Archive for the ‘Vegan’ Category
V Rating: Super V Iku is a successful chain of healthy vegetarian takeaway restaurants. It’s like the Sydney vegetarian equivalent of McDonald’s. Only better.
I recently hopped in the buzzing queue in the food court in the MLC Centre at Martin Place. Laid out in front of me in all of its macrobiotic, organic, gluten-free options glory, were salads, rice balls, wraps, soup, hot casseroles, pasta dishes, and dessert. I felt healthy and virtuous just looking at the food. Despite the myriad temptations, I couldn’t go past the takeaway mixed salad for $8.50. There were ginger noodles, steamed vegetables, white beans with mixed seeds, beetroot and cabbage in a vinegar dressing, and sesame brown rice, topped off with the house specialty creamy tahini dressing. The salad looked and tasted spectacular, and although it was a filling meal it didn’t leave me with a sleepy carbohydrate low come 3pm. The Iku menu changes weekly, though you’re always guaranteed of finding favourites like black rice pudding. Most stores open from lunch until dinner, but the central city outlets servicing the white collar crowd shut by 4pm. The size of the resturants (and opportuniy for eating in) varies. The Darlinghurst store is very big, Glebe has a peaceful courtyard, while the MLC Centre is just a counter operation within a busy food court. Iku also has a catering business, and distributes a range of food (including the aforementioned creamy tahini dressing) throughout health food shops. Iku doesn’t flaunt its vegetarian credentials, selling itself on the health benefits of its food, rather than its meatless menu. It’s a godsend for vegos and vegans who want a quick, tasty and stress-free lunch, and proves once and for all that vegetarian food can be sexy.
V Rating: Super V We had heard a little about the “raw food” movement before visiting New York but, it not having put down roots in Sydney, we had no direct experence of it. We chose to visit Pure Food and Wine in the Gramercy district for dinner as it offered a menu entirely centred in the “raw food” tradition. It also came highly recommended by our waitress at Candle 79.
Put simply, proponents of “raw” or “live” food do not serve food that is cooked in any way. In the food preparation process, nothing is raised beyond the temperature of 118 degrees fahrenheit or about 45 degrees celcius (agreement about the temperature may vary slightly). The raw food movement is underpinned by the philosophy that cooking destroys or otherwise interferes with enzymes, minerals and vitamins in food and that food is on the whole healthier served raw.
The distinctive thing about Pure Food and Wine’s founder and raw foodist pin-up girl, Sarma Meingallis, is that she wanted to lift raw food out of the underground and show that it could be gourmet, fun and sexy. Pure Food and Wine epitomises this ethos. The restaurant is ultra sophisticated and hip - in fact, the most hip of the all the places we visited in New York - with a luscious red interior lit by flickering candles and a gorgeous bar (and, perhaps more importantly, gorgeous bar staff). The menu is imaginative, challenging pre-conceptions about the limititations of raw food by offering dishes which are traditionally cooked, like biryani, ravioli, and lasange. Proving that raw foodists can be civilised and savvy, there are also a range of organic wines and cocktails on offer.
Our appetisers comprised a “ironbound island sea vegetable salad” with hatcho miso dressing, wild atlantic wakame, avocado, and chimichurri sauce, and raw cauliflower “samosas” in which the wrappings were made from dehydrated whole wheat served with a tamarind sauce and chutney. The combination of wakame and avocado is a real favourite of mine - I think their textures and flavour are great complements - but given both ingredients are usually served “raw” this dish didn’t showcase the ingenuity of raw food to the same degree as the samosas. I thought the samosas were the best dish of the night, and intuituvely made the best case for the health benefits of raw food. It was certainly a pleasant change to have a samosa with a fresh, light outer casing, rather than the usual, comparatively greasy exterior.
For mains, we had a very rich lasagne in which thin-cut zucchini slices substituted for pasta and filling was a mix of tomato sauce, basil pesto, and pureed vegan ricotta which had a hummus like texture and nutty flavour. We also had a chef’s special which featured shitaake mushrooms mixed with other ingredients I didn’t catch (but which sounded delicious when recounted by our efficient waitress), wrapped in paper and dehydrated and served with raw endive slices and figs.
