Archive for the ‘Bondi Beach’ Category
V Rating: VV On the June long weekend rain teased Sydney, threatening to bucket down but often just delivering lingering drizzle. After 24 hours indoors I faced a dilemma on Sunday morning. I had coffee, but no food. It was a tough call but I decided it was time to brave the elements.
Blue Orange is one of Bondi’s best brunch spots. At 9am it’s peaceful. By 10am all tables are full. Blue Orange is a tiny place with wood-pannelled walls and warm orange lights with sculptured wire shades. Sitting there, watching the rain fall lightly outside, I felt like I was ensconced in a glamourous log cabin.
I rounded off my breakfast with a delicious soy capuccino. This alone was worth leaving the house for.
V Rating: VVV OK, Pompei’s is not a vego restaurant. The many, many vego options suited my craving for variety but it bears mentioning that my wife ordered carpaccio, which she rated as ‘lovely’.
In fact I told the waiter at length how fab it was, how my wife and I had travelled through Italy and I never had puttanesca as good as this and would it be too much to get the chef out here and,.. then I noticed him shuffling nervously and his eyes moving in an agitated manner. After years of working in mining camps and eating from field kitchens, I could not claim to be a true foodie and it’s a rare thing for me to do anything more after eating than look to see if any of my fellow diners has left stuff on their plates. So believe me when I say Pompei’s food was fab; those of you with a more sublime palate than mine would do well to make a beeline for Pompei’s. Anon. 30/05/06.
V Rating: V-ware Ravesi’s highlights one of the conundrums of the V rating system. It only has one vegetarian entree and main, and the entree is not vegan. Therefore, I’ve given it a V-ware. However, each of these dishes is exquisite and worth trying (at least) once. I’d even go so far as to say that Ravesi’s has the best food in Bondi - their vegetarian option was better than Icebergs or Sean’s Panorama. The vegetarian entree is black genoa figs with pistachio crusted goats curd and olive. This is sublime. The figs are fresh and lightly heated to release their sweetness. The tartness and creamy texture of the goats cheese enhances the flavour of the figs, and is in turn set off by the pistachio crust and light use of olive. I wasn’t overly excited by the description of the single vegetarian main, saffron tagliatelle with sugar snaps, cherry truss tomatoes, eggplant, oregano, olive and rocket pesto. I expected that the pesto might make the dish oily, and that the vegetables were uninspiring. I was wrong. The pesto added a light hint of flavour to the tagliatelle, without being overpowering or oily. The vegetables were all deliciously cooked. The eggplant was cut into rough chunks with the skin left off. The flesh was very soft without being overly oily, and the crackling skin added structure and a smoky flavour. The cherry truss tomatoes have a lovely rich flavour, and the sugar snaps add freshness. Suffice to say, there were no leftovers. Ravesi’s is pricey so you may prefer to take advantage of the early bird special which gives you a main and dessert for $20, or $25 if you also have a glass of wine. However, that means you don’t get the figs. In addition to the delicious food, Ravesi’s has a prime location on Campbell Parade. The building dates back to 1914, before Bondi was the ultra popular destination it is today. While the downstairs bar is often packed with beautiful people, the upstairs restaurant has a minimalist design and gorgeous wooden veranda that overlooks the water and Hall Street. Go there for the food and view. Pray they add another vegetarian main to lift them out of the V-ware doghouse.
V-Rating: VVV Gertrude and Alice is my platonic ideal of a bookshop slash cafe. The cafe’s namesakes are Gertrude Stein and Alice. B. Toklas, iconic writers and lovers. Apparently they liked good food and wine in the company of creative types. More power to them. Gertrude and Alice is an Inner West refuge amongst the havianas, sunshine and oversized sunglasses of Bondi. Shelves of overcrowded second hand books fill three rooms, and create nooks and crannies to seclude yourself in. Tucked around the bookshelves are chairs, tables and a couch for reading, eating and daydreaming (pretty much my favourite ways to pass the time).
The regular Gertrude and Alice menu doesn’t really feature dinner. For this, you have to check out the specials above the kitchen serving window. Of the ten special dishes, seven were vegetarian. Only one was vegan on paper, but a few more seemed adaptable because the dairy product came as a garnish. There are also hearty, regular salads to choose from which are more than a meal. It was a hard choice, but I went for the Mexican bean soup with corn chips and sour cream. The mixed beans in the soup were fresh, and the soup was only slightly spicy with a tomato base. I liked the corn chips floating in the soup so you could scoop up the larger veggies and eat them with sour cream. That’s neither gross nor impolite when the food comes that way. Gertrude and Alice is BYO. You pay a corkage fee per person, and ask at the kitchen service window for glasses. Mine were mismatched, which suited the general mien. Gertrude and Alice that makes me feel I’ve rediscovered my childhood, accidentally stepping through the pages of a book to an unreal place of libraries, dusty, overflowing bookshelves and wooden step ladders. It’s certainly in a world of its own on Hall Street. Reviewed 5 April 2006. KP.
