About Life, Rozelle

So I've found myself living in Rozelle. It's a lovely part of Sydney & the walk down Darling St through Balmain offers hours of potential eating & shopping. Of course, the first thing I did was check out the vegan eating options. The obvious one is Harvest Vegetarian, which is top of my 'must try' list. Unfortunately I'm also currently unemployed & expensive meals are temporarily off the agenda.

But, day 1 at my new home & I was still full of optimism about my employment prospects, so splashed out on lunch at About Life, Rozelle's organic supermarket. Like many organic stores it has a cafe attached, with a fair amount of vegan offerings on the menu.

I chose one of the breakfast options - the Scrambled Tofu.

This was different from the usual cafe fare. Soy sauce was absent from the sauce, which made me happy, and the tofu was instead flavoured with turmeric, cumin (I think) & something else I couldn't put my finger on. I actually enjoyed the toast most of all - thick & crusty & wholesomely satisfying.

Being part of a supermarket, there's not a whole load of atmosphere, though out on the verandah it is quite pleasant. I'd recommend it as a good spot for a quick lunch or snack, rather than a destination.

About Life
605 Darling St, Rozelle (they also have another store in Bondi Junction)
Mon-Thur 6am-8pm; Fri 6am-7pm; Sat & Sun 8am-5pm
http://aboutlife.com.au

Vegan eating NZ - Wellington

After 3 weeks in NZ I was pleasantly surprised with how well I was eating. I knew from prior research that Auckland (which I didn't even get around to visiting) & Wellington were going to be good, but I was a bit unsure about the rest of the country.

Here's a summary of the vegan eats I sampled in Wellington at the beginning & end of my trip. Starting off with a snack at Matterhorn. Matterhorn is all dark wood, dim lighting & trendy as can be. I liked it, but would have felt more comfortable at a laid-back bar. We got there too late for the full menu so had to satisfy ourselves with the bar snacks (there isn't really a whole lot more choice on the other menus for a vegan anyway). There are a couple of vegan options in the snacks - I went for the White Bean & Lemon Dip with Crispy Pitas & Spring Onion Relish.

This was yummy - not much different from what I make at home, but then, I wasn't at home was I?

Matterhorn
106 Cuba St, Wellington
Mon-Fri 11.30am-late; Sat-Sun 10am-late
www.matterhorn.co.nz

While discussing where we should go for dinner one evening I discovered Southern Cross. This pub/bar has a very vegan-friendly menu, making it oh so easy by actually marking the suitable items with the goold ol' 'v' for vegetarian or 'vg' for vegan. Love it. First visit I chose the Homemade Dips with Olives & Toasted Bread.

Not super-fancy, but everything it promised to be - there was a kumara & a beetroot dip & all the breads were really tasty.

The bro went with something a little more adventurous - a Stonegrill with Marinated Tofu, Veggies & Sesame Soy Noodles. The stonegrill is a volcanic rock heated to 400 degrees celsius, which you then use to grill your own meal. It's pretty cool. And also very tasty.

On my second visit I wasn't as hungry, so chose the Warm Winter Salad of parsnip, pear, walnuts, greens & marinated tofu. It was a big meal & extremely satisfying. Really hit the spot.

I loved this place. The vibe was great, the staff were friendly, the service was efficient & the music was cool. You should definitely put it on your Wellington list.

Southern Cross
39 Abel Smith St, Te Aro, Wellington
No idea what their hours are, but you could give them a call - 04 384 9085
www.thecross.co.nz

Here we have one of the vegan breakfast options at the Maranui Cafe - the Scrambled Tofu with Avocado. There was way too much soy sauce on this - especially for a breakfast dish. But I loved the avocado toast - it went some way to balancing out that overwhelming salty flavour.

Maranui is a really cool cafe with great staff, great music, a laid-back vibe & fantastic views over the harbour. There's not a great deal on offer for vegans, but the coffee is good, so I recommend you at least give it a go.

