Gasometer Viii

11/11/2013: We're sorry to written report the closure of our dearest Gasometer.

May 27, 2012

When The Gasometer announced latterly that their wintertime card was stepping away from their USA diner-style junk-food shtick too into Eastern European territory at that spot were concerned murmuring across the internet. Where would people instruct vegan chicken too waffles or corn-dogs now? What form of weird mock-meat concoctions were the Gaso peeps going to come upwards up with? Pierogi? Goulash? Who knew? Well, nosotros decided to investigate.

While nosotros were cautious most their wintertime menu, there's no doubting the Gasometer's friendliness every bit a wintertime pub - it's all black too moody amongst a duo of (gas-powered) wood-fires giving everything the appropriate atmosphere. 

So, to the menu. There are 5 vegan mains - pastrami burger, wintertime strudel, mushroom schnitzel, beef stew too a broccoli too spinach pancake - along amongst a similar publish of vegan or vegan-optional starters (e.g. borscht, cabbage rolls... but no vegan dumplings!). Cindy too I arrived ahead of our dining companions and, having resisted ordering chips at Women of Letters all afternoon, rewarded ourselves amongst a pre-dinner snack of cheese-stuffed mamaliga fritters, crispy golden polenta-based fritters stuffed amongst goats chevre too served amongst ajvar ($12).

I was incredibly hungry, too then these were ever going to become downward well, but I mean value they were genuinely excellent. The shells were super crispy, hiding a creamy too slightly salty cheese filling that worked good amongst the sweetness too piquant relish. I had pressed difficult for an lodge of chips here, but our adventurousness paid off. 

One of the ways Cindy had convinced me non to lodge chips every bit a starter was yesteryear promising to lodge a principal that came amongst chips on the side. The novel Gasometer card has only ane principal that fits the bill: the grilled pastrami burger (grilled pastrami topped amongst vegan goats cheese, pickles too grilled onions, served amongst slaw too finished amongst beetroot bask too a side of fries, $17).

This was in all probability the hitting of the black - the mock-pastrami was delicious too the trimmings were first-class - a skilful mix of spiciness too salty pickleness (pickly saltiness?). And the chips stay top-notch. At $17 this isn't a inexpensive burger, but it's pretty reasonable value for coin - you're getting house-made mock-meat, thoughtful too well-prepared accompaniments too a truckload of food. It compares really good amongst the prices at The Cornish Arms for example.

I went for an appropriately wintry main: the gluten-free shabbat stew - tender slices of vegan beef, piece of cake cooked amongst wintertime origin vegetables, white beans too puy lentils, served on a bed of leek too zucchini rice pilaf too topped amongst a dollop of white edible bean too dill aioli ($18).

This was just every bit hearty every bit it sounds - rich too hefty amongst poly peptide too veggies galore. The sauce was a footling chip spicy too quite rich, too went good amongst the leek too zucchini rice. Nothing likewise fancy here, only a big plate of warming comfort nutrient for the grim Melbourne nights. Good stuff.

The fact that the dessert card included a vegan too gluten-free cheesecake was plenty to convince us to conduct maintain on a 3rd course. And nosotros were both repelled too intrigued yesteryear the prospect of $16 cheesecake. Were nosotros going to instruct a whole cake each? 

Sadly no. It turns out that $16 solely buys yous a spell of vegan cheesecake these days (this is an surface area where the Cornish Arms wins the battle of the value-for-money vegan pub-food). To hold out fair to the Gasometer, this was a peculiarly fancy vegan cheesecake. As the card said: a creamy cheesecake amongst a hint of lemon, served amongst a salted caramel sauce. And it was excellent. Really, genuinely excellent. But every bit Cindy pointed out - $16 almost gets yous a dessert at Cutler too Co. It's such a lot of coin for something that I consider Cindy could in all probability whip upwards at dwelling household fairly successfully. Still, if you've got coin to forcefulness out or people to separate it with, it genuinely is an first-class cheesecake. 

So changes conduct maintain come upwards at The Gaso - nosotros were all quite happy amongst the meals nosotros had but the card didn't appear quite every bit exciting every bit the one-time US-influenced one. Hopefully they mix it upwards a chip over wintertime - I'd definitely hold out dorsum if vegan pierogi turned upwards on the menu. It's prissy that the folk at The Gasometer aren't resting on their laurels, we'll definitely hold out dorsum ane time again earlier summertime.

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Read most our previous visits to the Gasometer: one, two, three, four, five, six too seven. I couldn't respect anyone who'd blogged it inwards the duo of months since nosotros concluding did.

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The Gasometer
484 Smith Street, Collingwood
9417 5539
veg eats $5 - $21 (Tuesday black specials $15)
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Accessibility: The Gasometer has a modest footstep on entry. The tables are crowded inwards closed to areas but the booths too tables closest to the entry are relatively spacious. Ordering too payment occurs at a high counter. Male too woman somebody toilets are on the same marking every bit everything else but are non peculiarly spacious.