Vegetarian

Smith and Daughters

Non Alcoholic Cocktails

(No Way Rosé, Coco No Vod-co with Watermelon, Coco No Vod-co with Pineapple, Chill Niño)

Each were deliciously refreshing!

★★★★☆

Nachos Cargados

(slow cooked jackfruit carnitas, chipotle salsa, molten spicy cheddar sauce, pickled jalapeños, guacamole, coriander cream, blue and white corn chips)

Nearly every table around us had a plate of these nachos so we knew straight away that we had to order some. The blue corn chips turned out to be a lot crispier than the regular ones, while the jackfruit carnitas provided a nice meaty texture. This was good for vegan nachos but I couldn’t help but think how much better this could have been with cheese!

★★★☆☆

Quesadilla

(spiced black bean and cheese quesadilla served with chipotle salsa and avocado cream)

Delicious quesadilla served with AMAZING avocado cream!

★★★★☆

Champiñones Al Ajillo

(button mushrooms simmered in a creamy Spanish sauce of Pedro Ximenéz, garlic and smoked paprika, served with toasted bread)

This flavoursome dish was wonderfully rich yet light, making these mushrooms very addictive.

★★★★☆

Dulce De Leche Doughnuts

(Spanish doughnuts filled with dulce de leche cream)

The dulce de leche cream didn’t exactly fill these sugar dusted doughnuts but rather sat on top of them.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

What a fantastic vibe this place has! The dark stone walls, vintage prints and tattooed staff gave this place a definite punk rock feel. Service was friendly and the food pretty tasty considering that everything here is vegan.

Smith and Daughters

175 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9939 3293

http://www.smithanddaughters.com/

Moroccan Soup Bar

Hummus, yoghurt, olives, potatoes, eggplant and pickled carrots served with flatbread

Roasted eggplant, yogurt, rice, almonds

Tomato rice, yogurt, eggplant, salad, almonds

Rice and vegetables (cannot remember what this was exactly)

Chickpea bake (sumac, almonds, yoghurt, chickpeas, crunchy pita crisps)

Stewed pumpkin

Rice and salad (cannot remember what this was exactly)

Turmeric rice, lentils

7 Vegetables with couscous

Fried doughnuts, coconut date balls, pistachio baklava

Mint tea

Black coffee

Overall:

Whenever I used to think about Moroccan Soup Bar, I always thought about their chickpea bake. I had it for the first time a few years ago and I remember being blown away by how deliciously crunchy and creamy it was. I was seriously looking forward to sampling it again. The first thing I noticed about the chickpea bake this time around was was how oily it was. A lot of oil pooled on top of the yogurt and the pita crisps were also quite oily. I could only eat so much before I had to stop. Don’t get me wrong it’s still a nice dish, but I definitely did not enjoy it as much as I did previously.

A verbal menu is used here and this usually results in people choosing the easiest option which is a banquet. A $23 banquet includes dips, mains, dessert and coffee while a $28 banquet includes starters, dips, mains, dessert and coffee. We chose the $28 banquet which offered a good variety of dishes that were average to good, as well as extremely sweet desserts. The mint tea served reminded me of toothpaste while the coffee was nice and strong.

Service was average and the atmosphere was pleasant and homely. A few things to note: this place is closed on Mondays, bookings can only be made for 6 or more, and you need to bring your own containers if you order takeaway.

Moroccan Soup Bar

183 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North, VIC

(03) 9482 4240

http://www.moroccansoupbar.com.au/

Tipo 00

House made focaccia with ricotta and basil oil

★★★☆☆

Gnocchi di patate

(braised duck, porcini mushroom and pecorino pepato)

Perfectly textured gnocchi that was light, smooth and springy, while the duck and mushroom sauce was simply delicious .