Maranui Cafe
Maranui Surf Life Saving Club
The Parade, Lyall Bay, Wellington,
7 days, 7am-5pm
www.maranuicafe.co.nz

Last but not least is the Wellington stalwart - Midnight Espresso. For an omni cafe, this place is uber-vegan friendly. There's loads to choose from - whether you want a quick counter snack or something more substantial off the menu.

On my first visit I was just after a refreshing drink & decided to ask if their milkshakes could be made vegan. The answer? Yes they can. And to replace the dairy ice-cream they used avocado... aweseome! So here is my Vegan Raspberry & Avocado milkshake - super creamy, beautifully rich & even a little bit good for me :-)

My second visit to Midnight was at lunchtime & I was starving after a morning of tourist-type activities. I chose the vegan nachos. They came loaded with vegan goodies - beans, olives, jalapenos, salsa, avocado, vegan mayo & hommus. Yum yum yum!

Wellington knows how to do cool without pretension like nowhere else I've ever been & Midnight is no exception. Friendly staff, awesome laid-back vibe, good music (of course) & a menu that will leave you wanting to come back again & again until you have tried it all. A must for any veg*n in town.

Midnight Espresso
178 Cuba St, Wellington
Mon-Fri 7.30am-late; Sat-Sun 8am-late

More Sydney vegan eats

I had one of those moments when I was uploading the photos for this post (all of stuff I ate on Saturday). I suddenly realised, 'holy crap, that's a lot of food!'. As one friend said, it's OK, you're on holiday. I like her thinking, but I'm not sure that I can justify the 'I'm on holiday, I'll eat whatever I want' thing for 3 months (and counting)... It's just so exciting to be in a new place - I want to try everything and I want it now!

Anyway, lets talk about the food. Next on my list of Sydney vegan-eats was Naked Espresso in Newtown. I was extremely tempted by the giant fry up and the Aussie vegan feast, but I decided to be sensible and went for the BLAT instead (using redwood vegan bacon). It came as an open sandwich with a side of vegan mayo & Dijon mustard. This was tasty, but I was left feeling a little dissatisfied. I think it's because this is the kind of meal I can make easily at home. When I go out for a meal I like to get stuff that's a bit different, or fancier than what I can be bothered to do myself. Not that I'm blaming Naked, I should have put more thought into my order.

I checked out the vegan pizzas on the Basil Pizza menu while I was there and I can't wait to get back and try them!

Naked Espresso
126 King St, Newtown
Sat-Sun 9am-2pm
www.cafenaked.com

For lunch I went back to my old Sydney backup - Iku. This time I opted for a change to my regular mezze box and got a rice ball wrap. It was all kinds of delicious, mainly because there was no skimping on the sauces. There were 2 different sauces in there, something tahini-ish and the other mayo-like and there was heaps!

Iku Wholefood
Various locations throughout Sydney, check website for opening hours
www.ikuwholefood.com.au

S & I met up with a couple of friends in Newtown for dinner & by the time we wandered down King St & chose Arabella - a Lebanese restaurant that K had visited before, we were all starving. Hence these photos are of the carnage left behind after our feast - we just couldn't wait for the photos to be taken!

This is what's left of my Fatoush - the salad was loaded up with beautiful deep-fried flat bread and tons of olive oil & lemon juice - yum yum yum!

The dips - only two of which were vegan - the hummus on the left & the garlic on the right. The waiter (possibly the owner?) had said originally that since we had ordered so much food he would 'bring us some dips'. This implied to all of us that they were complimentary. We were wrong - they were on the final bill. Oh well, they tasted good!

My fried cauliflower with tahini dipping sauce. I'm a huge fan of cauliflower but I've never eaten it like this before - I will be in future because it was delicious!

Two lonely felafels that no-one could squeeze in. I think these were my favourite dish - they were super-crispy & came with a side of pickled vegetables and the same tahini sauce I had with the cauliflower.

