Westgarth Books & Cooks Cafe

December 4, 2011

Edit 19/12/11: Unfortunately the cafe department of Westgarth Books has closed! Their chef is evidently available for domicile catering too events.

I'm certain I've commented earlier on the frightening achieve too speed of Melbourne's vegan telegraph. As presently every bit Westgarth Books announced that they were incorporating a vegan cafe too becoming Westgarth Books & Cooks cafe, K too Toby pose together a posse of Melbourne veg*ns to banking concern jibe them out. The gang at Westgarth are all the same sorting themselves out, they were a chip overwhelmed when a grouping of 8 of us rolled inwards for breakfast. They were brusk a few carte du jour items too were by too large a chip disorganised, but they struggled on cheerfully dealing alongside our massive order. The nutrient took ages to come upward out - they're clearly all the same working out how to run a cafe, too thence for right away I'd recommend turning upward inwards pocket-size groups only.

The carte du jour looks impressive - a duet of dissimilar breakfasts (big too small), a curry too a noodle dish, pasta, nachos, a selection of 4 or 5 raw-ish dishes, too unopen to over-the-top desserts - all vegan. I actually wanted to endeavour the large Aussie breakfast (toast, smoked tofu scramble, spinach, mushroom, beetroot relish, $17.50) but that was 1 of the dishes they weren't doing yet. Instead I decided to outset the twenty-four hours alongside something fresh - a raw papaya salad (scented papaya, tossed alongside organic carrot, pumpkin, light-green edible bean too tomato plant salad, garnished alongside crushed almonds too cashews, fresh chilli, garlic too household raw dressing, $15).

This was stunning - super fresh, loaded alongside nuts too crispy vegies, all covered inwards a tangy too spicy dressing. The exclusively downside was the tiny orangish pieces scattered throughout alongside the rind all the same on them - perhaps I should bring merely eaten them rind too all, because picking each slice out too eating them off the rind was a chip of a pain. Otherwise, this was amazing - delicious too healthy.

Cindy had existent problem making upward her mind, eventually settling on a breakfast dessert - the fool of the twenty-four hours (seasonal fruit compote layered betwixt dollops of ice-cream, custard too cake, $10).

Look at that! It was basically a massive sundae for breakfast. Cindy seemed fairly happy alongside her selection - at that spot was a proficient mix of fruit, loads of cakey goodness, custard too ice-cream alongside a cherry on top. The cashew-based ice-cream was outstanding, the smoothest she's always tasted.

Everybody else at the tabular array was happy alongside their dishes (see K's review for to a greater extent than detail), coffees were okay too service was friendly too gracious. But slow. Really, actually slow. Still, they acknowledged the delays yesteryear offering us gratis tea top-ups too a plate of delicious passionfruit-iced yo-yos to compensate.

K does) that they cater excellently for coeliacs, fifty-fifty offering gluten-free waffles! Once they carve upward themselves out a chip this could last a competitor for Melbourne's best veg cafe.

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Typically, the veg-blog scene hasn't wasted whatever fourth dimension - In the Mood for Noodles too Words @ Random bring already blogged virtually it, spell @ah_blake has been at that spot three times already!

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Westgarth Books & Cooks Cafe
77 High Street, Northcote
snacks $3-$5, meals $9-$18
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Accessibility: There's a tiny footstep every bit y'all enter, too things are a chip crowded inside. Ordering too payment happens at a medium-high counter.