Ray Iv

Cheap Eats 2006, a decade on

January 26, 2016

Our Cheap Eats project was a welcome excuse to revisit Ray, a cafe we've long liked. I reckon it might've been the get-go restaurant nosotros visited sporting the exposed brick-and communal tabular array await that's straightaway thence ubiquitous inwards Melbourne. Ray's popularity has motivated an expansion in addition to tiddler remodel since then, though the ambience is much the same.

The menu's had something of a remodel inwards the final twain of years too. Known initially for its Middle Eastern tweaks to the green brunch fare (such equally dukkah-spinkled poached eggs in addition to French toasted Turkish bread), it's straightaway a haphazard litany of pop civilization references with Oatkast in addition to Iron Maiden sitting with Avocado Da Vinci. Thankfully their dietary features are clear, with enough for vegan, gluten-free in addition to halal eaters.

Michael took on the handsome Cob Dylan ($19.80), a generous stack of corn fritters topped with a fried egg in addition to augmented with avocado, fattoush salad, radish, pickles in addition to preserved lemon yoghurt.

I was momentarily disappointed non to encounter French toast or pancakes on the menu, but perked upwards when I noticed the granola in addition to the bircher muesli were both vegan. The Pineapple Express ($13.20) seemed the best analog of the bircher I ordered inwards our get-go Ray weblog post (just $7 dorsum inwards '07!). It's a riot of julienned apple, mango, pineapple in addition to berries scattered with "chilli popcorn praline" (actually heat-free popcorn crumbs in addition to tiny toffee shards). They conceal a deceptively dense bircher that I had no promise of finishing.

Ray's i time outrageously inexpensive breakfasts are straightaway upwards at marketplace value, in addition to the menu's had a major makeover. However the service in addition to setting are reassuringly familiar, in addition to we've never had a dud repast there. We reckon it's kept its cool rather admirably this final decade.

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You tin read almost one, two, three of our previous visits to Ray. Fellow veg blogger The Hungry Grub, New International Students, Available all day in addition to mochii eats.

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Ray
332 Victoria St, Brunswick
9380 8593
breakfast, lunch & drinks
http://www.rayscafebrunswick.com.au/

Accessibility: There is a shallow in addition to slightly narrow ramp on entry. Tables are quite densely packed, but in that location is a clear corridor through the cafe. We ordered at our tabular array in addition to paid at a low-ish counter. Toilets are unisex fully accessible private cubicles.

Plenty To A Greater Extent Than Salads

January 26, 2016

Our semi-regular Ottolenghi potluck social club had its kickoff coming together for 2016 on the Jan 26 world holiday. With warm conditions forecast in addition to a whole 24-hour interval to gear upward food, I decided to whip upward a dyad of salads from Plenty More equally our savoury contribution to the spread (the amount feast is on display over on our facebook page). My kickoff pick was pumpkin amongst chilli yoghurt in addition to coriander sauce (pictured above), at to the lowest degree partly because it was pitched equally the simplest recipe inwards the whole book. Given I was turning the oven on to arrive at the pumpkin, I stuck to the 'roast' department of the majority in addition to added the roasted cauliflower, grape in addition to cheddar salad equally dish #2.

The pumpkin dish was indeed slow - you lot roast upward some cinnamon-coated pumpkin wedges, whiz together a herby sauce in addition to stir some Sriracha into yoghurt in addition to you're done. The results belie the relative simplicity of the recipe - the sweetness of the pumpkin perfectly complements the tangy yoghurt in addition to the slightly salty coriander sauce.

The cauliflower salad likewise proved to live on relatively unproblematic (I'm pretty amazed that each of these recipes only receive got ane fresh herb in addition to operate out it at that). Again, the pay-off easily exceeds the essay set inwards - roasting cauliflower actually brings out its sugariness nuttiness piece adding some slightly smoky hints (if you lot teach the charring score right). The remaining ingredients - grapes, cheddar, hazelnuts, raisins in addition to parsley - are only well-nigh a perfect combination of flavours in addition to textures. 

Making these ii recipes inwards ane striking is a relatively efficient agency to teach stuck into Plenty More - all the miscellaneous prep tin laissez passer on the sack live on done piece the pumpkin in addition to cauliflower are roasting, thence the whole procedure should accept less than xc minutes. We've already remade the pumpkin dish once, in addition to I reckon both of these volition skid into our semi-regular Ottolenghi rotation.

