More Mushrooming

May 19, 2012

mushrooming lessons at Bress as well as decided to pass the next Sabbatum morn doing some foraging of our own. We headed off to Macedon to endeavour our luck - Mike as well as Cindy with their eyes on the solid soil as well as me scanning for birds (like the delightful Flame Robin above).

The pino wood inward Macedon is loaded upward with fungi - nosotros wandered nearly for 40 minutes turning upward lots of beautiful, but completely inedible mushrooms.

It was starting to acquire a chip depressing - mushrooms mushrooms everywhere, but zip much to eat. Disheartened, nosotros headed dorsum to the auto to deed on to some other business office of the forest. When out of the corner of my oculus I spotted something orange-looking amongst the pino needles.

Score! Our commencement pine-mushroom. We apace stumbled on a few to a greater extent than inward the same expanse as well as things were looking up.

We fifty-fifty constitute some strange looking jelly spheres - perhaps frog's eggs?

We did a chip to a greater extent than wandering or as well as thence other parts of the Macedon pino forest, finding a few to a greater extent than pino mushrooms.

And some disgusting looking, but patently edible slippery jacks.

 

Before also long nosotros had equally many mushrooms equally the iii of us were conceivably going to eat: 4 big pines as well as a twain of slippery jacks. With our foraging finished nosotros went inward search of the Macedon bakery, which supposedly was going to furnish us with the best baked goods of our lives - sadly they seem to convey gone out of business, leaving us with some adequate goodies from Sitka Foodstore as well as Cafe.

By the fourth dimension dinner rolled around, both Mike as well as Cindy were having 2nd thoughts nearly our mushies. I was confident plenty inward our ID-skills to become for it though, as well as cooked upward some mushrooms on toast to convey with our principal repast of haloumi as well as grape salad.

And you lot know what? They were delicious! At to the lowest degree the pino mushrooms were - fifty-fifty with their slimy tops peeled off, the texture of the slippery jacks didn't practise a lot for me. But the orangish pino mushrooms (or saffron milk caps equally I believe they're also known) were delicious - cooked with a chip of butter as well as garlic addition some common salt as well as pepper as well as they're an outstanding meal. Sadly our pictures were a chip crappy - fifty-fifty the film inward a higher house is the to a greater extent than bruised of our pino mushroom batches.

Going out foraging for your ain mushrooms is super fun - it's easy, delicious as well as makes you lot experience similar you're the novel bush tucker man. Just brand certain you lot know what you're doing - don't simply trust our photos as well as survival floor - abide by person who knows what they're doing as well as larn what to alternative upward as well as what to exit the hell alone.

Grænn Kostur

June 20, 2012

After the vegetarian wonderland of Berlin, Cindy in addition to I were prepared for a much less exciting array of dining options inwards Reykjavik. Firstly, it's a pretty small-scale urban essence ( 250k people) in addition to secondly, the whole province is run on fish. With this inwards mind, we'd booked ourselves an bird for our rest - giving us the choice of cooking dinners/making sandwiches rather than struggling to discovery proficient meals out 3 times a day. All of which is non to tell that Reykjavik is a veg wasteland - Happy Cow lists 3 veg-only places in addition to some other one-half dozen or in addition to hence that are veg*n friendly. So, on our outset nighttime inwards town nosotros headed off to banking concern jibe out Grænn Kostur.

Grænn Kostur ('Green Choices' according to Google Translate) is a small-scale in addition to casual place, amongst a focus on good for you lot nutrient in addition to a rotating cast of nearly v dishes. The staff (like everyone nosotros spoke to inwards Iceland) are fluent inwards English linguistic communication in addition to happy to cry for out vegan options, etc. The v options are all pretty homely - things similar spinach bake, a attain of curries in addition to veggie lasagne. Everything comes amongst salads, staff of life in addition to rice.  I ordered the (vegan) pumpkin curry amongst tofu balls (1590kr AU$12).

The curry was a fairly straightforward mix of pumpkin, beans in addition to spices amongst a kokosnoot milk-based sauce in addition to the unfortunate inclusion of raisins. The tofu ball was a fighting to a greater extent than interesting - a lawn tennis ball-sized lump of tofu, pulled together amongst kokosnoot milk, tomato plant paste, oatmeal in addition to spices. It was a piffling on the dry out side but worked okay inwards combo amongst the curry sauce. The salads were unproblematic in addition to fresh, the staff of life home-baked in addition to delicious in addition to the whole repast left me feeling satisfied in addition to healthy.