Just as we were all groaning & moaning about having eaten too much, the bellydancers came out (I think they are there Saturday & Sunday nights). I would have like to stay for the entertainment, but the others were all pretty tired so we said goodbye.

The food at Arabella was really really good - for that reason alone I'll go back. The service was friendly & efficient and there was a pleasant atmosphere. The prices are fairly high but now that we know how much you get for your money, next time we won't order so much.

Arabella
489 King St, Newtown
7 days 5-11pm; Fri-Sun 12-3pm
www.arabella.com.au

O Organic Produce, Surry Hills

On my quest for a vegan breakfast in Surry Hills, I happily stumbled across O Organic Produce - a recommendation from Mandee at Cupcake Kitteh. I have since discovered they have 2 other stores - at Bondi Westfield & Wynyard station.

O has that healthy, friendly vibe you get in most organic places. Lots of timber, lots of smiling staff and nice chilled music. We were there for breakfast, but I was sorely tempted by the array of takeaway lunch treats in the cabinet - the salads looked amazing.

I've actually been a couple of times now - it's the kind of place I know I will go back to again and again until I have tried every vegan thing on the menu.

On the first visit S got his favourite juice - apple, carrot & ginger. It was delivered quickly & was as fresh as you would expect.

I didn't have to think much about what to order for breakfast - the vegan french toast was a no-brainer. I was very curious to see how it would stack up to the Monk Bodhi Dharma version (see 1 & 2).

It stacked up well. The bread was super fresh, perfectly fried & topped with lovely sweet fresh fruit, toasted coconut & agave syrup. I still have a soft-spot for that vegan cream cheese at Monk Bodhi, but this version has to be at least equal for flavour.

There was only one hiccup - they forgot my coffee and when I finally got it after I had finished my breakfast the milk was burnt, which wasn't the nicest end to the meal.

Visit 2 went off without a hitch. This time I opted for savoury - organic baked beans on sourdough, with a soy banana smoothie.

The beans were really really good. The sauce had tons of flavour - based around their zucchini & tomato chutney and there were lots of nice fresh greens to balance the heavier, spicy flavour of the sauce.

O Organic Produce
487 Crown St, Surry Hills
Mon-Sat 7.30am-4.30pm; Sun 8.30am-3.30pm
www.organicproduce.com.au

Truman Cafe, Albert Park

My Melbourne office has just moved from South Melbourne to Albert Park and I quickly made it my business to discover the local food & coffee delights. I reckon I hit the jackpot on day 1. Truman Cafe seems to have only opened a few months ago, but in true Melbourne fashion, already has a loyal local following.

The first reason for that must be the coffee - perfect every time, smooth, strong and delivered in cute retro style.

The second reason is the atmosphere - a little bit retro, a little bit warehouse, a little bit bayside and with funky, chilled music all day long.

The third reason doesn't have a photo - it's the staff. Every single person I met over 3 days was super-friendly, helpful, efficient but laid-back at the same time and just all-round charming.

The menu doesn't have any outstanding choices for vegans, but it's not too bad for this part of the bay. On the first morning I ordered the sauteed mushrooms on toast. I think they came with feta, so I asked the waitress if that could be left out. She immediately asked if I was vegan, which I loved - it gives me confidence when 'vegan' isn't a foreign word. It turned out that the mushrooms were pre-cooked in butter, but as it wasn't busy the chef was happy to make up some fresh without the butter for me - what outstanding service!

The second meal I at was the now standard cafe fare of avocado & tomato on sourdough. A simple dish, but the freshest ingredients plus loads of avocado made it something special.

And then, once I spotted the pepper grinder I kept finding reasons to add more... and more. Just look how cute it is!

My final meal didn't get a photo - it was just a quick serve of toast on my way to the airport. I can't wait to get back to Melbourne now - Truman is the kind of place that becomes your home away from home. Vegans, don't go there expecting a feast, but I still recommend it based on the coffee, service & overall vibe.

