the smokiness from the char-grill with the flavour of the meat. Delicious. I was just sorry I was a bit too full to order another!

Salt Cod Croquettes $3.50 ea

Manchego and Quince Paste $4.00

Deep-fried mussels with a walnut dressing

$6.50

Char-Grilled Chorizo $4.50

Churros with chocolate

$12.00

The churros and chocolate were a perfect end to the meal. That, and a very lovely glass of tempranillo.

Brick Brik Malsouka Warka etc

I've been trying to hunt down some brik/brick pastry, a North African pastry for a while. I saw Matt Moran on Masterchef make a dish using this pastry. I found it unexpectedly at Key Ingredients in Clifton Hill. I went there for something else and as I was walking out I asked if woman behind the counter if they had some brik pastry. She said I was the first person who'd asked for it. She has it in the freezer and imports it from France.

I had also wondered if Bas Foods may have some. They didn't but they did have phyllo/filo and yufga. Might try using them another time.

In my Googling and searching I found a recipe that looked and sounded very appealing. B'stilla (a North African/Middle Eastern spiced chicken pie) from Zen Can Cook which uses brick/brik and another B'stilla recipe that Ruth Reichal learnt on her documentary program 'Adventures with Ruth'. This show is on Foxtel in Australia and it's called 'Cooking School' here (and it is a really good food/travel show with recipes on the website). Haalo over at Cook Anything Once talked about this pastry in 2007. The pastry is also known at warka and malsouka.

I decided to use Zen Can Cook's recipe because he uses the brik pastry. One of the ingredients in the dish is ras el hanout. He gives a recipe for it, but I had a pack in the pantry from a shopping expedition to Key Ingredients (a previous visit). I'm a repeat visitor to this place too.

Key Ingredients stocks a range of herbs and spices that are ground and mixed in Seddon under the name Spice Bazaar. Spice Bazaar sell their products through quite a variety of places in Victoria and a couple of places interstate. I spoke to the owner and she talked about the products they have and I asked her about the cooking school of the same name and she said that her husband runs the cooking school (79 Victoria St, Seddon). They also have wattle seed in their range which I used recently.

So here are my b'stilla's.

A bit rustic, probably need to be a bit thinner. But once you sprinkle on the sugar and cinnamon...oh my goodness they are good. Each bite gets you some crispy pastry, chicken, spicy egg, pieces of almond and sweet cinnamon. A savoury dish with a sugary finish is the perfect meal for a sweet-tooth such as myself.

Will definitely make this again. Have put the leftovers in the freezer so hopefully they will reheat okay. Thanks for the recipe Zen Can Cook!

Spicy Fish

Spicy Fish is in Little Collins Street near the end of the Target Centre. I've eaten here on a number of occasions and it is tasty food. I came here one night with a group and one person ordered the dish 'spicy fish' and he did mention that it was indeed spicy! There are some dishes that are not spicy, but if you need a chili fix then this place will do the trick!

Eggplant with minced pork and chili

$8.00

I had lunch there last week and had the eggplant and pork dish which is cooked in chili oil, so if you're on a health campaign this probably won't enhance those efforts! It is a really tasty dish and reasonably strong on the chili. The meal comes with a small dish of pickled vegetables. The eggplant dish was quite filling and I could have left a bit behind, but I didn't, oh well. Another dish I've had here a couple of time is mapo doufu. It is similar to the above dish but uses tofu in place of the eggplant.

When I find a place I like, I try a couple of things and then get stuck ordering them repeatedly because I know I'll like it, so I am keen to try some other things there. Might try the dumplings next time.

Spicy Fish is good for a workday lunch because the service is pretty quick. The staff are helpful too (especially as I have a tendency to ask questions about the food). It's a regular on my list of lunchtime places.

Spicy Fish

209 Little Bourke St

Melbourne 3000

Ph 9639 1885

Open 7 days a week from 11.30am to 10.30pm

Bas Foods

I first read about Bas Foods in "The Foodies' Guide to Melbourne" by Allan Campion and Michelle Curtis. Bas Foods are in Victoria Street, Brunswick. As mentioned in the Guide, it is a massive warehouse. The first aisle that caught my eye had various pots and pans, coffee pots and musical instruments such as darbuka's. Oh, and hookah pipes, so if that is your thing, then Bas Foods is the place to buy one.

