Know a mouth in Melbourne's South?

1. VIETNAM » Rice Kitchen

Born in Hanoi, Lili Tu is a modern-day superwoman who moved to Melbourne when she was 20 years old. Despite ABC funding cuts leaving her jobless after nearly a decade, an online Vietnamese food kit business that didn’t work out, and Rice Kitchen on its last legs due to COVID, Lili remains generous and resilient, always with a smile on her face.“Managing a restaurant and three kids is challenging, but somehow the rewards (not financially) still outweigh the hardships. And even now, with the prospect that I would eventually have to let go this restaurant by end of the year, I still want to make the most of the time left to find a different path that allows me to continue sharing good food with everyone. I don’t know the answer, but I hope by being active it will come to me,” she says.Right now, Lili’s search for an answer is a delicious opportunity for Southsiders to show some support. Her newly-introduced platters are perfect for picnicking, while the chef’s specials, particularly pulled jackfruit with rice crackers and weekend bun cha (char-grilled pork belly, pork patties, pickles, herbs, vermicelli noodles and a crab and pork spring roll) are there if you want something more than rice paper rolls and pho. Vegans and vegetarians are well catered for here, too.212 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne, 03 9077 3303, ricekitchen.com.au

2. RUSSIA » European Flavour

This takeaway shop and Eastern European deli was established a decade ago to share the family’s Napoleon cake, a classic Russian cake alternating layers of puff pastry and cream, similar to mille-feuille. It quickly evolved into a kitchen of Russian women cooking ready-made meals for the homesick and time-poor, who are also regularly called upon to cater large family events within the community. Visit if you’re in the market for ox tongue, pigeon or herring under a fur coat (a Russian salad of pickled herring covered with grated boiled vegetables, chopped onions, and mayonnaise, also known as shuba salad). The extensive menu also lists beef casserole and stroganoff, Georgian chicken tabaka (pan-fried), dips and zrazy (meat and potato patties). Soups range from borscht and kharcho, to solyanka (sausage, cured meat, olives and capers) and rassolnik (pickled cucumber, pearl barley and kidney). There are also pickles, blintzes, traditional dumplings, pirozhki (stuffed buns), cabbage rolls, schnitzels, gefilte fish and more.823 Glen Huntly Road, Caulfield, 03 9523 8005, europeanflavour.com.au

3. INDIA » Gopi Ka Chatka, St Kilda East (also Hawthorn, Clayton & Hoppers Crossing)

Have you ever eaten a Frankie? It's an Indian take on the Lebanese kebab, which a fellow called Amarjit Singh Tibb tasted during his travels to Beirut in 1967. Two years later, he introduced Mumbai to his version, wrapped in roti. Amarjit trademarked his creation, but that didn't stop the whole country from using the term. It's even spread Down Under to Gopi Ka Chatka, a street food concept that specialises in chaat (snacks) and is fiercely proud of its vegan options. There are five Frankies to choose from; pani puri balls filled with tamarind water, mashed potato and chickpeas; a selection of filled pav buns; "Ahmedabad touch” grilled white bread sandwiches; special egg dishes; and an entire page of Indo-Chinese food. There's even a menu for those who follow Jainism and Hinduism and don't eat root vegetables, onion or garlic.279 Carlisle Street, St Kilda East, 03 8529 2925460 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, 03 7013 0526421 Clayton Road, Clayton South, 0478 925 4732/21 Lentini Street, Hoppers Crossing, 0481 525 641 gopikachatka.com.au

4. IRAN » Persian Room 248

If you're more of a watcher than a reader, skip to the video where I go through signature dishes from Persian Room 248 at home during lockdown 1.0, from the Iran Dispatch. Persian dishes were developed in royal courts: think rice jewelled with fruit and studded with meat, lots of fresh herbs, rosewater, yoghurt, dried lime and pomegranate molasses. This restaurant is a great place to start. Meals in Iran kick off with sabzi (fresh herbs and vegetables) mixed with cheese, and you should too. Ash-e reshteh, a thick noodle and vegetable soup flavoured with kashk (liquid whey) and garnished with fried onion and garlic, is a hug in a bowl (or in this case, a takeaway container). There are marinated kebabs and grilled chook, but I prefer traditional dishes such as fesenjan (chicken, pomegranate and walnut stew), gormeh sabzi (dark green herb and lamb stew simmered with dried lime) and tahchin (a ceremonial rice dish made with yogurt, saffron, eggs and chicken with tahdig at the bottom, a crunchy browned rice layer).248 Toorak Road, Melbourne, 03 9826 4835, Doordash 