★★★★☆

Verdura

(green beans, snow peas, witlof, goats cheese and almonds)

★★★☆☆

Riso carnaroli

(moreton bay bug risotto)

Well cooked risotto, strong distinguishable taste of moreton bay bug.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Named after the finely ground flour used to make pizza and pasta, Tipo 00 is a place that offers simple yet quality Italian fare. No wonder it was one of Melbourne’s best new restaurants of 2014 according to the Good Food guide. I highly recommend getting the chef’s menu which allows you to sample a delicious range of starters, pasta and dessert.

Tipo 00

361 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9942 3946

http://www.tipo00.com.au/

Yong Green Food

Quinoa Fritter

Fried organic quinoa patties with veggies and spices, served with coconut chilli sauce

★★★☆☆

Buckwheat Crepe

Organic buckwheat crepe with braised shitake mushrooms and wasabi soy mayo

★★☆☆☆

Dragon Bowl

Biodynamic brown rice topped with assorted veggies, organic tofu, red chili paste and sesame oil, served with miso soup

★★☆☆☆

Rawsagne

Layered zucchini with mushroom, avocado, cashew cream and raw walnut bolognaise

★★★☆☆

Kelp Pad Thai

Kelp noodles mixed with organic veggies and a creamy chilli cashew sauce, topped with tamari almonds

★★★☆☆

Teriyaki Chicken

Wheat chicken pan-fried in teriyaki sauce with biodynamic brown rice and vegetables

★★☆☆☆

Green Tea Ganache

Macha, brazil nuts, goji berries, coconut, agave and raw chocolate

★★★☆☆

Black Sesame Ice cream topped with Goji Berries

★★☆☆☆

Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake

Cashew, raspberries, agave, cacao butter, macadamia nuts, coconut flakes

★★★☆☆

Overall:

As I was leaving Yong Green Food, I thought to myself that maybe I could become a vegetarian. But then a tantalising aroma of barbecued meat came floating down the street and I thought maybe not. But seriously, the food here is pretty amazing. The delicious and creative menu has many dietary options including raw, vegan, gluten-free as well as a no garlic and onion option (which was perfect for one of my friends who always has to check whether or not a dish contains garlic or onion). The menu here was quite extensive and there were many things that I wanted to try, particularly in the raw section of the menu. For those who are omnivores, I recommend not ordering anything that contains meat substitute as it will taste nothing like the real thing. Service was quick and friendly, and the ambience was relaxed and casual. I love how sustainability is an important aspect to those here at Yong Green Food. Not only do they serve predominantly organic vegetarian food using eco-friendly methods, they also use GreenPower renewable energy and donate 10% of their profits to help support farmer managed natural regeneration in East Africa.

If only I lived closer… I would be here all the time.

Note that this place is closed on Mondays.

Yong Green Food

421 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9417 3338

http://yonggreenfood.com.au/

Om Vegetarian

Level 1, 28 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne 9663 0062

Overall:

All-you-can-eat for $6.50? Yes please!

I must admit that I was initially uncertain as to what the quality of food would be like (I mean how many places offer all-you-can-eat for this price nowadays?). So the set menu here includes:

2 Vegetarian curries (one lentil based and one vegetable based)
Butter Naan (that is freshly cooked in their Tandoor)
Basmati rice cooked with peas, saffron and cumin
A serve of pickle

The curries were light (ie. thin and watery) but they did however taste nice and healthy. The rice was ordinary and I didn’t touch the pickle (as my friend had tried some and advised me to steer clear). The highlight of the menu was without a doubt the hot freshly baked buttery naan bread (I ate so much of this!). The staff were pleasant and the decor was very simple. This is very much a quick in-and-out sort of place that is great for those who are on a budget and those who are after a simple vegetarian meal that includes sensational butter naan.

Pumpkin and Broccoli Ricotta Pasta Bake

Recipe from: Taste.com.au

Overall:

This vegetarian bake was very tasty and easy to make.