V-Rating: VVV When I first moved to Bondi Beach there was a dark period where I thought there was no local Indian restaurant. While a life without palak paneer might not seem a high price to pay for a golden surf beach and beautiful sandstone cliffs, there remained a lingering emptiness in my heart (and my stomach) that only a tasty eggplant curry could fill. Then I discovered Bombay to Bondi (formerly Haveli 87) tucked away at the upper end of Hall street and my life in Bondi became complete. Like most Indian restaurants, Bombay to Bondi has a good range of vegetarian dishes, most of which are vegan. All up, there are six veggie main choices. These include a not too creamy palak paneer, an eggplant and chickpea curry, a sweet vegetable curry in an almond yoghurt sauce and dahl. There is also the chef’s special mushroom curry which gets two thumbs up. I last ate there on a Saturday night when most tables in the restaurant were full. As my friend observed, Bombay to Bondi has avoided the Sydney restaurant trick of putting in hardwood floors to amplify the noise and make the restaurant seem full of life and busy. As a consequence, you can eat at Bombay to Bondi on a busy night and still hold a conversation. Bombay to Bondi has its quirks. The decor is an interesting mix of fairy lights, crystal chandeliers and Indian religious iconography, and the landlord will happily regale you with stories about his colourful career. However, this just makes my love it more. It’s also unpretentious, with friendly, helpful staff (sometimes rare qualities in Bondi restaurants). It’s possible you’ll find better Indian food in Sydney. However, if you’re in the Bondi area it’s a great choice for vegetarians and Indian food desperados alike. Reviewed 1 April 2006.
V Rating: VV Li Zai is a self-described ‘Asian tapas’ restaurant. This is either an excuse to serve smaller dishes for the same price as a regular meal, or a great way for groups of people to try lots of different items on the menu. I’m undecided. While the menu is weighted towards meat and seafood, there are some vegetarian and vegan options. At first glance these appear to be helpfully marked on the menu by a vegetarian symbol. Unfortunately, Li Zai’s definition of vegetarian includes seafood – our seaweed and tofu salad came garnished with roe and two so-called vegetarian dishes on the menu include prawn crackers and oyster sauce. This almost earned Li Zai a V-ware rating. As our vegetarian san choi bow and Asian vegetarian BBQ appeared to be meat and seafood free I’ve given them the benefit of the doubt; however, I’d recommend checking with the waiting staff before ordering the vegetarian dishes just to make sure you are not in for a nasty surprise. Doubts about the contents of our meal aside, the food was OK if not particularly flavourful. The Asian BBQ is actually two veggie kebabs. The cold tofu and seaweed salad was refreshing, but lacking in flavour. The vegetarian san choi bow was a fun dish to share, although the filling was perhaps a little over-spiced. The real appeal of Li Zai’s is its funky apartment style layout. There’s a smaller room with a single large table, ideally suited for groups wanting a dinner party away from home and a larger room with a series of intimate tables. Li Zai’s best feature is a great outdoor deck with a stunning view of Bondi Beach. The deck is ringed with fairylights and a comfortable couch seating. This is a great spot for a romantic dinner, sunset cocktails or even a party (provided that it’s not blowing a gale as it was the night we visited). Li Zai is a fun option for a summery Bondi dinner - just v-ware the liberal bestowing of a vegetarian friendly label!
V Rating: Super V I have a few, small pleasures in life, one of which is Laurie’s Vegetarian Take Away, winner of the first ever Super V rating. Laurie’s is a small and simple shop at the beach end of Bondi Road. There are a limited tables and chairs inside, but the shop has a community feel with one wall taken up with community notices and another plastered with colourful posters for live music. As you’d expect, Laurie’s forte is its selection of cheap and tasty take away food. The Laurie’s menu is pretty constant. There is a choice of six hot dishes (lasagne, pasta, mild chickpea curry, Mexican beans, lentil casserole and roast veggies) and five salads (cajun tofu, persian rice, two green salads, and a cous cous salad). You can have any combination of these to take away. All dishes are vegan, except for the lasagne and pasta. My personal favourites are the chickpea curry, lasagne, roast veggies and cous cous salad. But what I love about all of these dishes is that they taste like home cooking. I can’t stress what a godsend this is when you’re coming home late and don’t have the time or inclination to cook, but still want a healthy, low-fuss meal for dinner. In fact, one of the main reasons that Laurie’s scores a Super V rating is because it makes being vegetarian convenient, cheap and easy. The other reason is the tempeh burger with satay sauce. This is the best burger I’ve ever had. At $6.00, it’s also one of the cheapest. All Laurie’s burgers come with a toasted brown bun, yummy home made coleslaw with poppy seeds and lettuce. You can then add your choice of ‘burger’ (from tempeh, tofu, chilli bean and soy) and your choice of sauce (satay, homemade tomato, and sweet chilli). Extra condiments like cheese, guacamole and sour cream can be added. My all time favourite combination is the tempeh burger with satay sauce and cheese. I wish I could compare it to alternative options, but this was monogamy at first bite. In the unlikely event that you tire of the main Laurie’s dishes, there are other items on the menu, like empanadas and pies, baked potatoes and nachos and desserts (the tapioca pudding with berries is my favourite). Laurie’s is not a flash venue and the food is best described as simple, reliable and homely. But that’s all part of charm. |
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