Monday 13 June 2016

Paperboy Kitchen: Melbourne CBD cafe

A few weeks back my mum and I met in the city (CBD) for a most excellent lunch at Paperboy Kitchen.  I had bookmarked the Vietnamese cafe after Veganopoulous reviewed it a while back.  Noodle bowls are just my thing.  Paperboy Kitchen is tucked away in Little Lonsdale Street near Hardware Lane where it was doing a roaring trade.

It only has a few communal tables and a bench by the window so it doesn't take much to fill up.  However the takeaway trade seemed even busier with office workers waiting for their takeaway.  I was impressed at how quick our eat-in order was and I am sure the takeaway crowd wasn't waiting around long.

The quick turnaround of orders is no doubt due to Adam Milgrom starting as a pop up at markets before opening the Little Lonsdale Street cafe.  He offers banh-mi (rolls) or noodle bowls with a selection of fillings, plus a few side dishes.  It is all very simple.  And fun.  I really liked the zoo animals we were given so the waiter knows who to serve each meal.

I started with a freshly brewed kombucha to drink.  It was lovely and refreshing.  A bit more flavoursome - ie sweeter and spicier - than the ones I usually buy in bottles.  For my meal, I chose a satay tofu bowl.  The fried tofu and satay sauce were served over vermicelli noodles, Asian slaw and carrot-daikon pickle with sriracha mayo and coriander.  On the side was a complementary small dish of sweet and spicy popcorn.

It was a delicious and very filling lunch.  And good value at $13 for the noodle bowl.  The tofu was perfectly crisp.  The spicy satay sauce was generous and lasted all the way to the bottom of the large bowl.  I found the popcorn very spicy but also too sweet for me.  I saw another person at our table tip all the popcorn into her bowl before she started eating but I was glad I didn't.  A little of the popcorn was fun but that was enough. 

Despite it being busy, we found a place to eat as it was not the sort of place where people linger over a coffee or a laptop.   The tofu satay also comes in a banh-mi ($10.50) and the other vegetarian option is the red curry cauliflower which also comes in a banh-mi or a noodle bowl.  I look forward to returning and trying these other options.

Paperboy Kitchen
320 Little Lonsdale Street
Melbourne CBD
03 9642 0147
http://paperboy.com.au/

Paperboy Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

9 comments:

  1. The food there looks really good! For the first time I actually craved kombucha the other day! That was a new one for me! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lorraine - I really love kombucha though it is often so expensive that is stops me drinking more of it. Though I think the home made stuff at paperboy was cheaper that usual ($4 or $5 ???)

      Delete
  2. This sounds like a wonderful meal - I fully approve of your choice - and would love to try it in a bahn mi too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kari - given the excellent of the noodle bowl I would love to try the satay tofu in the bahn me

      Delete
  3. Banh Mi is my current craze -- I bought a cookbook called "The Banh Mi Handbook" with a basic plan for assembling the sandwiches and recipes for fillings. So this sounds like a very neat little place to eat!

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Mae - I haven't had many bahn mi - though I read about some great ones in Melbourne - but the idea of making it at home seems like a lot of work - probably easier once you get into the swing of it - hope you are enjoying some from your book

      Delete
  4. Tofu satay in a bahn mi sounds like exactly the sort of lunch I'd love! I'd be intrigued to try the popcorn - sounds like an interesting addition to the meal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Joey - the popcorn was fun an I think I would have enjoyed it more with a little less sugar - wonder if it comes with the banh mi too

      Delete
  5. That is a good looking bowl! It looks filling and I love hearing of places that are simple and have a quick turnaround yet still manage good food.
    I'm not sure I would have found the popcorn too sweet, but I don't like the idea of spice on it ;)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for dropping by. I love hearing from you. Please share your thoughts and questions. Annoyingly the spammers are bombarding me so I have turned on the pesky captcha code (refresh to find an easy one if you don't like the first one)