Ren Dao

November 17, 2012

Last weekend nosotros drew inspiration from Brianna's Southside staples article inwards the Enlightened Cuisine".

It gear upward a promising musical note amongst smiling, attentive staff, padded seating in addition to - happy sigh - gentle, non-fluorescent lighting. The length in addition to multifariousness of the carte du jour besides equals (and in all likelihood betters) the Enlightened Cuisine benchmark: at that topographic point are a dozen entrees in addition to one-half every bit many soups, mock meats inwards myriad preparations, tofu in addition to vegetables, noodles, roti in addition to rice. Vegan, gluten-free in addition to spicy-hot dishes are well-marked in addition to abundant (and include some g-f mock meat!). The mains hover some $20 each in addition to nosotros wondered whether they'd earn those extra twosome of bucks on their rivals.

The five Spice Loh-Bak Rolls ($7.50) finally showed me how bean curd wrapping is supposed to piece of employment out - light, flaky in addition to a lilliputian sweet. Instead of pork these were materials amongst dense, starchy taro.

The Kung Po Chicken ($19.50) was a mighty bowl (not done judge inwards this photo) of mock meat, vegetables in addition to roasted cashews coated inwards a thick, hot in addition to sweetness sauce. The capsicum, zucchini in addition to celery did direct keep a pleasing crispness to them in addition to the 'chicken' was genuinely a medley of tofu strips, to a greater extent than textured tofu squares in addition to chewy fried tofu puffs.

The Nasi Lemak ($12.80) made operate of the glutenous mock chicken chunks we're used to inwards its xanthous curry, along amongst to a greater extent than tofu in addition to some melt-in-the-mouth potatoes. The surprise imitator inwards this dish is the mushroom-based, particularly imported mound of mock anchovies!

Ren Dao's dishes for sure lived upward to their bespeak cost inwards both portioning in addition to quality. If exclusively we'd been heading immediately home, they would direct keep boxed upward the lastly of our Kung Po to direct keep amongst us. Actually, I wishing nosotros could box upward Ren Dao in addition to direct keep them habitation amongst us! They charge per unit of measurement highly across all my criteria: the kind of their menu, their fresh vegetables in addition to restrained deep-frying, extensive options for exceptional diets, comfortable surrounds in addition to lovely, unhurried service. On these counts they in all likelihood direct keep to a greater extent than inwards mutual amongst Veggie Kitchen than Enlightened Cuisine or White Lotus.

Actually, I intend Ren Dao is carving a niche all its ain inwards Elsternwick. We were heartened to come across it bustling in addition to boasting a demographic dissimilar to the inner north's veg*n hang-outs.

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So far Ren Dao seems exclusively to direct keep received a refer on Bait For Bookworms.

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Ren Dao Vegetarian Restaurant
275 Glenhuntly Rd, Elsternwick
9523 0150
veg entrees $6.50-9.80, veg mains $12.50-23.90

Accessibility: The restaurant's entry is quite apartment in addition to wide, tables within are moderately spaced. We received amount tabular array service. The toilets are unisex but located upward a narrow, bending staircase.

Ren Dao Ii

August 22, 2014

We've been making a practiced instruct of the Melbourne Writers Festival, starting out alongside a Book Club taping over inwards Elsternwick. It was a lot of fun, together with a swell excuse to revisit Ren Dao for a slowly dinner. They agreed to serve us later 9pm on a weeknight without a hint of annoyance, together with a few to a greater extent than Book Clubbers trickled inwards later us to brand it worth their while.

We did our best to hold upwardly decisive, inwards spite of the 70 (!) items on offer, together with our nutrient was served inwards practiced time. The Assam Pedas ($23.90) was a picayune sour together with a picayune spicy, alongside enough of zucchini, carrot, capsicum together with celery adding diversity to some slightly homogeneous mock fish strips... together with a canned pineapple telephone on top. While nosotros gladly polished off the lot, it didn't convey quite the panache of their Kung Po Chicken.

Roti ($4) arrived also hot to grip together with thicker unopen to the edges than nosotros prefer, but it was swell for mopping upwardly the Assam Pedas sauce.

