Mama Roots

Update 31/12/2014: Mama Roots has shut down. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 branch of PJ's Mexican Kitchen is right away trading at this location.

October 4, 2012

As nosotros rode the 86 tram northwards on the weekend, my wandering optic was caught past times a big sign on High Street promising a vegetarian too vegan cafe. On the means dorsum nosotros jumped off to investigate, finding that it was called Mama Roots too that it would opened upwards on Tuesday (the fact that it wasn't opened upwards all the same gave us our risk to lastly catch The Moor's Head). We gave them a distich of days to teach themselves together too hence headed upwards to investigate.

It's a uncomplicated too homely fit-out alongside exposed brick, some prissy brilliant colours too uncomplicated wooden tables. There's likely room for nigh 30 people inward the front end room, although I intend they may live able to squelch a few to a greater extent than inward the back. The carte du jour plays things pretty safe: for mains at that spot are lasagne, a stir fry, a beany tagine, risotto, a burger, polenta wedges too gnocchi. About one-half of these are vegan too some of the others tin strength out live prepared vegan if you lot laissez passer on them a heads up. They've branched out a fleck farther alongside the entrees, including rice pancakes, tofu balls, a Swiss rosti bruschetta too more. All the entrées are vegan. They don't label things every bit gluten-free but the carte du jour looks pretty promising for coeliacs - at to the lowest degree iv of the entrees too iv of the mains expect potentially GF.

We settled inward to ground our ordering plan, too were promptly served a pocket-size drinking glass of tea - we've forgotten precisely what form it was but it was sugariness too delicious too a nice, uncomplicated means to offset the repast off.

 

The drinks carte du jour is express hence far - a gain of soft drinks, a distich of juices too but this mulled vino for the boozehounds (never fear, you lot tin strength out BYO). At $6.50 this is pretty expert value, a mix of orangish flavours, vino too spices providing a heady hot drink.

We lastly agreed to dissever an entrée too convey a primary each, hoping to piece of employment out plenty room to sample i of the cakes. We both wanted to endeavour the white lentil, sun-dried tomato, spinach too cumin doughnuts alongside kokosnoot chutney crumbed inward a physcillum husk ($6.90).

These were pretty bully - dense doughnuts alongside a expert residuum of flavours too a lovely kokosnoot chutney on top. The texture was perhaps a smidgen dry out - it would convey been expert to convey something a fleck to a greater extent than saucy to accompany them, but the gustation couldn't live faulted.

I went for the intriguing tofu too tempeh burger served alongside sugariness murphy chips too greenish love apple tree chutney ($14.50) for my main. There's a typo on the carte du jour listing this every bit vegan (which they were quick to say anyone too everyone about) but the default bun is a non-vegan brioche (which tin strength out live replaced alongside a vegan version if required).

The burger turned out to live a patty made of a combined tofu too tempeh mush (for some ground I was imagining ii separate patties). The texture reminded me a fleck of our soy bombs but the flavour was a fleck dissimilar (no peanut butter for starters). It was splendid though - nicely seasoned too complemented past times the love apple tree chutney (which didn't expect really greenish to me). 

Cindy ordered the pumpkin too fresh curry-leaf gnocchi, served alongside napoli sauce too parmesan cheese ($14.50).

This wasn't quite every bit successful - it tasted pretty expert but the gnocchis themselves were dense too heavy, alongside varying degrees of chewiness. Not bad, but non amazing either. The combo of curry leaves too pumpkin was an interesting persuasion - I intend there's a expert dish hidden inward hither somewhere but the execution was below par.

By the fourth dimension we'd made our means through all of this nosotros were likewise far gone for dessert (they had iii cakes on the board, at to the lowest degree i of which was vegan). Mama Roots is a bully add-on to High Street - it's got a lovely atmosphere, splendid too friendly service too a expert alternative of vegetarian too vegan nutrient at pretty decent prices (we walked out having spent less than $50 including drinks). It's non going to modify how you lot intend nigh vegetarian food, but it is going to fill upwards a niche inward an surface area surprisingly lacking inward vegetarian restaurants - at that spot were plenty of excited locals coming inward to banking enterprise check it out tonight, I'm certain most of them volition return.

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Mama Roots

599 High Street, Northcote

9481 5558

starters/salads $6.50 - 9.50, mains $13.50 - 14.50, banquet $24.50

Accessibility: There's a pocket-size footstep upwards every bit you lot teach inward Mama Roots. The interior isn't likewise crowded, too there's total tabular array service. We didn't suss out the bathrooms.