Lauren Wambach is the author of the Footscray Food Blog. 71786 Picture: JOE MASTROIANNI
By Charlene Gatt
LAUREN Wambach is the ultimate Footscray foodie.
Ms Wambach is the face (and mouth) behind the Footscray Food Blog, an online offering that has attracted 130 members and nearly 600 Facebook fans.
The blog takes its followers on a mouth-watering tour of all the cuisine the City of Maribyrnong has to offer, complete with photos of the food, the restaurants and the menu.
It focuses on Footscray’s Vietnamese offering but also includes blogs on the Pound Café, Cupcakes by Paolo and other restaurants.
The mother of three started the blog at the beginning of 2009 and gave up after only a few posts.
Months later, she accidentally came across one of her posts online and saw that a lot of people had commented on what she wrote, and so, the Footscray Food Blog was re-born.
“I used to read food blogs and no-one ever went to the Western Suburbs. Also, very few had kids and the posts were all about fine dining,” she said.
“I really didn’t want the Western Suburbs to be a dormitory suburb where people worked and socialised elsewhere.”
Ms Wambach is no stranger to tasting different foods, indulging in yum cha with her dad Mike since the age of eight.
“We were always adventurous, because we were always taken to these exotic places. I want to do the same for my kids, so this food is seen as normal.
“Most places have a similar menu but for one or two things and that’s what attracts me.
“I’m adventurous, but I draw the line at offal – there’s something about it (I don’t like).”
Ms Wambach cites the Croatian Club, Phong Dinh and the Nhu Lan Bakery as some of her favourite haunts.
Her dad still accompanies her on some of her restaurants jaunts, as do other family and friends.
“Everyone knows the rule: you don’t touch the food until I’ve taken a pic!
“If there’s a pic with blood or guts on the blog, it’s because my dad’s there with me.”