Years ago I read Anthony Bourdain’s celebrated culinary-gonzo work “Kitchen Confidential”, set largely in New York City. The author writes about the tricks and traps of the cut-throat Manhattan restaurant trade and the extremes behind the scenes that diners never lay eyes on. Bourdain himself is an exponent of the French school of cooking that depends on rich flavours, most notably truffles, plenty of butter and cream and pate prepared from goose liver. Unforgettably, Bourdain also makes clear his own loathing of vegetarians, vegetarianism and all vaguely associated follies. Ironically, out of all the vegetarian restaurants that we visited, Bourdain would probably have been most at home at this one. The food was so infused with rich flavours that even Bourdain may have felt comfortable tucking in there. Our food was so full of pungent flavours – of superconcentrated mushrooms, truffles, pesto and tomato, among others – that at times it bordered on the overwhelming. Was this overcompsensation of a kind? That would be a harsh judgement. However lovers of food that is light would find it harder going. I came away intrigued by the possibilities inherent in this peculiar art form, but not entirely convinced. It certainly stands out as unique among our dining experiences on our honeymoon. Kate was less convinced, but for me for the sheer originality and the enterprise in popularising a new and confronting style of vegetarian cuisine, it was another New York Super-V experience.
V Rating: Super V With our time in New York drawing to a close, we made a beeline to the East Village. Home to NYU, the area is filled with everything the young, urbane student needs, like (relatively) cheap restaurants, dingily lit bars, and small shops spruiking everything from socks to records.
In amongst this carnival of learning and poseurs, is a quiet oasis called Caravan of Dreams. It’s a small kosher, vegan restaurant, tucked slightly off the main drag, which also dabbles in organic and raw (or “live”) food.
Caravan of Dreams is the kind of place where I want to write my first novel. It’s offbeat, quiet, and warm-hearted, filled with the comfortable silence you fall into when your among close friends. The decorations have a gypsy touch, and because the restaurant is just below street level, it has a homey cave-live feel. Not only does Caravan of Dreams have atmosphere in spades, it also has great food. Choosing from the brunch special, Andy had the macrobiotic plate, but I had the good sense to know that the breakfast burrito was the real business.
Brunch started with a surprise green salad with a lime, tamari and ginger dressing. I’m not usually one for lettuce, but with the delicious, non-oily house dressing I lapped it up.
The burrito was magnificent. It was filled with scrambled tofu, grilled vegetables, and black beans in a whole wheat tortilla, and topped with guacamole, salsa and vegan sour cream. Every other time I’ve had scrambled tofu I’ve been disappointed - there’s too much tamari and it overpowers the rest of the dish. Here, the scrambled tofu was only lightly flavoured so it had the consistency and (in a good way) blandness of egg. Kudos also for the authentic guacamole and sour cream.
Andy’s plate came with grilled tofu, tahini, pinto beans, brown rice, and blanched vegetables. It was light and healthy, but I think my burrito won hands down.
Out of curiosity, we ordered a serve of live bread. Because raw foodists believe that you shouldn’t heat food above about 110 degrees Fahrenheit, “live bread” is dehydrated rather than baked. It emerged in quite thin slices, and because of the dehydration tasted like toast. It was best with hummus because this countered the dryness. Caravan of Dreams is an eclectic restaurant, from its design down to its menu, but somehow everything comes together to create a lovely, comfortable experience. If I were a New Yorker, this is the place I’d come to while away time and give thanks for living in such a great city.
V Rating: Super V Sometimes you walk into a restaurant and fall in love. It doesn’t matter what the food tastes like, the atmosphere alone is sustenance enough. That was my first reaction to Candle 79.
Candle 79 is the upmarket sister restaurant of the famous Candle Cafe. It’s a vegan restaurant, which may seems out of place on New York’s ritzy Upper East Side. But Candle 79 holds its own. It’s accolades include being voted “best vegetarian” restaurant in New York, plus it was recommended to me by Jim at Vegan Friendly NYC as the best place for a romantic dinner. Jim had the good oil, because of all the restaurants we visited in New York, Candle 79 was the most romantic. The downstairs area of the two storey townhouse hosts a long bar and booths, but upstairs is where it’s at. A large window looks out onto the street below. The night we were there, a large bouquet of flowers sprayed out in the centre of the window, adding a touch of colour and life to the snowy scene outside.
