chocolate buddha - federation square

Ah Chocolate Buddha. I used to love you what feels like a million years ago when I first moved to Melbourne (in reality 7). I was hugely disappointed with visits in the more recent years, coupled with my utter disdain for their sister restaurant Soul Mama, and you have a relatively soured opinion. I try and avoid it as much as possible but for some reason I cant EVER remember that Movida Next Door is closed on Mondays so we ended up at Chocolate Buddha out of desperation.

The service was one million times improved from recent years. I would actually describe the service as "good" though you have to flag the servers down, as they consciously avoid eye contact and revisiting your table.

The food? The food used to be jaw droppingly incredible, this trip nothing spectacular but I only felt it was slightly too expensive for what it is. But I guess if I couple in their location you could call it even.

The nasu dengaku was lovely, perfectly cooked and the sauce was delicious. The sunomono salad was also very nice (Clare didn’t like it), the dumplings were lovely and the best dish of the evening, I just wish there were more of them. The tofu steak I liked, though found the sauce flavour too subtle. As said not amazing but not bad either. Helpfully all vegetarian items are labelled with a green v and green item number. I would recommend as a back up, if you are in that neck of the woods and in need of some quick food. They also have Monteiths on tap which is a win.

Deets: cnr Flinders and Swanston St, Federation Square web: http://www.chocolatebuddha.com.au/
$$: nasu dengaku $9 gyoza $9.80 tofu steak $11 sunomono salad $12.5

other voices, other times:
gluten savvy
mel: hot or not
the ninja review (love this writing style!)

broad beans and garlic - ful bit-tewm

As I've been travelling so much I've barely bought a vegie box for the past couple of months, so I was ecstatic to pick one up last week and find a massive amount of organic broad beans in there! (The Maltese staple food!). Its been my intention ALL YEAR to post more Maltese recipes, but I've only posted one so far! So here is another one! Broad beans are A LOT of work but well worth it in my opinion. My recipe is slightly different to traditional ones but I think better. Enjoy!

ingredients
1.5kgs broad beans (in shells or 3 cups of frozen)
5 cloves of garlic, minced (or more more more!)
1 tbsp chopped parsley or mint
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

method
1. Shell the broad beans and steam for 5 minutes (the outer skin goes all gross and weird and whiteish).

2. Leave the beans to cool enough so you can handle them. Then pinch the outer shells off the beans (theres an art to this, you'll get into a rhythm but until then be prepared for beans to shoot out all over the place! :p). Once all the beans are shelled put them into a huge salad bowl and toss with the other ingredients. YUM.

notes: The traditional way is to boil the beans in 500mls of water with the rest of the ingredients and serve, I like my way better.

giveaway - mueslimixer - we have our winners!

Congratulations to Holly and Shawna who were the winners of the Muesli Mixer giveaway! Claudia will be contacting you shortly by email with your vouchers! Thanks to everyone for entering!

monday melbourne roundup

Busy busy busy. I tried making the prototype test wedding cake on the weekend and it wasn't as good as I hoped. It would take a lot more experimentation than I have time (or cash!) for in order for me to get a finished result I was happy with. Vegan white chocolate ganache is hard to make and gross and does not have the desired out come.

Was sexually harassed at a trivia function on Friday night, I am going to make a sexual harassment/sexism blog (I have please follow me!), sometimes I feel like I'm crazy because I am complaining about once a month to HR about something so I guess it will make me feel better to see them all stacked in one place (or maybe not better just less crazy perhaps). I'm off to LA and NYC on Friday so things might be sparse around here while I'm away. Rest assured I will be finding the best places in both cities to report on and going back to some of my old favourites in LA. Any tips please please let me know!

Have you entered the competition yet? Closes midnight tonight!

Big love!

Out.

The Town


I didn’t mind this one bit, your typical boof head action movie but it was very well made and very tightly put together!