The night's victor was the Hainanese Roasted Chicken Rice ($12.80). Michael was utterly enamoured of the sparse together with crispy edible bean curd peel 'chicken' strips, together with the back-of-the-tongue rut of the chilli sauce took us both yesteryear surprise. The rice mound had a overnice whiff of galangal virtually it, too.

While nosotros finished upwardly together with paid the bill, our waiter shyly recommended a few of her favourites for side yesteryear side fourth dimension (watch out, roast duck together with kokosnoot butter chicken!). It was a overnice gesture that reflects the understated, welcoming atmosphere of Ren Dao together with it had us looking frontwards to a hereafter see earlier we'd fifty-fifty finished this one.

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Our showtime see to Ren Dao is blogged here. It turned upwardly on Veganise This! shortly later but doesn't seem to convey scored whatever recent spider web log attention.

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Ren Dao
275 Glenhuntly Rd, Elsternwick
9523 0150
menu: one, two

Accessibility: The restaurant's entry is quite apartment together with wide, tables within are moderately spaced. We received sum tabular array service. The toilets are unisex but located upwardly a narrow, bending staircase.

Where's The Best, These Sixteen Months?

It's been to a greater extent than than a twelvemonth since nosotros updated our Cutler & Co dessert menu.

Cooking-wise, it was approximately other twelvemonth of black pepper tofu was in all probability my favourite - together with held an Ottolenghi-themed feast alongside friends. Otherwise we've been heavily motivated past times the contents of our fortnightly veggie box. When nosotros instruct a cabbage we've been turning to okonomiyaki or white beans together with cabbage, together with when a pumpkin arrives nosotros plow to miso curry pumpkin, piquant pumpkin pie or herb-crumbed pumpkin wedges. 

Melbourne bloggers proceed to inspire us likewise - Steph at Nonya chicken, dan dan mian, chocolate cheezecake together with caramel slice (with a picayune aid from cauliflower together with caramelised onion tart, black glutinous rice together with tempeh bacon, piece palm saccharide fried tempeh has us shallow-frying regularly together with the surprise mint choc-chip icecream from coconut bacon past times local veg cafe Johanna GGG for the recipe.

Spicy Peruvian 'cheese' sauce, crepas de huitlacoche con salsa de chiles poblanos together with eggy quesadillas were our contribution to the Hispanic fever that's swept Melbourne's nutrient scene, piece nosotros branched out a picayune farther alongside these Brazilian carrot cakes. Cindy also tweaked a few onetime favourites to brand them vegan friendly, inventing her ain hugger-mugger blend of herbs together with spices for Kentucky fried tofu together with taking the eggs together with dairy out of French toast. The H2O ice cream maker didn't instruct quite equally much of a work-out equally inward years gone past times but this date, rum together with pecan H2O ice cream was a dessert highlight. 

We've continued to explore Melbourne's cafes, adding Cafe Lua, Wide Open Road, New Day Rising, L'atelier Monsieur Truffe, Milkwood, Grace, Elceed, Small Victories together with Brother Alec to our favourites. Two places we've loved for years wowed us alongside expanded options to a greater extent than of late - Mankoushe alongside their fantastic cafe together with Monk Bodhi Dharma alongside their Fri dinner menu. 

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 distich of classic mock-meat places disappeared (the EBC together with the Mercy Seat) but were to a greater extent than than adequately replaced past times South, Ren Dao together with Madame K. For pubby variety of food, we've dived into Brother Burger & the Marvellous Brew together with The Beaufort, piece Shanghai Street Dumpling was in all probability the best value house nosotros discovered this year. Middle Fish, Mad Raven Pizza Deluxe, Market Lane mushroom burgers together with Kaprica all practise okay on a dollar:deliciousness ratio equally well. At the other goal of the scale, nosotros had tremendous fancy meals at Movida Next Door together with Attica together with loved the mid-priced wonders beingness served upwards past times The Moor's Head, Mamasita, Chin Chin together with Easy Tiger.

