T’relek: 116 Victoria Street, Richmond, 9427 1777
My score: 4/5
I reckon most people that eat on Victoria Street stick to a favourite Vietnamese restaurant so long as the rice paper rolls are taut and fresh, the broth is clear and wholesome and the noodles are tossed with gay abandon. It’s hard to see the point of tilling fresh soil when the old paddock is still producing, especially when new possibilities seem to differ little from the tried and trusty. But I love taking hits for the team so I usually steer myself to unfamiliar restaurants.
That’s how I ended up at T’relek (which I assumed was named after a Star Trek character but discovered is an anagram of the owner’s children’s initials) where I was happily impressed by the service, food and price. Five of us ate too much food and drank 333 beer (in chilled glasses!) for under $150. The room sparkles. There’s a smart bowl motif on one wall and groovy black-and-orange chopstick combos at each place setting. There’s even – egads! – a chandelier. On warm days the frontage is open to the street.
The menu is a familiar lengthy document listing endless variations on noodles, rice and proteins and dotted with delightful spelling such as Perking Duck (not dead yet?) and Szilling Chicken (Germanic tendencies?). Service is solicitous and keen. When I said I’d enjoyed the squid coleslaw our waiter bounced in agreement: ‘Yes, it’s great!’ We both think so because it features tender fresh squid pieces tumbled with onion, heaps of coriander, Vietnamese mint, garlic and chilli in a fish sauce dressing. It’s cool, spicy, light and herby and an absolute winner on a hot night. Whole flounder in crunchy batter was a little dry, though still a fun bone-picking project, but that Szilling Chicken is a winner. Once the choking cloud of chilli-laden smoke dies down, a complex and delicious dish emerges, stirred with housemade XO sauce, scattered with tiny dried fish, and not cripplingly spicy despite our waiter’s concern. Also excellent are lemongrassy beef vine leaves on steamed rice noodle cakes.
The Victoria Street Lunar Festival offers extra cause to head to Richmond today: there are lion dances and musical performances as lead-in to this month’s Chinese New Year celebrations. Of course, if I turn up, I’ve got the predicament of a new Richmond favourite to lust after but so many other restaurants to try. As problems go, I’ll take it, along with that squid coleslaw.
More cheap:
Koy, South Melbourne Market, 116 Cecil Street, South Melbourne, 9696 9640
It’s easy to fill the table without breaking the bank at this relaxed indoor-outdoor Turkish restaurant.
Naked for Satan, 285 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, 9416 2238
Pintxos (tapas on toothpicks) are a measly $1 for Monday to Friday lunch and Monday to Wednesday dinner ($2 otherwise) and you can spend your savings on house-infused vodka.
The Bottle of Milk, 53 Mountjoy Parade, Lorne, 5289 2005
Classy burgers start at $8.50 but even the signature B.O.M with the lot (including house mayo and relish) is a nicely priced $12.50.
First published in The Age, January 15, 2012
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