Pumpkin amongst chilli yoghurt & coriander sauce
(very slightly adapted from a recipe inwards Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty More)

1 large butternut pumpkin
1 teaspoon terra firma cinnamon
90ml olive oil
1 modest bunch coriander
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 loving cup pumpkin seeds
200g Greek yoghurt
1-2 tablespoons Sriracha chilli sauce
common salt in addition to dark pepper

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Halve the pumpkin in addition to scoop out the seeds. Cut the pumpkin into sparse wedges (about 2cm thick in addition to 10cm long). Leave the peel on. Put all the wedges inwards a bowl in addition to mix through the terra firma cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of olive stone oil in addition to a generous sprinkling of common salt in addition to pepper. Lay the pumpkin wedges out on a baking tray (or two) amongst the peel down. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the pumpkin is cooked through in addition to starting to chocolate-brown up.

Combine the coriander (leave a few leaves aside for garnishing), garlic, the remaining olive stone oil in addition to some other pinch of common salt inwards a modest nutrient processor in addition to blitz to a shine paste. 

When you've got well-nigh ten minutes left on the pumpkin roasting, popular the pumpkin seeds inwards on some other tray to roast. Keep a unopen optic on them in addition to clitoris them out when they've only started to blister in addition to crisp up.

Swirl together the yoghurt in addition to the chilli sauce.

Allow everything to cool a bit. Lay the wedges on a platter in addition to drizzle over amongst the yoghurt sauce in addition to the herb glue in addition to and thence scatter the pumpkin seeds in addition to reserved coriander leaves on top.

Roasted cauliflower, grape & cheddar salad
(very slightly adapted from a recipe inwards Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty More)

1 caput of cauliflower, broken into bite-sized florets

90ml olive oil

2 tablespoons rice vino vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

1/4 loving cup raisins

1/4 loving cup hazelnuts, toasted in addition to roughly crushed

100g crumbled cheddar cheese

100g carmine grapes, halved (and seeded if necessary)

1/2 bunch parsley, roughly chopped (about 3/4 cup)

common salt in addition to pepper

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Toss the cauliflower amongst one-half the stone oil in addition to some common salt in addition to pepper. Spread them out on a baking tray in addition to roast for 25 minutes, stirring a dyad of times. You desire them to come upward out golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Whisk together the balance of the oil, the mustard, the vinegar, syrup in addition to some salt. Add the raisins to the dressing in addition to allow them marinate for ten minutes or so.

When you're ready to serve things upward set the cauliflower inwards a large mixing  bowl, along amongst the hazelnuts, cheese, grapes in addition to parsley in addition to and thence pour over the raisins in addition to the dressing. Toss everything together gently in addition to serve. 

Meringue Nests Alongside Light-Green Herb Sorbet

January 24-26, 2016

I often like taking dessert to Ottolenghi club, in addition to this calendar month I had a exceptional asking from our host to brand a recipe that had of late appeared inward Ottolenghi's Guardian column. It's the form of recipe that calls for an opened upwards hear every bit much every bit a sweetness tooth, featuring a dark-green sorbet of apple, celery, parsley, basil in addition to tarragon. This herbal curiosity is supported yesteryear a to a greater extent than traditionally sweetness base of operations of meringue in addition to crème fraîche.

The sorbet needs a actually practiced blender to puree all that dark-green produce, in addition to I trialled in addition to rejected our nutrient processor in addition to stick blender earlier hold upwards blending the mixture inward our spice grinder attachment inward iii modest batches. (Thanks for washing up, Michael.) Even thus I tin forcefulness out recommend a thorough straining to actually larn this downwardly to a velvetty, verdant scoop - imagine how off-putting it would live to discovery a stray celery string inward your sweets. H5N1 hefty 300g of glucose syrup keeps the sorbet soft, sweetness in addition to scoopable.

Ottolenghi's recipe includes baking your ain meringues, but I actually couldn't live bothered. I only stacked upwards unopen to supermarket ones amongst the crème fraîche, confident that this dark-green sorbet would accept all of the attention. It certain did! H5N1 modest serve proved refreshing in addition to unexpected, amongst only plenty richness to satisfy.

Meringue nests amongst dark-green herb sorbet
(adapted slightly from a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe on The Guardian)

300g glucose syrup
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 loving cup water
iii violet gala apples
iii long or v stubby celery stems
1/2 loving cup parsley
1/4 loving cup tarragon, addition extra for garnish
1/4 loving cup basil, addition extra for garnish
eight meringue nests
200g crème fraîche
two teaspoons dill, to garnish

In a small-medium bowl, whisk together the glucose syrup, lemon juice in addition to water. Pour it all into a large blender.

