April 18, 2011: The Victoria Hotel

Another fortnight, some other pub-club. This fourth dimension nosotros headed to the rejigged Victoria Hotel to sample the nutrient from their newly opened kitchen. The pub itself hasn't changed every bit good much - there's notwithstanding a ping-pong tabular array inward the forepart room, notwithstanding an strange assortment of article of furniture inward the beer garden, in addition to notwithstanding a tranquillity laid-back vibe. The bill of fare is pretty affordable in addition to well-stocked amongst vegie options: a risotto, some pastas, a burger in addition to a curry summation a few starters.

I've function yesteryear pretty predictable in addition to decided I'd sample yet some other vegie burger ($12).

This was a fairly mediocre burger - a potato-y veg patty, some lettuce, onion in addition to love apple tree on a lightly toasted white bun. The flavours were pretty limited; nosotros were forced to accomplish for the love apple tree sauce to boot things upwards a notch. The chips were proficient at least.

Cindy went healthier - daal amongst roti, rice in addition to raita ($12).

Cindy was hoping for a soupier daal, rather than this chunky version but this was notwithstanding pretty acceptable,  he raita in addition to roti inward item added something to a fairly straightforward curry.

Our meals, similar those of our companions, were adequate without existence amazing. The Vic is inexpensive - nosotros haven't had many $12 meals on our pub-club wanderings - in addition to y'all basically larn what y'all pay for. Still, the pub itself has upsides: ping-pong, Gentle Ben on the stereo, in addition to an fantabulous Mon nighttime vibe.

The Victoria Hotel
380 Victoria Street, Brunswick
9388 0830
veg snacks $6-$9, mains $12-$16

Accessibility: There are small-scale unmarried steps scattered from entry through to the beer garden. There's lots of infinite simply about the tables.  All ordering in addition to payment occurs at a high bar.

June 18, 2011: Enlightened Cuisine Iv

Edit 25/04/2017: Enlightened Cuisine is directly rebranded as Vegie Kitchen.

On Sabbatum nighttime nosotros met upwards amongst or so friends to feast on the Chinese-style mock meats at Enlightened Cuisine. The educate banquets are ever tempting, but nosotros resolved to do our ain Mighty Banquet of Probably Way Too Much Mock Meat.

The get-go plate to larn inwards held fried dim sims ($4.50) together with they were gobbled upwards quickly, stuffed amongst a white mock meat that didn't gustatory modality of much.

Next came the highly anticipated sesame prawn ($4.50). This toast is deep deep-fried crispy together with golden brown, all the agency through to the mysterious white 'prawn' filling.

There were also chicken satay skewers ($5.50), which I idea were a fighting undercooked inwards the middle. (Still it could locomote worse - they weren't undercooked actual chicken.)

The get-go principal to larn inwards was or so impressively sizzling pepper steak amongst mushroom ($17.90). The steak slices were homogeneous but tender together with the sauce was for sure heavy on the pepper. It wasn't likewise strong, though, providing lots of seasoning without sticking inwards my throat.

I used upwards my ordering selection on that ol' Aussie fave, lemon chicken ($16.90). I was delighted that the sauce wasn't sickenly sugariness together with had a proper lemon sourness to it. Alas, the battered chicken was soft together with doughy again. Maybe I require to permit this custom go.  

By contrast the plum sauce duck ($16.90) had an unremarkable gravy together with superlative meat texture, crisp on the outside, simply a piffling nobbly, together with 'flesh' amongst a fighting of chew but no rubberiness.

The sizzling lamb ($17.90) was or so other winner together with arrived amongst a practiced dose of proper vegetables.

Once the steamed rice ($2.20 pp) supplies waned, or so wag ordered a platter of particular fried rice ($13). I could barely comport on it, though I admired the charred corn kernels.

I did honour room together with sufficient encouragement for dessert. I shouldn't bring bothered, though - the pineapple fritters were bloated together with heavy amongst far likewise much batter. I ended upwards much the same, fifty-fifty though I didn't complete the bowlful. And would y'all believe that 2 of our set out ordered more prawn toast for dessert? And they suffered less regret than I. Amazing.

