Archive for the ‘Location’ CategoryV Rating: VVVVV Looking for somewhere to eat in central Perth, I stumbled onto this little lunch spot. The sign out front said “Vegetarian”. That was good enough for me. Maoz is a simple operation with the feel of a budding international franchise. The menu gave the impression that there were sister stores in Amsterdam, London, Barcelona and Perth. (I wonder if the stores in Amsterdam, London, Barcelona also mention that they have a store in Perth?) Essentially, the USP was a simple one. Maoz meals essentially revolve around felafel. Once you order your felafel, which comes in a freshly-baked pita bread pocket, you fill the rest of your pocket up with a selection of vegetable and salad items and top it off with sauce of your choice. I liked the look of the fried cauliflower pieces so it was those, together with some tahini sauce, a spoonful of tomato salsa and a bit of cous cous which completed my pocket. The meal also came with a side serve of “Belgian” chips and a bottle of water (upgradeable to another drink of my choice) for $10. For that price, I thought it was reasonable value. The core offering, the felafel, certainly made the grade, deliciously green on the inside and not overcooked. An unpretentious VVVVV. - Gary R.
V Rating: VVV You know how sometimes there’s a serendipity effect with a restaurant, where you go from never having heard of it, to wanting to visit it, to bumping into it at every turn. Well, I had that recently Fifi’s Lebanese on Enmore Road. Just before deciding to embark on a six month round the world trip, I thought that buying the Sydney Entertainment Book would be a good investment (I guess this is why other people reach important life decision via planning rather than impulse, huh). Each of the main featured restaurants gets a page where they can display their sample menu, but I was disappointed to see that lots of places had el zippo vegetarian options. One notable exception was Fifi’s. After turning up one Saturday night without a booking and being turned away, I was thrilled when my good friend J suggested we go there to celebrate her 30th birthday (and I immediately made a reservation). J being a seasoned Fifi’s patron, she told us that the banquets were the business. Because I am a
We started with hommus, baba ghanoush, and bread. The baba ghanoush had a deep, smoky flavour, perfect for sweeping on to pita bread. I am a huge potato fan, so was very excited by the arrival oregano potato salad. It wasn’t quite what I expected though. The spices gave the potato a dry, relatively bitter coating. It wasn’t unpleasant, but I prefer my potatoes to be saltier or sweet. Tabbouleh, a tasty pickle plate and fried eggplant with a tahini dipping sauce rounded off our first course.
Next up was cabbage rolls and stuffed vine leafs.
And, of course, falafel. This was a lot of food and we couldn’t eat it all. But did that stop us from ordering dessert? Of course not! We had the deliciously sweet and icing sugar covered Turkish Delight and soft Vanilla Almond Nougat. Fifi’s definitely gets a highly commended award for offering a choice of two vegetarian banquets. The white table cloths and elegant decor added a touch of class, making it a lovely place to celebrate a special occasion.
V Rating: VVVVV Veggie Friendly’s intrepid foreign correspondent, Anth from Temporary Dwellings, recently came across a vegetarian haven in Iran. Ananda Veggie Restaurant and Coffee Shop is run by the Society of Iran’s Vegetarians and is a lovely and peaceful place to escape the traffic and din off Tehran. Tucked away down a small road in the north of Tehran the restaurant has a small outdoor terrace and a comfortable air-conditioned dining room indoors. The restaurant provides a range of pizzas, pasta and lasagna and also has a small offering of Iranian food. As tourists we decided to stick with the Iranian food and ordered a plate of soy kebabs and vegetable curry with rice. The food arrived promptly and looked delicious. The kebabs were chargrilled and had a great bbq “lamb” flavour. The dish looked great with the kebabs served on sesame and herb flat bread with pickle and rich, roasted tomatoes on the side.
Our other dish was a lovely tomato curry with vegatables and tasty cubes of panir cheese served on some of the best rice I have ever tasted - white grain rice cooked with chopped dill (this is a traditional Iranian dish called “pulau”) and to complete it a slice of deep fried panir on the side.
As an accompaniment we had some green olives (9,000IRR) which were served with grated lemon rind and sweet sultana chutney. Other side dishes include yoghurt. Unfortunately, we were in a bit of a rush and so we couldn’t sit back and enjoy any of the fresh smoothies, juices or deserts that are on the menu. - Anth, from Temporary Dwellings.
