Sunshine Hospital

Reckon the west is getting too fancy schmancy? Posh coffee shops getting you down? Never fear - Sunshine Hospital is keeping it real. In the emergency department, there were two toilet choices - one with no seat and the other fragranced with the fug of furtive ciggies. Sunshine - where you're never too sick to suck down a smoke!

To be fair, the next time I passed the toilets, the one with the missing seat had a maintenance sign on the door. And meanwhile, you the reader are probably rather confused as to where this post is going! Without boring you with too many tedious details, last week I spent a few days in Footscray and Sunshine Hospitals with a health problem. Don't worry, there isn't another pork roll scare. (Funny thing - my husband has eaten so many pork rolls, it's a wonder Nhu Lan doesn't have one named after him. It should be "The Bogan", because he always orders a roll with extra meat. Anyway, I thought everyone knew about the dying-from-pork-rolls thing that happened in the 90's, but it turns out he didn't. When I told him he went rather ashen, obviously reliving all the near-death experiences he has had over the last eight years he's lived in the 'scray. Oh, you didn't know about the killer pork rolls either? Oh well. Surely if you had to choose a last meal, a banh mi would be a good choice!)

Anyway, I'm fine now, but in the interests of a fair go, I thought I'd share with you some of Western Health's finest fare in an attempt to tempt you to visit its fair campuses. We begin with the emergency department sandwich. Actually, this is another sandwich from later in my stay, as I wasn't really thinking about food blogging at the time. But let's just say, when a single layer of ham covers the exact surface area of the bread - we're probably not talking Jonai Farms' finest. But we won't look a gift horse in the mouth. (Not to say it was horse. I'm sure it wasn't.)

Another standout meal was beef stroganoff "surprise". (Also not pictured - this is another meal, but I'd rather forget what it was.) Fun Ms Baklover fact:  When I was 18, I worked for a spell in a hospital kitchen. The food would arrive in a van in giant, insulated barrels. You'd take a tray, upon which would have a menu with tick boxes the patient had checked with a little bingo pencil. You would then push each tray along a bench, placing the requested items onto it. Jelly? Check. OJ? Check. Grey broccoli in a lumpy cheese sauce? Oh, if you insist. They would then be taken up to the wards. I didn't get a chance to tick a menu, but I was really happy to see that the default option was beef stroganoff, which I quite like normally. Beef, mushrooms, sour cream sauce...and pickles. Yes, pickles, like the ones you get in a McDonald's burger - in a beef stroganoff. Hashtag hospital food logic.

Times were desperate. Friends brought me Aangan, which, after three days of mystery meat, tasted hallucinogenic. Slowly it dawned on me that there might be life outside the ward. A friend had brought me a coffee from the cafe, so I set off to find it myself. I wasn't sure if patients were meant to leave, and I didn't want to ask in case the nurse said no and I was condemned to another Styrofoam Zinger®-flavoured cup of tea and one of those biscuits with "NICE" printed on them, as if they're trying to convince you they are something other than sawdust. So I took off my hospital gown, put on my trackies, covered up the IV in my arm with my wallet and absconded.

And it was so worth it. I hustled back my contraband egg and bacon muffin to my room and devoured it with much gusto. Yes, I might eat it now and be completely unmoved, but like a teenage summer romance, at the time it felt so, so right. And I reckon they knew I snuck out to buy it. In fact, maybe that's the trigger for them to discharge you. "Matron, Bed 5 was just spotted at Zouki, buying a ten-pack of caramel slices." "Prepare the paperwork - she's cured!"

In all seriousness, though, the food was edible, plentiful, and more importantly, was accompanied by world-class medical care that is 100% free. Thank you to all the wonderful nurses, doctors and support staff at Western Health who were nothing but friendly, professional, and did everything they could do to make my stay as comfortable as possible. And while Sunshine Hospital may not win any prizes for food, Ward 1A did win First Prize at the Pressure Ulcer Expo. (I saw the certificate on the wall.) And I don't reckon there's a posh coffee shop anywhere that can lay claim to that.

