38 Mcilwraith Pl, Melbourne, open Mon- Sat from 11:30am to 4pm  

Rating: 8/10 Delicious Thai noodles for a good price!

Soi 38 is a hideaway Thai noodle shop located in the CBD. Finding this place is part of the fun- it’s located on an alleyway off Bourke street but you will have to navigate through a carpark to get to it. (Just follow the smell of Thai broth and you won’t have any troubles.) Soi 38 was set up to replicate the experience of purchasing food from a Thai street vendor and it delivers! The restaurant decor includes mismatched tables, low stools and a genuine food cart where you go to order. Expect to be eating from brightly-coloured plastic chopsticks and bowls.

To place an order you will need to complete a tick-a-box form. There are five dishes available: boat noodles with beef, boat noodles with pork, Tom Yum noodles, Braised Duck noodle soup and Thai Laksa with beef. You can then select your preferred type of noodles and style – ‘soup’ is your standard style, or you can select half-soup or dry. All noodle bowls at Soi 38 are $10, or you can choose to upsize for an extra $5. The restaurant also served a basic selection of soft drinks and beer.

I tried the Tom Yum soup base on egg noodles. The noodles were topped with sliced pork, crispy fried tofu and a prawn wonton. The dish was delicious with a good balance of flavors and a perfect amount of spice (Ideal for clearing blocked sinuses if you are suffering from Fresher Flu!). I was also able to sample my friend’s order of beef boat noodles. The boat noodles are somewhat similar to Vietnamese pho, but the beef stock has a richer flavour with a mix of soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon and lemongrass.

I must admit that I’ve never actually travelled to Thailand and am certainly no expert on Thai cuisine, but these noodles seemed to be very authentic. I can definitely conclude that they were delicious I’d recommend trying this place if you’re after a cheap and satisfying lunch in the CBD or a break from the mainstream restaurant experience!

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As you are reading this with a plate of food in front of you, take a moment to consider the journey the food takes, from farm to factory to our kitchen and finally on the very plate you’re eating from. Sadly, one-third of the food produced do not end up in people’s stomach and is wasted instead. Food wastage occurs at many points along the production the line. While many of these are out of our immediate control, we can reduce consumer-end food wastage. When you discard edible food, so much more goes to waste. What is at stake is the water needed to grow the food and fuel for transporting the food. Food waste does not magically vanish. Another trip is needed to transport them away. What a waste of energy! Decomposing food gives off methane, a greenhouse gas.

What can you do?

• Take only what you need. When serving yourself, take only what you think you can finish. Often, we take more food than our appetite can handle. If unsure, just take less. Seconds (or even thirds) will always be waiting for you.

• Communicate clearly to serving staff. When being served, communicate clearly to the CaterCare staff how much you wish to eat. A simple ‘less’, ‘more’ or ‘half the amount’, will go a long way in reducing food wastage.

• Take leftovers from neighbouring tables at High Table and Community Dinners. Food safety guidelines dictates that any food that has left the kitchen must be discarded if not consumed. If you’re still hungry after your firsts, check if there are any leftovers at the tables near you before asking the kitchen.

Statistically speaking, young consumers aged 18 to 24 are one of the biggest wasters of food in Australia. Let’s do things differently and buck this trend at International House.

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NEW SHANGHAI

Level 3, Emporium Melbourne, 291/313 Lonsdale St

Rating: 8/10- A tad pricey but very delicious and convenient. Good Location!

Welcome to my first food article for the IH Globe! I am looking forward to sharing reviews and recommendations from all around Melbourne with you this year. Hopefully now I can feel a bit productive when I accidentally spend all my money on food

This week I visited New Shanghai, a restaurant located off to the side of the Melbourne Emporium Food Court- look out for their chefs folding dumplings at lightening speed in the kitchen windows. The service at New Shanghai is quick and they have a huge range of dishes so it’s a great place in the CBD for lunch or just an afternoon snack. The food served includes noodles, soup, rice and vegetable dishes but the highlight is definitely the selection of dumplings, particularly the Xiao Long Bao.

Xiao Long Bao (pictured to the right) are steamed dumplings filled with meat (pork or prawn) and hot stock. When you bite into them it’s like an explosion of soupy deliciousness, but be warned that they are served boiling hot and can be a bit of a tongue-scorching hazard! We also sampled the pan-fried pork buns and pork and chive dumplings which were both very good. The dumplings at New Shanghai are a little bit pricey and range from $10-$15 for a serve of 8 or 10, so I’d suggest rounding up a group of IHers to split the costs with.

We also tried a serving of cold noodles with drunken chicken (chicken soaked overnight in rice wine), cucumber, peanut sauce and black vinegar which was a great accompaniment to the dumplings.

We opted for a simple pot of Jasmine tea ($6) but New Shanghai also has a wide range of juices, sodas, tea and beer. There’s also a fairly extensive cocktail and mocktail menu if you are feeling a bit fruity.

Overall, I’d recommend New Shanghai if you are after a quick Asian meal in the CBD and are happy to pay a little bit extra for quality food. I will be exploring some lower-budget options in weeks to come, so stay tuned!  

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Woohoo welcome home IH Foodies, the first Om Nom post of 2017! We are going to be looking at the Queen Victoria Summer Night Market this issue. Although the night market is coming to an end, catch it for the last time on Wednesday 8th March!

I highly recommend you to head over for a visit whether you are a new or  returning student to Melbourne. With a wide a variety of cuisines, there are bound to be some that will satisfy your taste buds.

Though prices there are not the cheapest, the atmosphere with live music in the background by various bands and being able to explore and try out different food stalls at your own pace is the selling point.  There are many seats available inside the market and also along the open space car park.

I suggest going with a group of friends, so each person can buy a different dish to share which allows you to try more without getting too full. Drinks are priced around 7 dollars, whereas food is usually 12 dollars onwards.

There are both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks available from cold beers and Sangrias to coconut water, sugar cane juice and smoothies. Hot foods range from Buffalo wings to lamb kebabs, turkey legs to potato crisps on a stick. The famous video of the cheesy pasta that has been circulating on Facebook can also be found in the Night Market. However, the taste of it is bland and boring according to many IHers so buy it at your own discretion!

Other than food stalls, there are also shops that sell small items, souvenirs and handmade craft work.

Wednesday 8th March is your last chance to test out the food if not you’ll have to wait until next year!  

* Opening hours of Night Market: 5pm to 10pm

**You should also bring more cash, as not all stalls accept cashless payment.

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