fresh on bloor [toronto]

Being located close to my Toronto accommodation, and being a vegetarian restaurant with a weekend brunch option, we ended up at Fresh on Bloor. Fresh has four locations and makes some really interesting dishes and juices, with a menu I was super in to.

So, after a morning wandering the queer area of downtown Toronto and getting interviewed on Toronto TV re: Pride (during which I admired a unicorn costume as "like being bi, because we don't exist, we're either one or the other" and said "Canadia"), Tris and I wandered down to Fresh and met up with some of the other members of our girl gang. 

Several Australians insisted I order a “bowl” at Fresh, and despite Fi demanding I order the beach bowl, instead I was drawn to the green goddess bowl, with broccoli, tempeh, sunflower seeds and kale and bok choy in tahini and ginger tamari sauce. I ordered the baby size, with udon noodles. It was SO GOOD and the perfect size and I must make it as soon as I get home, I loved the sauce and the beautiful fresh raw broccoli and the sunflower seeds. With warm udon but raw veggies, it was perfect for a humid Toronto afternoon, before we adventured on to the Bata Shoe Museum (also an excellent use of my Toronto time). I also went with the gingersnap power shake, matcha, ginger, strawberry, blueberry, banana, maple syrup and almond milk. It was very unexpected and strong but I loved it.

We noticed a breakfast menu and returned when Fresh opened at 10:30 on Sunday in order to sample it. After the amazing lunch on Friday, followed by a stunning brunch at the vegan Grasslands on Saturday (more on that in another post), I had high hopes. Sadly, it was not able to reach the heights of the previous meals, with my banana nut pancake platter (2 pancakes, tofu scramble, tempeh bacon) a bit average. The pancakes were vegan and gluten free and, as much as it pains me to say it, you could tell; and my coffee was sickly sweet. 

So, Fresh. I would go back for lunch, to eat many of the things on the menu, and also for dinner; but I’d rethink the breakfast. 

Fresh on Bloor

326 Bloor Street West

Toronto

(also other locations)

Toilets down a flight of stairs. Step to enter; tightly packed tables. Ordering and CC/payments at the table. Good lighting. 

curious goose [brunswick] (or: spoilers, secret dairy)

My friend Liz and I occasionally meet up on Wednesdays for brunch at random places. Yesterday we were hoping to go to A Minor Place, but alas it was not to be, for they were closed for the new year, as were Wide Open Road and Tom Phat. So we decided to give newish cafe Curious Goose a go.

Let me start with: the service was really great. Our waitperson was really helpful, friendly and lovely, very attentive, and didn't mind all the questions I asked about the menu and making it vegan. Which was handy, as it turned out basically nothing was vegan. The mushrooms were soaked in butter, the potatoes had cheese, the avocado had aioli (apparently usually there were fresh avocados too, but their delivery was unripe and they didn't want to serve it to me, for which I thank them. This aside is getting very long but I recall the time Miss T was served unripe avocado, and am glad that wasn't me).


In the end I got a whole bunch of things (and somehow some mushrooms, though I had been denied them earlier with suggestions of butter), and they tasted good. Though beetroot is never my thing, this one, hidden behind the beans, was so delicious I ate it all up, and was served with a chilli dukkah that was pretty great. The beans were delicious and the bread (baked on premises) was lovely.

But my friends, not only am I vegan, but I am lactose intolerant, as is (non-vegan) brunch-buddy Liz, and after our meals, after a short period of wandering up Sydney Road doing errands, we ended our brunch date in order to go and commune with the porcelain gods, which can only mean one thing: stealth dairy.

There are so many amazing places willing to provide a brunch-oriented vegan with food in Brunswick, that despite the nice flavours and the excellent service and the really fun (but not vegan) menu, the Curious Goose is unlikely to be a repeat for me.