Milkbar Mag launch at The Workers Club

Man I have to say I am impressed with Dan the editor more and more. There were over 200 people signed up for the email list, the place was packed and a steady stream of milk bar themed snacks made for an awesome night. The acts and bands were fantastic too! A sign of things to come hopefully!

Eats.drinks

Markov Place

I'm still the mayor and I still love it. Though they really need to get a better range of cider. Their shoe string chips are unreal and I got their beet salad with no feta and that was lovely too!

Movida Aqui

Another trip. This time I experienced what Frank Comorra does with mushrooms. SENSATIONAL. Review coming soon.

Tom Phat

The nasi goreng. The end. NOM NOM. My review of Tom Phat for Milk Bar went up today.

giveaway - mueslimixer

Alright! first giveaway on easy as vegan pie! I have 2 $20 vouchers available to muesli mixer! Its a fantastic service that lets you design your own muesli from the base up (with gluten free options available). Being a massively picky eater I can appreciate this! From their press release:

"THE CONCEPT: A lot of people like muesli but not everybody likes the ready mixed muesli from the shelves. One person does not like raisins, the other one likes a lot of nuts and the next one would really like some crispy flakes with their traditional oats. With muesli it is like with all types of food - it can be very hard to please everybody’s taste.

THE PROCESS: The customer is able to choose from six different bases, can then select additional fruits, nuts and seeds as well as other extras to enhance his muesli and create it his individual mix. To make it even more personalised each muesli mix can be named (e.g. “Emma’s get up early mix”) and the name will be printed on the package.

THE VALUE ADDS: People can see what goes into their body, using a noteworthy nutrition calculator and a strict commitment to all natural and real ingredients without all unnecessary preservatives, as found in many mass produced products.

A second gluten free base: “We realised that there is a great potential for us to focus on the gluten free muesli market, as there seems to be a high demand in Australia and not much or nothing tasty and interesting out there on offer.”, the Managing Director Claudia says. Apart from when you are actually allergic to gluten, it seems to have certain advantages to live on a gluten free diet. For example that it decreases allergy symptoms among children.

So leave your name and email address in the comments section (open to Australian postal addresses only). The comp closes on Monday the 22nd at midnight, winners announce Tuesday morning.

Disclaimer: I received no compensation or product for this competition. I am keen to support vegan business and products. I had to change the date because I forgot to say its open to Australian postal addresses only! Dumb!

the vegan bathroom

I'm slowly ever so slowly in the process of veganising my whole life. When I first went vegan (again) in February 2009 I promised myself I would take it at as slow a pace as I needed in order to make it stick this time. So I started with food and I'm working my way out, down and all around. When things need to be replaced I assess it but I've finally started moving into booze and skincare/makeup. First cab off the rank was skin care. I'm bubble girl anyway, I cant have chemicals as I break out in rashes, I stopped using chemicals in my home about 10 years ago (bicarb, vinegar and earth choice washing up liquid that’s it). So skin care routine is the first to be consciously veganised.

Shampoo: Organic Care (available in most major super markets)

Although it has way more "I don’t know what that is" ingredients in it than I would like, but I love the fast facts:

Biodegradeable and compostable plant based packaging (PLA)
Grey water safe
No Animal Testing or Ingredients - CCF Accredited
No Parabens or Petrochemical
No Sles, Sls, Ales, Als

And for the price it really cant be beat

Body wash/soap: Dr Bronners (available healthfood stores)

All ingredients I look at and recognise, I get the baby formula because the others are too full on for me (especially the peppermint) THATS how sensitive my skin is!

"Water, Saponified Organic Coconut*, Organic Palm* and Organic Olive* Oils (w/Retained Glycerin), Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Essential Oils**, Citric Acid, Vitamin E "

I buy the giant bottle and it usually lasts me 6 months ($20)

Scrub/Exfoliant

I saw this brilliant video on Kandee the Makeup Artist and started doing it straight away. Its completely changed my life. Its just lemon juice and brown sugar!