Truman Cafe
381 Montague St, Albert Park
Mon-Fri 7am-5pm; Sat-Sun 8am-5pm

Self-catering in Italy

I knew once I started researching vegan eating opportunities in Italy that my choices were going to be limited. Compared to other countries, there are few vegetarian listings on sites like Happy Cow, and my search of blogs didn't uncover much.

Despite all that, I've actually been eating quite well for the last 2 weeks. I've adopted the 'keep it simple' attitude and have been using a mix of self-catering, buffet breakfasts and the occasional meal out.

In Milano, with the luxury of a full kitchen in C's apartment, we were able to prepare meals like this - penne with fresh pesto. So easy to make - we ground up some almonds & walnuts, added finely chopped garlic, a slurp of olive oil & tore up a bunch of fresh basil & some spinach leaves. Delizioso!

For breakfast (when it's not provided by the hostel) and lunch/snacks throughout the day, it's a whole heap of fruit & some almonds for protein.

Check out the price on these bananas - 60c for 5! I've been eating tons of them because they're so cheap - I'll probably have withdrawals when I get back to Australia.

In hostels with a kitchen it's easy to prepare fresh salads. The produce here is so fresh & tasty - especially the tomatoes. I have never tasted tomatoes like these in Australia. This salad is simply mixed leaves, tomatoes & chickpeas, dressed with olive oil & salt/pepper.

Not being able to afford eating out every day has actually been a great chance for me to get healthy & do a mini-detox. I don't feel deprived of anything, plus the heat over here means that eating heavier, cooked meals just isn't appetising.

Gnostic Mana, Woy Woy

So, I've left Melbourne, maybe temporarily, maybe forever, I'm not too sure yet. I'm about to head overseas for 4 or 5 months, so the food posts will dwindle a little, though there's bound to be some great vegan finds along the way.

I'm starting a new travel blog, which I'll tell you about soon, but for now I'm back in my old stomping ground of the Central Coast, NSW.

Gnostic Mana is part of Gnostic Corner*, a small urban hippy haven in the sometimes rough environment of Woy Woy (the town so nice they named it twice!).

Woy Woy has really copped it over the years, particularly from comedians (everyone from Spike Milligan, whose mother lived there & who famously described the town as the 'largest above ground cemetery in the world'; to Felicity Ward, who went for the more modern styling of 'a train station wrapped in a titty bar'). Poor old Woy Woy. Sure, at night it can get a bit dodgy, but it has actually grown into a pretty nice place in recent years. It's surrounded by beautiful national parks & has lots of lovely waterfront to enjoy.

And Gnostic Mana is definitely worth making the trip for. It's not a 100% vegetarian cafe, but has lots of vegetarian & clearly-marked vegan options on the menu. The staff are friendly, the coffee is probably the best on offer on the Coast (not outstanding, but at least consistent), the food servings are large & the atmosphere is comfortable. They have lots of outdoor seating too, like this courtyard:

which has this mosaic on the wall that I love:

Here's just a few samplings from the menu - I'm working in Woy Woy at the moment, so there's been more visits than these that I have forgotten to photograph.

A vegan roast vegetable wrap. Tasty, but I was disappointed as the menu promised toasted pine nuts, and they were missing. A nice, light lunch.

The scrambled tofu. Simply served with spinach, rocket, sundried tomatoes & turkish toast with Nuttelex (I love cafes that serve Nuttelex - these small touches really make the difference). A couple of things stood out for me - the seasoning largely comes from tabasco, not soy sauce as is usually the case. This provides some pleasant heat & makes for a lighter taste overall. Also, the tofu is grated, not cubed - this also makes the meal lighter & somehow tastier.