Darbuka's on the top row, and some coffee pots below

Hookahs on the top row and more coffee pots?

The rest of warehouse is loaded with Middle Eastern, Turkish and Greek foodstuffs. The warehouse has wide clearly marked aisles. Bas Imports has many items available in bulk but the public can buy there as well and there are many items available in usable quantities.

All the usual dry goods are here in bulk quantities and some smaller quantities, lentils and other beans, spices, pickled vegetables, olives, olive oil, jam, halva and the list goes on. Big slabs of Turkish bread and tsoureki are available fresh.

In the freezer are bags of vegetables, dumplings and ravioli. In the fridge are buckets of fetta, and large packs of cheeses. There was so much in this place that I just couldn't write everything down! I am looking forward to return visits because I was a bit bedazzled by the array of goods!

One of the main reasons for coming here was to see if they stock Brik (Brick) pastry, a north African thin pastry, similar to phyllo/filo pastry. There are packs of filo pastry and there was another pastry yufka which is used to make boreks.

I spoke to the owner of the store and asked if they stock Brik/Brick pastry and he directed me to the yufka. It isn't brik pastry but seems to get used in a similar way to brik.

There are two warehouse stores in Victoria currently, Brunswick and Somerton (near Roxburgh Park) and another recently opened in Auburn, Sydney (but I think it may be geared more towards wholesale).

Bas foods

423 Victoria Street

Brunswick 3056

Ph 9381 1444

Open Mon to Sat

26-28 Somerton Rd

Somerton 3062

Ph 9308 8660

Open Mon to Sat

296 Parramatta Rd

Auburn NSW

02 9648 1622

Salaam Namaste

On a recent Saturday night, The Bloke and I headed out for some Indian food. We drive past Salaam Namaste sometimes but have never been in. We were going to one of our favourite Indian places in West Footscray but it was booked out. So Salamm Namaste it was.

I was concerned on a couple of levels. There weren't many people in there, but there were a couple of Indian people eating there so my theory (and it could be wrong) is if Indian people are eating at an Indian restaurant it must okay, surely? In we walked. Service was quite slow and eventually the waiter mentioned that someone was away and he was the only person serving customers. Our order was taken and we then had to wait quite a while for our drinks. We were going to order roti bread, but the waiter came back to tell us there was no roti. I ordered my main dish and there was none left so I ordered something else. I was getting nervous and wondered whether this could end up being a dodgy night.

Thankfully I was wrong. Eventually our meals arrived and what a tasty meal it was.

Aloo Gobi at front, Butter Chicken behind

(12.95 each main meal)

The naan bread was delicious with a light garlic taste. The Bloke said his Butter Chicken was bit too strong on the tomato but he kept eating. That was his only complaint about the food. The Aloo Gobi was beautiful and tasty with perfectly cooked cauliflower and I will certainly order that again. I would happily order take away from here. I wouldn't mind trying eating there again but it would be interesting to see if the slow service was just a once off.

The guy serving us was very good and apologetic about some things not being available and when we went to pay he offered a complimentary dessert. So that was supper when I got home.

Speculaas

A while back I went to Mornington and Mt Martha to visit some family friends and relatives. I went with my friend to visit her mum who is Dutch. We got talking about cooking and I mentioned to her about wanting to try to bake speculaas, a Dutch biscuit. With perfect timing she left the room and returned with a wooden speculaas mold and has very kindly lent it to me. She had it hanging on the wall in her house as a decoration.

After quite a bit of searching I found a great recipe on the internet.

The Dutch Bakers's Daughter has this recipe on her blog. The speculaas spice mix she uses in this recipe is fantastic. I might try it in some other things too. It contains, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, white pepper, ground ginger and cardamom. When I was cooking the biscuits, the house smelt like chai tea.

Using the biscuit molds was tricky and time-consuming. I made six windmill biscuits then just used cookie cutters with the remainder of the dough. I made the dough on a Friday night and put it in the fridge and made the biscuits on Sunday morning without any drama.

Will be making these again, they were the best!

