Culture and tacos

D and I made the trek to Trippy Taco earlier in the week. I was very excited - we haven't been there before, despite the numerous rave reviews from other Melbourne veg blogs. We were going to a concert at Melba Hall (the 'culture' part) and I figured since Trippy Taco is also kind of north-side we could still get there in time.

It took me quite a while to decide what to eat - everything sounded delicious. I decided on something I knew I wouldn't cook at home - the Tacquitos - crispy fried tortillas filled with black beans and lathered in guacamole and salsa. I paid extra for the soy cheese, though next time I wouldn't bother - there was hardly any & I couldn't taste it at all. It also came with a salad. I enjoyed this meal. The standout was definitely the guacamole and salsa - both so fresh and bursting with flavour. One small thing (literally) - the plate they came on was too small. This is something I've noticed at a lot of cafes lately - piling lots of food on small plates. It's frustrating - I don't like it when I can't cut up or scoop my food without performing a delicate balancing trick. Piling too much on the plate just means more mess for the cafe when it ends up on the table or floor instead of in my mouth so I don't really understand it.Apologies for the crappy photos - low lighting & phone camera makes for bad photography.

D had the Tofu Asada Burrito - filled with black beans, spicy tofu, avocado, salsa & cheese. He asked for the hot sauce too but it didn't appear to have any on it. D thought it was OK - big and filling but not particularly tasty. We also shared a bowl of 'trippy fries' and these were great. I kept trying to work out the flavour - kind of smoky, but I didn't think it was paprika. Doesn't matter - they were yummy. I wanted to try dessert because of the note on the menu that said most could be made vegan but alas we ran out of time. My waistline thanked me later :-)

On the plus side - fast service, not rude (not over-the-top friendly, but that's OK), cheap, healthy and pretty tasty food.

On the minus - a bit dirty - there were bits of food stuck to the wall next to our table and the toilet was pretty bad (though I don't think I've ever been into a clean cafe toilet in Fitzroy - maybe it's something to do with converting old terrace houses) and more of a takeaway than cafe atmosphere - I wouldn't go here for a long cosy dinner.

It's the kind of place I wish we had in the west - I'd go there regularly if I could wander down the street and grab a takeaway or a quick lunch but right now it's a bit too far.