Curious Goose
307 Sydney Road
Brunswick
7 days a week, breakfast and lunch

I was distracted and didn't check steps and things: tables are spread apart and service is seated at them. Lighting is low during the day but not too low. Get there on the 19 tram.

things to do with avocado

Say you have spent almost a year in China, with intermittent access to good avocado, and now you are home in Melbourne and eating every avocado dish in the inner north (post on this to come), but maybe this is becoming a bit expensive what with the two soy flat whites and the at least $10 for avo on toast and the inevitable distraction on the ride home where you accidentally end up at Radical Grocery or Savers or something, and you are thinking you should eat more avocado at home.

Here are two things Fi and I did with avocado this week (I was more of a consultant but definitely at least an executive consultant):

Avocado and tomato on toast with dukkah and a little olive oil; avocado and grapefruit with coriander and mint (also on toast) (and I don't even like coriander, which makes me the worst SEAzn ever, but it was delicious in this combination).

Proportions are up to you, though I would not over do it on the grapefruit, the grapefruit is there to add a delicious tartness but not overwhelm the essential avocadoness of this. I recommend only a small amount of olive oil, drizzled via a spoon in order to control the flow and amount. Cut the avocado and grapefruit up into similar sized cubes, and slice the tomato (then slice again, so they are thinner than the avocado pieces but maybe a little longer). No need to put anything on the toast, though you can add a little olive oil if you like.

DELICIOUS.

brunch at little creatures

Being both originally from WA, when Mez and I discovered that Little Creatures in Fitzroy had a breakfast menu we thought it'd be awesome to drop in.

The only item that could be veganised was the avocado + feta with dukka and spinach on toast, without the feta; I couldn't order the beans because they are cooked with butter.

This was plain and nothing special, and there was actually no dukka on my avocado, but the coffee was nice and the atmosphere in the mostly empty pub was pleasant and the company was, as always, delightful. If I'm in Fitzroy I'd rather dart across to Las Vegan, but it was a very nice morning nearby where I had to be for my next engagement.

Little Creatures Dining Hall
222 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy

Entry has a ramp, lots of lighting, tiny menus, ordering happens at the table. $14 for my meal. Get there on the 112 tram (not accessible).

wide open road [brunswick]

I am completely out of the habit of blogging in Melbourne, and I still have half a dozen posts I want to make about my time in China,* but I have started eating again in Melbourne and adventuring to exciting new places, and I don't want to too far behind in that. So: Wide Open Road!

While I was living in China,** the new place I heard the most about was Wide Open Road, situated near Sydney Road and Barkly Square at the bottom end of Brunswick. As I'm currently between jobs, I'm endevouring to take advantage of this by having as many weekday brunch outings as possible (because good vegan brunch is basically impossible to get in Beijing, and I need to make up for lost time), and used one of my early brunch opportunities to visit Wide Open Road.

It was a beautiful warm day, so Emilly and I sat outside in the glaring sunlight, unfortunately situated on Barkly Street, outside Barkly Square, so it's not the most pleasant of sidewalk seating areas. But the inside is lovely and the coffee is pleasant, and I loved these tomato and smoked paprika beans so much. The paprika is lovely (though could have been a bit stronger), and they soaked into the bread delightfully, and I loved that it comes with a salad. The only thing that could possibly have made it any better was avocado; but then, avocado makes most breakfasts better.

Emilly had the tofu (not pictured), which she said was good but not very moist, so it didn't soak into the toast at all and as a result could have done with some olive oil or something.

I have been talking the beans up to all my friends, and there are heaps of vegan options on the menu, and I hope to return there soon.

Wide Open Road
274 Barkly St
Brunswick

Two (?) steps to enter, dim visibility inside but that could have been due to the brightness outside. Ordering and paying can happen at the table. Get there via the 19 tram (5 mins walk from a stop) or the Upfield train (ten minutes meander from Jewell Station).

recent vegmellians at wide open road: Carla (who tried a previous iteration of the beans, judging from the picture); Johanna.

*I love talking about my time in China
**See what I did there?

After my eventual first visit to New Day Rising, I was very quick to return yesterday with Danni and Fi in tow!



