Der Raum

After downing a delicious pho at Pho Dzung, my friend and I needed a fruity chaser to complete our dining experience. Although the red kidney beans, green jelly and coconut milk did sound enticing (hello! sarcasm peoples!), we needed something a bit stiffer. So onwards and upwards we went to Der Raum.

My mate found this place in the Melbourne 'Hide and Seek' guide and has wanted to give it a go for a while. After a bit of confused to-ing and fro-ing at the intersection of Swan and Church Streets, we found Der Raum nestled between some quiet buildings.

The place was packed with oh so cool, clean cut, we went to private school types but trying to ignore the clientele we joined the queue at the bar. Once we got closer, we were able to look at the menu which was fixed to the bar by a string, reminiscent of pens chained to bank tellers desks of a bygone era.

The menu was confusing and none of the drinks really sounded that appetising. My friend ordered a 'Fuck the Subprime' (Der Raum Kummel, Remy VSOP Cognac, Citrus Crusta & Champagne) but upon ordering, the bartender warned that it was a very dry cocktail. As we both wanted something sweet, he then suggested a 'Latin Threesome' which consisted of Sagatiba Pura Cachaca, Pisco Control, Havana Club Anejo Reserva, pineapple, lime wedges, brown sugar and buckets of crushed ice. It was a nice beverage but if it were not for the amount of effort that goes into making such a drink, I would say it wasn't worth the $20 that we paid for it. It was sweet and refreshing to begin with, but quickly became quite bland and uninteresting to the palate. I think the pineapple didn't quite work in the drink and another tropical fruit might have worked better.

But getting back to the real drawcard of this cocktail bar- the impressive array of spirits and the amazing waiters who make them. All bottles are suspended from the ceiling on bungee cords, and are simply unhooked as needed. Bar staff are run flat off their feet pumping out the liquid masterpeices as fast as they can to bored, thirsty patrons. And what an impressive display it is to watch them mixing drinks. It is like peering through a glass window at a group of scientists, mixing formulas in test tubes and measuring insipid solutions. It wouldn't have been out of place for them to be wearing lab coats. (In saying that they do have a drink called Pharmacy that comes with a glass bottle and a syringe with which the patrons can self administer their dose of medicine.) Probably the most impressive drink we saw being made, involved a blowtorch and a fig which is scorched and presented still alight on top of the glass.

This bar may be some people's cup of tea, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you are loaded or good at picking up sugar daddies/mummies. It may have a better vibe on a school night but on Saturday nights it's way too pretentious. I would like to say it's a good place to try once but I'd be lying and would rather recommend another cocktail venue, like Polly on Brunswick St, Fitzroy, which makes delicious, fresh cocktails with a far more relaxed and funky atmosphere.

Der Raum

438 Church St

Richmond VIC 3121

Ph. (03) 9428 0055

www.derraum.com.au

Pho Dzung

I must sheepishly confess that I am new to pho and am still a little confused as to the correct pronunciation. Is it 'po' or 'fur'? Anyway, last night I was introduced to the world of pho and it didn't matter whether I could pronounce it or not, as my taste buds were doing the talking.

I consulted a Vietnamese friend who recommended a restaurant specialising in pho on Victoria Street, Richmond. I caught the train there, with the usual drunk racist idiots that you'd expect on a Saturday night (will spare you the details and reserve them for my other blog!) and walked 100 shops or so down Victoria Street to Pho Dzung.

We were greeted warmly and a table was promptly wiped clean of debris from the last hungry customers. I ordered a small pho with rare beef ($7) and my friend ordered a medium pho with sliced chicken($8). We also ordered some spring rolls with an unknown filling($8) as we didn't bother to ask what was inside. I mean really as long as it tastes good, do you really want to know? Particularly not when other dishes on the menu included tripe, cartilage and coagulated ox blood.

Before too long, the steaming bowls of pho arrived, along with the do-it-yourself style garnishes of lemon wedges, freshly chopped red chillies, Thai basil and bean shoots. Also the table was jam-packed with condiments including soy sauce and hoisin sauce. I added some lemon, bean shoots, basil and hoisin sauce. As I'm still a bit of a wuss when it comes to spicy food, I left out the chilli.

The flavours of the pho were delicious. The beef was cooked all the way through but not tough, and the noodles were tasty with a good balance between broth and noodle. Also floating around the bowl were spring onions. It was a nice heart warming dish on a cold Winter's night and left me feeling very satisfied but not at all bloated.

All in all, this was a great experience. The only down points to eating at Pho Dzung were the usual lack of decor that you find in Asian restaurants on Victoria Street and the fact that I almost skidded over walking to the toilet in the back of the restaurant, as the floor was so greasy, presumably with other diners' spilt pho. (And unlike milk, this spilt pho, is something worth crying over...) But decor is not really a concern, as this isn't a restaurant to languish in for hours, it's a rough and ready 'do drop in' servicing Melbourne with some of the best pho out there, or so my Vietnamese friends tell me...

Pho Dzung

208 Victoria Street

Richmond VIC 3121

Ph. (03) 9427 0292