The best kebab in Melbourne - in the industrial part of Campbellfield
"They're just sandwiches" is too modest a statement. These Turkish kebabs are magnificent, and here's where you can find them. Where are we? We drove past metalworking plants, a workshop for repairing jet skis, some construction site, and it doesn't look like a food paradise. In the evenings, the industrial outskirts of Campbellfield are quiet, and the factories look massive and menacing. But find Miksa, and you'll see lights draped in festive waves, a golden glow shimmering in spirals of smoky mist. You'll also smell the aroma of charcoal-grilled coals: all signs point to a good place."
Miksa Food Truck - the latest project of Ismail Tosun, a Turkish chef with some notoriety.
He made a splash in Perth in the mid-2000s on Eminem, opened Gigi Baba in Collingwood, which shone brightly and briefly from 2008, and co-founded Babajan Bakery Cafe.
In an attempt to simplify his offerings and life, Tosun now runs a food truck on the northern suburbs, first in Somerton and now here in Campbellfield.
Tosun is modest when I call to talk about kebabs - "they're just sandwiches" - but you can't underestimate the heritage and quality that goes into his simple, satisfying food. Tosun draws inspiration from his Turkish father, his Cypriot mother and her parents, who basically raised him. It's the streets of turkey/istanbul-province/istanbul/">Istanbul and Adana, the vibrant kitchens of cyprus/nicosia/nikosia/">Nicosia and Campbellfield's casual appetite, evident five days a week.
The menu is short: six kebabs ($18-$23) and four soft drinks.
Perhaps Tosun's daughter, Tali, will take your order.
Adana kebab in a crispy white bun.
Adana kebab is the benchmark of Turkish street food: spiced ground lamb, fat and red pepper are mixed into a sticky paste that is shaped on skewers and grilled over charcoal. Tradition is followed here, but there are Melbourne modifications.
The cheese is artfully grilled, again with a touch of rib lard. It's firm and bright, an easy way to taste, even for those with doubts about the insides.
Eating fish in bread on the street is as important an Istanbul experience as visiting the Hagia Sophia Mosque.
Miksa's version is hake in a bun, topped with homemade tahini sauce. I'm glad it's getting warmer and I can wear short sleeves because I'm happily wetting this liquid sauce on my hand.
Miksa is simple and no frills. Everything is served in cardboard boxes for take-out, eating outdoors or in a small gazebo. Are you thirsty for a drink? The yogurt drink Ayran goes well with kebabs, as does salgam, a salty stray drink made from purple carrots and turnips.
Tosun is right: his kebabs are just sandwiches. But a crusty bun filled with the good stuff, even - or especially - in the backcountry of suburbia, can approach the sublime.
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