Archive for the ‘Closed Down’ CategoryNB: PURPLE LOTUS CLOSED DOWN IN MARCH 2007 V Rating: Super V On Friday my friend L. agreed to be my date for Perhaps Love, a Hong Kong musical starring the beautiful Takeshi Kaneshiro (Chungking Express, Fallen Angels, House of Flying Daggers).
My first impression of Purple Lotus was vivid colour, from the lilac neon sign, to the shoulder height display stand filled with candy yellow vegan custard cakes. I took an immediate liking to the place. Inside, the shrine with three large buddha statues on the back wall makes the restaurant’s disposition clear. This is backed up with a no alcohol policy, which was fine by me because it meant a good selection of sparkling grape juice varietals. Mmm, sugary ambrosia.
The noodle dish was also tasty. There were plenty of mixed vegetables, including corn, snowpeas, large Asian mushrooms and what was either crunchy lettuce or seaweed.
I really enjoyed Purple Lotus and almost gave it a Super V. My only hesitation was that I’d tried just two of the many dishes on offer. However, now I know of Purple Lotus I plan to be a frequent visitor. Stay tuned for a ratings update. Update: I went back to Purple Lotus and sampled their yum cha. It was great, so I’ve updated Purple Lotus to a Super V. NB: SYDNEY PITT STREET VEGETARIAN CLOSED AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 2007. V-Rating: Super V I have a job where I occasionally get to go out for fancy business lunches. This means lovely restaurants with small food, white tablecloths, and vegetarian unfriendly menus. It is these kinds of experiences that make carnivores lean sympathetically across the table and say ‘It must be so hard being vegetarian. I mean, what do you eat?’ With such scarring experiences in mind, I’m always happy to find a vegetarian business colleague and take them straight to a veggie friendly restaurant. Last week I managed just that with a rare foray into business yum cha at Sydney Pitt Street Vegetarian. My colleague and I both enjoyed the experience, not least because we got to concentrate on talking to each other rather than negotiating something to eat. We arrived at 12.30pm when the restaurant was still empty. By 1.00pm the restaurant was almost full with like-minded suits gossiping over their dumplings. The yum cha dishes came out thick and fast: fried spring rolls, different varieties of steamed dumplings, fried spinach rolls, green vegetables and rice noodles. Many of the dishes were similar to Bodhi’s, although the prices were cheaper (we had 6 dishes and a drink for $28). The service was friendly and the waiting staff were good at judging when to approach with new temptations. My only criticism is that most of the food we were offered was fried. Perhpas I’m used to Bodhi’s where there is a good selection of steamed food that I find kinder during the 3.00pm post-lunch stupor. However, we didn’t try the majority of yum cha dishes and you might be able to request steamed or less oily food. Before trying the yum cha I would have put Sydney Pitt Street Vegetarian in the VVVVV category. I’d eaten there once for dinner when the restaurant was largely empty and lacking in atmosphere. However, for a great value vegetarian yum cha experience Sydney Pitt Street Vegetarian gets a Super V. NB: HUGO’s CLOSED IN 2006. V Rating: VV Weekend brunch at Bondi Beach is a survival of the fittest affair. Go before 9am and the cafes are vacant. Come after that time and hordes of surfies, trendies, backpackers and tourists have materialised from nowhere and taken YOUR seat at your favourite cafe, goddammit. A table for two can be secured fairly easily. However, any more than that and you find yourself entering into international diplomacy style negotiations with cafe owners and happily agreeing to wait on the footpath for half an hour for something to become available. As one of Bondi’s most hip and trendy eateries, Hugo’s is in particular demand for Saturday and Sunday brunch. My group of six people plus pram seemed especially hard to seat, and the ‘twenty minute’ wait we were promised was more like half an hour and counting. Of course, there’s a usually a reason why a place is popular. In Hugo’s case it’s the large, open windows with a view along Bondi Beach, ultra white, crisp decor, and original, well-presented gourmet food. It also has some fun features, like the plate of crayons of every table inviting guests to draw on the paper tablecloth. For brunch Hugo’s has a decent vegetarian choice. Six of the eleven choices were vegetarian, although only one was vegan. I tried