In case you were wondering, it takes about 35 minutes to cook a pineapple on a rotisserie until soft and hot to the core, developing a nice char.
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Sneakers, Footscray
Sneakers on the power lines near Footscray station
Asahi Strong Off
I’ve noticed that one of the first beers that I drink in any country is the one whose advertisement I see first. The ads for Asahi Strong Off on the subway platforms around Tokyo depicts your average businessman with an expression on his face of either drunken jubilation or gaping in a rictus of groin-tearing pain. It’s more than a little bit off.
Strong Off is a beer that promises all of the boredom of a lager combined with all of the alcohol from a stout. According to the can, it has 60% less carbohydrates which accounts for the “off” portion, the “strong” from the 7% booze kick. It’s a beer that says you remain conscious about your waistline while attempting to drink yourself unconscious.
Asahi says (via the bewildering engine of Google Translate): “Alcohol 7%, 60% carbohydrate is achieved ※ off a new genre. Malt-based company ※ “liqueur (Sparkling) ①” ratio” (アルコール分7%、糖質60%オフ※を実現した新ジャンルです。※発泡酒をベースとした当社「リキュール(発泡性)①」比)
I say: My kanji skills only extend to about 5 characters but I would not be in any way surprised if one of them on the can said “malt liquor”. This is not really even close to beer, closer to a thin alcoholic soap.
Sapa Hills, Footscray
There are two generations of Vietnamese restaurants in Footscray, Melbourne. The first emulates the tile-and-mirror-walled, cheap metal table joints of the streets of Saigon. The architecture sends a message that hosing down the walls could be a priority, the hall of mirrors effect suggests that the appearance of being busy is as important as really being busy. The second generation is identical to upmarket phở chain, Phở 24 with dark timber panelling, dark timber seats, white plates, the appearance that they’re one frappucino short of a Starbucks.
In Footscray, both tend to serve the same menu; interior design is not a handy marker of a great or terrible meal.
Sapa Hills opened in November 2009 and falls into the second generation with the added bonus of shots of the actual terraced hills of Sapa on the wall. The menu isn’t from northern Vietnam – it’s much the same as every other Melbourne pho joint – but there is the occasional plate from the north, like the above bo la lot: fatty and peppery beef mince wrapped in a betel nut leaf (although here, vine leaves substitute(?)), topped with peanuts.
The argot of Northern Vietnamese food is meat and the above is bun cha at it’s blunt meaty best. Grilled thin slices of pork and well charred meatballs with a thin vinegary, green papaya-topped stock. Greens are varied and bun noodle serve are generous.
Location: 112 Hopkins St, Footscray VIC 3011
Menu for Hope 5: 100 hours left
Food bloggers’ annual raffle, Menu for Hope, is on again and with 100 hours left to run, chances are good that you’ll win prizes aplenty. Get over to Chez Pim to check out the full list or to Tomato for the South East Asian edition.
I’m not offering a prize this year because I doubt that what I had would garner the 20 ticket minimum.
How to make coconut milk
I make my own coconut milk. It tastes nuttier and richer than that from a can, and frankly, I enjoy spending vast amounts of my spare time preparing food. Most recipes for making milk mention grating up the coconut or extracting the white flesh with a zester or fork – but it is much faster to pulp the flesh up in a blender.
You’ll need a hammer, a clean cloth, a blender and an old brown coconut.
In his book Thai Food, David Thompson recommends cracking the coconut open with the back of your heavy cleaver but a hammer is much more efficient and satisfying, with the added bonus of not risking losing an ear. Whack the coconut with the hammer until it cracks open. Let the juice inside run out and discard (or drink it, if you’re into sour coconut water).
Opened.
Peel out the white flesh using a knife or a spoon. There is a thin and woody brown membrane that coats the flesh, the testa.
Cut it off.
Continue until you’ve separated the brown parts from the white. Place the white flesh into your blender along with about two cups of warm water. Blend until thoroughly shredded.
Pour the shredded mix into the tea towel or clean cloth.
Squeeze out the milk. I’d do this with both hands, but my other one is holding the camera.
Let it settle. The thick layer on top is coconut cream, the thinner milk is beneath.
My new baby
No, I’m not having a real baby. Don’t get your hopes up, Mum.
I’ve finally taken the plunge and invested in a real camera: a Nikon D40X. My point-and-shoot Olympus C-740 was reaching the end of its life: I had worn off the rubber eyepiece from having it pressed against me so often, and was beginning to wear a hole in shutter button. I was also annoyed at how poorly it performed in low light. The things that you don’t notice when you begin taking photos like chromatic aberration, barrel distortion and the weird blue cast that sometimes falls over my food shots began to grind.
I haven’t had much of a chance to play with the Nikon yet because it was night, but above is the North Melbourne Town Hall.