The best thing on the menu, in my opinion - Vegan Breakky Wrap. This was all kinds of awesomeness I can't put into words. So stupidly simple yet so delicious. Fresh toasted Turkish bread, mushrooms cooked to perfection, fresh baby spinach, a hash brown & tomato relish (which I think is the secret ingredient). This is such a wonderfully healthy alternative (except maybe the hash brown - but you know, it's good to have a small amount of fried food sometimes) to the breakfast offerings made by certain fast food chains and I love it! I also suspect it would be a winning hangover cure.

Last but not least, Gnostic also has a range of vegan baked treats - I've managed to resist so far - but I just love that they are there if I want them.

Gnostic Mana
31 The Boulevarde, Woy Woy
7 days, 8am-5pm
www.gnosticmanacafe.com.au

* which also includes an organic grocer, a natural therapies practice, a florist, a gift shop and a hemp clothing shop.

Mega Cafe Catch-up Part 3

The third & final instalment in my cafe catch up posts from Melbourne. Pretty much all these photos are crap - sorry about that.

This is the avocado on toast at Wee Jeanie. I've blogged about this cafe before, and visited many, many more times without blogging. This meal comes with loads of fresh rocket, a yummy tomato relish & fresh lemon.

I just love this place. The service is always outstanding, it has a fantastic vibe and the coffee is by far the best in the west. Sure, the vegan options are pretty light on, but in the western suburbs you take what you can get. Keep up the good work guys!

Wee Jeanie
50 Anderson St, Yarraville
Tuesday to Saturday, 7.30am-4.30pm

For a quick lunch in the city, it's hard to go past The Organic Food & Wine Deli. Yes, I think they are a tad over-priced, and the service is mostly miss, rarely hit. But since Soul Food in Equitable Place closed down, it's one of the only sit-down places with lots of vegan choices on the menu. My favourite thing here is the tofu burger, but I've eaten it so many times I thought I should try something different. So I did - this is the vegan kashmir pie. It was OK - not as flavoursome as the burgers and heated up in the microwave, which is annoying because it made the pastry go soggy. But healthy, filling & warm. One warning - stay away from the coffee, I've never had a drinkable one here.

TOFWD
28 Degraves St, Melbourne
Mon-Fri 7am–7.30pm; Sat 8am–6pm; Sun 9am–5pm
www.tofwd.com.au

Last, but not least is this small vegan special plate at Gopals. I have a confession to make. I'd never been to Gopals. There, I've said it. I never went in the 4 1/2 years as a uni student. I never went in the 2 1/2 years working in the CBD. Then, 4 days out from leaving Melbourne, I found myself in the city at dinnertime & I decided to take the plunge. Without too much thought I went for the vegan special on the board - about $10 I think - it included a drink & a selection of the vegan items from the buffet plus a dessert. From memory there was a dahl, mixed vegetables, rice & a salad.

This is the dessert - It was some kind of apple/pear pudding. Delicious & just the right way to finish. Gopals is a no-frills place, but the atmosphere is pretty good - especially if you sit at one of the window-tables overlooking Swanston St. The servings are big, the food is healthy & everyone is friendly. I would definitely go back.

Gopals Vegetarian
1st floor, 139 Swanston St, Melbourne
Mon-Sat, 11.30am-8.30pm

Mega Cafe Catch-up Part 2

Whoa, nearly 3 months between posts. This week I'm making a huge effort to get this blog up to date. Because I have another project underway, which I'm itching to tell you about.

Here's some food porn of meals eaten in the last 6 months or so.
This was a meal shared with friends at the (then) newly opened Merri Table & Bar - part of the CERES complex in Brunswick. This was some kind of tasting plate made vegan. It included some yummy vegetable tempura, a carrot & cabbage salad, tomato salad & delicious fresh figs. The drink was recommended by the waiter & was probably the highlight - from memory I think it was a fresh plum crush.