V Rating: VVV No matter where I’ve lived, I’ve always had an ol’ faithful local restaurant. It’s the place I suggest when we’re going out with newbie friends, or I’m in a group and want a fun, cheap dinner without politely pointless deliberation about which restaurant to try. Well, Thai Terrific in Bondi is that restaurant for me (even though it’s not quite my local). When I first moved to Bondi, Thai Terrific’s Curlewis Street setting was a little more humble. A couple of redecorations later, it’s bright swankier restaurant with a large courtyard out the back. The one constant is that whenever I go there it’s always packed. So why is that? Truthfully, I don’t think it’s the quality of the food. Don’t get me wrong - it’s not bad food, but it’s not exceptional Thai (and if anything has become a little blander over the years). I think it’s more likely because the Bondi Beach food scene has a gaping hole where some great Asian restaurants should be. There are some good small places (better suited to takeaway) and some ritzier, expensive restaurants but not so much of the variety or experience that you find in other parts of Sydney. So while inner westies might puzzle at Thai Terrific’s success, if you live in Bondi, it’s one of the best no-fuss, great fun restaurants and one of the few ways to get a Thai fix. Like most Thai restaurants, there are ostensibly loads of vegetarian choices because you can order different curries and stir-frys with your choice of sauce and vegetable and tofu. I didn’t do the ordering so I’m not sure if there was fish sauces in any of the eight veggie entrees, or around 30 mains - I recommend you ask.
We tried the entree deep fried tofu with sweet chili and peanut satay sauce, green curry with vegetables and tofu, Pad Thai, and the pumpkin and snow pea stir fry. These last two dishes were my favourites. In particular, the sweetness of the pumpkin and snow peas worked nicely with the soy based stir fry sauce and soft and oily egg. Like every visit to Thai Terrific, the food was just one part of the experience. Combined with the fun, lively atmosphere and flowing wine, we had a typically great night.
V Rating: VVV Last year, a Veggie Friendly reader tipped me off to the Nepalese Kitchen on Crown Street. I’ve been looking for an excuse to go there ever since. Compared to your average ultra hip Crown Street restaurant, Nepalese Kitchen feels time-honoured and intellectual, the kind of place where conversation could turn to the politics of Nepal’s neighbours China and Tibet, as easily as complaints about the state of the Sydney.
We tried it on a Friday night, where our reserved table was the only free one amongst the busy, noisy crowd. The excitement was palpable as we checked out the yummy steamed momo dumplings (two out of the three types were vegetarian), but we also ordered the eggplant stuffed with onion and served with a yoghurt sauce. As much as I love momos, the eggplant entree was a highlight. The eggplant was soft but kept its shape, while the onion stuffing was light, and sweetly flavoured with cumin. There were five different vegetarian mains so our group of six tried them all. At my end of the table the favourite was the Bhanta, an eggplant and potato curry with cherry tomatoes, sauteed with cumin, garlic , ginger and chili. The eggplant was melt-in-your-mouth good.
I also liked the mushroom curry with potatoes, sauteed in a spicy tomato sauce with cinnamon and black cardamom. There’s nothing like sinking your teeth into a whole button mushroom slathered in curry sauce.
The tama was a hot and sour curry with potato, pickled bamboo shoots and black-eyed beans.
The kwali, a nine bean curry cooked with chili, parsley seeds and traditional spices had me at hello.
We also ordered the bandakopi, a vibrant green dish of peas and snowpeas stir fried with shallots, coconut, coriander, green chilies and spices. A sweeter dish, it made a nice contrast to the heavier potato-based curries. To balance out the meal we also shared a light, watery dal.
At the end of the meal we were greeted with a very reasonable bill and a shiny plate of candied fennel seeds to freshen our breath.
A quick poll of the table voted the food as pleasant but not special. I felt more kindly towards Nepalese Kitchen. I enjoyed all the dishes, liked the vegetarian variety, and loved the atmosphere. A fun VVV experience.