Lebanese pizzas at Amanie's Bakery

I first discovered Lebanese pizza when I was studying Arabic at a primary school in outer suburban Melbourne.  A Saturday morning "ethnic" school ran out of there each week and I had been placed into Year 9.  If you thought high school was awkward, try being 23 years old and in a class full of 15-year-olds for whom Saturday Arabic school is the definition of pure torture.  The classes were good, but what truly kept me going back was the canteen at break time.  Parents would lug bulging cardboard boxes into the playground and line them up on card tables.  Everyone would forget how much they did not want to be there and rush to form a long, jostling line.  In the cardboard boxes lay pocket after pocket of warm, savoury Lebanese pizza, each wrapped in a single square of greaseproof paper.  There were only two choices - cheese or za'atar, a special herb - and they were ridiculously cheap.  I could never decide which to get so I always got both.  Those pizzas, eaten on an old bench seat under a peppercorn tree, are still the best Lebanese pizzas I've had in Melbourne.

Sadly I no longer attend that Arabic school and am none the wiser where they sourced their pizzas from.  The biggest choice of Lebanese bakeries or makhaabiz (singular: makhbaz) is in the northern suburbs but we have a few options here in the west.  There's the bakery at the Circle in Altona North, a small range at Babylon as well as Al Nada in Spotswood, but none are really a match with what is on offer in the north.  That is, until I found Amanie's.

This is a very traditional Lebanese bakery dealing in man'oush or Lebanese pizza.  There are a few classic types and they are always insanely cheap.  The owner here is really lovely, very friendly.

There will be some pizzas ready-made and lying behind the counter, often protected by a long sheet of paper.  Make your selection and they will be placed deftly on the floor of the long, flat oven using a special long-handled slidey tool.  They seriously only need 1 or 2 minutes before they are piping hot - the oven is kept at such a scorching temperature.

This is one of my all-time favourite drinks - I only know it by its Turkish name, ayran.  It's the original drinking yoghurt - thin, salty yoghurt that is tangy and surprisingly refreshing.  You can make it easily at home but it's somewhat of a tradition to always get it when I have Lebanese pizza.

Jibnee (haloumi cheese), $3

The mothership Lebanese pizza pie.  Salty, rich, creamy, almost squeaky on the teeth melted haloumi cheese, sometimes with a little butter, soft and melty in a delicate bread pocket.  Sometimes the dough can be way too heavy or there is too much cheese (sounds strange, I know, but haloumi is pretty intense) but Amanie's was 100% perfect.

Sbanegh ma'a jibn (spinach and cheese), $3.50

This was a perfect example of what is actually one of my least favourite pies.  Often the balance is not quite right - there's too much spinach which gets bitter and overpowering, or the bread becomes wet and claggy from the wet vegetables.  This really was excellent, though - tender, just-cooked spinach with just enough mild feta-style cheese.  The plain spinach is also really excellent - it doesn't have any cheese but the spinach is sweated with onion and allspice and is so tasty and healthy.

Lahmi (meat), $3

Another classic done superbly.  A flat disc of dough is thinly topped with a lamb mince and tomato mixture that is heavy on the onion and allspice.  Indeed, allspice is probably the most used spice in Lebanese cooking - something I found quite remarkable at first as I always associated it with cakes.  Traditionally this is sprinkled with lemon juice and chilli powder before folding in half.  There is always some on the counter; just ask them to add it!

Za'atar ("oregano"), $1.80

The original and always the best.  Za'atar is both the name for this indigenous Middle Eastern herb, a kind of local oregano/thyme often translated into English as one or the other.  Here za'atar means the spice blend made with the dried herb, sesame seeds, salt and the optional addition of other spices such as lemony sumac berries or cumin.  Here it is smoothed onto a simple circle of dough along with olive oil.  At around $1.50 each, this is probably the cheapest lunch in Melbourne.  They can be filled with tomato, cucumber and other salad items to make a sort of wrap.  We like to use them as pizza bases!