5. TAIWAN » A-Mei's Kitchen, Albert Park

34 Queens Road, Melbourne, 0412 215 790, (park on Hanna Street)

6. FRANCE » Bistro Voliere, St Kilda

The first thing you need to do before ordering takeaway or delivery from this French bistro is make a mental note to return and dine in – you can't beat the stunning space with heritage tiled floors and bird-cage chandeliers (voliere means “aviary” in French) in the foyer of The George building. It’s a whole new world that single-handedly lifts the standard of grimy Fitzroy Street. During lockdown you can pick up classic French fare between Friday and Sunday (on plates, if you return them!) or get it delivered via Uber Eats and Doordash. Start with classic soupe a l'oignon and chicken liver pate before moving onto boeuf bourguignon, confit duck or cassoulet of Toulouse sausage with confit duck leg and baked white beans. There are also cheese and charcuterie platters (hello, picnics). Orders over $50 come with a half baguette and French butter, both flown in from France. You can also place orders via text.The George, 129 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, 03 7024 6094, 0467 585 941 or 0412 360 120, bistrovoliere.com.au

7. SYRIA » Levanter Cafe, Balaclava

8. COLOMBIA » Berbeo Bros

You might recognise Berbeo Bros from the Colombia Dispatch. Since then, Juan and Sebastian Berbeo, the third generation of a Colombian catering and restaurant family, have added Tolimense-style round tamales to their menu (you might have seen the dish featured on Street Food: Latin America on Netflix). FYI, you can still get 15% off your order from their website with the code "SEASONEDTRAVELLER15"). Everything else on the menu here is $12 or less, a combination of street food and grandma Berbeo’s recipes. Order ceviche made with fried pork or prawns, empanadas, arepas and salchiyuca (fried cassava chips loaded with sausage, mayo and buffalotto cheese). Meat lovers will enjoy the chorizo, morcilla and perro caliente, a Colombian hot dog finished with crushed potato crisps and pineapple sauce. Berbeo Bros not only delivers within 25 kilometres, but also sells house-made products Australia-wide.602 City Road, South Melbourne, 0413 595 851, berbeobros.com

9. North West China » Master Ma, South Yarra

Wedged between Como and Rockley Gardens on an awkward spot on Toorak Road, Master Ma offers bona-fide northwestern Chinese food from a dated shop front. The menu can be split into Uyghur dishes from Xinjiang (such as house yoghurt, charcoal skewered lamb or liver spiced with cumin and chilli) and hand-pulled wheat noodles dubbed “Chinese ramen”, also known as Lanzhou beef noodles from the neighbouring region of Gansu. Order nangbing (Uyghur flat bread) and every one of the affordable cold side dishes: seaweed salad, sliced beef in chilli, tea eggs, shredded potatoes and garlicky cucumber. The “big plate chicken” is great to share, with potatoes and flat handmade noodles in a shallow puddle of spiced broth.309 Toorak Road, South Yarra, 03 9827 7744

10. INDONESIA » Warung Sambal Ijo, South Melbourne

This bare-bones Clarendon Street gem usually caters to workers and the Indonesian community from a bain marie display, but it's currently delivering much further out than usual (minimum order $50). Warung Sambal Ijo specialises in Padang food from West Sumatra, known for levelling up on spice and coconut. If you visit Indonesia you might have seen dishes piled in windows without refrigeration, cooked fresh that morning. This is as close as you’ll get in Australia. Rendang is a specialty, but I'm also a fan of dendeng balado (dried beef, similar to jerky) and fatty beef tendon curry. There’s a special nasi kuning menu (yellow turmeric rice) that’s not available when you order online: $15 for the rice with tempeh, a balado egg, peanuts, green sambal, mie goreng and your choice of main (beef lung, beef jerky, rendang and either tendon, fish or chicken curry). If you want to go deeper, join the WhatsApp ordering group that posts specials like gulai cincang kambing (goat curry), gulai nangka (jackfruit curry) and lidah sapi (beef tongue).306/308 Clarendon St, South Melbourne, 03 8590 8420, WhatsApp ordering, warungsambal.com.au

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