Moisturiser - I'm still getting rid of the final dregs of my Palmers cocoa butter moisturiser, but once that is done I'm going to get pure cocoa butter bars from Lush and just rub them into my skin:

Something like this "The King of Skin" look at the ingredients I want to eat it!

Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Fresh Banana (Musa paradisiaca), Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Fresh Avocado (Persea gratissima), Oatmeal Infusion (Avena sativa), Coconut Butter (Cocos nucifera), Lavender Oil (Lavendula hybrida), Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Rose Oil (Rosa centifolia), Chamomile Oil (Anthemis nobilis), Sandalwood Oil (Santalum album), Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.
95g

Toothpaste and deodorant: bicarb soda. Yep! That’s right! Just dust your armpits with bicarb every morning (make sure they are super dry) and its worked a treat (I'm sure I smell sweeter anyway from being vegan ;)) but there are plenty of home made toothpaste recipes out there. Honestly I've been doing this for 2 years with no problem. I smell sweet as a rose and I've only ever had one cavity in my teeth. I guarantee you wont be disappointed! It takes a while to get used to it, but makes you realise what a SCAM the toothpaste/fragrance industry really is.

Face mask: Just a mashed up avo. Yep! But there are plenty of others out there from pure clay to just a banana. Different mixes do different things, google it!

Do you have any natural hints or tips?

sticky soy wrap - tom phat - brunswick

Not much more to say about Tom Phat, the service is on the up and up, reaching dizzying heights. This week I had something different (woo!) the sticky soy tempeh and tofu roti wrap. Essentially it’s the nasi goreng skewers without the rice in a roti wrap. AMAZING. Oh Tom Phat how I love you *paws at you*.

Deets: 184 Sydney Road, Brunswick web: http://www.tomphat.com.au/
$$: 10.90

previous easy as vegan pie trips: one, two, three

Other voices, other times:
mel: hot or not
the hungry lawyer
food rehab
melbourne gastronome
we do chew our food
vegan about town
wheres the beef?

*note - I'm only linking the first two pages of hits from google, I dont have the time to keep trawling, apologies if I've missed you - leave a comment with your link and I will add you!

plush pizza - hawthorn - CLOSED

Being Maltese I'm stuck in this in-between place in my feelings over pizza. Should I even bother veganising pizza? The pizzas I grew up on as a child? The general consensus by the voices in my head are no, I had to wipe the slate clean with food when I went vegan I shouldn't lust after something that is never going to be as good. I've found a pizza I DO like at Bimbos (which gives me that garlic chilli carb rush I remember). So I went to Plush with an open mind especially with such positive reviews from so many of the blogs. I have to say I was pretty disappointed.

The guys who were on staff are totally lovely, the space is small, not many tables but you’re free to bring your own booze (TOTAL WIN) and we chowed down drinking cider and laughing on a warm spring night. I cant help but feel its veganised mass market pizza. We had the barbeque (contains honey) and the satay, I liked the barbeque best, reminded me of the bbq meat lovers Dominos pizzas of my childhood. The satay was ok but I would get it without Cheezly next time, I think that would make a huge difference to the texture and the taste. Having said all that I will try and go back as many times before they sell (they are trying to sell, I guess whoever takes it over wont keep it vegetarian), and try different pizzas, with 19 pizzas on the menu , gluten free bases and all veganisable I'm sure I will find something I will love. Perhaps a plain margarita will do the trick?

Deets: 85 Burwood Rd Hawthorn web: http://www.plushpizza.com.au
$$: 2 x medium pizzas with cheezly around $17 each

Other voices, other times:
where's the beef?: one, two, three
vegan about town:one, two, three, four, five
cupcake kitteh: one
in the mood for noodles: one

monday melbourne roundup

I've been a bit boring this week, passport renewals, exams. I've also had a bit of time on my own which has been fabulous! Its hard getting used to sleeping next to someone again, its also hard getting used to not having so much time anymore. Both are well worth it however :D. I finally got to catch up on a bunch of TV.. Started Mad Men S4, caught up on Dexter, 30 Rock and Boardwalk Empire.