Kishik, $4

I was so excited I mistakenly ordered this instead of shankleesh which is a spherical, aged feta-style cheese, rolled in herbs, that is quite delicious when smooshed onto a pizza.  Kishik, it turns out, is a fermented and dried grain/yoghurt product that is then rehydrated as a kind of porridge or paste.  It tasted to me a bit like mashed potatoes.  It was sprinkled with raw onion, lemon and chilli.  I wasn't really a fan but it was fun to try something different.

Toum, $3

Wait til you try this.  It is Lebanese aioli or toum and it is totally divine.  Silky, garlicky, rich yet light.  Amazing!  This is eaten lots of ways including with grilled meats or just as a dip.  It apparently keeps up to a month if you use a clean spoon to take some out each time.  We ate it with fresh Lebanese bread from Amanie's - speaking of which, Lebanese bread really should be eaten that day or the next day in a pinch.  When fresh it is so fantastic, chewy yet light, and is a million miles away from the horrible stale specimens the supermarket sell up to five days past when they were baked.

I am so stoked to find such a wonderful Lebanese baker so close to home.  Now the only question is deciding which pizza to choose.  You can always try the Mr Baklover special - take za'atar pizza, open, insert cheese pizza, close.  Eat.  Genius!

Amanie's Bakery
Shop 4, 280-284 Main Road East, St Albans (map)
Phone:  9364 5333
Hours:  Mon - Sat 7.30am - 7pm, Sun 7.30am - 5pm

For more Lebanese delights, check out Sydney-based Fouad's modern as well as traditional takes on the food of his homeland, augmented by his gorgeous photos and cheeky style, at thefoodblog.com.au.

Wheelchair Access
Level entry

I'm very happy to be participating in From Cup to Crop, a new initiative by Plan International to raise both awareness and funds to fight hunger in the developing world.  You can either take part in the Cup to Crop Challenge - living on $3 for food per day, one day per week for one month or choose to donate $3 on top of your bill at participating venues.  That $3 will feed a child for a staggering 10 days!  As my contribution, I pledge to donate $3 for every meal I have out over the campaign month, 14 March to 14 April.  I will keep a tally at the bottom of each post and perhaps you too could consider supporting From Cup to Crop.

Chu Nam Quan

I can pretty much justify anything even if it defies logic entirely.  On a 40 degree day recently, upon receiving a delectable tip from Marine about a winning bo kho, I swooned to myself, "It is far too hot to cook!"  Thus I justified strapping three pairs of sticky legs into the (albeit air-conditioned) car and shooting off to St Albans when we had a cupboard full of perfectly good baked beans and a drawer full of takeaway pizza menus.

There's a little eating place called "Chu Nam Quan", said Marine, eat there if you get a chance, it is delicious! Especially the Beef casserole rice noodle soup- to die for!  Thus we found ourselves at Chu Nam Quan, a wide rather than long Vietnamese cafe with salmon-coloured walls and lucky red and gold Chinese New Year decorations.

As well as a full menu, specials line the walls including some I recognise like de (goat) and bo la lop (beef in betel leaves).  Can anyone help me translate ga farm chat lot cai xanh, lau duoi bo thiem thuoc bac or ngu linh don tom?  (I'm sorry they are missing the accents; I don't know how to make the computer do them)  When I tried to put ngu linh don tom into my Vietnamese-English auto-translator, it came back with "foolishly miraculously the shell-fish collect", so I am thoroughly mystified!

Bun bo xao, $8

Bun bo xao xa ot or beef with lemongrass and chilli was one of the first Vietnamese dishes I fell in love with.  Bun rice vermicelli salads will have warm noodles, salad vegetables either fresh or lightly pickled as well as your choice of protein, be it sugarcane prawns (a type of prawn loaf grilled on sugarcane), grilled pork or even a special order of vegetarian spring rolls.  A bowl of seasoned fish sauce will be provided as a light, almost oil-free dressing.  Chu Nam Quan's beef and lemongrass was good, tender and juicy with a real lemongrass marinade.  I do like more wok hei or crispy, charred, quickly-wokked flavour.  The presentation was quite rustic with rough-hewn herbs and lots of crushed peanut but I would have liked more pickled vegetables though.

