Saturday 22 November 2014

Veganventure 2014: Part 5 (More Melbourne)

We were catching a tram to meet up with Kristy (from the blog In The Mood For Noodles) and her baby for lunch.I first met Kristy (and her husband Toby) when we were in Portland at the same time in 2011, then again when they came to Brisbane in 2012, so I was looking forward to this lunch a lot. It was lovely to see her again!

We went to Yong Green Food again for lunch. This time I had the summer rolls (veggies, tofu and pear wrapped in daikon slices, served with sweet mustard dressing) and the Japanese Curry (potato, carrot, mushroom, green beans and sliced soy beef cooked in mild curry paste, served with biodynamic brown rice). Both were good, but I particularly loved the summer rolls, they were so light and fresh. I pulled the capsicum out of them before eating, of course.

Summer Rolls at Yong Green Food


Japanese Curry at Yong Green Food


Kristy had the Mock Salmon Roe (carrots wrapped in raw nori with sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, capsicum, cucumber, avocado and cashew cream, served with wasabi tamari sauce) and the Tofu Katsu (picture on yesterday's post).

Raw Salmon Roe at Yong Green Food


Leigh had the Kimchi Dumplings and Dailon Salad (both pictured in yesterday's post) and the Cold Rice Noodle Salad (rice noodles mixed with carrot, cabbage, cucumber, tofu and red chili paste). When she ordered she was warned that this was very spicy, so I was not game to even sample a little bit! But she enjoyed it.

Cold Rice Noodle Salad at Yong Green Food


I also had a Detox Shot (turmeric, spirulina, acai), because it sounded intriguing and possibly really gross. But it was actually lovely! Plus turmeric is meant to be anti-inflammatory and I am a pro-inflammatory type, so I am meant to have more turmeric apparently.

Turmeric Shot at Yong Green Food


After saying goodbye to Kristy and son, we were going to stop by Big Lou's for some vegan jam doughnuts, but they were inexplicably closed (the woe!). So we ended up stopping in at Radhey Chai Bar for some chai. We both got an almond milk iced chai, which was just okay and had a very grainy texture and the ice made it go grainy very quickly. They also have vegan food and desserts, but all the desserts were raw.

Almond milk iced chai from Radhey Chai Bar


For dinner we went to Cornish Arms to meet up with some people for vegan pub food and trivia. Cornish Arms isn't a vegan bar, but does have a vegan menu and vegan alcohol is also clearly marked. We jumped in with the vegan version of Full Wu Tang Fries - chips, gravy, bacon and cheese. So delicious.

Full Wu Tang Fries (gravy, bacon, cheese) at Cornish Arms


The menu is heavy on the pub food - carbs and fried (though there is a Thai salad bowl if you are that way inclined. Michelle ordered the chicken burger, Jess had the Chili Dog and Leigh ordered the Souvlaki Wrap.

Chicken Burger at Cornish Arms


Chili Dog at Cornish Arms


Souvlaki at Cornish Arms


I ordered the vegan cheeseburger. This had a TVP patty, pickles, lettuce, cheese (I think a Tofutti slice), cured onions, ketcum, mustard and mayo), and I added bacon. I really enjoyed the patty! The bacon they use is super streaky and fatty, I am not sure what brand it is.

Cheeze Burger at Cornish Arms


Inside Vegie Burger patty at Cornish Arms


The next morning was my birthday, yay me! I turned 33. We headed straight back to Crumbs for breakfast. We started with a savoury option - the Tocotta, spinach, sundried tomato, olive tapenade and red onion Calzone, which was pretty damn awesome.

Tocotta, spinach, sundried tomato, red onion and olive tapenade calzone at Crumbs


And then of course I had a sourdough cinnamon doughnut. Because they are life! Leigh had another lemon curd one, and then we also shared another cinnamon sugar crescent doughnut. I got a couple of doughnuts to take away for snacking.

Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Doughnut at Crumbs


We walked into the city and visited Green Press to pick up some green juices to take back to the hotel for later. I had the kale and silverbeet one the following morning, which was nice, but sadly when I went to drink the kale and silverbeet one I found a big chunk of mold in the bottom and had to tip it all away. It is sad to tip $9 worth of yummy smelling green juice down the drain.

Green Juice from Green Press


Our trip to the city included successfully locating a Groot bobblehead for Leigh and also doing some shopping in Chinatown for Leigh's World Vegan Day demonstration on Sunday.

For lunch we went to Las Vegan, where I got to have birthday Mac and Cheese! With a side of tempeh bacon! Best!! It was soooooo good. Leigh had the Tempacon Nugget Wrap, and she also got the T+T Salad, which was meant to have the world's best satay sauce. I ate all of the tempeh in the salad, and while the peanut sauce is food the best still belongs to Araya's in Seattle. Las Vegan also has a small shoe shop, Vegan Style, in the back.

Mac and Cheese with tempeh bacon at Las Vegan


Tempacon Nugget Wrap at Las Vegan


T&T Salad at Las Vegan


Afterwards we took a wander down Smith Street, popped into Vegan Wares and also had a look at some of the organic shops and cafes in the area. Note for everyone: Friends of the Earth stocks Crumbs goodies, including Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts! It was really hot while we were walking, so we stopped into another organic shop and picked up a refreshing watermelon ice block.

Fruit Bat Watermelon Pop


We ended up at Trippy Taco for an afternoon snack of their spiced fries, corn chips, guac and salsa. Unfortunately about half an hour after this both of us began feeling extremely uncomfortable in our tummies, and we went back to the hotel to have a rest out of the heat and hopefully calm our tummies before birthday dinner that night.

Fries, chips, guac and salsa at Trippy Taco


How did it end up? More next time!

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post

Dim Sim before I leave


This is the photo of Dim Sim I took right before I left. So pretty.

2 comments:

  1. Oh wow, the Cornish Arms looks like my dream dining spot! I would be all over those fries! I love the sound of the mock salmon roe rolls too and how cool you hung out with Kristy, I met her (and Toby) a long time ago now when they were in London.

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