Fox in the Corn – Dani Valent

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4 Droop Street, Footscray, 9362 7858

My score: 2.5/5

If the most important aspect of a pasta restaurant is the pasta then I have good things to say about this new place in hip, happening Footscray. I also like the spacious room with impressively large (too large?) plywood booths and the handsome bar which will offer eight tap beers when the liquor license finally comes through. I’ve never seen pasta and beer as inseparable companions but hopefully others will. Wine will also be available.

The Fox in the Corn concept is simple and simple is good: choose a pasta variety (fettucine, spinach ravioli or beef ravioli) and one of a dozen sauces to go with it. The pasta is made at the owners’ Millgrove Pasta factory in Williamstown, a brand available in delis around town. It’s made from durum wheat and semolina from one farm in New South Wales; I like the single origin factor and the pasta is firm with pleasant wheaty flavour, though my ‘nonna-ometer’ plummeted when I learnt it isn’t lovingly made on-site.

The sauces, mostly prepared offsite, didn’t do it for me. The pesto tasted of good olive oil but it’s mixed with cream and lacked basil bite. The carbonara is made with thick-cut pancetta, egg and cream. Many purists would say cream has no place in carbonara but my problem was with the pancetta, which is warmed but not sizzled so its fat was jellied rather than caramel crisp. A roasted vegetable sauce with house napoli was pretty good: a chunky mix of pumpkin, carrot and capsicum with a sprinkling of herby crumb. Portions are unfailingly generous.

I can see why successful wholesalers would think a restaurant showcase was a good idea but feeding people is more than putting food on plates. This fox will need all his wiles to turn a cool plan into a heartfelt home of hospitality.

See their website.

More foxy restaurants:

Fox in the Box, 169 Martin Street, Brighton, 9596 0133
Specialising in yummy food for those with dietary intolerances, this fox is a haven for gluten-free and FODMAP eaters.

Henry and the Fox, 525 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 9614 3277
Whether you want a morning muffin, a margarita pizza or a cheeky martini, this fox has you sorted for city dining and drinking.

Brother Fox, 648 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn, 9819 0948
This fox inhabits an earthy space with a no-fuss international menu that darts from sticky ribs to sliders to soufflé.

First published in The Age, March 15, 2015.

2018-05-03T17:03:41+10:00

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