Discover Footscray

Gastrology bloggers were taken on a foodie tour of Footscray recently as part of the 'Your Footscray' campaign which brings together all aspects of life in Footscray including safety, transport, holidays and most importantly—food...

Coffees @ Cafe Cui

Location: 58 Leeds Street, Footscray 

Phone: 03 9687 6967 

Link: http://www.cafecui.com.au/

Cuisine: Breakfast/Brunch, Modern Australian 

We met our chaperone, Jack at Cafe Cui (pronounced Café Q). Located just opposite Footscray Station, the café sources all its vegetables and meat from the Footscray Market.

Having only opened its doors in June last year, Café Cui has already gained a loyal following as a result of its location and freshly sourced produce.

The menu boasts a variety of delicious brunch options including the popular Shakshuka eggs bake, the chef’s own invention, with braised capsicum, tomato and middle eastern spices.

The cafe's modern and relaxed fit out makes it a perfect spot for a caffeine hit. Our coffees contained a perfect layer of silken froth, complete with a flawless rosetta, and tasted terrific.

 
Footscray Market

Melbourne's best cannoli @ T. Cavallaro & Sons

Location: 98 Hopkins Street, Footscray

Phone: 03 9687 4638 

Link: http://www.tcavallaroandsons.com.au/

Cuisine: Coffee, Bakery 

As soon as we stepped through the doors of T. Cavallaro & Sons, we were immediately swept away by the aromas of baked pastry, roasted nuts and sweet syrup. 

A Footscray institution, T. Cavallaro & Sons was founded by Tommaso Cavallaro in 1956 and proudly catered for the Melbourne Olympics in the same year. The cafe proudly represents the European migrant families who made Footscray their home in the ’40s and ’50s. Since 1956, the cafe has been open every Easter and every Christmas, making sure their customers are well taken care of. 

Today, Tommaso's sons, Tony and Carmelo (who has worked on the premises since its inception in 1956) continue the legacy. 

Behind the shop front is where the magic happens. There, endless trays of freshly baked sweet treats and pastries are being made. The contents of which scream only one thing – decadence.

With recipes that have not changed since 1956, use of time-old techniques and fresh ingredients, the proof is in the tasting...

The sweet treats at T. Cavallaro & Sons are baked to perfection and we can confirm that T. Cavallaro & Sons' certainly serves the best cannoli that Melbourne has to offer.  Every bit is handmade and absolutely moreish. The cannolis are filled with either patisserie cream or ricotta and dusted with a sprinkling of almonds. The cannoli casing was perfectly crisp and we fell in love with the traditional ricotta filling. It was decadent, creamy and had a beautiful citrus finish. 

Although it is very easy to over sweeten ricotta fillings, it seems that T. Cavallaro & Sons have found the perfect balance. Their cannoli is truly divine. 

If you have a sweet tooth, we certainly recommend taking the trip down to Footscray to see what the fuss is about. 

Sugarcane juice @ Vy Coffee Bubble Tea

The sugarcane juice is made before your eyes!

Location: 44 Byron St, Shop 4, Footscray (near Little Saigon Market)

Cuisine: Sugarcane juice, coffee, tea, bubble tea

We were immediately transported to the streets of Vietnam as we explored Footscray's Little Saigon Market. What better way to enhance that experience than a refreshing sugarcane juice by the vibrant bustling streets.

The juice was deliciously sweet and refreshing. We loved the addition of kumquat in the juice which added a delightful acidity and balance to the beverage. 

Ethiopian cuisine @ Konjo Cafe & Restaurant

Location: 89 Irving Street, Footscray 

Phone: 03 9689 8185 

Link: http://konjo.com.au/

Cuisine: Coffee, Ethiopian/Eritrean, Vegetarian 

A recent addition to Footscray’s Ethiopian food scene, Konjo Cafe and Restaurant already has a cult following. A welcoming ambience and delicious Ethiopian food mean that this eatery is popular among young and old alike. 

If you're not sure what to choose from, Konjo does an amazing platter which consists of 2 vegetarian dishes, 2 lentil dishes, 1 mild lamb stew, 1 spicy lamb stew and 2 beef dishes served on a tray of injera and an extra basket of injera.

We enjoyed how flavoursome each dish was. The beautifully made injera which we used to pick up bites of the little dishes was the perfect canvas for the rich and spicy flavours.

The platter was the perfect introduction to Ethiopian food and was simply delicious. 

We also tried Konjo's specialty dish (which you will not be able to find anywhere else) which is a finely-minced beef dish called Kitfo which owner, Abdul prepares by hand and serves with a special clarified butter.

Footscray Train Station

Our tour of Footscray was a culturally rich and eye-opening experience. It was amazing to see how passionate the small business owners we met along the way are about their suburb and hear their stories. We look forward to returning to Footscray and experiencing more of what this amazing suburb has to offer.

Special thanks to Jack Walden from The C Word for being a brilliant chaperone.
Gastrology bloggers discovered Footscray courtesy of Regional Rail Link.