Along alongside the distich mentioned above, nosotros lost Indya Bistro together with Robbies Stein from our favourites list, piece Circa, the Prince has been transformed completely since nosotros visited.

Somewhat surprisingly 2012 has been our to the lowest degree productive blogging twelvemonth - we'll goal upwards ane curt of 200 posts for the year. Twitter has taken upwards approximately of the slack, together with we're continually amazed past times the wonderful people we've met together with overstep friends alongside via the web. Here's to a big 2013!

Fina's Vegetarian Cafe

February 17, 2013

It's taken us far likewise long to see Fina's for the offset time. Reader Ben emailed us close it to a greater extent than than a twelvemonth ago, The Simple Eater stopped inward as well as wrote a rattling positive post close the cafe. Hopefully having some friends living dorsum inward the Richmond neighbourhood volition give us the excuse nosotros demand to sample to a greater extent than of their lengthy all-vegetarian, Vietnamese menu. We met our mates in that place betwixt two of tomorrow's parties.

The bill of fare is quite something to tackle - a plastic folder with a photograph of every dish addition a championship as well as blurb inward a difficult-to-read curly font. Don't dilly dally inward front end of the managing director though! He doesn't help for fourth dimension wasters. After the park rice newspaper as well as boundary rolls, the bill of fare offers a broad make of soups, some noodle dishes, stir-fries as well as hot pots - many dishes are vegan, as well as there's a mix of mock meat as well as non-mock options. The enormous cakes out front end hold back decidedly less vegan, as well as gluten-free choices aren't clear (though alongside all the vermicelli as well as rice newspaper I'm certain in that place are some).

On even as well as then some other hot morning, I was thrilled to regard an extensive selection of juices, H2O ice slushies as well as bubble tea. Michael cruel dorsum on a Vietnamese iced java (ren-dao), served half-full every bit pictured above. He missed the shaved H2O ice that it comes with it Jay reminded us to a greater extent than of late and, later on nosotros flora their shopfront shut during the Christmas/New Year period, The Simple Eater stopped inward as well as wrote a rattling positive post close the cafe. Hopefully having some friends living dorsum inward the Richmond neighbourhood volition give us the excuse nosotros demand to sample to a greater extent than of their lengthy all-vegetarian, Vietnamese menu. We met our mates in that place betwixt two of tomorrow's parties.

The bill of fare is quite something to tackle - a plastic folder with a photograph of every dish addition a championship as well as blurb inward a difficult-to-read curly font. Don't dilly dally inward front end of the managing director though! He doesn't help for fourth dimension wasters. After the park rice newspaper as well as boundary rolls, the bill of fare offers a broad make of soups, some noodle dishes, stir-fries as well as hot pots - many dishes are vegan, as well as there's a mix of mock meat as well as non-mock options. The enormous cakes out front end hold back decidedly less vegan, as well as gluten-free choices aren't clear (though alongside all the vermicelli as well as rice newspaper I'm certain in that place are some).

On even as well as then some other hot morning, I was thrilled to regard an extensive selection of juices, H2O ice slushies as well as bubble tea. Michael cruel dorsum on a Vietnamese iced java (11/finas-vegetarian-cafe/">The Simple Eater stopped inward as well as wrote a rattling positive post close the cafe. Hopefully having some friends living dorsum inward the Richmond neighbourhood volition give us the excuse nosotros demand to sample to a greater extent than of their lengthy all-vegetarian, Vietnamese menu. We met our mates in that place betwixt two of tomorrow's parties.

The bill of fare is quite something to tackle - a plastic folder with a photograph of every dish addition a championship as well as blurb inward a difficult-to-read curly font. Don't dilly dally inward front end of the managing director though! He doesn't help for fourth dimension wasters. After the park rice newspaper as well as boundary rolls, the bill of fare offers a broad make of soups, some noodle dishes, stir-fries as well as hot pots - many dishes are vegan, as well as there's a mix of mock meat as well as non-mock options. The enormous cakes out front end hold back decidedly less vegan, as well as gluten-free choices aren't clear (though alongside all the vermicelli as well as rice newspaper I'm certain in that place are some).