Danni and Fi both went the CLT, with Danni also trying out one of the vegan muffins (orange and date - so soft and delicious!). I decided to try the beans, which were great. I'd been worried they'd be too fennel-y, but they were just perfect, with a flavour I enjoyed and just enough avocado and bread (three pieces, one is hiding) to soak things up. The vegan beans come with tahini, which allegedly make a nice addition but which I forgot to add! I do wish people would stop giving me rocket though. It is the worst. :o(




New Day Rising
221d Blyth Street
Brunswick East

super easy to get to at the end of the 96 tram (not an accessible stop); the venue is tiiiiny and crowded with little maneuverability; the toilet is around the corner and outside. all ordering is at the table (mostly because it's too tiny to go anywhere). cash only!

new day rising

I promise I already had my outing to New Day Rising with SJ planned before Michael posted about it last week. This is just a coincidence!


sorry if this is blurry! i don't currently have my glasses because i am a poor planner

The CLT (coconut, lettuce and tomato) is so delicious I don't know what to do with myself. I can't believe I waited this long to try it, after first hearing Lisa talk about the CLT, and I'm trying to make it there again before I leave Brunswick for the Great China Adventure.

The smoked coconut in this is so intense but nicely set off by the tomato, lettuce and avocado and I want it. All of it. In my mouth.




others eating the CLT: dannipants; k; Lisa; Cindy + Michael.


New Day Rising
221d Blyth Street
Brunswick East

super easy to get to at the end of the 96 tram (not an accessible stop); the venue is tiiiiny and crowded with little maneuverability; the toilet is around the corner and outside. all ordering is at the table (mostly because it's too tiny to go anywhere). cash only!

[wa] swan valley cafe ii, millendon

Flying visit to Perth this week for the Farewell to Perth Tour before jetting off on the Great China Adventure (more on that closer to). After arriving quite late (and too tired to make it to my friend Tina's birthday party!) I got up early the next morning to join my parents and my sister for breakfast at the Swan Valley Cafe.



The Swan Valley Cafe is this cute little vegetarian restaurant and nursery in the Swan Valley. They also sell their own brand of teas (and different types of salt, such as the chilli salt my sister likes to put on her hot chips). It's a really lovely location, just away from the river so you can't see it but you get the cool morning air and that feeling on your skin. You can wander through the plants for sale, and I always wish I could buy some (usually I buy some for other people).

This Sunday, I decided we were going to sit outside.


(not at this table, at the one next to it just out of frame. it is just to give you an idea of the outdoor ambience)

Look at that lovely morning sunlight!

The breakfast menu is not extensive but it's got a nice little bit of variety. There are vegan pancakes, and a scrambled tofu, some granola and some home made baked beans, as well as a big veg breakfast. I was torn between the Mexican scrambled tofu and the pancakes, both of which sounded delicious. Stricken with indecision, although my sister wanted eggs, I managed to convince her to order vegan pancakes, so I could try them.



I watched the tofu go past to other tables, and I started considering how small it looked, a concern which only strengthened when my tofu was presented to me. At the same time my sister received a plate of berry pancakes, and she too was concerned: she had ordered banana pancakes, not berry! Generously, then, and with no small sacrifice on my part, I volunteered to eat both her berry pancakes and my scrambled tofu, whilst she reordered her banana pancakes.

Her banana pancakes appeared about ten minutes later, with extra pancakes to make up for the mistake, so no complaints there despite the mix up.



The buckwheat pancakes were amazing. They were served with a coconut cream and some maple syrup, covered in fresh berries, and they were delicious. They were cheap too, for Perth prices ($11), and totally worth it!

The spicy Mexican scrambled tofu is on the menu as eggs but with the vegan tofu option. They come with several pieces of sour dough toast and this delicious avocado, tomato and onion salsa, which was a perfect counterpoint to the spice of the tofu. Regretfully the tofu was a little too much spice and not enough flavour: they were a good consistency and a great spice level, but could have done with some nutritional yeast flakes or some cumin.

