V Rating: Super V
Where: 28 Degraves St Melbourne
When: All day. Not night
Tel: (03) 9654 5157
Price: Lunch items range from $4.50-9. Coffees are around $3.50. Cakes are around $4. There is also a range of organic products (flour, bread, sauces, some vegetables and fruit…)
Ok. I am excited. The Organic Food and Wine Deli (TOFWD) just re-opened on Degraves St and it has the best lunch range of organic vegetarian cuisine in the CBD.

Reasons for my excitement are enumerated as follows (I am doing it this way cos otherwise this post will turn into babbling food-related happiness)

1. It’s on Degraves St, which is one of my favourite of Melbourne’s cafe alleyways, coming off one of my favourite of Melbourne’s shopping lanes (Flinders Lane).

2. The food is, good, interesting, quick and affordable. It is also organic and largely vegetarian in combinations that I can handle (i.e. not everything has eggplant in it, and tomato is not a substitute for innovative spices which it often is in vegetarian cooking)

3. They have sourdough PIES, my friends. PIES full of mushrooms and tofu, or if you like, a vegetarian shepherd’s pie made from a wholemeal pastry. PIES.

4. The sandwiches come on a range of different breads, none of them white. I was very happy with my spelt bread sandwich with salad, tuna and soy herb mayo.

5. There is a range of food combinations to suit pretty much anyone’s food allergies or detox diets (mine included). They have wheat free, gluten free, sugar free, you name it. However I tried one of the sugar and wheat free apple and cinnamon muffins and it sadly wasn’t that good. I think the problem with muffins is that they kind of need something to soak up all the sugar replacement pear juice. But the vegan chocolate fudge is good according to all reports.

6. They do the all important LSD (latte soy dandelion). Las Chicas in Carlisle St, Balaclava still do the best, followed by Bare Pear (CBD). But TOFWD are now in third place.

7. They also sell their own range of organic wholefoods and products, like flours, sauces, jams, pasta, wines.

8. TOFWD naturally has a good selection of salads too. I am still getting through the deli goods though (like you know, the PIES), lost in the excitement of being able to eat them!

Triple thumbs up for this little cafe. Go there go there GO THERE!

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