Peel, heart in addition to roughly chop the apples; blend them into the glucose mixture. Trim in addition to roughly chop the celery stems; blend them into the glucose mixture. Roughly chop the parsley, tarragon in addition to basil; blend them into the glucose mixture. Continue blending really thoroughly, until the sorbet mixture is every bit smoothen every bit possible. Strain the sorbet mixture through a fine sieve, pressing through every bit much juice every bit possible in addition to discarding the pulp. Churn the sorbet inward an ice-cream maker in addition to freezer inward an airtight container for at to the lowest degree four hours, preferably overnight.

When it's fourth dimension to serve, house a meringue nest inward a serving dish for each person. Spoon a tablespoon of creme fraiche into each nest. Gently house a scoop of the dark-green sorbet atop each nest. Lightly scatter the dishes amongst tarragon, basil in addition to dill leaves. Serve immediately.

Ray V

Cheap Eats 2006, a decade on

January 28, 2016

Our recent morning time take in to Ray was handy for making comparisons to our earliest Ray breakfasts in 2007. But nosotros were genuinely much to a greater extent than curious almost the level card that the cafe has introduced of late, including a $30 per somebody vegan degustation on Thursdays. Just 2 days afterwards nosotros arranged to encounter our mate Troy in that place too larn a to a greater extent than extended exhibit of their vegan cheffing skills.

Course 1 of five was a prissy array of finger nutrient - Tooluka olives inwards sherry vinegar amongst charred quinoa bread, too steamed edamame seasoned amongst a lively coriander tabular array salt too squeeze of lemon.

Course 2 genuinely raised the stakes amongst molten cauliflower & miso 'cheese' croquettes, sitting atop piccalilli puree. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 pretty salad of raw, pickled too fermented vegetables added piquancy too crunch, too included dabs of dark tahini too hemp oil.

As our 3rd course of written report arrived, it was clear that Ray was willing to render quantity too as quality. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 dish of crushed Kipfler potatoes was dressed amongst tarragon too a white vino vinaigrette too garnished amongst caper berries. I couldn't believe it was bettered past times a risotto! This 1 was barley based, offering both seize amongst teeth too comforting brothiness, made light-green too fresh amongst peas, asparagus too watercress. The nooch on the side made it clear that this kitchen knows its vegan staples.

The course of written report was made massive amongst these dense lentil kofta, served inwards a 'hummus' that reminded Troy of Indian butter chicken sauce, amongst dollops of macadamia cream too a sprinkling of duhka. This volition live on the dish that we'll ever retrieve from the repast - hearty notwithstanding fancy, amongst gorgeous spices.

The 4th course of written report was a lovely dial-down, a small-scale dish of watermelon cubes amongst a show-off garnish of pomegranate seeds, kokosnoot 'cheese', microgreens too a tart raspberry dressing.

We finished upwardly amongst chocolate - hooray! Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 rectangle of soy chocolate icecream sat amongst microgreens too a medley of crunchy too caramelly bits of biscuit, popcorn too smoked almond butter. The to a greater extent than formidable block of 'cheesecake' tasted every bit of chocolate too banana, amongst but a hint of chilli.

While we've ever known Ray to live on a damn practiced cafe, this did non cook us for the spectacular grapple offered past times their Th nighttime vegan degustation. The complexity too diverseness of these dishes rivals Transformer, notwithstanding at $30 a caput it's one-half the price. Mock meat-free too vegetable-centred, it's generously portioned too real filling. (Of course, what's served volition vary calendar week to calendar week amongst reach availability.) Whether you've got a especial occasion to celebrate or you're but genuinely real hungry, nosotros urge you lot to abide by an excuse to take in Ray on your adjacent available Th night.

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Ray
332 Victoria St, Brunswick
9380 8593
http://www.rayscafebrunswick.com.au/

Accessibility: There is a shallow too slightly narrow ramp on entry. Tables are quite densely packed, but in that place is a clear corridor through the cafe. We ordered at our tabular array too paid at a low-ish counter. Toilets are unisex, fully accessible private cubicles.