Add a soy flat white, and this was an excellent breakfast; and, little piggy that I am with the two breakfasts, I couldn't finish the toast that came with the tofu, and I didn't need to eat lunch despite eating this at 10am.


Swan Valley Cafe also does take away, a service of which I availed myself on Wednesday on my way to the airport. I picked up a hummous, grilled vegetables and salad wrap to take with me on the plane, and it was still super tasty two hours later when I wanted it (though the oil had soaked through the bag). I also grabbed a bag of hand-made, vegan, raw chocolate truffles, for sustenance on the long trip home.



previous visit

Swan Valley Cafe
990 Great Northern Highway
Millendon, 6056

Some GF available
Open every day but at different times

there's a shallow ramp into the building (to skip over the steps), lovely wide doors, lots of excellent lighting and it's quiet. there is an outdoor area around the back but you have to go through the flower shed to access it if steps are an obstacle. ordering is done at the table.

breakfast at the vegie bar

I have been feeling really good about the Vegie Bar lately, so when my friend Claire was in town recently I thought I'd take her there for breakfast.

WHOOPS.



I went to the Vegie Bar for breakfast about a year and a half ago, and at the time the vegan options were pretty dire. But Vegie Bar has been doing such great things with its daytime and dinner menu lately, I thought it was worth a go. If anything, it is worse than it was before, with this vegan french toast the only vegan item on the menu. ONE VEGAN BREAKFAST. At a vego restaurant! When I asked if I could turn an egg dish into a tofu dish, I was told "no, only on special days." Even Tom Phat does better than that.

The french toast was fine, but there were three of us and we all had to order the same thing. After we'd ordered, I remembered we could have gone to Las Vegan Nirvana instead, and I was filled with regrets.



previous visits: i and ii and iii and iv



The Vegie Bar
378 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy

sissi & co, malvern

Last weekend was so beautiful and since I've never eaten at a single cafe, restaurant or eatery in Malvern (where Emilly lives), we decided to go on a brunch adventure. It was a lovely amble through Malvern, critiquing architecture and gardening choices, on our way to Sissi & Co, on Malvern Road.



Sissi & Co is cute, with a design style that delights me and the benches and glass cabinets filled with food I can't eat but that looks cheerful, and lots of bright colours. This sugar pot, found only on the outside tables (along with pots of flowers and plants climbing the walls in the courtyard), took my fancy.



There was nothing immediately vegan on the menu for me to eat, but they were happy to remove the feta on my avocado and replace it with slow roasted tomatos, and not charge me anything extra for the privilege. And the slow roasted tomatos were delicious, and the avocado with a little sprig of thyme was excellent. A lovely brunch adventure!


Sissi & Co
1290 Malvern Road
Malvern

tom phat ii, brunswick

There wasn't much on the menu that was automatically vegan but the waitstaff said I could have any of the egg dishes turned vegan, so on that note I selected the sricha scramble with roti.



This dish was totally serviceable, but a little bit bland. I ended up stealing some of Danni's sauce to add a little flavour. It could have done with more chilli and more of the cherry tomatoes, but I liked the roti accompaniment.

previously at tom phat.

danni's review (of the same day); Carla's break up with tom phat.



Tom Phat
184 Sydney Rd
Brunswick


accessibility: just near a tram stop (the 19), little step up. some easy to access tables at the front, all ordering done as table service. might be hard to head down to the toilets.

mr nice guy cafe, brunswick

After many an aborted attempt, I finally made it down to the Mr Nice Guy cafe for their brunch. Danni, Emilly and I headed in there for brunch one Sunday afternoon about 1pm (it's still brunch if you haven't had breakfast or lunch yet, right?).

Danni went for the apple crepes, which she has already blogged about. This was actually my favourite of the brunch dishes! The options for the crepes are nutella or baked apple, and the baked apple came with walnuts and it was delicious, just the right size and a lovely flavour. I totally want this all to myself next time I am there for brunch.



