LOTS of rich people in lycra exercising.
That was the scene in ‘Applecross Village’ as people power walked their way to beauty and health at around 5pm on Tuesday.
Like some affluent ritual, it was a strange procession of botox, eye liner and hair extensions as the sun began to dip below the horizon.
I had promised my daughter a meal at Messy Munchies in the Village if she did well at her piano lesson, so despite a few bum notes, we headed there for dinner.
The Japanese eatery deserved brownie points for being open on a Tuesday night when virtually all the other cafes/restaurants on the strip were closed.
With its ornate federation verandah, Munchies looked more like a quaint tea room serving scones, but it actually does modern Japanese fare including sushi, donburi, salads, curries, bao, burgers and a variety of sides including steamed pork dumpling, chicken satay skewers and veggie tempura.
To be perfectly frank, I didn’t have high expectations as the place looked a bit muddled.
But things got off to a good start with a warm welcome from the smiley lady behind the till, who was friendly and super helpful.
My daughter and I took a seat outside in the alfresco, where you had nice views of the upmarket houses and leafy trees on Ardross Street.
It was a pleasant spot to enjoy a meal and well setback from the road, so no BMWs idling in your face while you tucked into some raw fish.
I kicked off the meal with salmon sashimi ($15) – one of my favourite Japanese dishes.
Wow – four glistening slices of salmon with those trademark white ‘veins’ and a little slice of chilli and some tobiko (flying fish roe) on top.
The dish was nicely presented and perched on a bed of rocket. The salmon was sliced thicker than usual, but the flavour was amazing and it was top-notch.
Across the table my daughter was enjoying her mango and coconut smoothie – a lively mix of sweet and tart flavours.
It wasn’t long before she was tucking into her katsu chicken curry ($22).
The serve was huge with lots of slices of chook and chunky veg.
The chicken was good quality – moist and tender with a crispy breadcrumb coating – and the mild curry sauce was thick and crammed with potato and carrot.
It was a comfort food classic and there was plenty of sticky rice to mop up the moreish sauce.
Torched salmon
I fancied the beef teriyaki, but they had ran out, so I went for a fish double header and ordered the torched salmon teriyaki instead ($22).
There was plenty of salmon, which had a nice smoky tang from the torching, and a sticky teriyaki sauce that wasn’t overpowering or too salty.
I liked the cabbage slaw, which gave the dish a nice crunchy texture and stopped it was from becoming monotonous.
Messy Munchies is a strange old chook but it delivered on the food with huge serves and high-quality produce.
They also do teas and coffees and it’s a nice place just to hang out with a drink, do some work on your laptop, or enjoy a meal and watch folk power walk their way to immortality.
Messy Munchies
3/42 Ardross St, Applecross
messymunchies.com.au
by STEPHEN POLLOCK