Archive for the ‘Waverley’ 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: VVV Friends of ours recently invited us to their house on a Saturday for a carefully planned gourmet dinner. Rude guests that we are, Andy and I changed the date at short notice to a Thursday night. And that’s how we ended up at Chu Bay II. Chu Bay II is a small Vietnamese restaurant that flirts happily with gaudiness. The tablecloths are deep red and the walls are covered in traditional art. Except for the back wall, which has a neon waterfall sign with water that flows hypnotically at the flick of a switch. More art should move, I think. The menu treats vegetarians kindly. There is a a separate vegetarian section including lemon grass vegetables, vegetarian pancakes and stir-fried vegetables. We began with the rice paper rolls, which were fresh, flavoursome, and much more colourful than my dodgy mobile phone photography suggests. For mains we chose the vegetable curry and then the fresh steamed vegetables on the recommendation of our friends. We also had the vegetarian special noodle dish. Rounding off the pleasant eating experience and great company was the friendly and familiar service that you only get in small, local restaurants. For example, our friend, Rebecca Huntley, has just had her first book published. (It’s called The World According to Y and is available at all good bookstores. I recommend you buy it.) Rebecca brought along a copy to leave at the restuarant for the owner’s daughter who was interested in the topic. The daughter was then called to the restaurant just so she could say thank you. As we were leaving Rebecca and her husband Daniel mentioned they were thinking of a visit to Vietnam. The owner unhesitatingly offered to put them in touch with Vietnamese friends and offered helpful tips on things to do in Hanoi. Chu Bay II is not a restaurant that is immediately striking. However, it was tasty, good value, and a great venue for a casual and intimate night out with friends. |
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