Archive for the ‘Melbourne’ Category
V-Rating: Super V Soul Mama is the vegetarian restaurant which I take all my interstate and international visitors to when they come to Melbourne. It is a consistent and reliable winner with my carnivorous family members who find themselves surprised and delighted by the range of food on offer, the groovy young things who wait at table with headsets and palm pilots and the spectacular views of Port Phillip bay. Even my eldest sister, a diehard meat eater, entered the spirit of the “world peace and don’t eat meat” vibe of the place exuded by the randomly scattered buddha statues and even laughed at some of the famous veggo-quotes on the menu. This is a real triumph for me, after years of missing the mark taking them to cafes up and down the east coast which have done more for the success of late night hotel room service than the reputation of vegetarianism amongst my clan. Soul Mama offers a buffet for which you can choose different sized plates and up to 4 different hot courses or salads. The style of food on the menu ranges from Italian (field mushrooms in a napoli sauce and polenta) to Asian (one of my favourites is the Asian salad, involving beanshoots, cabbage and a nutty sauce). The restaurant keeps the costs down because of the buffet arrangement, so a medium plate (3 different dishes) is a low $14. The food is not necessarily the best vegetarian fare you will ever eat, but it is definitely tasty and there is enough variety to suit everyone in your group. It is a crowd pleaser for you and your non-veggo guests. Rating : Super V
V-Rating: VVVV Disclosure: I’m a massive curry fan. My obsession started back in Brisbane in my late teenage years when a friend introduced me to the — what were then — exotic delights of a non-meat-and-three-veg meal (I was an early twenties veggie convert.) I continued my curry quest in London while living there and became accustomed to enjoying an outstanding curry experience at least once a week. Since returning to Melbourne I’ve been satisfied with, but not blown away by, curries in various Melbourne and Sydney locations. Enter Kake Di Hatti. Kake (as it’s affectionately known) is undoubtedly the best curry I’ve discovered in Australia. Don’t let the dingy and eclectic appearance of the restaurant put you off — the food is amazing. And as with all curry houses, veggie choices abound. For starters you can’t go past a round of papadams with pickles. For second starters the onion bhajis, vegetable samosas and subjee pakoras are to die for. If there are three or more dining, give the $10 mixed platter a whirl. You will be overwhelmed and overstuffed by vegetarian tidbits with a small salad, chutnees and pickles. Moving on to main course, there are a range of curries all available with vegetables. In my Kake career I have eagerly devoured degchis (roasted spices, tomato, onion, ginger, garlic and capsicum), kadhais (fresh tomato, ginger, garlic and capsicum) and my personal favourite, vindaloos. I’m not a huge fan of creamy curries but my various dining companions will heartily vouch for the makhani (butter, cream, spices, tomato), korma (cashews, cream, tomato, onion, ginger and garlic) and madras (coconut cream, chilli, onion, tomato, ginger and garlic). If standard curry isn’t really your thing there are nine vegetarian house specials to sample. Standouts include daal makhani, alu cholle (chickpea cooked with potato, ginger, garlic and spices) and muttar mushroom (green pea and mushroom curry). There is, however, one menu item that lets the team down: garlic naan. While the curries and other dishes pleasingly avoid the over-oily feel of a lot of Indian food the garlic naan is dripping with butter. Stick to the plain naan or the excellent roti. Wash it all down with a BYO beer (don’t rely upon the cheap, but undrinkable, supply of house brew — see here for more information) and rejoice when your wallet barely takes a hit. It’s possible to walk away from Kake Di Hatti feeling uncomfortably full and sufficiently boozed for less than $20 each. With a fantastic range of veggie delights, friendly down-to-earth service, all at the right price, Kake is a must-visit.
V-Rating: VVV The Retreat Hotel is a bit of a Brunswick institution. It’s a little bit shabby and retro on the inside with a massive beer garden out the back that on a Sunday afternoon looks like some guy’s big BBQ house party with DJ. The street frontage boasts four large tables that catch the afternoon sun – perfect for that lazy afternoon in Melbourne’s cooler months. Settling in for the long haul one Sunday arvo I was expecting the veggie choice at the in-house restaurant to be poor. At best, I was expecting standard gastro-pub veggie choices such as a tomato sauce pasta or veggie lasagne. At worst, I was preparing to fall back on the emergency veggie “meal” of wedges and sauce. How wrong I was… I was startled by the veggie range given the pub location. A lentil burger, a roast veggie stack on salad, a roast vegetable pasta, a vegetable lasagne and – catch this – a vegan pasta. Now, we’re not talking haute cuisine here but the carnivore choices (parma, fish and chips etc.) aren’t exactly three star Michelin offerings either. As much as I wanted to give the veggie stack a whirl I couldn’t go past the lentil burger. I’m a bit of a lentil/ tofu burger junkie and, don’t forget, a burger goes oh-so-nice with a pint of Guinness. The burger was all I hoped for and more. The genuinely tasty lentil pattie was well balanced with the fresh salad and mystery dressing. As long as the mystery isn’t chicken stock I’m happy for the mystery to remain a mystery. The large burger and thick-cut chips to round off the plate made it value-for-money pub grub. My dining companions highly enjoyed their meat-based meals so The Retreat will satisfy both herbivores and carnivores with food+beer needs.
V-Rating: VVVVV I think I’m the only person, let alone only vegetarian, who hasn’t eaten at St Kilda’s Lentil As Anything. I’d heard all about it but never made the trek. No excuses, really. However, as a new resident of Brunswick I noted excitedly the second outlet of Lentil As Anything on Sydney Rd - inside, but run separately from, a cool pub called The Spot Bar. For those non-Melburnian readers, Lentil As Anything began life as a modest cooperative restaurant cooking exclusively vegan fare. Its gimmick is a “no set prices” menu and no bills - customers simply push whatever money they feel appropriate into an honesty box on the way out the door. This wonderful concept has many wondering if people do actually pay more than the probable menu price due to feelings of goodwill and guilt. I suppose there’s no way of testing this interesting hypothesis. However, one thing is for certain: the food is bloody excellent. Vegetarians will immediately appreciate the overwhelming selection beyond veggie risotto and veggie lasagne. The menu changes daily but the range is strongly influenced by Asian and north African recipes with rice and couscous everywhere. Food is simple but delicious and is served quickly. Staff will assure you that, in keeping with the general ethos of the business, produce is fresh, organic and sourced locally. On my inaugural trip to Lentil As Anything I enjoyed a bean and vegetable stew with home baked rye bread. My dining companions devoured a vegetable couscous and a stir fry on rice - both of which easily passed my sample taste test. All three were spiced to perfection and the servings were very generous. Washed down with a cleansing ale from the adjoining bar it was a highly satisfying dining experience. An absolute must for Melbourne-based veggies and visitors. |
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