Our good first impression was cemented by the waiting staff, and the manager Francesca, who were friendly, attentive and good fun. As Candle 79 came a few days into our New York festival of eating, we just couldn’t squeeze in an appetiser. To compensate, we ordered a main each (I refuse to call this an entrée, as Americans do), and two side dishes of mashed garlic potatos and broccoli. Apparently Candle 79’s chef, Angel Ramos, is famous for his seitan. The only reason we didn’t try this as we’d been eating a lot of seitan over the last couple of days. Instead, I had the cumin crusted tofu served on saffron harissa couscous, eggplant-spinach-tomato ratatouille with preserved lemon. The dish was interesting - the tofu came served in two large pieces atop the what was otherwise a Middle Eastern / mediterranean themed dish. I liked the tofu - it had a light slightly spicy crust which contrasted nicely with the soft and smooth texture of the tofu. People who aren’t used to, or dislike tofu, may have been a little confronted to get such a large piece. Then again, those people probably wouldn’t have ordered this dish in the first place. My favourite part was the cous cous (large beads) and (drum roll please) preserved lemon. This is a real love it or hate it ingredient, but I’m firmly in the gimme all you got camp and thought it added a lovely bite to the soft, mellow taste of the cous cous and vegetables.
Andy ordered the glamourous sounding Ancho Seared Tempeh with a roasted sweet potato purée, sautéed kale, leeks, fennel salad, pomegranate reduction, and mole sauce. By all accounts, it was delicious. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you might note that I have a fondness for potatoes, particularly of the mashed variety. You could even say they are the yardstick by which I measure a restaurant. On this count, Candle 79 stacked up – the potatoes were creamy and soft, and had a lovely flavour thanks to the garlic.
Although the dishes were large, and we were quite full, we couldn’t resist the dessert menu. I had a pumpkin crème brulee with ginger ice cream, while Andy had the ice cream sampler, which included chocolate and peanut flavours.
The impressive thing about dessert was that it was all vegan, but you wouldn’t have known that from the taste. I was a bit dubious about a pumpkin dessert, but pumpkin gave the dish sweetness without going overboard. The ginger ice cream set it off perfectly, adding a spicy, fresh touch.
Towards the end of the evening we got talking to a waitress and mentioned that we were in New York on our honeymoon. Next time we saw her, she brought out two glasses of champagne and delicious strawberries in a chocolate dipping sauce. Adding to the generosity, as we were leaving, the manager of Candle 79, Francesca gave us a copy of the popular Candle Cafe cook book as a wedding gift. It’s the only cookbook I picked up in the US, so in addition to its tasty recipes it’s also nice to have a memento of our vegetarian tour of duty. Of all the restaurants we visited in New York, Candle 79 was the winner for atmosphere and service. Its nearest competitor for food was Blossom, which I thought it easily trumped. Whether you have a couple of days, or a couple of years in New York, Candle 79 should be on your list.
V Rating: Super V Valentine’s Day (VD) brought us, by prior appointment, to Blossom, a popular vegetarian restaurant in Chelsea. We landed ourselves a spot in the 8 o’clock sitting, wedged between the early (6.30pm) and late (9.30pm) diners. Clearly, this place didn’t want to let any of its loyal patrons short of a meal. We were lucky to be seated right away when we arrived about 40 minutes before our appointed time, fresh from the “ice storm” outside that had seen temperatures drop to eight below Celsius. The restaurant was romantically decorated with dark wood and sensitive lighting. We ordered from the Valentine’s Day fixed price menu which offered choice of two appetisers, two main dishes and three desserts. To be honest, even adjusting for the high expectations that we had of Blossom, both of our appetisers were underwhelming. I ate a South East Asian lumpia which was described on the menu as curried seitan and potato wrapped in a crispy chickpea crepe served with mango onion sambal. I thought it resembled a Chiko Roll (a ubiqutous Australian fried fast food item for those readers who have not had the pleasure) with a mushy vegetarian filling that was monochromatic in flavour. Kate chose the black-eyed pea cake (”a crispy cake of yukon gold potato and black eyed peas served with chipolte aioli”). This dish had more flavour than my lumpia, helped along by the aioli, but despite its impressive sounding name it was not much more than a pleasant, homely pattie. Mains were slightly better. Both were seitan (the US term for gluten) dishes – mine in the form of seitan scallopini in a creamy white wine caper sauce with basil mashed potatoes and sauteed greens, Kate’s grilled and served over roasted fingerling potatos, buttercream leaks, shitake mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and asparagus in a light mustard sauce. The seitan was deliciously tender and both meals had a comforting “home cooking” feel to them. Despite being very full, we still found space to try a Blossom sweetheart puff pastry, and cheesecake. These dishes were remarkable for the fact that they were both vegan without any compromise on taste. The meal did not justify its $46 price tag, but, on balance, and taking into account the pressures that the restaurant was under to cater for three sittings of diners on Valentines Day, sneaks in as a Super-V.
