Best of Melbourne Eats
Loved eating in Melbourne! Partly it was because my hotel was located just two (longish) blocks from Victoria Road in Richmond, the heart of the Vietnamese (secondarily Chinese) community.
I was in town for six days, and I went to Nhu Lan bakery four times. At first I was going to try the many different bakeries on Victoria, to compare/contrast. But after my first bite in Nhu Lan's banh mi, I knew my search had stopped. The bread was clearly baked in store, and passed the critical (for me) test, which is that the crust is as crispy as biting into a Lay's classic potato chip, and the interior is so airy it practically compresses to nothing. This may be the best banh mi I've ever had.
Today, as I left for the airport, I decided to not mess around and go for total indulgence: baguette with only pate inside. Only AU$2 (US$1.63).
Victoria Road is basically Asian markets alternating with restaurants alternating with bakeries. Another big winner was Thanh Ha 2, which has a sign out front saying that their specialties are Bun Bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup), beef 7 ways, and Banh Xeo (crepe-like dish). Banh Xeo was the dish that is responsible for turning me on to Vietnamese food after many years of not liking it. (Amazingly it was in Nashville where this enlightenment happened.) So I had to come in and have banh xeo. Definitely, this is also one of the best Vietnamese I've had. The edges of the crepe were so light and savory, and it was served with the widest variety of herbs and vegetables I've ever had. Also note how humongous it is. Thanh Ha 2 also serves soy milk for free in the wintertime, earning super bonus points.
A post about Melbourne food couldn't be complete without mentioning its well known cafe culture. The only cafe I visited was Green in in the suburb Brunswick, where I stopped in before my 2 days of chocolate class, after my train arrived. It had a nice neighborhood feel, with fresh juices and coffee, both wonderful, and staff that remembered me from one day to the next.