We ordered amongst abandon together with our mouth (for 4 people, including drinks) came to $171. That's non cheap, but nosotros ate well... perchance non nutritionally well, but for sure inwards slap-up quantity together with amongst much enthusiasm! Enlightened Cuisine has been highly consistent inwards the 4 years we've been visiting - the slap-up dishes bring ever been slap-up together with the few less wonderful ones disappoint for just the same argue each time. The expression staff are distant but never rude.

Enlightened Cuisine volition non accommodate all moods together with tastes but it's a please when the correct people, appetites together with dishes collide. Especially when someone orders prawn toast.

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You tin read close or so of our previous visits to Enlightened Cuisine: one, two together with three.

This eating seat has received many reviews, almost unanimously positive, since together with then from Vegan About Town (three times!), easy every bit vegan pie, More Cheese Please, tofu inwards disguise, apmmryyu, Vegetarian Life Australia together with MelbourneStaycation.com.

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Enlightened Cuisine

113 Queensbridge St, Southbank

9686 9188

veg entrées $4.50-5.50, mains $14.90-25.00, desserts unknown

www.ecuisine.com.au

Accessibility: The entry is apartment together with wide; there's a reasonable sum of infinite betwixt tables. There's tabular array service together with bills are paid at a high counter. From memory, access to the toilets is narrow together with includes a step.

Touché Hombre

October 9, 2012

The hype only about Touché Hombre has been edifice for months - Melbourne's dear thing amongst Mexican nutrient is so intense that whatsoever vaguely trendy house amongst tacos on the carte is straightaway the hottest ticket inward town. After reading of massive queues too hour-long waits for a table, we'd been giving Touché Hombre a broad berth. But, amongst an early on Mon nighttime dinner on the cards, nosotros decided it was worth at to the lowest degree giving it a shot. And it worked - turns out if y'all stone upwards at 6pm on a Mon nighttime too so Touché Hombre volition accept a tabular array for you. Score.

The fit-out is pure hipster-bait: neon Ghostbusters signs, Streetfighter 2 arcade games, a flake of graffiti on the walls, moody interior lighting too a massive, well-stocked bar. Throw inward fashionable staff too a DJ booth inward the corner, too it's no surprise that people are piling inward enthusiastically. The drinks carte is suitably various - I stuck amongst 1 of the many beers on offer, spell Cindy tried a pomegranate too Tahitian lime snowfall cone ($6.50, or $15.50 if y'all opt to slosh tequila on top). It was fun but pretty difficult going equally a drink, also thick too icy.

We got a flake lucky menu-wise: it turns out Mon is "Livin' on the Vedge" night, amongst a twosome of bonus meat-free tacos on the menu. They're all gluten-free too the chefs are "happy to vegan-ise dishes" - yep, they genuinely said veganise. We decided to endeavor 1 of everything, a grand amount of 6 unlike veg tacos. (We genuinely ordered the 5 on the special carte too ended upwards scoring a costless 1 due to some sort of kitchen confusion.)

The tacos on offering (at $6.50 each) were:

• De Tofu (grilled tofu, achiote, orange, ruddy pepper too almond)
• De Tres Frijole (black, white too ruddy beans, Egmont cheese, corn salsa too cilantro)
• Vegie Breakfast (omelette, potato, peppers, Egmont cheese, habanero cream, caramelised onions)
• De Garbarizos (spiced tagine of chickpeas, pumpkin, mint too sour cream)
• Popeye's Magic Mushroom (huitlacoche, plain mushroom, sweetness corn, white onion too pico de gallo).
• De Calabaza (charred pumpkin, eggplant, quinoa too salsa verde)

Only the breakfast taco, the mushroom too the tofu tacos had especially distinctive flavours, amongst the others to a greater extent than or less dominated yesteryear the cabbage, corn too Lycopersicon esculentum salad they were served with. The ingredients all seemed fresh too interesting but the overall effect only lacked a flake of punch - I was shortly loading them upwards amongst the handy hot sauce. At $6.50 each they were a smidgen pocket-size equally well.

Luckily nosotros were leaving a potential highlight (and the principal argue I could convince Cindy to visit) to last: the ice-cream sandwiches! There are iv on offer, or a seleccion de los tres. We went amongst the random choice of 3 ($18.50), which came out much bigger too to a greater extent than impressive-looking than I was expecting.