V Rating: VVV I have a theory that there are some restaurants the universe prevents me from reviewing. I’ll visit them time after time, but scandal, bacchanalian excess, or forgetfulness always conspire to stop me from getting my thoughts in to a post. The problem is most acute for two of my mainstay restaurants in Bondi, Thai Terrific and Bondi Social. Determined not to fall victim to this curse again, I made a concerted effort to bring my camera and notebook last time we visited Bondi Social. Bondi Social is a stylish first floor restaurant and bar in the heritage listed (and oddly named) Cairo Mansions complex on Campbell Parade. It’s one of my favourite spots in Sydney to while away time. I liked it so much that Andy and I had our engagement party here in 2005. The interior designer of Bondi Social got that the restaurant’s biggest asset is its best on the beach-front view of Bondi Beach, and kept the stylings welcoming but minimalist. There are polished wooden floors, benches and tables that seem to flow into each other, and white walls. The room, which was formerly an apartment, is small but cleverly one side wall is lined with mirrors so that it reflects the view and create the illusion that you’re looking out of windows. About a year ago Bondi Social moved to a Modern Australian tasting menu concept. The dinner dishes are stil loosely themed as starters, entrees and mains, but you receive the dishes in smaller portions at the same time and are intended to share them with everyone at the table. There were three of us for dinner, and we ended up ordering five dishes. All the dishes are about the size of a tapas plate, so you’re better to err towards ordering more rather than fewer.
We started with the marinated olives (cutely served in a glass) and the beetroot, honey and lemon thyme dip with Turkish bread.
We shared sauteed green beans with macadamia nuts and spanish onion.
I liked the baked artichoke hearts with aged parmesan and sage. The artichoke flesh was soft and favourful, with each layer holding its shape.
The asparagus, haloumi, goats cheese, and fresh fig was also a hit. The fresh figs were the star of this dish, adding a lovely, soft pink colour, and a cool, sweet taste. It’s a pleasure to find a Modern Australian restaurant that provides a selection of vegetarian dishes. With such great, fresh produce in Australia, it’s a real bugbear of mine that Modern Australian chefs treat vegetables as no more than a garnish or an accompaniment to meat, poultry or seafood.
V Rating: Super V Badde Manors is a much-loved vegetarian cafe at the Sydney University end of Glebe Point Road. Arranged on an acute corner, it’s hard to miss with windows and walls flying out in all directions, and a shop sign featuring a large bronze sculpture of two cherubs proudly flanking a coffee machine. Inside, there are deep red walls, old fashioned wooden chairs, and tables with peeling paint. The cafe is brimming with nooks and crannies to lose yourself in. Combined with the art deco light fittings, mirrors and hexagonal tables, grainy black and white and sepia photos, and precarious stacks of second hand books, you almost feel like you’ve stepped into the parlour of an eccentric aunt or an artlessly bohemian university pad. The patrons are equally eclectic. On Saturdays it’s over-flowing with people, perhaps because it’s just over the road from the fabulous and busy Glebe markets. There are students, academics, goths, artists and Glebe locals. It’s the kind of place that provokes right-wing columnists to sneer about green-voting, latte-sipping inner west types, which is just another reason to love it. Badde Manors is a cafe rather than restaurant. The house specialities are European cakes, home made gelati and sorbet, and some unusual hot drinks (I have it on good authority that the sahlep is highly memorable). I like the fact that it doesn’t make a big deal about being vegetarian, or rely on this as it’s only selling point. There are also unpretentious light snacks and more substantial dishes, for example foccacia and Turkish bread sandwiches, ‘authentic’ bagels, daily soup, pasta and mains specials. It is vegetarian, but makes an effort to include some vegan choices. Although I liked the sound of the bagel with mushroom pate, grilled haloumi, fresh tomatoes and spinach, but chose to have the chef’s special salad of the day. It came with iceberg lettuce, corn, cucumber, tempeh and tomato. It wasn’t an exciting dish, but it made a healthy, satisfying lunch. Badde Manors has been a Glebe fixture for over twenty years. It has a strong sense of community, and is famous as the birthplace of the Cafe of the Gate of Salvation, Sydney’s popular non-denominational gospel choir. A great place to savour cakes, coffee, and conversation, any visit to Badde Manors is usually memorable. |
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