Looking for NYC suggestions, not only food but places/buildings. Give me your top two things I must do. Xo.

Eats.drinks.

Book club at Edinburgh Castle - The Womens Room

I pretty much hate this pub. The food is awful, the staff are rude and the old men who were the original habitants of this pub are gross and leary. Free ping pong though and a huge beer garden.

Plush Pizza

I managed to get to Plush before they sell it (anybody interested in buying a vegetarian pizza place? They're for sale!) a lovely night was had. Review soon!

Tom Phat

Yeow! I ate something new! Review coming this week.

Rays

I had the avo on toast again, it wasn’t as good as the first time. The coffee is really superb though. Manically busy on the weekend.

brazillian french toast

Cooking is proving difficult for me right now. Well, planned cooking anyway. I'm back to the days of making pizzas of whatevers in my fridge and corn tortillas for bases. Coles garlic bread, bigilla or a toasted sandwich. There really just isn't the time. Thankfully I am seeing someone just as obsessed with food as I am (I know, prepare to crane me out of my house in about 3 months time) but with more drive to actually get things done. So my love affair with Vegan Brunch has been rekindled. More specifically after the french toast at Monk Bodhi Dharma we are now *obsessed* with sweet breakfast. Its still bad for you, it still burns off within about an hour and you're hungry again, but damn, DAMN.

Recipe slightly modified from Vegan Brunch.

ingredients
2 very ripe bananas*
1 1/2 cups of milk
2 tablespoons of cornflour
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tbsp of kahlua or some booze! (optional)
1 stale baguette, sliced diagonally in 1 inch slices
berries of your choice and syrup

method
1. Blend bananas, milk, cornflour, vanilla and booze in a blender or food processor until smooth.

2. Spread out baguette slices in a single layer on a baking pan. Pour banana mixture onto the bread and flip slices to coat. Let sit for 10 minutes, then flip over and let soak for 10 minutes more.

3. Preheat a large, non stick pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and fry the soaked bread for 5 to 7 minutes on one side and about 3 minutes on the other. When ready, the toast should be golden to medium brown. Keep warm on a plate covered with tinfoil while you cook the second batch.

notes: I used defrosted frozen bananas and it made the dip really creamy and smooth. I had REAL trouble with these sticking monsterously to the pan. I need a non stick pan. Stat.

monday melbourne roundup

out.

Winters Bone

Whoa, when Americans do Australian film. This film was INTENSE and HARROWING but really REALLY amazing. So beautifully shot.

(and ANYTHING with Deadwood actors makes me SQUEAL!! And LAURA PALMER is in it for about 5 minutes)



eats.drinks.

Milkwood

Nicholson st Brunswick East is starting to get some life into it! (I wish they were coming to Sydney road instead but who am I to begrudge the residents of Brunny East?). Milkwood is a gorgeous little café, again we only had coffee so I cant tell you what the food is like. The interior is lovely, sunny and the staff are super friendly and conciensious!

Munsterhaus

I finally got to Munsterhaus when it was open! (had a few misses!) KLT and I only had coffee (and I had a nibble on a brownie) but I did take away a lunch box which was completely freaking delicious. Munsterhaus is great to have, especially so close to me. They were also really happy to have a kid in which some places are not. I will have to go back to do a proper review.

Gingerboy

Gingerboy is becoming like my relationship with Wes Anderson, hot, cold, hot. This Saturdays visit was HOT, really great and amazing and the food was incredible. The review will be up on Milk Bar sometime soon.