Our 3 included a cookies 'n' cream (far right, amongst pop-rocks!), a chocolate peanut cookie (middle) too a dulce de leche-topped strawberry-pistachio parfait (left). The cookies 'n' cream too dulce de leche were both pretty tasty too easily halved for sharing, but the standout yesteryear far was the choc-peanut cookie - it hitting the sort of highs that I was hoping for from the entire Touche Hombre experience. Everything was perfect - rich peanut butter ice-cream amongst extra crunchy nuts too fantastic, messy dark chocolate biscuits. The best thing on the carte yesteryear a distance.

So our sense of Touche Hombre was pretty mixed - the nutrient was fine without existence amazing, the atmosphere was straddling the fine work betwixt enjoyably too painfully trendy, too the staff were friendly if a niggling misfortunate (we had a serial of drinks brought to our tabular array that sadly belonged elsewhere... our ain took longer to become far than the food). I'm non certain we'll live joining the queues for a revisit but if you're later an early on weeknight dinner (and non inward the mood for junk-food or dumplings), it powerfulness live worth swinging by.

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People are pretty positive nigh the Touche Hombre experience, amongst positive reviews at Petit Miamx, The Juliet Report, The Glutton too the Lush, SLIM, The Hungry Grub, Good Food, Good Mood, dude food, it's for dudettes too. Only Foolish for Food too Eat. Play. Shop., I Eat Therefore I Am, The World Loves Melbourne too Popcorn & Toast.

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Touché Hombre
corner of Tattersalls Lane & Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
9663 0811
veg tacos $6.50, desserts $7-$9 each or $18.50 for three
http://www.touchehombre.com.au/

Accessibility: There's a unmarried pocket-size stride at the entryway too the interior is dark too pretty crowded. There's amount tabular array service. We didn't depository fiscal establishment check out the toilets.

Breakfast Thieves

May 17, 2014

We had Sabbatum morn plans inwards Fitzroy together with spent almost an threescore minutes weighing upwards the pros together with cons of diverse brunching options: Smith & Daughters, The Vegie Bar all opened likewise piece of cake for our purposes, Grace together with Industry Beans were carefully considered, but inwards the halt nosotros decided we'd ameliorate in conclusion become together with banking concern check out Breakfast Thieves. It's been on our radar at to the lowest degree since Cafe Vue served upwards weird coils of it to us a few years ago together with this didn't actually win me over to the crusade - I only honor the texture of it off putting I think. The fritters themselves were proficient - they reminded me a lot of St Ali's version (both autumn brusque of Lolo & Wren, sure Melbourne's best corn fritters) - together with the eggs were good cooked. The pickley salad made the whole dish sense of savor a teeny chip likewise vinegarry for me, but I'm actually only nit-picking. I intend my principal upshot was that this dish sort of tipped me over the fancy breakfast edge. It's fourth dimension for a supply to messy splodges of avo, chunky mushrooms together with a pile of beans - I've had my create amount of these slightly fussy high halt brekkies.

I experience similar I'm beingness a chip unfair to Breakfast Thieves here. They produce what they produce real well, it only didn't quite represent upwards to what either of us were feeling like. The java was excellent, the service friendly together with the vibe of the house quite pleasant (although getting busy past times 9:30 or together with so when nosotros left) - it's definitely worth a await if you're an egg fan together with you're afterwards something a chip fancy to instruct the 24-hour interval started.

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There's no shortage of positive weblog write-ups close Breakfast Thieves - Food, booze, shoes, Fitzroy Commonwealth of Australia Dog Blog, Yellow Eggs, Just Keep Eating, The Bake-a-nista, Petit Miamx, GOOD FOOD GOOD MOOD, Mr & Ms, The Hungry Excavator, Windy. Is. Wigun, Samson Girl, Melbourne Delicatesses, my diet "starts" tomorrow, Eat. Play. Shop., Melbourne Din(n)ing Blog, Rumbly inwards my Tumbly, I'm together with so hungree, J & J's Food Adventures, chillipadi's kitchen, new international students, Golden Delicious Smile, Let's Get Fat Together, A Miniature Take on Food, Thanks for the smile, Gourmet Chick, melbourne's guinea pig, Little Miss Peckish, Food, Fitness & Foucault, Peekashu together with Breakfast of Champions were a chip less enthusiastic.

