Reflective Piece - Does anyone remember Dixon Restaurant in Hurstville?

I've been feeling rather nostalgic and sentimental lately...memories of simpler times floating in and out of my daily thoughts. Each glimpse bringing back a sensation, a feeling, a flavour that takes me back to my childhood. We all have a restaurant like that right? One which means the absolute world to us because of all the happy memories you've built up there. Restaurants that have stood the test of time and have become the fabric of what you consider to be your home and local community. A place where the moment you walk in, the staff greet you like an old friend returning for maybe the second or third time that week. Where they instinctively know what you're going to order because you've been ordering the same thing all your life without ever getting sick of it.

For me, that happy place unfortunately shut down some 6 years ago. See, there used to be this restaurant in the middle of Hurstville called Dixon. I hadn't started blogging or taking photos back then so I don't have any photos to show you other than what I can find online (I do not own any of the photos) but I can remember the place like I'd just been there yesterday. Not the most glamourous of fittings but the place certainly had a very welcoming character to it. Old, weathered black seats surround multiple burgundy coloured tables with a bright neon sign out front and shutters permanently half drawn as to not let the sun distract or blind the diners. One small window allowing a glimpse of the kitchen and your food being prepared.

*Sourced from Google Search*

Though it's been some time already, everytime I bring it up with my younger sister, our eyes light up again and as if transcending space and time, we're both instantly brought back to our childhood where we regularly enjoyed a plethora of culinary delights they had to offer. My sister will happily claim that they made the best Vietnamese spring rolls ever and that they had amazing fried chicken wings that usually came as as side to a steaming bowl of hot soup noodles. What amazes me even further is the fact that, my work colleague, who used to live in the same area as a child but had moved to New Zealand for most of her teenaged life still remembers Dixon as well. On her very first day on the job, whilst getting to know each other better, we learnt that we had shared the same experiences at Dixon and that she still fondly remembers the Laksa she used to have with her parents when dining there. It's absolutely amazing how many lives that restaurant had touched.

*Sourced from Google Images*

Dixon was in operation for exactly 18 years....how do I know that for a fact? My mum loves telling the story of how my sister was born the year they had opened. And from when she was a baby until she had matured and reached adulthood, we ate there weekly and almost religiously. For me, the place means so much because it's where I learnt to appreciate food and the joy it brings to people. I am the glutton that I am today partly because of that wonderful restaurant. It's where I had my first bowl of Pho...where little by little (and then exponentially from there on) I learnt to appreciate the intense pain of spicy chilli. Thinking back, I know for a fact that their Pho probably wasn't even that good...but it held a special place in my heart and still does. I'm still honestly trying to find a bowl of Pho that'll make me as happy as the very last one I had all those years ago. The owners I believe have since retired but if anyone knows if they've re-opened elsewhere or have passed their recipe on...please let me know.

*Sourced from Google Images*

For me, this post isn't simply about telling people about this place, it's my attempt find kindred spirits who have also had the same experiences. It's also my way of immortalising an amazing part of Hurstville history as the suburb continues to change into something I barely recognise anymore. I'm sure we all have that place, that dish, that flavour that brings us back to our roots. I'm interested to know: has anyone else had a similar experience with Dixon? Does anyone else remember the restaurant I'm talking about? What about another place? What's the place that means the world to you? Feel free to leave your answer in the comments below.