Cindy opted for the moussaka (1590kr AU$12, vegan if you lot skip the tzatziki). It's a mish squelch of eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes, soy mince in addition to spices, slathered inwards a tangy tzatzki.

Cindy described this equally 'share-house vegetarian', which captures the fairly straightforward nature of it - it was squeamish to teach a dish chock amount of veggies afterward spending 10 days inwards Berlin eating fried everything, but at that topographic point was nix real exciting going on. Still, for $12 you're getting a pretty massive plate of good for you lot food, which is difficult to complain about.

Grænn Kostur isn't going to win equally good many converts to vegetarianism - it's rooted inwards a sort of former schoolhouse slightly piece of cake manner of cooking, which may survive partly to produce amongst the availability of to a greater extent than exciting ingredients inwards isolated Iceland. Still, they produce an fantabulous chore of keeping things healthy, fresh in addition to affordable, in addition to are worth checking out if you're spending some fourth dimension inwards Reykjavik.

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There doesn't look to survive a vibrant veg blogging scene inwards Iceland, but tourists Vegan Butthole Explosion in addition to Vegetabull Blog both idea Grænn Kostur was pretty good.

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Grænn Kostur 

Skólavörðustígur 8b, Reykjavik
354 5522028
mains 1590kr AU$12 (small sizes available for 1,190kr AU$9)
http://www.graennkostur.is/english.htm

Accessibility: Grænn Kostur has a unmarried small-scale footstep upwardly on entry in addition to relatively crowded tables - at both touchstone in addition to bar pinnacle - inside. Ordering, payment in addition to nutrient pick-up all occur in addition to a high counter, where the nutrient options are on display (see moving-picture present above).

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On the double-decker to Reykjavik

Wandering around town...

The novel opera house

Visiting Viðey Island

Mama Roots

Update 31/12/2014: Mama Roots has shut down. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 branch of PJ's Mexican Kitchen is right away trading at this location.

October 4, 2012

As nosotros rode the 86 tram northwards on the weekend, my wandering optic was caught past times a big sign on High Street promising a vegetarian too vegan cafe. On the means dorsum nosotros jumped off to investigate, finding that it was called Mama Roots too that it would opened upwards on Tuesday (the fact that it wasn't opened upwards all the same gave us our risk to lastly catch The Moor's Head). We gave them a distich of days to teach themselves together too hence headed upwards to investigate.

It's a uncomplicated too homely fit-out alongside exposed brick, some prissy brilliant colours too uncomplicated wooden tables. There's likely room for nigh 30 people inward the front end room, although I intend they may live able to squelch a few to a greater extent than inward the back. The carte du jour plays things pretty safe: for mains at that spot are lasagne, a stir fry, a beany tagine, risotto, a burger, polenta wedges too gnocchi. About one-half of these are vegan too some of the others tin strength out live prepared vegan if you lot laissez passer on them a heads up. They've branched out a fleck farther alongside the entrees, including rice pancakes, tofu balls, a Swiss rosti bruschetta too more. All the entrées are vegan. They don't label things every bit gluten-free but the carte du jour looks pretty promising for coeliacs - at to the lowest degree iv of the entrees too iv of the mains expect potentially GF.

We settled inward to ground our ordering plan, too were promptly served a pocket-size drinking glass of tea - we've forgotten precisely what form it was but it was sugariness too delicious too a nice, uncomplicated means to offset the repast off.

 

The drinks carte du jour is express hence far - a gain of soft drinks, a distich of juices too but this mulled vino for the boozehounds (never fear, you lot tin strength out BYO). At $6.50 this is pretty expert value, a mix of orangish flavours, vino too spices providing a heady hot drink.

We lastly agreed to dissever an entrée too convey a primary each, hoping to piece of employment out plenty room to sample i of the cakes. We both wanted to endeavour the white lentil, sun-dried tomato, spinach too cumin doughnuts alongside kokosnoot chutney crumbed inward a physcillum husk ($6.90).

These were pretty bully - dense doughnuts alongside a expert residuum of flavours too a lovely kokosnoot chutney on top. The texture was perhaps a smidgen dry out - it would convey been expert to convey something a fleck to a greater extent than saucy to accompany them, but the gustation couldn't live faulted.