Hu tieu bo kho, $8

Until recently the only bo kho I had had was Billy's dad's amazing family recipe which is thick and rich, very much like the stew or casserole that its English translation would make you expect.  Another bo kho I had recently though was quite thin, like a soup.  This is not a bad thing, I would imagine, as restaurants usually give you a choice of a bread roll or noodles.  It was Marine's recommendation to have this feisty bowl of beef with hu tieu or rice noodles and it was a good call as it was the thinner style of bo kho.  Such full beefy flavour in a very rich broth redolent with tomato and cinnamon.  The beefy chunks were fork-tender, really fabulous although some were quite fatty.  The richness was complemented by the peppery, aniseed flavour of the Thai basil and the tangy raw onion.  Some tripe provided an unexpected bonus and was enjoyed greatly by my 19-month-old.  I must say this bo kho was very rich and indeed too rich for me but that is personal preference.  Good call Marine!

Bun cha ca, $8

Fish and dill is a traditional Vietnamese combo and when I first came across it, I was thoroughly surprised as it was a flavour combination I had associated with Northern Europe.  Deb recently cooked a very impressive cha ca or fish with turmeric and dill.  This dish was bun cha ca, a rice vermicelli noodle soup with (homemade?) fish cakes and dill.  It was fabulous and was a big hit with the kids.  Perfect noodles, really tasty broth with heaps of refreshing dill and thin, chewy, tasty fish cakes.  LeLe has a gorgeous family recipe here (be mindful of the great selection of Vietnamese pop tracks that play, if reading this at work!!)

Cafe su da, $3

The number one reason, though, to visit Chu Nam Quan is this amazing cafe su da or Vietnamese iced coffee.  I literally swooned upon sipping it.  Perfectly brewed, almost chocolaty coffee, marrying with the rich condensed milk perfectly.  The shaved ice rather than cubed meant that it melted just that bit faster, creating a long, cold, delectable drink.  I would go back to St Albans just for this coffee - it was that good.  Sitting out at Chu Nam Quan's al fresco dining area with a long, tall glass - delightful!

Next time I want to try the classic pork chop on broken rice which I saw some other customers enjoying and which came with that simple yet seemingly unattainable pleasure in most Vietnamese restaurants - a freshly fried egg with a wibbly wobbly yolk.  And as for my justification for coming to St Albans that evening, any guilt was assuaged by the pure pleasure of strolling up and down Alfrieda Street's pleasant, tree-lined expanse, full bellies and sweet coffee on the lips, as the cool change rolled through Melbourne and a collective sigh went up across the city.  Surely that must be the greatest pleasure of a Melbourne summer.

Chu Nam Quan
65 Alfrieda St, St Albans (map)
Phone:  9364 5880
Hours:  7 days from 9am

Wheelchair Access
Entry:  Level

Quang Vinh

I love Footscray and always will, but I am far from monogamous.  A rumour of warm, golden-brown burek or the seductive whisper of properly frothed milk for coffee is enough to send me hurtling down Ballarat Road in either direction.  St Albans, 20 minutes' drive from Footscray, is my latest indulgence.  Unlike in Footscray, here a Balkan influence pervades, along with several enticing Vietnamese restaurants.  Quang Vinh in Alfrieda Street beckoned for a quick, weeknight dinner.

Salt & pepper chicken ribs, $15.80



These are sooo good.  Chicken ribs are a fantastic cut of chicken that is not often available in butchers (they are in Footscray Market, though).  They are almost like lollipops, with just one long central bone and lots of juicy meat around them, with no cartilage or stringy bits - far superior to more ubiquitous (though cheaper) drummettes and wingettes.  "Salt and pepper" mean the meat will be deep-fried in a very crunchy, zingy coating and sprinkled with a totally delicious mix of lightly cooked garlic, chilli and spring onion.  The grabbable nature of the ribs means the are very kid friendly, although arguably as nutritious as KFC!