On even as well as then some other hot morning, I was thrilled to regard an extensive selection of juices, H2O ice slushies as well as bubble tea. Michael cruel dorsum on a Vietnamese iced java ($4), served half-full every bit pictured above. He missed the shaved H2O ice that it comes with it elsewhere, but most importantly it was potent as well as sweet.

I've long wished that iced chai was to a greater extent than widespread, as well as then I had to assay out Fina's Ice Chai Latte ($5.50) fifty-fifty though I didn't really desire something creamy. Oops. This was a triple-dairy-threat of milk, icecream as well as thick piped cream, to a greater extent than similar a vanilla milk shiver with cinnamon sprinkled on top. Fun but lacking the spiciness I desire from chai.

By far the cheapest agency to consume is to larn with their vegetarian gyre ($4.50), a mock-pork banh mi with a sweetness as well as somewhat spicy sauce, enough of fresh salad as well as peanuts. Michael slammed it inward footling to a greater extent than fourth dimension than it took me to photograph my food.

On our friend Clamps' recommendation I tried the Vietnamese pancake ($10.50). It's an enormous vegan omelette imitator with a batter of rice flour as well as kokosnoot milk coloured with turmeric as well as studded with chunks of onion, mock ham, mock prawn as well as mushroom folded over a mount of edible bean shoots. The objective is to crimp portions of it into lettuce leaves, add together mint as well as dip - the pancake was a footling greasy, as well as I was boring as well as messy at the task, but it was good worth the effort.

Fina is colourful, comfortable as well as casual. We encountered brisk but friendly service as well as didn't experience at all rushed. Meals are inexpensive and, for the most part, rattling generously portioned. The Simple Eater stopped inward as well as wrote a rattling positive post close the cafe. Hopefully having some friends living dorsum inward the Richmond neighbourhood volition give us the excuse nosotros demand to sample to a greater extent than of their lengthy all-vegetarian, Vietnamese menu. We met our mates in that place betwixt two of tomorrow's parties.

The bill of fare is quite something to tackle - a plastic folder with a photograph of every dish addition a championship as well as blurb inward a difficult-to-read curly font. Don't dilly dally inward front end of the managing director though! He doesn't help for fourth dimension wasters. After the park rice newspaper as well as boundary rolls, the bill of fare offers a broad make of soups, some noodle dishes, stir-fries as well as hot pots - many dishes are vegan, as well as there's a mix of mock meat as well as non-mock options. The enormous cakes out front end hold back decidedly less vegan, as well as gluten-free choices aren't clear (though alongside all the vermicelli as well as rice newspaper I'm certain in that place are some).

On even as well as then some other hot morning, I was thrilled to regard an extensive selection of juices, H2O ice slushies as well as bubble tea. Michael cruel dorsum on a Vietnamese iced java (january-3-2010-thanh-nga-nine-ii), served half-full every bit pictured above. He missed the shaved H2O ice that it comes with it Thanh Nga Nine as well as The Simple Eater stopped inward as well as wrote a rattling positive post close the cafe. Hopefully having some friends living dorsum inward the Richmond neighbourhood volition give us the excuse nosotros demand to sample to a greater extent than of their lengthy all-vegetarian, Vietnamese menu. We met our mates in that place betwixt two of tomorrow's parties.

The bill of fare is quite something to tackle - a plastic folder with a photograph of every dish addition a championship as well as blurb inward a difficult-to-read curly font. Don't dilly dally inward front end of the managing director though! He doesn't help for fourth dimension wasters. After the park rice newspaper as well as boundary rolls, the bill of fare offers a broad make of soups, some noodle dishes, stir-fries as well as hot pots - many dishes are vegan, as well as there's a mix of mock meat as well as non-mock options. The enormous cakes out front end hold back decidedly less vegan, as well as gluten-free choices aren't clear (though alongside all the vermicelli as well as rice newspaper I'm certain in that place are some).