Markov Place

LOVE MARKOV PLACE. I seem to find myself there a lot lately. Great alternative to the Lygon street strip to meet someone for a drink before Nova!

monk bodhi dharma - balaclava

Balaclava from a Northside snobs point of view is 'acceptable'. Old Italian guys in suits cruising the perfectly dressed nonnas at the tram stop, the Hassidic Jews scurrying from one shop to another, its like the "old world" smack bang in New Sydney Town (its my name for 'Mexico' or *whispers* the Southside). So add a lady, a car, a hankering for exploration and two gluttonous stomachs and you find us Southside exploring the hot new veg café on the block.

I'm not one for a sweet breakfast. Seriously. Its completely bizarre, considering the sweet tooth I have but give me some beans or tahini on toast ANY DAY over pancakes. So with a heaving, leg shaking sigh I declare Monk Bodhi Dharmas vegan french toast the most AMAZING SWEET BREAKFAST I HAVE EVER EATEN. Phew, there, I said it. Its some kind of voodoo, I don’t know what the toast is dipped in, what the sweet, pistachio laden white labne like substance it's served with or what they poach that massive arse pear in, but combine it together and I'm crawling on my knees beggin you please. We also had the beans, which were delicious mexi-beans but puh-lease lets not pretend that I'm thinking about anything else except that toast. The coffee if excellent, the interior, recycle minimalist chic, the staff dreadlocked and zen like. Do it. Im serious, get your arse over there.

Deets: Rear 202 Carlisle St, Balaclava web: http://www.monkbodhidharma.com.au/
$$: Both dishes were $15?

other voices, other times:
vegan about town
in the mood for noodles
the healthy party girl went for the breakfast degustation!
uproar

ray - brunswick

A local for me but I had never been there. I guess the siren song of Tom Phat lured me far too many times. So Tuesdays is the new Monday (as well?) most places these days are closing the first two days of the week! Its a tragedy! But perhaps a blessing because I would never had gone to Ray otherwise. When asking about the vegan options on the menu our lovely waitress rattled off 4 or 5 options, I went for the avo on toast (wHYYY I hear you scream?) because I am COMPLETELY obsessed with tahini on toast right now. As said, avo on toast with tahini, sumac and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Something so simple but was SO LOVELY. Amazing coffee, great service, nice tranquil surroundings, very vegan friendly. And props for being I hear the first cafe to serve decent coffee in Brunswick. Y'all are old skool!

deets: 332 Victoria St, Brunswick (no website)
$$: Something like $10 for my toast but EEK dont quote me

Other voices, other times:
The Breakfast Blog (from 2005!)
Heres the Veg I, II, III

monday melbourne roundup

love is blooming. swoon fase.

eats.drinks.

Bimbos - Fitzroy
Still loving the eternally good napolitana with no anchovies.

Urban burger - Port Melbourne
Pretty much the WORST veggie burger I've ever had. I paid an extra 50c for extra sauce so I didnt feel like I was eating cardboard. rubbery bun, flavourless patty, almost zero salad, dont, just dont.

Rays - Brunswick
Nom. Review coming soon.

Markov Place - Carlton
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this bar. LOVE. The cider on tap is rubbish, get the very decent Kiwi cider Monteiths in a bottle. Very relaxed, nice staff, nice bar nibbles, sit out the front the side walk in the sun. Double points now the cop shop isn't there anymore!

Ying Thai Two - Carlton
BEST THAI FOOD IN MELBOURNE. Review coming.

Monk Bodhi Dharma - Balaclava
I finally went and YES the french toast IS all that. Review coming.

Babaleventine Trading Co. - Brunswick
Still amazing after all this time. Previous review here, the service there is excellent and relaxed. The food is very very good. One of Brunswicks best.

African Town - Footscray
I had never eaten African food before (quelle horror) and it was COMPLETELY AMAZING. It seems most things that are vegetarian are also vegan, we got the lunch platter for two which was 4 dishes and a giant inerja which is like a huge savoury pancake to eat you lunch off. DO IT.