I went for the french toast, because I have a love and that love is french toast. Sadly, it was not up to Monk Bodhi Dharma levels of french toast but it was still pretty tasty! I recommend it to all.



Emilly went for the banana and berry bread! (I think it was banana and berry) It was very tasty too! It was kind of more cakey than bready but I would totally eat it all for myself!

Other reviews: Where's The Beef; Words at Random.

Mister Nice Guy Cupcakes
291 Albert St, Brunswick
enter on the bike path side beside Brunswick Train Station


Accessibility: wide doors and no steps, close to the train station. May be some trouble navigating it after 8pm when entry is only via the Noise Bar.

grigons + orr iii, north melbourne

Fi and I had planned to visit the new Mister Nice Guy restaurant for brunch, on the grounds that it would probably be totally amazing! Unfortunately they've had to temporarily change their opening hours, so they are currently not doing breakfast.

Saddened but undeterred, we arranged to meet at Grigon's & Orr instead, handily located a comfortable walk away from Fi's work.

Scramble tofu is a love that both Fi and I share, and it was with great glee, following her recent disappointment at Cafe Flaunt, that we discovered the scrambled tofu was still to be found on the Grigon's & Orr menu. So we both ordered it.


iphone, why such a terrible photo?

The tofu scramble looks small, but those looks can be deceiving. I rolled out of there afterwards uncomfortably full; almost (ALMOST) too full for a walk and Mister Nice Guy cupcakes at Dymocks. The scramble has a sweeter flavour to it, and is served on delicious crunch bread with spinach. It is totally worth it and I love it a lot.

Post the start of the 9-5 work day, the service was friendly and prompt, and it was a lovely morning adventuring through North Melbourne.


previous visits: one, one point five, two.



Grigons & Orr
Corner of Queensberry St and Chetwynd St
North Melbourne
Open every day

gluten free available

street parking available, accessible via a 5-7 minute walk from the nearest tram stop (route 57). heaps of space to move outside, but maneuverability inside is difficult.

quinoa porridge

I have lately been feeling very virtuous in the breakfast department. Lots of vegetables in my fuscrams; lots of avocado and tomato on toast (instead of plain jam); mushrooms on toasts; extra fruit in my cereal. And on one very excellent occasion, fruit cake cupcakes. The breakfast of which I have been feeling most pleased is the red quinoa porridge.

RED QUINOA PORRIDGE. OH.



It's really easy. The most arduous part is washing the quinoa, over which I always stress. The rest of it is pretty easy. Wash one cup of quinoa three or four times. In a saucepan with one cup of water, one + a half cups of *milk, and a quarter of a cup of (chopped) dried fruit, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered for about fifteen to twenty minutes, or until it's of a consistency that you like. You could also add a tablespoon of sugar (preferably brown) during this simmering process. You may want to add more liquid if that is your fancy, though don't expect it to ever hit an oat porridge consistency.

Top with whatever you like. I like shredded coconut, dried fruit, chopped almonds and a little golden syrup.

empire iii: wherein i order too much food

Went to Empire on Friday with Lisa, who had yet to try out the new vegan menu.

Having heard so much about them, I finally got around to ordering the Spanish eggs with no eggs. Although I had been warned that it would be massive I still ordered a side of hashbrowns; in the end, the serve was really big, and I couldn't quite finish it. I didn't even attempt the bread, though I bet it would have been great. Happily Lisa had just enough room to sample some of the remaining beans, but I still felt folorn at leaving some behind. The spanish no-eggs are beans, mushrooms and vegan cheese in a rich and flavoursome napoli sauce. Mine was topped with avocado, which was just perfect, but usually it's topped with more vegan cheese.

It was delicius, and I will definitely order it again - and for $12, with such a massive portion, I think it's good value.



I love Empire. Tamara is great fun, and always accomodating of vegan requirements, and they stock Mr Nice Guy Vegan Cupcakes! I like to buy one or two to take home. And I'm going there again on Friday.




previous visits: one and two.



