The Westies 2013 - the complete wrap-up, with winners!

So the morning of The Westies, I was blow-drying my hair (after dusting the cobwebs off the hairdryer) and - 100% no BS - I found my first grey hair.

It was 110% worth it.

A crowd of about 70 beautiful people gathered in the sunshine at Yarraville Gardens to hear the announcement of the inaugural winners of The Westies: Dishes of Distinction.

City of Maribyrnong Mayor Grant Miles came down and said a lovely few words about the food in the west, which is one of our biggest strengths.  We always wanted these awards to be not so much about winners or losers, but to celebrate the food culture of the western suburbs.  But winners there were - and the first is...

Pork and prawn banh cuon from Xuan Banh Cuon, Sunshine!

Banh cuon are gossamer-thin rice noodle crepes - almost like a Vietnamese version of cannelloni.  They are not that common to find in Melbourne, and when you do, often the noodle sheets are shop bought.  Mum Xuan of Xuan Banh Cuon makes all of hers the old-fashioned way, pouring rice batter atop mesh-like material, stretched tight like a drumskin over a pot of simmering water.

XBC's classic version is served filled with prawns, wood-ear mushrooms and pork that is minced in house to get it to just the right consistency.  Topped with pork floss and fried shallots and served with dipping sauce and a forest of herbs - it is an instant Westie classic.

XBC's Westie already has pride of place in the restaurant, as you can see from this photo I pinched from @sunshinephofever's Twitter feed!  Carson of Xuan Banh Cuon spoke beautifully about how much this award means to his family, and how they feel it is a win for the whole community who have supported Xuan Banh Cuon since they opened just a few months ago.

Now, without further ado, the second winner is...

Chicken and rice "Regular" from Safari, Ascot Vale!

Congratulations to Mohamed and Fatima, and I confess - I love the name of this dish just as much as the components.  Well, OK, maybe not quite as much, but I do love it.  It's down the bottom of the menu as "The Regular", and you'd do well to become one here at Safari.

This Somali dish is a kingly two-course affair with drink for the grand sum of $13.  It starts with a bowl of lemony, lip-smacking lamb broth, in which chunks of carrot and onion bob gently.  You'll need to stipulate what sort of "Regular" you'd like (rice or spaghetti?  Chicken, lamb or fish?) but we recommend opting for the rice and chicken version.  You'll receive a heaping portion of glistening rice, each grain separate, redolent with rich stock, cardamom and garlic.  The feast continues with tangy chargrilled chicken breast, crisp salad and my fave - quickly sauteed capsicum and garlic.

But that's not all - you'll also receive a tall glass of something icy, maybe freshly squeezed OJ or Vimto cordial, which tastes like jellybabies.  (PS:  Don't be shy to ask if they forget to bring it!)

Our lucky last winners could not make it to the picnic, as Saturday is their busiest day of the week.  So we popped down this morning in fact to present their award in person.  And it goes to the...

Cheese burek from Nada's Take Away, Footscray!

I have a long history with this one.  Eight years ago, I found myself in Footscray at least twice a week, looking at houses, newborn baby in tow.  I'd always end the trip at the Footscray Market food court.  I liked the congee from one little shop, but I remember one day hankering for a sneaky dim sim or two.  I fronted up to Nada's but immediately I spied something else I knew I had to have.

Nada and Cane (better known as Sonny) are of Macedonian heritage and Nada makes her own Macedonian burek for the shop, selling it in giant, warm wedges.  She makes the whole thing from scratch, including the pastry.  Imagine warm, soft curls of pastry, enclosing pockets of creamy ricotta, with a crisp and crackly outer shell...  It is comfort food of the highest order.

Sonny and Nada have run their shop at Footscray Market for 28 years.  She said today that this is "the best present I ever got".

With the formalities done, it was time to enjoy the food and the sunshine.  Xuan Banh Cuon had brought the most delicious Vietnamese coleslaw with green papaya and beef jerky to share.  There are rumours this might become a menu item!

We chilled out to some guitar and banjo tunes...

...and it wouldn't be a celebration of all things food without some of our fave food trucks making a special appearance.  WeFo locals Happy Camper Pizza brought us delicious pizzas, including a gorgeous gorgonzola and fig number, while the ever-awesome Mr Burger served up their namesakes with a smile.

My eleventh-hour coffee campaign bore fantastic fruit - we were so delighted to have Christine and Kat from Wild Horse Cafe, serving excellent coffee with Coffee Supreme beans.  Christine and I first made contact at about 10.30am Friday, and everything - power, water and permits - was sorted by 2pm.  These chicks are on the ball!

Kenny and I were so proud to be part of this event that brought together many different communities and celebrated how great we've got it in the west.  We are already brimming and bubbling with new ideas for next year.  So we will see you - and YOU, Grey Hair #2, because you're not allowed to emerge any time sooner - in Spring 2014!

Thanks to Footscray Life for their generous financial support towards the design and production of our trophies.

Thanks to my dad, Mike Reed, who took the fantastic photos on the day, and my sister, Liz Reed, who designed the plates.

Wild Horse Cafe - coffee for The Westies!

Remember this picture from Tuesday?

Photo by Coffee Supreme Melbourne

Well, with the power of social media, we have sorted coffee for The Westies - and not only that, we reckon we've tipped a winner!  The fantastic Christine and Kat from Wild Horse Cafe will be chomping at the bit tomorrow to serve you beautiful brews made with Coffee Supreme beans and Jonesy's Milk, all from the window of a 1964 vintage caravan!  And for you coffee nerds out there, the machine is a La Marzocco, which is Italian for "great espresso, guaranteed".