Macadamia and Wattle Seed Biscuits

Last year I saw a review for a cookbook in The Age. The book was "The Blue Ribbon Cookbook"by Liz Harfull. It was book about people cooking and winning prizes at country shows in South Australia for their cakes, biscuits, breads, jams, pickles and chutney. It sounded interesting so I went out at lunch time and found a copy of the book in a city bookstore. I have so many cookbooks at home so I was going to flick through the book and walk away. But I loved it. There are over 50 recipes in the book, and each recipe has a story about the person who made the item and the prizes they have won. There are cooking tips from the prizewinners and there are tips from the judges of the country shows. It is a fantastic book for the recipes as much as for a history of country shows in South Australia. I’ve always wanted to cook something for a country show or the Royal Melbourne Show, so that’s another item on my to do list.

I grew up in country Victoria and whenever there was a farewell, a school fete or family occasions there was an abundance of home cooking. Tables laid out with sandwiches, slices, lamingtons, pavlovas, sponges and the list goes on. The hospital in our town had a fair every year so there would be cake stalls there too. Mum would load us up with trays of cakes to take to the school fair. When my aunty’s house burnt down there was a fundraiser at the local hall and every one ‘brought a plate’ and donated goods for my aunty and her family.

I’m a fan of CWA cookbooks as well. When I get a chance to go to the Royal Melbourne Show, I always make a point of buying scones with jam and cream at the CWA pavilion. They usually have some of their cookbooks for sale there too. It’s really old school and it reminds me of my childhood in the country. There are tablecloths and sugar bowls. The ladies come around wearing aprons and bring your scones over. I like to cook quite a variety of things but I guess I’m happiest when I can bake biscuits and cakes.

Macadamia and Wattle Seed Biscuits from The Blue Ribbon Cookbook

Ingredients

250g butter

1 cup and 3/4 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

3 cups plain flour

1/2 cup chopped macadamias

1 tablespoon wattle seed

Method

Preheat oven to moderate (180 deg C) (170 for fan-forced). Grease an oven tray.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in enough flour to form a stiff dough. Knead in nuts and wattle seed.

Form the dough into walnut sized balls. Place them on a greased tray and press down with a fork. Bake for about 12 minutes until golden.

Makes 80 biscuits.

Note: In the sugar quantity, I used 1/2 cup brown sugar as I'd run out of caster which worked okay. I would reduce the sugar next time, maybe by half a cup. It took about 15 minutes for the biscuits to cook (fan-forced electric oven). The texture of the wattle seeds was a little like ground coffee beans. I might try and ground them a bit more next time.

I was pretty happy with the way they turned out. First batch of biscuits baked in the oven (it's only six months old and fan-forced which I've never used before). Oh, maybe second batch, are macarons biscuits?

I took them to work and my colleagues are helping me eat them!

Made Cafe

I read about Made Cafe last year and it's Spanish influenced menu and had been meaning to go, so today was the day. I had heard that they served heuvos rancheros and I was hanging out to try some eggy chili goodness.

The cafe is a small but cute, quirky little place. It's off the main street opposite Newmarket Train Station. I start perusing the menu and the specials list. The only Spanishy item I can see is heuvos rojos which is a baked egg dish. I start talking to the girl serving me and mention that I have been wanting to come here for ages. Then she informs me that a new owner took over 8 months ago and some of the old menu items have been retained but the menu is pared back a bit. Damn, I should have come here when I'd first heard about the place.

I ended up ordering the baked mushrooms with ricotta, herb salad and pine nuts.

Baked Mushrooms $13.50

It was quite tasty, served with some toasted olive bread drizzled with some olive oil. The herb salad was a bit light on for herbs. It was pleasant and tasty but no wow factor for me.

Their coffee was pretty good, 'Supreme Fairtrade Coffee'. In the time that I was there eating breakfast, they had plenty of people stop by for takeaway coffees. Made Cafe also uses Bonsoy, now that it's back on the shelves. If I lived closer it would be a good local place to drop by.

I headed off for a walk around the Newmarket shops. It was bit early and not many shops were open. There were about four or five other places open for breakfast too. Had a peak in the doors of some. Wouldn't mind coming back to check out Pepper which is a few doors down from Made Cafe.