I went for the intriguing tofu too tempeh burger served alongside sugariness murphy chips too greenish love apple tree chutney ($14.50) for my main. There's a typo on the carte du jour listing this every bit vegan (which they were quick to say anyone too everyone about) but the default bun is a non-vegan brioche (which tin strength out live replaced alongside a vegan version if required).

The burger turned out to live a patty made of a combined tofu too tempeh mush (for some ground I was imagining ii separate patties). The texture reminded me a fleck of our soy bombs but the flavour was a fleck dissimilar (no peanut butter for starters). It was splendid though - nicely seasoned too complemented past times the love apple tree chutney (which didn't expect really greenish to me). 

Cindy ordered the pumpkin too fresh curry-leaf gnocchi, served alongside napoli sauce too parmesan cheese ($14.50).

This wasn't quite every bit successful - it tasted pretty expert but the gnocchis themselves were dense too heavy, alongside varying degrees of chewiness. Not bad, but non amazing either. The combo of curry leaves too pumpkin was an interesting persuasion - I intend there's a expert dish hidden inward hither somewhere but the execution was below par.

By the fourth dimension we'd made our means through all of this nosotros were likewise far gone for dessert (they had iii cakes on the board, at to the lowest degree i of which was vegan). Mama Roots is a bully add-on to High Street - it's got a lovely atmosphere, splendid too friendly service too a expert alternative of vegetarian too vegan nutrient at pretty decent prices (we walked out having spent less than $50 including drinks). It's non going to modify how you lot intend nigh vegetarian food, but it is going to fill upwards a niche inward an surface area surprisingly lacking inward vegetarian restaurants - at that spot were plenty of excited locals coming inward to banking enterprise check it out tonight, I'm certain most of them volition return.

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Mama Roots

599 High Street, Northcote

9481 5558

starters/salads $6.50 - 9.50, mains $13.50 - 14.50, banquet $24.50

Accessibility: There's a pocket-size footstep upwards every bit you lot teach inward Mama Roots. The interior isn't likewise crowded, too there's total tabular array service. We didn't suss out the bathrooms.

Viasko

June fifteen & 18, 2012

One of the primal (non-food) recommendations that the Moody Noodles had given us earlier nosotros hitting Berlin was that nosotros should create a tour amongst Alternative Berlin Tours. So on Fri nosotros spent a proficient chunk of the twenty-four lx minutes menstruum wandering around Turkish markets, quondam ballrooms, neighbourhoods jammed amongst street fine art as well as by as well as large getting a proficient sense of some of the (slightly) less travelled parts of the city. It was pretty great, as well as if yous desire to run into some of our photos scroll to the terminate of this post. The other keen thing virtually the tour was that it left us within walking distance of Viasko, a identify that was high on my Berlin priority list. And it turned out as well as then good that nosotros visited it twice! Our combined experiences are below.`

Viasko is an all vegan eating theater inwards an quondam Irish Gaelic pub, which is tucked away inwards a leafy business office of Kreuzberg. There's a lovely front end courtyard (where nosotros sat on the outset night) as well as a roomy interior that feels really much similar the within of a pub (where nosotros sat the 2d night). On both occasions nosotros had really friendly staff who were happy to talk English linguistic communication amongst hopeless tourists, as well as on the outset occasion nosotros too got to hang out amongst their really friendly Canis familiaris (not pictured, sadly the photographic television receiver camera battery was dead as well as I lacked the dexterity amongst my telephone to larn a decent shot).

The bill of fare is a fair chip smaller than the identify we'd had our previous dinner - in that location are ix mains, half dozen starters as well as 4 desserts, all vegan as well as supposedly rotated fairly regularly (we alone accept them three days betwixt visits, as well as zippo had changed over that period!) We skipped the appetisers across both visits but sampled 4 of the mains as well as 1 of the desserts.

First up: the soy schnitzel 'cordon bleu', filled amongst rocket salad as well as tomatoes as well as served amongst greenish beans as well as potatoes (14.5€ AU$18).

This had a much crunchier crumby coating than the version at Kopps, as well as was in all probability a tiny chip on the dry out side. Although that occupation was easily solved past times smothering it using the massive chunk of herbed 'butter' that came amongst it. It was prissy to sense of savor a dissimilar version of the cordon bleu - this had to a greater extent than texture as well as maybe a chip to a greater extent than season inwards the filling but didn't accept the wonderful Kopps sauce to mush into it. It's difficult to selection a winner.

