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Thursday May 17, 2012

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Ela Carte reviews Streat

Posted by: Ela Carte | 27 September, 2010 - 1:07 AM
streat

STREAT – Federation Square

CRUZAO AREPA BAR – 365 Brunswick St Fitzroy

Grand Final week – cool stuff you can eat with your hands!

Play Audio - Ela Carte's review

It’s not about manners, or niceties, or gourmet treats this week, it’s about feeding your face and cheering on your team – so this week I thought I’d give you a couple of options for fast food you can eat with your hands (and when I say fast food, I don’t mean junk … I mean freshly cooked but delivered and devoured quick).

The first isn’t just convenient, it allows you to eat with a conscience. The Streat “street” café opened at Fed Square in March this year, and it can be a bit “blink and you’ll miss it”, but if you’re there between 11am and 4pm Mon-Sat and the weather’s not too precarious, you’ll find them there behind the Tourism Victoria hub.

So the idea is that the organisation supports homeless young people to learn and earn, youth aged 16-25 get a supported pathway from the streets to a career in hospitality – with over 35 youth training each year for six months, including study at William Angliss Insitute to get real qualifications. For us the consumer, the result is healthy grab and go street food from around the world.

Over at Streat the winter hawker menu has wrapped up and it’s Fiesta Mexicana time! So the Eggplant and Zucchini curries, and spicy leek and sweet potato soup have been two simple but tasty tacos (and the real soft variety, not the tex mex/old el paso cruncy numbers!). So your options are “Black bean, cactus and Queso Fresco with salsa verde; and “chorizo, queso fresco and salsa verde” at $4.50 a pop. Yes, CACTUS! The pickled cactus pad (called nopales in Mexico) is from the Prickly Pear Cactus, and the guys at Streat source it from a farm in Northeast Victoria

For a cool $10.50 you can have one of each and a drink (Organic lemonade, Organic cola, water, or fruit juice). The tacos are fresh, it tastes authentic, and it’s pretty darn healthy. Be warned though, they’re not super filling – you’re looking at these more as a snack than a filling lunch. It’s a great concept worth supporting, but you may work away still a bit peckish.

So what else is there that’s not meat pies, hot dogs or the usual footy fare? How about something relatively unknown to most Melburnians - the “arepa”.

Cruzao is an arepa bar that has very recently opened in Brunswick St Fitzroy. I came across these in Colombia, they were the sort of thing you very much buy on the street, at the bus station, or after a big night out; but Cruzao’s arepas are apparently of the Venezuelan variety, which means that rather than a rather simple cheese filling Colombian-style, they’re chocful with all types of goodies so these babies are a bit more filling.

The arepas themselves are a thin cornmeal pocket (looking not unlike a pita) grilled to be a bit crisp on the outside, and we tried them stuffed with roast pork leg marinated in garlic and red wine; shredded beef slow cooked in tomato salsa, and shredded chicken with avocado and mayonnaise. The shredded beef was the big winner, huge serving of meat, and great homecooked taste, while the pork leg was also generous and a bit chunkier. An arepa and some lettuce on the side will cost you $9.00.  

I like this place because it’s a real reflection on a South American eatery (including service that sometimes runs on South American time … you may need to be prepared to forgive this); but mainly for the music, the loud patrons, the even louder blender that whizzes up gorgeous tropical fruits, and the super cheap $8 mojitos! It’s chaotic, and it’s real. It’s relaxed, and it’s pretty good, easy, different food that transports you to another place.

Worth a shot at the snacks on the menu too, these deep fried offerings maybe not quite as healthy as the main course, but they’re a great insight into some popular South American dishes.  

Blog comments Your Say

  • The most disgusting thing I have ever had. Meat cold, beans cold. Very basic to do and got it wrong.

    Nancy Wednesday 19 January, 2011 - 2:17 PM

  • please find the top 5 trendy quietest restaurants in Melbourne
    I am sick of shouting

    Georgina Sunday 10 October, 2010 - 6:15 PM

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