Wings 433 Cafe
433 Elizabeth St Melbourne 3000 (03) 9328 3812

This cafe is subtitled H.K. Style Food. The window is papered in different colours with the chinese script, a number, an english description and a price.

Decor is basic cafe style, varnished wooden tables which they'll move around to suite your group. The walls inside are papered with the more than twenty specials available.

I dine alone, but as with most of the lunch venues I've been visiting, they don't have a problem. I'm barely seated and a glass of quaffing temperature tea is placed before me.

As I sat there a vague memory started to return of my trip to Hong Kong and a meal in a very similar style establishment. I think it's the coloured paper with the menu items, I've noticed the Shanghai Noodle house also has its specials on bits of paper, although mostly hand written and seldom in english.

The menu was what got me in there however. It's not your average "Chinese" eatery - they have everything from beef and black bean with rice to Ox's offal with rice. The menu is divided into Congee, noodle soup (egg, hor fun, rice vermicelli), special curry, rice dishes, baked rice or spaghetti, stir fried and dessert.

The most expensive dish is $9.00, with most around the $6.50 to $7.00 mark. They're complete meals.

I was tempted by a special which was aubergine and pork on rice, but couldn't find it on the wall inside, or on the menu. Then i spied "mince pork, tofu served with chilli and tomato sauce with rice". I strongly suspect that's Mapo Dofu.

Each meal (except congee) is served with either a free (postmix) soft drink or soup of the day. As I sit there idly checking off my "to do" list, a plate of gargantuan proportions descends in front of me.

My first thought is "my god, I won't be able to eat all that". My second is triumph that it is indeed what i know as mapo dofu.

It's hot (cooked to order), served on abundant fluffy steamed rice and is tasty. Not too much chilli (i'm getting back into it after a number of years). The flavour today comes from the meat, the tomato and the spring onions mixed through, with a bit of warmth from the chilli.

Suffice to say I clean the plate.

The waiting staff are friendly and polite. I pay my $7 and grab a takeaway menu. I will visit again. The only problem is do i go for the fave or try something different from the menu...

As a side note - there used to be a tasty burger venue next door to this cafe, where i enjoyed many of said burgers. However it's now a convenience store/tiny asian grocery, one of a cluster that are opening in that area to cater for the international student population.

Previous prandial pleasure has been provided by:

Cafe 7th Heaven
333 Latrobe St Melbourne 3000 (03) 9670 1176

I first stumbled into Cafe 7th Heaven in desperate need of a warm (not scalding) flat white, on my way to a morning meeting.

Not only was the guy behind the counter totally charming, there were also hints that this wasn't your average burger and sanger shop. They had a delicious Indian spicy smell happening, and i vowed to return at a more reasonable hour and see what they had.

Upon revisiting at a late lunch hour I discovered an array of curries awaiting my selection. They offer a selection of two or three curries with rice at a special price, however i prefer just one. They cheerfully oblige.

One of the notable features of "eat in" is the military style TV dinner tray they serve you on. It's divided so if you don't want your rice to get soggy then you can keep it all apart.

So far i've eaten there twice and enjoyed it both times. The food is prepared out the back and then served from the bain maries out the front - which I believe is perfectly acceptable for the style of food - a cooked to order curry should properly take a couple of hours after all!

If I'm heading up the hill again I'll drop by.

Today's lunch was provided by

Es Teler 77
319 Swanston St Melbourne 3000 (03) 9663 4243



Indonesia is one of Australia's closest neighbours, and one with a distinctly different culinary tradition. However I've never really eaten Indonesian food, apart from those "rice-a-riso" style Nasi Goreng dishes. Which was also available as a frozen food during the eighties if i recall correctly.

These anglicised versions of the original were responsible for putting off a number of contempories from ever trying the stuff again.

Es Teler 77 is one of a cluster of food shops just round the corner of Little Lonsdale St on Swanston Street. The windows have laminated laser printed posters with pictures of the specials, and surprisingly grammatical English (unlike mine).

There is seafood nasi goreng, vegetarian, but the printed menu has the original - chicken and vegetables in fried rice.

The shop is narrow, and the tables are packed in. Even at the late lunch stage there's still a number of people in there. I make my way to the back where you order. It's definitely cheap and also quite decidely cheerful. A young woman and her baby are waiting for some take away, the conversations buzz and I go back to the front window where there is bar-style seating.

Tucked behind the posters, the window is handy for watching the passing parade, although somewhat less useful for checking out what's happening. I settle down with one of my new books (that's another story).

"Nasi goreng?"

Yup - that's me. I am handed a heaped plate, garnished with some fresh prawn crackers and, on closer inspection/consumption, some crisp fried shallots. There is egg, nice chunks of chicken, bite size crunchy stalks of chinese broccoli or bok choy (very slender) all warmly spiced with a touch of chilli. A small bowl of broth which resembles miso appears as I head back to the counter for cutlery.

Although it's touted as "Javanese Fried Rice" on the front window it's not too oily, relying on the ingredients taste rather than fat. There's no "chewy" bits (handy for the less intrepid non-Asian who doesn't like to spit things out).

The passionfruit Fanta doesn't even pretend to contain any non-artificial flavours or colours.

I clear the plate and hand it back to the young lady clearing the tables, and exit to a big smile and "thank you".

Notes and tips:
* food is cooked to order
* collect your cutlery before you go sit down
* take two napkins (or use one of your "i've been OS" packet tissues) - they're a bit on the flimsy side and I'm sure Stephen Downes would disapprove heartily.

Someone at work was asking for reviews of local eateries, and that tied in nicely with the "Tasty Burger" theme. Therefore this blog is now going to be devoted to restaurant reviews, since review of any other sort are sadly lacking.