the avocado, tomato and mushrooms on rye toast with hummus and lemon on the side. I liked each of the separate elements, although together the flavours were a bit too distinct for my taste and didn’t quite gel. I didn’t order the huevos rancheros (a Hugo’s speciality) because I assumed it would be too big. It wasn’t and I spent the brunch experiencing food envy. Hugo’s also serves lunch and dinner. From memory these are far less vegetarian friendly than the breakfast so this is probably the best time for vegetarians to go to Hugo’s. Hugo’s is not the kind of brunch spot I’d go to on a regular basis. It’s a bit too trendy than my patience allows for early in the morning, and can be expensive depending on your order. However, as a special treat or wow your parents experience it’s hard to beat in Bondi. NB: VEGAL KITCHEN CLOSED IN 2006. V Rating: VVVVV For the past 17 years, Vegal Kitchen has been quietly serving vegan goodness to the locals of Randwick. Tucked away in a small corner shop, its most noticeable feature is a large neon sign blaring ‘vegetarian’. As Andy (my partner) said, a restaurant which considers this to be its best selling point has got a lot going for it. Inside the decor has a homely, slightly kitsch appeal. There are only seven tables, all staffed by the kind owner / hostess. She is happy to give information about any of the dishes, and was very friendly and attentive. Vegal Kitchen is an Asian vegan / vegetarian restaurant with an extensive menu. There is a choice of four entrees, plus eight smaller soups. For mains, there are about around 56 dishes to choose from including tofu, vegetable dishes, ‘big’ soups, tempeh, noodles and a whole menu section devoted to fried nori rolls (did I mention yum?). There is also a range of gluten dishes which refreshingly are not dressed up as fake meat. Each day there is a specials list of about ten items, which included sang choy bow the night we were there. Vegal Kitchen also offers set menus for 2-3 and 4-6 people. These range in price from $25 - $30 per head. Andy and I went for the first set menu option which offered a plate of mixed fried entrees, ginger steamed vegetables in soy sauce, crispy sweet and sour gluten with sesame seeds, fried nori roll with satay sauce, and steamed rice (a choice of brown or white). We topped up the mixed entree with a soy drumstick each (sheets of tofu wrapped around a small stick.) To round off the night we indulged in a yummy sweet boysenberry tofu (soy) ice cream. This is 100% vegan and made specially for Vegal Kitchen. It also comes in vanilla and chocolate. It costs $4.80, or $6 on top of an apple or banana fritter or fresh fruit. The best dish from the set menu was the Chinese vegetables. Lightly steamed and carefully flavoured with soy sauce and ginger, the dish was refreshing. The mixed entrees were also good. The spring rolls were crunchy and only mildly fried, allowing the vegetable filling to give off a fresh flavour. We also had tofu balls, which tasted like scrambled eggs fried in a ball with corn and peas. I was less enamoured with the satay nori rolls (but then I’m not a big fan of sweeter sauces). The satay was quite dark and heavy, and overpowered the nori rolls. The thin sheets of crispy gluten speckled with sesame seeds were tasty, although the strong sweet and sour sauce meant it was better to savour a few pieces, rather than eat a whole dish. Afterwards we agreed that it was unfortunate we’d chosen this particular set menu as it’s not indicative of the vast majority of Vegal Kitchen dishes(all I can say is that our better judgement was obscured by our extraordinary hunger). We’ve eaten at Vegal Kitchen before and were delighted with all the dishes we tried, which were very tasty and well prepared with fresh ingredients. I can particularly recommend the nori roll in miso sauce and the eggplant dishes. Serving vegetarian food is part of a wider spiritual belief for Vegal Kitchen, who sees vegetarianism as the way to a peaceful and healthy life. It is a non-alcoholic restaurant. However, there is a lovely range of drinks including four different freshly squeezed juices (from a relaxant to a revitaliser)and different types of Asian teas. Overall, Vegal Kitchen is an excellent vegetarian option, particularly if you’re after a tasty and affordable dinner in a low key setting. It can easily cater for a small dinner for two, or a large group of vegans or vegetarians. If you are planning a group you should book as there is only limited room. Two thumbs up! |
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