Empire Cafe
295 Sydney Road
Brunswick

Open from 10am weekdays (but give them time to set out the tables), and from 8.30 on weekends
Closed Tuesdays

yet another scrambled tofu

I must scramble tofu at least once a week - in fact, I have some tofu in the fridge which needs using up, and maybe there'll be scrambled tofu in my near future. I've blogged about scrambled tofu before, and given the weekly occurrance of tofu in my kitchen I don't usually blog about it, but I loved this one because of the colours.



There was some purple cabbage and some coriander amongst the half used veggies rolling around the bottom of the fridge, and they turned out beautifully. I chopped the cabbage in to fine slithers and started by sauteing that before adding the other ingredients (to give it some extra time to wilt), and threw some coriander in at the last second, before using a little extra as some garnish. Beautiful colours, and a great flavour!

new vegan menu at empire cafe, brunswick

The news is all over the internets - Empire on Sydney Road has a new vegan menu in place! So this morning, I ventured down Sydney Road and met up with J for breakfast.

The vegan menu is excellent - it is its own separate menu, breakfast and lunch, with lots of yummy looking options. I deliberated for a while, drawn by the idea of the Spanish eggs (without the eggs), but in the end went for the French toast, with ice cream and a vegan honey and the most giant strawberry perched on top. I supplemented this with a serve of hash browns, because I can never go past potatoes.



The French toast was massive. Ordering the side of ice cream (Tofutti) was the right choice, as I smothered it in the vegan honey and then added the ice cream - the toast was crispy and had a subtle flavour (could maybe have done with a little bit more cinnamon), but the combination of toppings and french toast was oh yeah. Deliciousness. Not as O M G as the french toast at Monk Bodhi Dharma, but deliciousness and no where near as far to travel.



The hash browns were great too, freshly deep fried and crispy and oily.



J went for the 'ham,' 'cheese' and tomato toasted sandwich. I sampled this, and it was really good. Melty cheese, and (we think) the Redwood ham, and it was good.

Prices are a little up there - $10 for the toastie, and $19 for my toast + icecream + hash browns, but worth it for a breakfast treat. Would nom again. And they gave us our coffees on the house! Which was nice (Empire uses Bonsoy).

Empire keeps all its vegan cooking separate from its meaty cooking; and they're stocking Mr Nice Guy cupcakes (I bought key lime and jaffa, but have yet to eat them so a review later).


Previous visits: here.

Empire Cafe
295 Sydney Road
Brunswick

Open from 10am weekdays, and from 8.30 on weekends
Closed Tuesdays

brunch at green tambourine, brunswick

At the beginning of July, posters started appearing on poles around Brunswick. Green Tambourine! Middle of July! Well, middle of July came and went, and finally, at the very end of July, Green Tambourine opened up on Albion Street.

Just after it opened I had wandered in, on a quest for vegan muffins (they are closer to my house than A Minor Place), which they allegedly had, but they had sold out, and I promised myself that I could go there earlier in the day eventually. But funnily enough, I don't really go out for brunch that often, unless I have a reason. I rarely organise to meet people for brunch just because.

And then, Danni's parents came to town for the weekend! So it seemed like a confluence of events! A SIGN!



I went for beans. The beans come all on their lonesome, so I ordered some toast to go with it. I totally didn't need the toast! The beans were so filling and delicious on their own (though the toast was quite nice too), that the bread was nothing but a delightfully unnecessary aside! But I ate it all up anyway - I do wish, however, that it hadn't been plain, which I assume is a side effect of asking for no butter. The beans were filled with chickpeas, white beans, and kidney beans, and had a mild tomatoey flavour. Lovely!



Danni went for the mushrooms, without the feta. The mushrooms were also very lovely, nice flavour.

All in all, a nice experience. The decor and ambiance is fun, too - a wood fire in one of the rooms, and the cabinet filled with goodies by the door. Lots of outdoor tables, too, for milder, less cold days.