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Breakfast Thieves
420 Gore Street, Fitzroy
9416 4884 
menu: 1, 2, 3
http://www.breakfastthieves.com.au/

Accessibility: Breakfast Thieves has a apartment entryway together with a reasonably spacious interior. You monastic state at the tabular array together with pay at a depression counter. The privy is fully accessible (although the topographic point is a chip rickety).  

Toronto Twenty-Four Hours 4

April 24, 2011

There's no post for Toronto Day iii - it was my 1 completely total travel day, together with I didn't bother taking pictures of the catering for the blog. But Tuesday was alone a one-half solar daytime of meetings pregnant I could sneak off for tiffin together with a dinner. Toronto has a lot of vegetarian restaurants. H5N1 lot. So I was taking every peril I could to banking concern tally them out. High on my priority listing was Hot Beans, an all vegan, Mexican-themed house inwards the midst of Kensington Market. 

It's basically a take-out articulation - there's merely the small-scale counter y'all tin see inwards the photograph higher upward for people similar me who desire to sit down together with eat. The bill of fare is pretty exciting: there's TVP together with seitan burritos, jackfruit pulled pork tacos together with more. I was tempted into the fairly straightforward dark edible bean burritos ($8.50), generally because they included shredded smoky kokosnoot along amongst the spicy edible bean mix.

This was a pretty fantabulous burrito - the edible bean mix had an intriguing combo of sweetness, smokiness together with spice. The kokosnoot didn't smooth through texturally, but it clearly kicked inwards a the smoky flavour, spell the vegan cheese together with guacamole provided a chip of contrast to the edible bean together with rice mix. Not bad at all. Someone else ordered the jackfruit tacos spell I was in that place together with I had a chip of guild envy - hopefully Hot Beans is yet to a greater extent than or less whenever I side past times side instruct inwards to Toronto!

After an afternoon wandering to a greater extent than or less a few of Toronto's west-side neighbourhoods, I striking upward vegan chain Fresh for dinner. The branch on Bloor that I injure upward at was heaving amongst people at most 8pm. In some ways the vibe was reminiscent of rabbit food, The Keen Kitchen, Not Your Parents' Granola, Vegan Backpacker, The Vegie Bar inwards Melbourne - it seems similar the sort of house non-vegos caput to for dinner when they're feeling adventurous. The menu is large together with broken downward into 4 wide categories: snacks, burgers, wraps together with bowls. At K's insistence I sampled the quinoa onion rings (made from scratch together with coated amongst breadcrumbs together with puffed quinoa, $5.50).

These were merely most the crunchiest onion rings I've always eaten - the puffed quinoa genuinely made a difference. They were perfectly cooked together with very, real moreish. Recommended!

After 2 days of eating far also many morn tea pastries I was feeling similar a salubrious principal repast together with Fresh had enough of options. In the halt I settled on the powerhouse bowl (avocado, chickpeas together with grilled tofu amongst sunflower sprouts, toasted nut & seed mix, tomato, blood-red onion & spicy tahini sauce served on brownish rice, $14). 

It may receive got been made upward of salubrious components, but it was means also much nutrient - I ended upward leaving some inwards the bowl (although to last fair, that was belike because I'd merely scarfed a serve of onion rings). The tofu had a prissy savoury marinade (based on soy sauce I think, but amongst a few other flavours inwards in that place equally well), spell the greens, chickpeas, nuts together with seeds were a prissy mix of textures. The spicy tahini didn't receive got quite the punch I was hoping for, but this was yet a pretty satisfying bowl of goodness - a chip on the bland side maybe, but salubrious together with (as you'd hope) fresh.Once y'all add together inwards the taxes together with the tip, Fresh isn't peculiarly inexpensive - my repast toll to a greater extent than or less $30 all up. Still, there's together with then much to assay at Fresh that I'd dear to come upward dorsum for. One day. Fresh had a handful of vegan desserts to select from but I'd eaten myself into the Earth together with staggered off towards the hotel to slumber it off.

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Hot Beans has had generally positive reviews, see: rabbit food, The Keen Kitchen, Not Your Parents' Granola, Vegan Backpacker, Vegan Band Dude together with rabbit food, The Keen Kitchen, Not Your Parents' Granola, Vegan Backpacker, Drawn together with Devoured. Having genuinely read them all now, I'm a chip miffed I didn't guild the TVP burrito. Maybe they'll opened upward a Melbourne branch?