V Rating: Super V Ever since I’ve been writing this blog I’ve had a niggling feeling of inadequacy. How can I claim any credibility as a Sydney vegetarian restaurant reviewer when there’s no mention of Green Gourmet on the site? Green Gourmet has been around for years and is one of Sydney’s best known and most loved vegetarian restaurants. The Newtown restaurant was so successful that a small vegetarian grocery store was opened next door, and a second restaurant was opened in St Leonards. Fortunately, the stormy weather on Saturday helped me convince our group of friends to swap yum cha at Bodhis for yum cha at the original Green Gourmet in Newtown (nb: love a city where there are multiple vegetarian yum cha options).
Green Gourmet is a novel dining experience. You can order off the extensive and highly recommended menu. Alternatively, there’s a big dinner buffet where you pay according to the weight of your meal. I love the endless plates of vegetarian stiry-frys, fried snacks, and vegetable dishes, but not the moment of reckoning when my plate consistently seems to be the heaviest of everyone in my group (I figure it’s the guilt weighing me down). On the weekend Green Gourmet runs vegetarian yum cha. We arrived about half an hour after yum cha started and before the restaurant was full. While the staff were lovely, it was a slightly slow process with one or two dishes carried out on a tray at a time. This is no problem for a small table, but for our hungry group of six it meant taking whatever we were offered, rather than choosing from a selection. The yum cha options were diverse - fresh rice paper rolls, fried spring rolls, sweet and sour fake pork, fried fake drumsticks and seafood rolls, green vegetables, dumplings and satay skewers. The choices were distinctly different from what I’ve had at Bodhis, which focuses more on steamed dumplings and steers clear of fake meat. This may just have been luck of the draw - the menu suggests that there is also a range of vegetable and steamed yum cha offerings.
Another highlight of Green Gourmet is the long and unusual tea menu. Like many of Sydney’s vegetarian restaurants, Green Gourmet has a Buddhist ethic so there’s no garlic, onion or alcohol to be found on the premises. Green Gourmet definitely rates as one of my favourite vegetarian places in Sydney - but I’d try the dinner / buffet option ahead of yum cha.
V-Rating: Super V Mother Chu’s was the first vegetarian restaurant I tried in Sydney and like any first love it still holds a very special place in my heart. Mother Chu’s is conveniently located on Pitt Street parallel with the Metro or George Street cinemas. It makes a great choice for a fast and delicious meal before a gig or a movie, and last week I successfully lured a non-veggie friend there before seeing V for Vendetta. We ordered the eggplant and tofu with miso sauce, and noodles with gluten and vegetables. The food was so good that we couldn’t bring ourselves to leave any behind. This meant we missed the first 15 minutes of the movie (but who needs establishment anyway.) The Mother Chu’s menu is extensive, drawing on Taiwanese, Chinese and Japanese influences. I always plan to order something new, but end up seduced by the beautifully soft tofu and eggplant in miso sauce. Other favourite dishes are the honey pumpkin and soy bean rolls. However, I’ve eaten at Mother Chu’s many times and have never been disappointed. Mother Chu’s is founded on a Buddhist philosophy so no alcohol is allowed. However, they do serve non-alcoholic wines and beer (it’s like light beer … kind of.) Some might see this as a downside, but I love being able to fearlessly order my glass of sparkling grape juice. Mother Chu’s is a modest venue with chairs and tables that wouldn’t be out of place in a cafeteria. However, the restaurant has a warm and inviting atmosphere with friendly service. The eponymous Mother Chu can usually be seen sitting at the restaurant’s back table, keeping an eye on everything (including the occasional cute grandchild) while her daughter takes charge of the restaurant’s smooth running. Mother Chu’s was love at first bite for me and remains one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney. |
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