Mixed vegetables, $12.80

I love this style of mixed vegetables.  Literally within three minutes of ordering this, it was on our table.  The vegies are so lightly cooked and retain all of their fresh qualities of flavour, colour and crunch.  With steamed rice and a little chilli oil from the bowl on every table, these alone would be a great meal.

I really like this restaurant - the staff are very friendly, service is efficient and the food is really tasty and fresh.  Their specialty is hu tieu mi noodle dishes, or dishes of egg and/or rice noodles with vegies and various meats, served either in a soup or 'dry' with a small bowl of soup on the side.  For vegetarians, they also have "monk's vegetables" or "Buddha's delight", a dish of lotus root and various fresh and dried vegies traditionally eaten on Chinese New Year.  Make sure you book if you are not going early - it is deservedly very popular!



Quang Vinh
66 Alfrieda St, St Albans (map)
Phone: 9366 4147
Hours:  7 days

Wheelchair Accessibility
Access:  Flat level to enter
Layout:  Somewhat squishy

Nick's Grill

Do you trust your beautician?  Against my better judgment, I do, from the eyelash tint I never knew I needed to the hair product I never knew I wanted, which inevitably joins its cohorts stuffed up the back of the cupboard, unused.  Arguably however this trust comes from the fact I walk out of the salon with change from $30 no matter how many treatments and products I have had.  I am glad that my dear friend Ms C trusts her beautician too, as that particular lady's recommendation led us to Nick's Grill.

Kenny recently pointed out that "little shop strips that look a bit run down are gems", and by this logic, Nick's certainly is a diamond in the rough, tucked away in a strip in outer St Albans.  The family who run this little Macedonian hideaway have been much-loved caterers to the Macedonian community for years, and son Nick has become the earnest, genuine and friendly maitre d' for their new venture.

Nick's specialises in grilled meats and from our table, we could watch dad firing up the grill in an open kitchen.  They have been open for around three months.

Sopska, $8

This salad came highly recommended, and with good reason.  It was similar to a Greek salad in its ingredients - fresh tomato, cucumber, a little red onion and sheep's or goat's milk cheese.  However, here the vegetables were chopped into small pieces rather than the large chunks one associates with Greek salad and the cheese was grated on top, a la Parmesan on pasta.  It was so delicious - I could have eaten this alone with bread quite happily.  The vegetables were super fresh and the dressing light, lemony and tangy.

This soup is a soon-to-be menu item and we were lucky enough to be offered a taste.  It was simply divine - a thick, rich broth with carrot, potato and fat flakes of pink rainbow trout.  I have never had good luck with fish soups or curries as the fish needs a very careful hand or it disintegrates or goes mushy and grainy.  The fish flavour in this was superb, present but not at all overpowering.  The broth was thick, rich and unctuous, as fine as the best lobster bisque.  It is Nick's dad's special recipe, perfected through years of cooking in Germany.  I can't speak highly enough of this wonderful soup.  With a swish of its Macednonian petticoats, it has nudged pho off its pedestal as my favourite soup of all time.  Big call but justified!!!

Pleasantly coarse, crunchy Continental bread was perfect for wiping up every last drop of soup and salad.  The dip is makalo which is a hot garlic paste similar to Lebanese toum.  It was brash and almost acrid, great to spread on the bread and then dip in the soup.  First dates, beware!