B’Stilla

30b Bray St, South Yarra 9826 2370

Semolina crepe

Lamb ribs

Chicken wings

B’stilla

Seafood tagine

Vegetable tagine

Freekeh salad

Cous cous salad

Thoughts:

Semolina crepe – lentils, squash, green chilli = Not bad

Lamb ribs – tender fall-off-the-bone lamb ribs served with amlou (honey, hazelnut, argan oil) = Good

Chicken wings – crispy chicken wings served with a nutty pistachio curd and sweet pomegranate = Not bad

B’stilla – duck and chicken pie with almond and saffron, sprinkled with cinnamon and icing sugar. An unusual mix of savoury and sweet. The pastry was delicious, but I would have liked the pie better had there been more meat and less almonds = Not bad

Seafood tagine – spinach, mussels, fish, octopus and prawns = Not bad

Vegetable tagine – figs, goat’s curd, pumpkin seed granola = Good

Freekeh salad – chewy nutty freekeh, apple, walnut, cress and lime = Not bad

Cous cous salad – cous cous, pumpkin, charmoula, coriander and preserved citrus = Not bad

Overall:

Laid back atmosphere, good service, small serving sizes (the large plates are not particularly large). I had high expectations for this place as it was ‘The Age Good Food Under $30’ award winner for 2014. However I found the food to be underwhelming and not something that I would get a craving for.

Soba noodle salad

I went to a potluck a little while ago and a friend of mine made this amazing salad. It was light, crunchy, sweet, tangy and had a distinctive sesame flavour to it. I was desperate for the recipe and when I asked for it, my friend simply stated that it was all in the dressing: Roasted Sesame Kewpie Japanese Dressing.

So this dressing can be found at asian grocery stores, particularly the ones that stock Japanese and Korean items.

Recipe:

Soba noodles
Kewpie Japanese dressing
Carrots (cut julienne)
Cucumber (cut julienne)
Baby Spinach leaves
Sesame seeds
Hard boiled eggs (optional)

Method:

1. Cook soba noodles according to package directions

2. Once the noodles are cooked, drain under cold running water for a few minutes minutes until they feel silky

3. In a large bowl combine the noodles, carrots, cucumber, spinach, hard boiled eggs (sliced) and Kewpie dressing. Mix well.

4. Serve with a sprinkling of sesame seeds

Phat Brats

320 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy 9419 5526

Chilli fries with cheese sauce

Raw slaw

Wagyu beef and black pepper

Superfood dog

Cheesy smoked kransky

Chilli dog

Thoughts:

Fries – fantastically fiery! Will leave your mouth burning afterwards but is totally worth it! The way that the fries are seasoned, they taste almost like wedges. They come with sour cream, house chilli sauce, jalapeños and either spicy ground beef or beans (we decided to get the beef and it was very tasty) = Excellent

Raw slaw – cool crunchy coleslaw that went well with the fries (cool vs hot) = Not bad

Wagyu beef and black pepper – wagyu beef and black pepper sausage with house gravy, raw slaw, shallots and horseradish cream. Good quality sausage, strong horseradish taste = Good

Superfood dog – sweet potato, quinoa and tamarind ‘sausage’ with chilli lime mayo, minted peas, alfalfa, coriander and sour cream. They are generous with the alfalfa and the minted peas, but not so much with the vegetarian sausage = Not bad

Cheesy smoked kransky – cheesy smoked kransky sausage with german potato salad, dill pickles and mild mustard. Delicious cheesy sausage, great mix of flavours = Good

Chilli dog – wagyu beef sausage with spicy ground beef, house chilli sauce, cheese sauce and spring onion. This hot dog tasted like the chilli fries, minus the fries = Good

Overall:

I was absolutely devastated when I found out that their dessert hotdog was no longer on the menu. I had heard that this amazing creation was a donut bun with double chocolate ice cream ‘sausage’, berry coulis, toasted coconut, crushed pistachio nuts and whipped cream. Devastated.

Nevertheless the hot dogs that they do have on their are pretty fantastic, as are their fries (I must go back and try all their other fries). There are 3 choices of hot dog buns on offer: gluten free, wholemeal and seeded. Unfortunately the size of the hotdogs are a bit small, so eating one hot dog alone may not fill you up. That being said, this is absolutely one of the best hot dog places in Melbourne.