Subject to some relatively minor amendments, the City of Yarra last night voted to approve their revised policy for food trucks, which will allow for greater flexibility for operators. Read the 21 May agenda (197kb .pdf) and the food truck attachment (165kb .pdf).
Trucks will be allowed into residential areas (subject to council approval) and if approved will trade for a 3 month trial period that will be reviewed before an annual licence for the area is granted.…
Masak Masak is a new casual Malaysian eatery on Smith St in a space where a couple of generic cafes have previously failed. In reinvigorating the space and changing its use I think it will do well, because there’s been nothing else like in the area since the closure of Roundhouse Roti a few years ago.
I had beef rendang with roti canai and my friend had soy braised pork with rice. The rendang was fantastic but the roti was a little dry, and my friend said her pork was very good.…
My party of three was about 15 minutes late for our lunch booking at the Metung Galley. When we arrived I went to the counter, explained that I had a booking and apologised for being late. We’d been on the road for hours and were in need of sustenance and relaxation.
With most of the outdoor tables taken but most of the indoor ones vacant, the venue was barely half full and seemed to have sufficient staff to deliver prompt service.…
Floating Dragon in Lakes Entrance is an unusual regional restaurant. As far as I can tell the menu is reasonably authentic Cantonese cuisine. The food is certainly of very good quality and it is relatively expensive, with somewhat slow but very friendly service.
Located on a pontoon floating in the harbour of Lakes Entrance, Floating Dragon has novelty and great views to add to its excellent food. Even on a wet and stormy night it was calm inside, though you could occasionally feel the movement of the water beneath.…
I first visited Industry Beans for coffee a few days after it opened, and while I was satisfied I was not seriously impressed and thought I would leave a couple of weeks for them to settle into trading before returning to eat. On my second visit the coffee was the same but I also ate and now have a sufficient impression of the place to write a review.
My lunch companion and I marvelled at the large and diverse menu.…
This is the big breakfast at Two Bob cafe on Queens Parade North Fitzroy – toast, poached eggs, bacon, fried tomato, onion jam, wonderful pork and fennel sausages, mushrooms and a triangle of what they call rosti. Normally rosti is made with grated potato but this was a surprisingly light concoction, like the lightest fluffiest polenta, and was made with mashed potato.
The coffee is very good, or at least it is exactly as I like it: strong.…
In between French films at the Westgarth on the weekend I enjoyed an amazing lunch at Gypsy Hideout. This is a lunch plate that is like a sample plate featuring items from the lunch menu, including stuffed vine leaves, meatballs, a stuffed tomato, baba ghanoush, feta and bread. The coffee is good too. I haven’t eaten there since my first visit and I’m releived to find it as good as it was then.
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Teriyaki Anarchy Sake is a new Japanese influenced bar on Smith St. It’s not authentic and isn’t trying to be a flash izakaya like Kumo. I met two friends there last Friday night for drinks and food. I began with a Bloody Hugo, a Bloody Mary inspired drink with wasabi instead of tabasco, which I liked a lot.
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Mobile food vans (commonly known as food trucks) have supposedly been allowed to operate in the City of Yarra since 1 July 2012, yet to date none have been approved by the City of Yarra, despite them operating widely in neighbouring local government areas like Moreland and Darebin. The City of Yarra has conceded that its guidelines may be too strict. Some people consider the current rules to be so strict that they form an defacto ban on trading.…