From Brooklyn to Footscray
On how the west was won, gentrification, and pizza.
Here’s what they don’t tell you in the guidebooks: Midtown Manhattan is boring. Long grey streets overgrown with tourists, banks and Joes the Juice. Granted, there’s Midtown’s incredible array of upmarket restaurants; Mario Carbone’s exultant gilded chop house The Grill, the restaurant single handedly responsible for every new restaurant in Australia being some variation of a fancy steak house. There’s Le Bernadin, where the ineffable and almost comically French Eric Ripert meticulously plates classically prepared seafood dishes. There’s even the legendary Jean-Georges, the only two Michelin starred restaurant in the world that will willingly serve you well-done steak and ketchup (provided, that is, that you’re Donald Trump),
But if you want the true New York, to escape the guided tours, chain restaurants and finance bros, you have to get out of Midtown. Here, the culture of those who call New York home seeps more freely into the fabric of the city, and the colours light up the avenues like lanterns leading you on. In the Upper East side, a warm auburn glow radiates over the terraces on Madison, and old New York potters away to the rhythm of a Woody Allen clarinet solo. Down in the East Village, in between sips of coffee or bites of pierogi at Veselka, a soft yellow glimmer creeps over St. Marks boutiques, the sound of Beastie Boys and taxi cabs all around. Across the bridge and over the river to Williamsburg, where an elusive green light stretches out from Bed-Stuy to Greenpoint, bohemian bonhomie in the air, chilled pet-nat in the glass.
Here’s another thing they don’t tell you in the guidebooks: the Melbourne CBD can be pretty boring, too. Sure, there are plenty of exceptions, but to really get a taste of what’s happening in our city, you need to travel a little further out. If the stately comfort of the Upper East side is South Yarra, and the slightly seedy social hub of the East Village is Prahran, there can be no doubt that Brooklyn is Footscray. A progressive, alternative haven for those who recycle fastidiously and shop at organic grocers, divided from the rest of the population by an imposing bridge? Say no more.
Slowly but surely, a diaspora of Melbourne’s young people have left the comfort of their inner North and South playgrounds, bringing with them all the bells and whistles of gentrification, settling in the inner west. While the thriving multiculturalism of Footscray and the outer west remains, more and more venues are popping up that would typically have chosen Collingwood, Windsor or Richmond in the past. Oversaturation and rising prices may have forced these operators out, but it’s the westsiders who are benefitting most.
In no place are the parallels clearer than at Dumbo, the former milkbar come cafe in West Footscray. Named for the DUMBO neighbourhood of Brooklyn (DOWN UNDER THE MANHATTAN BRIDGE OVERPASS), Dumbo brings a little bit of Brooklyn to WeFo (yes, that's what the locals call it). From here, you can just about see the West Gate Bridge overpass, too. Inside, the menu reflects the multicultural meldings of Brooklyn and Footscray, ranging from Japanese eggs to Egyptian Ful Medames. On a warm Melbourne morning, as an army of rescued greyhounds and their flannel-clad owners queue for coffee, you could just as easily be awaiting your cold brew at the Williamsburg Blue Bottle.
Around the corner on Barkly Street, Harley & Rose’s take on refined, relaxed dining is perfect for Footscray’s changing demographic. Young families are flocking to the west, in search of that evasive Melbourne ideal: the affordable two bedroom home with backyard (for the greyhounds, obviously). At Harley & Rose, woodfired pizzas and an affordable menu caters to this sect expertly, and on a still Spring evening, fairy lights jangling in the breeze, it’s impossible not to think of Roberta’s. Roberta’s, the now-iconic Bushwick pizza joint that spawned an empire, is as categorically Brooklyn as one could conceivably imagine, from its roof-top garden to its in-house radio station. As an aside, I’m fairly certain Roberta’s invented putting honey on a pepperoni pizza, the infamous “bee sting” spawning a thousand imitators. Harley & Rose now serves as the go-between for westsiders seeking a quieter family life but also craving the excitement of inner city dining, and does it particularly well.
A quick Uber down to the banks of the Maribyrnong, where hidden amongst the industrial warehouses of Whitehall Street stands the recently refreshed Hop Nation Brewery. Here, the only thing longer than the list of beers is the average beard length of the clientele, huddled over pints of hazy IPA’s, bemoaning Bevo’s tactics on the weekend. Now, I ask you, what could be more Brooklyn than a craft brewery hidden in a bunch of warehouses? What about a cafe made out of abandoned shipping containers? Footscray has one of those too. At Rudimentary, locals fuel up on single origin espresso before braving Footscray market, and daytrippers take selfies amongst the veggie patches and marvel at the Brooklyn-ishness of it all. It’s all rather lovely.
So, if you ever feel like you’d like to get away and take a holiday from your neighbourhood, you could do worse than hopping a ride on the Werribee line; you might just find you’re in the Footscray state of mind.
Pizza joints: 4 Best in the West
Reflecting on Harley & Rose, I’m reminded of the vibrant and varied pizza scene over the bridge. Pizza is never out of fashion, the Ray-Ban Wayfarer of foods, but here’s four personal favourites who go above and beyond your standard slice.
4. Slice Shop, 101 Nicholson Street Mall, Footscray
Like great threads of melted mozzarella, the strands of connectivity between Brooklyn and Footscray are many. Another clear connection is Slice Shop, the beloved late night pizzeria that sells NYC-style pies by the slice. A perfectly spaced pivot from both Mr. West and Baby Snakes, you don’t need to stumble too far to find something hot and cheesy on a night out. Slices are large, with a pleasing NYC-style crispy base from being reheated to order. American pizza aficionados searching for an alternative to the Neapolitan style, look no further.
3. Mozzarella Bar, 103 Victoria St, Seddon
In secluded Seddon, Footscray’s more mature older sister who finished uni and earns good money, is Mozzarella Bar, a favourite among locals. Beloved for its generous space, kinetic vibe and extensive menu, it’s difficult to go wrong here. The pizzas are a standout, often adorned in fresh buffalo mozzarella or fatty ribbons of 24 month aged prosciutto crudo. For a city equivalent, think DOC, and just like DOC, be sure to book ahead.
2. Harley & Rose, 572 Barkly St, West Footscray
A little more about the aforementioned Harley & Rose. The pizzas toe the line between traditional and the more modern-Australian style that everyone secretly loves and few freely admit to. You’re just as likely to find pineapple, barbecue sauce and jalapenos on the pizzas here as you are San Marzano tomatoes and scamorza, so expect the unexpected. One standout pie, the Pippie Pizza, skillfully captures the fresh sweetness of the shellfish, enveloped in a creamy lemon and parsley sauce. The result is a singular delight, as is the option to add a small amount of cod roe dip to your order to dip your crusts into.
1. D’Asporto, 2-6 Ballarat Street, Yarraville
I hesitate to even mention this gem, lest it become even harder than it already is to snag a table here, but to thine own self be true. On a warm evening there are not many better places to sit in Melbourne than in idyllic Yarraville, under the eclipse of The Sun, eating this delicious pizza. As far as style goes, it’s hardcore Neapolitan: a focus on the deeply fermented dough and base sauce, with mozzarella and toppings used sparingly to showcase the fundamentals. You won’t find anything other than classic combinations here, so abandon all hope ye who enter here in search of a Hawaiian. An impressively comprehensive offering of 27 different pizzas, divided into white and red base sections, means return visits are rewarded, and it is one of the rare Melburnian venues with the superior unfiltered Menabrea on tap. A must visit.