The space here is fantastic - light & airy, pretty minimalist. We took advantage of a warm day & sat on the balcony. My only real complaint about The Merri is that for a restaurant aiming for sustainability, there wasn't an awful lot of vegan choice on the menu. However, I have just checked their winter menu - it seems to have improved a fair bit with the vegan & vegan option items clearly marked. They're off to a great start & I would definitely go back.

The Merri Table & Bar
CERES Environment Park, Cnr Roberts and Stewarts Streets, East Brunswick
Wed-Sat 12-9.30pm; Sun 10am-3pm
www.ceres.org.au/themerri

Here we have what must surely be the ultimate in vegan food porn - the big vegan breakfast at Soul Food Cafe. I've always experienced pretty hit & miss service at Soul Food, which is a shame, because their food is awesome & the servings are always huge. This breakfast includes scrambled tofu, mushrooms, tomato, spinach, hash browns, as well as toast with Nuttelex.

Soul Food Cafe
273 Smith St, Fitzroy
Mon-Sat 8am-11pm
www.soulfoodcafe.com.au

Next up we have another serving of the veganised Poached Pears at Monk Bodhi Dharma. The service had improved this time. I'm making the call that this is the best sweet vegan breakfast you will find anywhere. 'Nuff said.

Monk Bodhi Dharma
Rear 202 Carlisle St, Balaclava
Mon-Fri 7am-5pm; Sat-Sun 8am-5pm
www.monkbodhidharma.com.au

Finally, a gratefully found vegan pasta salad in Wangaratta. I needed to kill 2hrs before a train back to Melbourne & had tramped around most of the cafes in Wangaratta when I finally found this one. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the cafe! It was in Ovens St & had a lovely courtyard out the back. The salad was really good too - just the right amount of olive oil & simply seasoned with salt, pepper & fresh basil.

Mega Cafe Catch-up Part 1

Just because I haven't been posting, doesn't mean I haven't been enjoying lots of yummy vegan food these past few months. So here's a snapshot of some memorable meals.

First up, Yamba. Went there for a mini break with Mum & Dad in February. It's an awesome place. I'd describe it as Byron Bay 20 years ago. A cool little surfing town, with a nice mix of laid back beach vibes and (perhaps surprisingly) excellent facilities, cafes, bars etc.Sassafras Pasta & Pizza Restaurant is a cute little Italian-inspired place in the centre of town. The staff were friendly without being overbearing, efficient and knowledgeable. These little bread rolls were lovely - a nice twist on the traditional garlic & herb breads. They come with a range of spreads, which unfortunately aren't vegan, but never mind, the bread is, and it's crusty & hot & yummy.After asking the waiter if the Penne Pesto was vegan I was assured without him batting an eyelid that it was & that he would ensure it wasn't served with any cheese. Quick, easy, the man definitely knew how to provide good service. This meal was simple & delicious - I was just so happy to be able to get such a lovely meal in a small town.
Sassafras Pasta & Pizza Restaurant
16 Coldstream St, Yamba
7 days, 5.30pm til late
www.yambarestaurant.com

Here we have another serving of the Grigons & Orr Marinated Tofu. Flavoursome as always. Have just read a review over at Where's the Beef that mentioned a new menu - I guess that warrants another visit!

Grigons & Orr
Corner Queensberry & Chetwynd Streets, North Melbourne
7 days, 7am-5pm
grigonsorr.com.au

This lovely mess is the small lunch plate special from Friends of the Earth cafe. I can't remember exactly what was on there - some kind of dahl with rice, a couple of different salads, and something to do with potatoes. I do remember it was cheap (around $8 I think), filling, nutritious, organic, and tasted pretty damn good. I highly recommend FoE for a quick bite if you're ever in the neighbourhood.

