One Night in Melbourne
by Max Feist
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Chronicle the three part series Culinary Adventures to the Max with Chef Max Feist of Let’s Get Loaded in Denver, CO. Enjoy “To The Max: Part 1 -Halal Snack Pack (HSP)”
The first time I had an HSP (Halal Snack Pack) it changed my life.
After working like crazy for the last 6 months in St. Kilda, just outside of Melbourne, Australia I was finally out in the city for the first time. It was 3am on a Monday morning, I was standing on Flinders Street in the Central Business District, but the street wasn’t quiet. There was a line stretching 40 people long one way and groups of people with white Styrofoam containers in the other. A very drunk Aussie Chef is explaining to me the ordering system for what looks like two separate kebab shops.
He tells me that the place has gotten so busy they needed to expand. One store does Turkish style kebabs, consisting of large rotisseries of lamb or chicken with toppings served on a soft flat bread, a staple of Australian night food. The other half does what they’ve become so famous for, the Halal Snack Pack. Wind blows up the street and the incredible smell of roasted lamb, cumin and spice hits you, it’s enough to make your knees go weak. Thankfully, the sight of glistening, rotating meat, the size of a body builders’ torso will snap you right back.
The owner of the shops happened to be the man directing the line. The Chef leaned to me and told me to follow his lead as he stepped up and slurred “One HSP Mate, mixed with the holy trinity” but with his accent and the beers he had, I couldn’t make out what he said.
As the owner turned to me my confusion must have been obvious on my face as I simply said “same please”
He looked at me a moment hearing my accent and asked if it was my first time there?
I told him “yes.”
With a grin on his face, he said “Come with me my friend,” put his arm around me and brought me into the left side of the two shops, despite the line still being about 40 people long. He took about two minutes to tell me what my friend had just ordered. Chicken-salt flavored fries topped with a mix of lamb and chicken with the “Holy Trinity” of sauces; Garlic Yogurt, Tomato Chili, and BBQ sauce. Their standard and most popular order.
Five minutes later, I’m at the opposite side of the shops, now with Styrofoam in hand and a pile of fries and sauce covered meat steaming in the cool morning air. By then it was 3:30am Monday morning, been working all day, drinking all night and the first bite made me feel like a new man. The seasoned meat, with the balance of sweet, savory and heat from the sauce mixed with the umami of the chicken-salted fries. I was hooked. I’ve eaten at some amazing restaurants, run by talented and highly respected chefs of the industry, most of which were amazing meals. But I’ll never forget my first HSP.
Second article Culinary Adventures to the Max: Part 2 -Oh Noddle Lady Where Art Thou
Third article Culinary Adventures to the Max:: Part 3 -Gotta Risk it for the Brisket
Chef Max Feist - From hole in the wall to fine dining, Dish pit to head Chef I’ve worked it all over the last 14 years in the service industry. The love of food took me half way around the world and back.
