Birds Nest

Well here we are and it has been a week of spiders, flavoured vodka and a lot of takeaway. And often the kind of takeaway that makes me wish I had just cooked in the first place - when the food arrives an hour later and the so-called Vietnamese is asianish at best and covered in a sickly sweet sloppy sauce, I start to remember Jamie Oliver showing how he could make and cook a pizza faster than one was delivered. But a new town requires checking out the local restaurants and so far it's been a decidedly mixed bag. There's been some middling pizza and a handful of other so so dinners. Every now and then, it would be *interesting* enough to make me cook nonstop for a few days but boxes don't unpack themselves and when you can't find your frying pan, a quick drive into town seems easier than emptying six unlabelled boxes to locate it.

But amongst all the dross there have been a few good finds. A delicatessen with an amazing range and some imported products I haven't seen anywhere else. My favourite Persian feta at a really good price. Interesting variety in the local supermarkets. And the best kebab I have ever eaten. A heap of seasoned garlicky meat, garnished with salads and wrapped in a soft piece of Turkish bread. I'm not ashamed to say that I've been back already. Partly to check that my appreciation wasn't just moving-exhaustion-and-mild-hysteria-induced and partly because I just couldn't stay away.

And I also scooped up a selection of their pastries. I've never been a fan of baklava and all those honeyed filo type desserts. To be fair, I'd only been offered baklava until recently and it just isn't my thing. But a visiting friend brought a selection gathered from the Greek Precinct in Lonsdale Street and as Melbourne is a city with the third largest Greek population in the world I figured they had to be good. And they really really were. I was suprised at the variety, at how many which appeared similiar would be flavoured with different nuts or slightly different spices and how much I really enjoyed them. So I asked for one of each at the kebab store and while they're all tasty, my favourite is the birds nest pictured to the left. And as soon as I finish the last of the boxes, I look forward to getting better acquainted.