Our other primary on our outset see was the homemade murphy gnocchi amongst herb as well as lemon butter, served amongst manlike mortal monarch oyster mushrooms, spinach as well as marinated tofu (10.5€ AUD$13).

The standout characteristic of this was its vegan-ness - they actually know how to come upwards up amongst an mistaken buttery sense of savor at Viasko. This was rich as well as wonderful - slightly creamy footling gnocchis, a generous sprinkling of mushrooms, a mini tower of spinach as well as a smattering of delicious marinated tofu. All drenched inwards something wonderfully guess to butter.

Viasko's mock dairy science was a repeated subject on our 2d visit, starting amongst the risotto amongst smoked tofu as well as roasted onions, breaded mushrooms as well as garlic cream (11€ AU$13.70)

The risotto was impossibly creamy, amongst a lovely subtle garlic season infusing it all as well as the process of crispy onions as well as mushrooms to stir through. It feels weird to last as well as then enthusiastic virtually gnocchi as well as risotto, which are typically the vegetarian's curse at Italian restaurants but these were both fantabulous meals, amongst the added bonus of existence completely dairy free. Amazing.

Our terminal savoury class at Viasko was the lemon pasta amongst fresh artichokes, spinach as well as avocado inwards sesame (11.5€ AU$14.30).

This was going for the same creamy non-dairyness every bit the risotto as well as it did an okay chore of it, but the whole packet cruel a chip brusk of our other dishes from Viasko. There was something a chip express virtually the flavours - the sauce was a chip creamy as well as a lot lemony as well as needed something else to add together a chip of depth to it. Maybe but to a greater extent than garlic? It wasn't a consummate loss though  - the artichokes as well as avocado were great, as well as nosotros happily polished it off betwixt us.

For some argue nosotros alone mustered upwards plenty enthusiasm for 1 dessert at Viasko, the almond creme-brulee amongst sour cherries (4.5€ AU$5.60). This is gluten free, along amongst a pair of Viasko's other desserts as well as 1 salad. (None of the mains on offering during our visits were gf - still, it was rare for restaurants inwards Berlin to fifty-fifty banker's complaint gluten every bit an issue.)

I actually liked this, although it bore alone a passing resemblance to creme brulee. The top had a satisfyingly crackly layer, which couldn't comprise the massive mound of sour cherries bursting out of it. The almond brulee had a slightly mealy texture as well as actually wasn't creamy at all but I idea it worked nicely anyway. Definitely worth trying.

Our enthusiasm for Viasko is in all probability best summarised past times the fact that nosotros went dorsum in that location twice when in that location were as well as then many other places inwards Berlin to attempt out (although this was too partly due to the unfortunate number of places choosing to unopen on Mon evenings). The nutrient is but a send on the fancy side of basic Italian as well as was by as well as large excellent, acre the seat dorsum atmosphere, friendly staff as well as massive beers (not pictured!) made for an all 'round keen experience. Word is they create a wonderful weekend brunch every bit well, but that volition accept to await for our side past times side see to this wonderful city.

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There are plenty of positive reviews of Viasko out there, as well as for in 1 lawsuit these aren't alone past times visiting veg*n bloggers. Check out: All about... (vegan) food, vegan.in.brighton, Wie ein frischer Veganer croak Welt erlebt (German), Vegetarian Diaries (German), Veganfix (Danish), Vegan Nom Noms, Vegetalian a Paris (French) as well as Lubeck Vegan (German).

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Viasko
Erkelenzdamm 49, Kreuzberg, Berlin
030 88499785
Starters 3.5-7.9€ AU$4.40-9.80, mains 8.9-14.5€ AU$11-18, desserts 2.3-4.5€ AU$3-4.40
www.viasko.de

Accessibility: There's no agency to larn into Viasko except downward a one-half dozen stairs or so. Once you're on the lowest grade of the courtyard everything is pretty apartment as well as reasonably good spaced. There's tabular array service for everything.

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Okay, if you've stuck it out this far, hither are some snaps from our option walking tour of Berlin, starting amongst a charge of street art:

But too including a motion-picture demo of a 25 twelvemonth quondam tree house

A Chinese fine art exhibition inwards an quondam church

 

And a pair to a greater extent than photos of the wonderful 1920s ballroom at Clärchen's Ballhaus