On even as well as then some other hot morning, I was thrilled to regard an extensive selection of juices, H2O ice slushies as well as bubble tea. Michael cruel dorsum on a Vietnamese iced java (loving-hut-ii), served half-full every bit pictured above. He missed the shaved H2O ice that it comes with it Loving Hut get got a existent competitor hither for our Victoria St affections.

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Fina's has previously received positive reviews from The Simple Eater as well as foodie close town, as well as an ambivalent i from Phúc Buddies.

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Fina's Vegetarian Cafe
268 Victoria St, Richmond
9428 6765
veg dishes $4.50-14.00, drinks $3.20-7.50
facebook page

Accessibility: I intend there's a pocket-size pace on entry, but the interior is apartment with a clear passage through the middle. Tables are moderately crowded (see photograph above). The venue is good lit but the bill of fare font is hard to read - it's got photos of all the nutrient anyway. We ordered at our tabular array as well as paid at a low-ish counter. We didn't see the toilets.

Lebanese Utter Of The Town

September 14, 2015

We met upwardly amongst a twain of friends at Talk of the Town for a south-side dinner on a Mon night. Despite the name, I'd never heard of this house before, but our dining companions assured us it was worth a visit. It's a pretty basic-looking Lebanese house - there's a large cabinet loaded upwardly amongst food, near 10 tables as well as a no-frills sort of atmosphere.

Still, you lot don't consume atmosphere, as well as the card had a lot to instruct excited about: falafel, veggie kibbeh, vine leaves, stuffed capsicum, cabbage rolls as well as tons as well as tons of salads to pick out from. Nearly all of the veggie dishes are vegan, as well as the staff are happy to speak you lot through your options. Options are sort of the occupation - at that topographic point were far also many dishes to pick out from, as well as so nosotros sent Craig upwardly to figure out an guild for the table.

He came through amongst the goods, ordering upwardly a falafel as well as dips entree ($8.50), a stuffed capsicum ($9), a twain of veggie kibbeh ($6 each) as well as a alternative of 5 salads ($5 each, although I intend at that topographic point powerfulness direct maintain been some mass discounting going on).

The falafel were excellent, as well as good served past times the hummus, babaganoush as well as pickles that accompanied them, as well as the kibbeh (pumpkin crust around a leek as well as silverbeet filling) were superb, but the existent stars of the demo were the salads. We ordered the light-green beans amongst love apple tree paste, onions as well as spices (above, bottom-right), the eggplant as well as Irish Gaelic patato amongst love apple tree paste, garlic as well as cumin seeds (below, top-right), the chickpeas amongst silverbeet as well as mint (above, top-right), the fried eggplant amongst walnuts, garlic as well as za'atar (below, bottom-left) as well as the mejadara (rice as well as lentils, below, bottom-right).

There were separate opinions every bit to the best dish of the night, amongst the fried eggplant as well as the Irish Gaelic patato eggplant both getting rave reviews as well as the spicy beans hitting the grade surprisingly well. It was all fresh as well as interesting plenty for us to smooth off everything without whatever problem - a pretty impressive feat given how much nutrient at that topographic point was on the table.

The proprietor generously served us upwardly a alternative of fudge to cap the repast off - this wasn't vegan, as well as so Cindy as well as I scoffed it all as well as he fifty-fifty to a greater extent than generously dished upwardly some Turkish delights for the other ii to direct maintain away amongst them.

We had a groovy fourth dimension at Talk of the Town - the nutrient is cheap, varied as well as delicious, the service is efficient as well as friendly as well as the corkage of $1 per beer is pretty damn reasonable. We don't instruct to Elsternwick that often, as well as when nosotros produce nosotros commonly air current upwardly at Ren Dao. It's groovy to direct maintain some other alternative along Glen Huntly Road - we'll last dorsum to locomote our means through the residual of the salad menu.

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Only little white truths as well as Spatula, Spoon as well as Saturday direct maintain reviewed LTOTT - both were by as well as large enthusiastic. 

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Lebanese Talk of the Town
446 Glen Huntly Road, Elsternwick
9528 6591
menus: one, two

Accessibility: There's a pace on entry as well as a fairly narrow dining area. You guild as well as pay at a high counter. We didn't see the toilets.