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Melbourne's home grown treats |
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Tuesday, 12 February 2008 |
 S.M. King goes shopping at Melbourne’s plethora of remarkable markets.
It’s only 1.00pm on a Saturday at South Melbourne Market, and already Ralph’s Butcher is sold out of most cuts of meat. Keen customers fight for the remainders like gastronomic jackals. I nab a few massive sirloin steaks and resolve to get here earlier next time.
As any regular market-goer will tell, this quality gives any supermarket a thrashing.
Shopping at supermarkets is a soulless rip-off. We glide between aisles in a consumer haze, fighting the effects of muzak in the key of D minor and strategic product positioning. We emerge with processed foods we had no intention of buying, and overpriced fresh foods of average quality.
My New Year’s resolution is to purchase food from markets. Far from the sanitised corporate food flog, markets are vibrant, noisy, and amiably crowded. There are bargains to be had, the turnover is as high and you can often discover the provenance of items.
“That’s a buttery Koo Wee Rup kipfler,” is the sort of tedious foodie thing I’ve been saying to my partner all week.
It’s the sort of tedious foodie thing I’ll be saying for the rest of the year.
For our city is spoiled for markets. Melbourne has plenty of them and each offers unique treasures.
South Melbourne Market has its share of specialty vendors. In fact, it was at Patrinas Potatoes and Herbs I choose those kipflers. And Dutch creams. All manner of root vegetables can be had here, even fresh horseradish, which I purchased to grate and serve with my enormous steaks.
Queen Victoria Market is the grandmammy of all our markets. It’s more a night out than a shopping trip, but the Suzuki Night Market at the Queen Vic is worth the trip. Enjoy live music, along with a selection from 30 or so stalls offering a wide variety of cuisines, including Indian, Ethiopian, Spanish, and Middle Eastern specialties. Stuff yourself stupid every Wednesday from 5.30pm to 10.00pm until February 27.
Prahran Market retains an uber-chic edge, with celebrity chef Gabriel Gaté appointed as ambassador.
This may roughly translate to him looking pretty on the website and doing a couple of cooking demonstrations throughout the year in the market’s Miele Interactive Kitchen. However, Prahran Market does haves oodles of credibility, boasting a reasonable density of specialists. If it’s mushrooms you are after, the Damian Pike Wild Mushrooms stall is the place for the best of the season. Chocolate lovers take note: Monsieur Truffle uses an extremely fine couverture in his highly acclaimed, now almost legendary chocolates.
Asian food lovers be warned: Footscray Market will make you hungry. If the blood sugar dips, hit Nada’s Takeaway in the heart of the market for Turkish spinach-and-cheese borek, before proceeding into the jungle of intriguing greens and unfamiliar vegetables.
Cheap high quality meat is another drawcard.
Another magnet for carnivores is Preston Market. If you live in the Northern suburbs and you’re not buying your meat here, you quite simply need your head checked. It’s located right next to the train station.
To test the strength of the argument against supermarkets, set out to cater a dinner party entirely from goods bought at a market. It’s not difficult. In fact, it’s a joy.
At Kirkpatrick’s at South Melbourne, there’s an enormous array of freshly made sausages. It’s a bayside snag heaven and I stocked up on the lamb and rosemary variety.
Next stop is Aptus Seafood. One of the great things about shopping at markets is the knowledge of the source of the produce you buy. The majority of items at Aptus are labelled.
South Australian and Queensland prawns lie alongside Moreton Bay bugs, West Australian Crays, and fine local fish. I loaded up on South Australian king prawns and moved on to the Kalaparee Olives stall.
I found every curiosity I needed that Saturday at South Melbourne Market. You will too. For 140 years, this place has been helping tossers buy dried muscatels for their cheese plates. And, frankly, the customer eye candy’s not bad either.
South Melbourne Market
Corner Cecil and Coventry Streets, South Melbourne
Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday: 8.00am - 4.00pm
Friday: 8.00am - 6.00pm
Preston Market
Corner Cramer Street and St Georges Road, Preston
Wednesday - 8.00am - 3.00pm
Thursday - 8.00am - 6.00pm
Friday - 8.00am - 8.00pm
Saturday - 8.00am - 3.00pm
Footscray Market
Corner Hopkins and Leeds Streets, Footscray
Tuesday and Wednesday 7.00am-4.00pm
Thursday 7.00am-6.00pm
Friday 7.00am – 8.00pm
Saturday 7.00am – 4.00pm
Prahran Market
163 Commercial Road, South Yarra
Tuesday and Saturday dawn to 5.00pm
Thursday and Friday dawn to 6.00pm
Saturday dawn to 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am – 3.00pm
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