Moroccan Roasted Carrot Salad

February 7, 2016

Here's a big, brilliant salad that's been sitting alongside my to-make bookmarks for a brace of years. We've genuinely already got a Moroccan carrot salad inwards our archives; past times comparison, this i streamlines the spice listing together with has a greater multifariousness of vegetables. Their roasting is brief - the carrots retain a hint of compaction field the onions are soft. Chickpeas are but barely warmed through together with lemon wedges collapse inwards your hand, spreading juice together with vesicles across the salad.

Everything's warmly spiced with cinnamon together with paprika, field slivered almonds together with dates add together extra texture together with a fleck of sweetness. The master copy recipe too includes a dressing of yoghurt swirled with pomegranate molasses, but nosotros institute that at that spot was plenty of wet together with flavor without it.

This salad would brand a prissy calorie-free luncheon on its own, with the chickpeas lending but plenty essence to satisfy. We teamed it with a watermelon salad for a lovely early on dinner, together with had plenty left to pack for work.

Moroccan roasted carrot salad
(slightly adapted from a recipe on Delicious Everyday)

1 bunch pocket-sized carrots
1 crimson onion
1 lemon
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive crude
two teaspoons smoked paprika
two teaspoons soil cinnamon
1 teaspoon soil cumin
salt, to taste
1/4 loving cup slivered almonds
400g tin can chickpeas
1/3 loving cup dates
1 loving cup infant spinach leaves
1 loving cup rocket

Preheat an oven to 180°C.

Wash the carrots together with bring down off the stalks. Slice each carrot lengthways into 4 or to a greater extent than sticks together with house them inwards a baking tray. Peel the onion, piece it into 8 chunks together with add together them to the baking tray. Slice a lemon lengthways into 4 wedges together with add together them to the baking tray. Mince the garlic together with add together it to the baking tray. Drizzle over the olive oil, thence milk shiver over the paprika, cinnamon, cumin together with salt. Gently toss the veges roughly the distribute the crude together with spices. Bake them for roughly thirty minutes - the carrots volition nonetheless move quite firm, together with the onions should move soft but retaining their shape.

While the veges are cooking, house the almonds inwards a dissever pocket-sized baking dish together with toast them inwards the oven, roughly xx minutes. Be certain to cheque them every v minutes but inwards illustration they quest less fourth dimension - they tin can move quickly.

Drain the tin can of chickpeas. When the roasted vegetables are done, add together the chickpeas to the pan together with stir them to select deal of some of the spicy dressing. Let the vegetables cool downwardly for roughly 10 minutes. Use this fourth dimension to finely chop the dates.

To serve, spread the spinach leaves together with rocket across a serving platter. Arrange the carrots, chickpeas together with onions over the greens; sprinkle with almonds together with dates together with garnish with the lemon wedges.

Las Chicas Ii

Cheap Eats 2006, a decade on 

February 7, 2016

We decided to broaden out our Vegan Sparkles together with Cheap Eats 2006 project past times heading southward of the river for a render breakfast at Las Chicas, a house we'd terminal visited Vegan Sparkles together with almost just nine years ago. It's managed to hold a good for y'all buzz over the decade, important nosotros were confronted alongside a queue for a tabular array at 11:00 on a Sunday. When nosotros were shuffled inwards afterwards 10 or fifteen minutes nosotros were slotted into the dorsum bench of the courtyard, overlooking ane of the most picturesque carpark views inwards town.

The carte du jour is massive together with well-stocked alongside vego items. Vegans stimulate got 7 dishes to select from, including kokosnoot sago ($14) together with shitake mushrooms alongside marinated tofu together with miso broth ($16). Prices must stimulate got gone upwardly since 2007 - our erstwhile transportation service has the most expensive vego brekkie at $12, piece nowadays y'all tin teach a vegetarian big breakfast for $25.

Cindy ordered something similar to the dish I had means dorsum inwards the twenty-four sixty minutes catamenia - the pumpkin, polenta together with sunflower loaf alongside avocado, feta, pomegranate, fresh herbs together with lemon ($17). The presentation is a fleck fancier these days together with the dish itself was an improvement on my erstwhile baked beans-based version - the loaf was lighter together with non equally dry, alongside the feta together with avocado serving equally delicious condiments. The salad was basically all basil, which was form of overkill, but that was the solely tike electrical charge that Cindy had.

She paired the repast alongside a banana together with love smoothie alongside milk together with yoghurt ($8). The ii characteristic flavours were prominent together with real sweet.