Photo from happycamperpizza.com.au

Check out FFB's last post here for all the details of the other fantastic food trucks who'll be in attendance.  We are also delighted to have Mayor Grant Miles introducing the 2013 Westies.  And there may be a banjo playing.  (If you'd like it to be duelling - bring your own and play along!)

We can't wait to see you tomorrow...  Those details for the lucky last time:

WHERE:  Yarraville Gardens (cnr Somerville Rd and Hyde St - we'll be nearer to Somerville Rd)

DATE:  Saturday 30 November (tomorrow!)

TIME:  Picnic starts at 11am; winners announced at noon.

Westies awards and FFB/CTS picnic - this weekend!

Kenny and I are so delighted to have the Westies featured in today's Epicure! Feast your eyes here.

It's a timely reminder for you that the announcement of the inaugural Westies winners, combined with our annual Spring Picnic, is THIS WEEKEND! We really sincerely hope you can make it - we love meeting our readers, we know you will love meeting our winners, and we hope you will come and share in this special celebration of the west. We will be presenting our beautiful commemorative awards, which you really need to see to believe - they're gorgeous.

Here are the details again:

WHERE:  Yarraville Gardens (cnr Somerville Rd and Hyde St - we'll be nearer to Somerville Rd)

DATE:  Saturday 30 November (this weekend!)

TIME:  Picnic starts at 11am; winners announced at noon.

You can bring a picnic rug and make a day of it, or you can drop down to say hi...  It's up to you! It's a picnic, so if you would like to bring something for yourself for lunch, or even something to share - that would be lovely. We also have two fantastic food trucks along for the ride.

Photo from happycamperpizza.com.au with permission.

First up - Happy Camper Pizza is coming along, on only its third official outing. This newie is the baby of WeFo couple Remi and Sonia and runs out of their gorgeous 1965 Airstream camper.

Photo from happycamperpizza.com.au with permission.

They just had their launch at Post Industrial Design a few weeks ago and although I haven't had a chance to try their wares yet, their pizzas look the bee's knees. Read more at Consider the Sauce.

Photo supplied by Mr Burger; photo by @alicat47

We also have the very awesome Mr Burger, who are starting early at 11am just for us. My Chicago-born husband goes completely Easter Island whenever any mention is made of perhaps trying something American in Melbourne. Every burger undergoes two grillings - one by the cook who prepares it, and the next by him, who subsequently launches into a lament about how awful Australian burgers are. (I don't think I'll ever stop hearing about the pub burger on Turkish bread he was forced to choke down six or so years ago.)

Photo supplied by Mr Burger

The only Australian burgers that have the tick of approval are the Station Hotel's (as much for its yum as it is to say its name - "le sandwich" - in a silly French accent)...and...Mr Burger's.

We are missing one essential element - coffee! Despite many attempts, we are yet to secure a coffee truck or cart to be in attendance. Can YOU help? Please get in touch if you can, or if you have any suggestions - Twitter, phone and email deets here.

Lastly, there are even rumours our winners are bringing along some goodies to share! Kenny and I truly hope to see you on Saturday.

Thank you to Footscray Life for your generous donation towards producing our trophies.

Announcing ... The Westies!

Every so often we get out of town.  Sometimes, among ferns or sand dunes, I start daydreaming about moving somewhere where there are a lot more trees and a lot less trucks.  It all sounds great until it comes to food, and that's when I realise I couldn't be happy in a place without dosas and pho and with only one type of mint.  That whole thing about a way to a man's heart is through his stomach?  I may not be a man, but that is definitely true for me.

I've loved meeting fellow food bloggers along the way, doing crazy things like eating chicken embryos and doing blind banh mi taste testing, but my best blog bud is Kenny of Consider the Sauce.  It's brilliant to have a mate and blogging compadre to trade cheap eats war stories with.  We've both been running our blogs for three plus years, and with almost 1000 posts between us, we think we've really lit a fire under the media to get more attention on the western suburbs horn of plenty  ...  but there's always room for improvement.

To this end, Footscray Food Blog and Consider the Sauce are proud to announce "The Westies:  Dishes of Distinction" - the first food awards dedicated to celebrating the amazing food culture of Melbourne's west.  These annual awards will honour three dishes per year from three different eateries (as opposed to awards to the eateries themselves).  So we're talking maybe an amazing dal makhani, the flakiest cheese burek, and an epic soft shell crab banh mi.  Actually, I don't know who makes that - but can someone please start?!

The selection process will take into account taste, consistency, pricing, and a sense of uniqueness or tradition.  This year's winners will be decided after countless emails, Facebook messages, dining-out sojourns and an epic knock-down bar-room brawl  ...  followed by a steak and a dozen oysters, of course.

Each eatery will be presented with a commemorative award - initial designs included a Olympic donut cast in bronze.  That was scratched, but we promise it will still be awesome.  Eateries responsible for producing the winning dishes will be ineligible for further awards for the next three years.

The winners of the 2013 "Westies - Dishes of Distinction" will be announced and the awards themselves presented at the annual Footscray Food Blog/Consider The Sauce Spring Picnic, to be held at:

Yarraville Gardens, Somerville Road.

Saturday, November 30, from 11 am.

The Westies - Dishes of Distinction winners announced at noon.