Friends of the Earth
312 Smith St, Collingwood
Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm; Sat, 10am-4pm; Sun, 11am-4pm
melbourne.foe.org.au

Sweet Treats

Here's a few sweet treats I've been baking lately. First up - the most recent.These are the 'Raspberry Oatmeal Bars' from The Joy of Vegan Baking.Another great recipe from a great book - everyone at work loved them too. The only change I made was to use Mum's home made plum jam (thanks Mum!) as I didn't have any raspberry. I'd recommend this one to people looking for a quick & easy sugar fix - it's a good basic recipe, using ingredients you'll have in the pantry.
This is a veganised version of caramel slice, made because I needed to use up some soy condensed milk. As you can tell from the photo the caramel was too runny. So runny I didn't end up taking the slice to the afternoon tea I had cooked it for. I read somewhere to add cornflour to the mix to thicken it, which I did, but it didn't really work. Oh well - we live and learn.
And here are some Oatmeal Apple Pancakes with Blueberries. I really like these - it's another quick dish, and also surprisingly nutritious - good for a weekend breakfast. Warning - they are pretty sweet, so stay away if you're normally a savoury person. The recipe comes from a free iPhone app which I have posted about before - Whole Foods Market.

Oatmeal Apple Pancakes

• 1 cup rolled oats
  
• 1/2 cup applesauce
  
• 1 egg replacer (I use Orgran - flaxseed would work really well)
  
• 2 TBS maple or agave syrup
  
• 1 TBS Nuttelex

Combine oats, applesauce, egg replacer & syrup in a food processor & puree to make a smooth batter. At this stage, I added 1/4 cup of frozen blueberries & pulsed a few times to chop the berries.

Melt 1/2 TBS of the Nuttelex in a large frypan over medium heat. Working in batches, drop 2 TBS of batter into the pan to form 5 pancakes, spacing them a couple of inches apart. Cook, flipping once, until golden brown & cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining Nuttelex & batter.

Serve warm with your favourite pancake toppings.
Finally, these are Chewy Muesli Squares - kind of healthy with those wholegrains, nuts & seeds but also kind of not with all that sugar & Nuttelex. Delicious though :-)

I'm not sure where this recipe came from - let me know if I've stolen it from you.

Chewy Muesli Squares

• 1/4 cup cup golden syrup
  
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
  
• 1/2 cup Nuttelex
  
• 1/2 cup soft brown sugar
  
• 2 cups breakfast crisp (I used weet bix)
  
• 2 cups puffed brown rice
  
• 1/2 cup cup sesame seeds
  
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

Melt golden syrup, peanut butter, Nuttelex & sugar in a saucepan over low-medium heat & simmer for 5mins. Combine with remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Press this mix firmly into 20x30cm shallow tin. Refrigerate until firm & cut into squares.

Grigons & Orr

I discovered this corner-shop cafe just after it opened, but that was in my pre-blogging days. We probably went there half a dozen times & for some reason stopped visiting regularly about 6 months ago.

That was a mistake. When thinking of yummy vegan breakfast options, I think Grigons & Orr is the closest cafe to home we have. The coffee is also great (served in gorgeous vintage china) & the service is relatively fast & friendly enough for an order-at-the-counter-grab-your-own-cutlery kind of place. The atmosphere is lovely - they have done a really good job recreating the corner store vibe. It's tucked away in a quieter pocket of North Melbourne, so don't go there if you're into people watching - this place is better for a laid-back Sunday breakfast.

Two warnings - this is a friendly-weather only place as the majority of the seating is outside. I think there are 2 tables inside, but it's pretty cramped in there. It also gets very busy, so you may find yourself waiting for a table if you turn up later than early morning.

On this visit I again chose the marinated tofu, with toast (it doesn't come with toast, so make sure you ask).This is a delicious meal - crispy flavoursome tofu with spinach & mushrooms & just the right amount of soy marinade.

There's also a couple of other vegan (or veganisable) options on the menu, so I highly recommend you check it out!

Grigons & Orr
Corner Queensberry & Chetwynd Streets, North Melbourne
7 days, 7am-5pm
www.grigonsorr.com.au