I opted for ane of the vegan meals - Vik's vegan wrap, an overstuffed wind filled alongside broccoli, marinated tofu, mushrooms, onion together with vegan mayo together with drowning inwards avocado together with a Lycopersicon esculentum salsa ($16).

There's zippo fancy nearly it, but this is a massive together with hearty plate of fresh, tasty food. The vegan mayo was groovy - non the low-fat Praise selection that nosotros unremarkably autumn dorsum on - together with the mushrooms together with tofu provided the rich savoury flavours to residual out the brilliant freshness of the broccoli together with avocado.

We were pretty impressed alongside our render to Las Chicas - the coffee's good, the staff are friendly together with they've actually got their systems together. Despite the crowds of people queuing upwardly for tables, service was brisk together with the java together with nutrient turned upwardly speedily. They've stuffed thus many tables together with chairs inwards though that it doesn't experience similar a real relaxed setting - y'all can't actually avoid the feeling that you're beingness rushed through thus they tin clear the decks together with cram the side past times side grouping in. Still, the nutrient is great, together with the carte du jour is huge together with varied - in that place are heaps of things I'd love to teach dorsum together with try. We'll only endeavour to teach inwards at a quieter fourth dimension of the week.

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Read nearly our offset see to Las Chicas here. Since together with thus it's reputation has remained strong, alongside positive write-ups on veg blogs Vegan Sparkles together with Nouveau Potato addition loads of omni-bloggers:Vegan Sparkles together with Eat together with Be Merry, for Tomorrow We Die(t), Vegan Sparkles together with Ichigo Shortcake, Vegan Sparkles together with Yum Yum, Vegan Sparkles together with The Melbourne Glutton, Vegan Sparkles together with ps: I see you, Vegan Sparkles together with One Fat Cow, Vegan Sparkles together with Tell Her She's Dreaming, Vegan Sparkles together with Melbourne Din(n)ing Blog, Vegan Sparkles together with My Diet Starts Tomorrow together with The World Loves Melbourne.

There are only a few people alongside less than rave reviews - run across Vegan Sparkles together with Howie's Melbourne Food Blog, Vegan Sparkles together with The Epicurean of Southbank,Vegan Sparkles together with Yellow Eggs, Vegan Sparkles together with two fatty buns.

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Las Chicas
203 Carlisle St, Balaclava
9531 3699
breakfast menu, lunch menu, drinks menu, specials
http://www.laschicas.com.au/

Accessibility: There is a apartment entry, but the infinite is crowded alongside people together with tables. There are a mix of regular tables together with higher benches alongside stools. We ordered at our tabular array together with paid at a depression counter.

Johnny Blaze Cakes

February 7, 2016

We came dwelling family from our Ottolenghi-fest alongside a jounce amount of pickled watermelon rind together with Cindy wasted no fourth dimension inwards coming upwards alongside a excogitation to role some. She figured that our pumpkin together with kale stuffed version I occasionally bust out for potlucks). They're relatively dry, alongside a prissy warm flavor cheers to the cayenne together with jalapenos. You produce postulate a practiced accompaniment, together with the tangy watermelon pickles were ideal. We too whipped upwards a batch of the chilled citrus broccoli salad from the same mass for a uncomplicated purchase rattling effective dinner combo.

Johnny Blaze cakes
(adapted rattling slightly from Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen)

1.5 cups polenta

1/2 loving cup wholemeal self-raising flour

one teaspoon salt

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2.5 cups soy milk

ii jalapenos, seeded together with sliced finely

stone oil for frying

Combine the polenta, flour, tabular array salt together with cayenne inwards a large bowl.

Bring the soy milk to the boil inwards a saucepan together with the slow pour it into the polenta mix, stirring every bit yous go. Stir inwards the jalapeno together with refrigerate the batter for almost one-half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 120°C (this is merely to transcend on the early on batches of the corn cakes warm land yous nestling the rest).

Add a tablespoon of stone oil to a large frying pan together with house on medium-high heat. Shape niggling discs out of almost 1/4 loving cup of the batter mix together with add together them to the pan. Once the bottom has laid nicely (about a minute) yous tin cast them into cakes - yous desire them almost 1cm thick. Lower the oestrus together with hence develop for 5-8 minutes on each side until they're golden brown.

I was going four cakes to a batch together with got through the whole mixture inwards iii batches - transfer the cooked cakes to an oven tray together with popular them inwards the depression oven land you're frying the rest.