Mixed grill, $26

Time for the main event.  Most of Nick's meat platters are $17 or so and come with your choice of meat, be it cevapi or skinless sausages, raznjici or skewers, various cutlets and patties.  They all come with chips and vegies.  We went for the mixed grill for a bit of everything.  The cevaps and the very similar pork pljeskavica or hamburger were great, with a pleasantly springy and even spongey consistency similar to Vietnamese 'kebab' or 'roast pork', the sausage-like, skewered tubes or balls sold at Ba Le and Nhu Lan (I don't know the Vietnamese for them - please enlighten me if you do!).  A simple piece of grilled chicken breast was perfectly cooked and delicious.  The meats went perfectly with the makalo, served here thinned with oil and I think broth, its garlic flavour tempered somewhat.

We were so full by this stage and got defeated fast, though, only managing a bite or two of the other meats before surrendering.  I am actually not that big of a carnivore and would have liked less chips and more of the wonderful grilled capsicum.  The chips were somewhat unremarkable.  The Croatian Club in Footscray has a very similar mixed grill of just cevapi and raznjici, but their vegies (capsicum, onion and mushroom) are abundant and heavenly, plus their chips are crispier and have a special spice mix on them (I acknowledge Croatian and Macedonian are different cuisines, of course!)  Next time I will choose a single platter of just one meat and share that, and hope that there will be more room for more vegies.

The standout dish was still the rainbow trout soup, coming soon to the menu and in my opinion, it can't come soon enough.  They were so kind to give us such a generous sample (and they hadn't busted me taking photos, at least not at that stage!)  Just like in the beauty shop, we got more than we came for, but unlike yet another bottle of hair product, this soup is definitely something I now cannot live without.

Nick's Grill

177a Main Road, St Albans (map)

Phone: 9310 9996

Hours:  Mon/Tues closed, Wed-Sun evenings

Fully licensed but BYO coming soon

Wheelchair Accessibility

Entry:  Level.

Layout:  Roomy-ish.

Vardar Grill

Knock knock.......

Creeeeeaaaakkkk.......

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" said my friend as we rounded the corner.  At the top of the stairs, though, the hearty albeit pleasantly surprised welcome from the owner made us feel instantly at home.  Vardar Grill is on the first floor of a quiet shopping strip in St Albans and is an extended "Dad's pool room", decked out in fishing trophies, pennants, flags and scenes of the old country.  It's a welcome refuge for the western suburbs' Macedonian community but also warmly welcomes seekers of grilled meats and quiet conversation.

I know very little about Macedonian food.  I had a Macedonian housemate once but his only acknowledgement of the food of his homeland were his mad scientist-like yoghurt experiments, which left the stovetop a perpetual shade of burnt and bubbled brown and the house infused with the alternating smells of boiled or off milk.  He was never successful.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, all he would say of Macedonian cooking was that it was "hard".

Here at Vardar, there is a small menu in Macedonian (its English transliteration, at least) above the bar.  Vardar specialises in grilled meats and we happily deferred to the owner's suggestions.  The fish was perfectly cooked, dusted in flour and fried quickly.  We also sampled cevap or skinless sausages which were super-meaty, juicy and rich.  An accompanying salad of vinegared coleslaw and just-sliced cucumber was excellent.

Look for the red sign on the balcony - entrance on the side of the building (there is a sign ;)

We sipped our beers and then an impeccable short black.  As the world outside darkened slowly, one of the guys on the balcony fetched a huge accordion-like instrument and with his friends, began to sing.  Outside the Sydenham line rushed past and the gum trees came into relief against the summer night sky.  The Macedonian presence in the west is perhaps not immediately apparent, but like a folk song carried on a Balkan breeze, if you care to listen you will be richly rewarded.

More Macedonian treats can be found at Kings Fresh Burek, 58 Kings Rd, St Albans (amazing spinach & cheese burek) and Michael's Deli, 50 Leeds St, Footscray (the best sausages - try the kolbasi)

Vardar Grill
First floor, cnr Furlong Rd and Willaton St, St Albans (map)
Phone: 9364 1440
Hours: Mon/Tues 2pm-11pm, Wed-Fri noon-midnight, Sat 2pm-2am, Sun noon-11pm

Wheelchair Accessibility
Not accessible.