Like the rabbit food, The Keen Kitchen, Not Your Parents' Granola, Vegan Backpacker, Vegie Bar, Fresh divides opinions - rabbit food, The Keen Kitchen, Not Your Parents' Granola, Vegan Backpacker, Where the Veggies Are, rabbit food, The Keen Kitchen, Not Your Parents' Granola, Vegan Backpacker, Food Junkie Chronicles, Healthy Veg together with baystreat loved it, spell In Kensington They Annexed My Heart, another amateur nutrient blog, Where Jess Ate, Food With Legs together with Air Eater (who study that y'all can't genuinely trust Fresh's GF dishes to last GF) were all much less impressed.

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Hot Beans

160 Baldwin Street, Kensington Market

647 352 7581

http://hotbeansvegan.wordpress.com/

Fresh

326 Bloor Street West, The Annex (they also receive got branches on Spadina together with Crawford)

416 599 4442

Starters $3-$10, Mains $10-$16

http://www.freshrestaurants.ca/main.asp

Accessibility: Hot Beans is pretty inaccessible - the counter y'all guild at is downward a flying of one-half a dozen steps together with the venue equally a whole is a chip small-scale together with cramped. Fresh is much bigger together with doesn't receive got the steps, but the tables are pretty jam-packed together with things instruct quite crowded. Ordering together with payment is at the table.

Where's The Best Inward 2017?

The 'Samantha Ratnam' granola at Handsome Her

Our 2017 eating is done beingness documented, thence we've spent an afternoon alongside our archives together with picked around novel faves to add together to our El Chino, The Snug Public House St Kilda, Discobeans, Melbourne Wok, Middle Fish, and Easy Tiger. Many of these bring natural replacements - we'll presently weblog the eating theatre at El Chino's address, The Snug's notwithstanding inward describe of piece of occupation organisation in Brunswick, Middle Fish is 2016's major closures bring had Lazarus moments likewise - Enlightened Cuisine is now Vegie Kitchen and picayune but the cite has changed; the one-time White Lotus address is directly Melbourne's tertiary Loving Hut.

The Tramway Hotel

There's never been a improve fourth dimension to instruct breakfast inward the inner north. Handsome Her was our 2017 highlight, together with nosotros also had expert times at Humble Rays, Sweet Evelyn, Kines, and Merri Clan. More together with to a greater extent than pubs are getting into decent veg grooves; this yr nosotros heighten a drinking glass to the The Yarra Hotel, The Last Chance Rock'n'Roll Bar, The Tramway Hotel and The Green Man's Arms. At long last, pizza together with dessert are simply equally delicious together with most equally accessible for vegans equally for the residuum of us, thank you lot to Red Sparrow Pizza, CassellBella's Bakery & Cafe, Girls & Boys and Black Waffle. Kudos also goes to Dosa Plaza, The Alley, Mantra Lounge, Bhang, Etta, A Fan's Notes and Feast of Merit. 

Tofu alongside hot & sour rhubarb sauce

In our ain kitchen, we've dined on tempeh taco salad, paneer butter masala, mock fish sambal goreng, and tofu alongside hot & sour rhubarb sauce, smugly packing leftovers for work. Our most luxurious breakfast was a recreation of Smith & Daughters' corn & jalapeño pancakes, together with nosotros did our darnedest to print our potlucking friends with spring onion pancakes, melon salad alongside jalapeno-pickled pineapple, eggplant kataifi nests and butterbean hummus alongside cherry pepper & walnut paste.

Fig & walnut friands

I've been baking upward a storm, making fig & walnut friands and banana & molasses cake just for us at home. The Twin Peaks revival inspired my first (then second, third together with fourth) attempt(s) at cherry pie - it mightiness perish my signature dessert! I'm sure enough that my i shot at Ottolenghi together with Goh's chocolate cake won't live my last, either.

We entered the novel yr alongside a broken oven, but I'm pleased to study that it's been repaired together with is inward the best cast we've had it. We're looking frontwards to showing you lot what else it does, together with the other bully places nosotros consume from inward 2018.