Prices were ok. My beans cost $9, which is a bit pricey for a bowl of beans and no toast, but given how filling it was, I'll forgive it. Will definitely return again (I still have to try the muffin), especially as it's so close to my house!


Meveg at Eat More Vegies has also reviewed Green Tambourine!


Green Tambourine
179 Albion St
Brunswick

gf available

brunch at source foods, highgate

My favourite place to have brunch in Perth is Source Foods. They know what vegan means (they call it 'NAP' - No Animal Products), which is rare enough in Perth; and they serve tempeh, which is also pretty unusual.

Anyway, it's my favourite, so Alexa and I went there on Saturday morning.

We took advantage of the lovely Perth weather to sit outside. Usually in winter I find it too cold to sit outside in Perth, but one winter in Melbourne and suddenly it is glorious! I didn't even have to wear a scarf! Or a coat! It was amazing!



I ordered, as I have many times before, the vegan heaven: tomato, two (two!) types of mushrooms, wilted spinach and baked beans, served on crisp bread with hommus. I also ordered it with a side of soy-marinated tempeh. It was so amazing. SO AMAZING. I ate it all up.

Alexa ordered the mushroom crostini, mushrooms with wilted spinach on hommus and crisp breadishness. She was indulging in mushrooms in her mushroom-hating housemate's absence.

Not pictured: our juices. Alexa ordered orange + ginger, and I ordered the 'zinger,' which contains orange and ginger and asomething else that I can never remember, maybe apple.

After brunch we went adventuring: to North Perth, where we visited Little Design Horse; and then in to Mount Lawley, where we visited Planet, primarily so we could visit the greatest bookstore in the world. I know some people prefer Oxford St Books in Leederville, but I can never go past Planet.




Previous visit: here.


Source Foods
289 Beaufort St
Highgate

gf available (this post is tagged gf because the menu can be very gf)

monk bodhi dharma, balaclava

So it turns out that everyone is in love with Monk Bodhi Dharma!

I've been hearing about Monk Bodhi Dharma for a couple of months now, and everyone has had nothing but great things to say about it. We kept making plans and putting them off - we knew we had to go on a weekday, when we could actually get a seat, and coordinating work days is hard! But finally, last Friday, we coordinated ourselves well enough to get on down to Balaclava.

It was totally worth it. Eyeing off the vegan cupcakes (works of art!) in the display cabinet, we got ourselves a seat at the communal table.

Whilst waiting for Jo, we ordered some coffees. Danni's soy latte was a little bitter, but still good. I ordered a soy chai. Please be warned - the soy chai, as it turns out, is not vegan! There is honey in the mixture. You have to specifically ask for a vegan soy chai (which Jo later ordered, and was delicious but a little less sweet than the non-vegan soy chai).

AND THEN THERE WAS FOOD. Oh, the food.



I ordered the vegan french toast with pears and pistachios and covered in some sort of caramelised sauce, and served with lemon cream cheeze. This was amazing. The toast spears were sweet and crisp, and the pears with the caramelised toppings were amazing. The cream cheeze was so sweet it was like the topping of a carrot cake, so I could only have a small amount.

I will definitely eat this toast again, but at the end, I was so sugary I needed to steal some of Jo's lunch:



Jo ordered the lunch time special, some sort of pumpkin and peanut stew with a nice (spicy) chilli jam and rice. This was good! A pleasant, hearty lunch for a rainy day in Balaclava. And a good offset to the sweetness of my toast. :o)



Danni went for the porridge. This came with stewed rhubarb, brown sugar, and soy milk. It had a lovely mild flavour, and was quite tasty! I would order this on my own some time! (If I wasn't desperately coveting the french toast)

I really enjoyed Monk Bodhi Dharma - it was tiny and cute, and the service was nice, and the food was delicious. Shame it's in Balaclava, but I suppose I can make the occasional trek South for such delights.




Monk Bodhi Dharma
Rear 202 Carlisle St
Balaclava

Hidden behind the Safeway
all veg restaurant (no eggs)
GF options available