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

Fox Hotel, Collingwood

After reading about Cindy & Michael's first visit to this recently revamped pub in Collingwood I was hooked. Not only do they serve up multiple vegan options - they're interesting options. Then I read about their most recent visit & discovered they also have a rooftop beer garden & was desperate to visit. We finally made it on Monday night - after all, I need to gather subject matter if I'm to keep up with Vegan MoFo (that's my excuse & I'm sticking with it!).

It's worth noting what seemed to be an extensive beer menu - I saw at least 2 pages of international beers & there may have been more. I rarely drink these days, but when I do my beer of choice is Coopers Sparkling. D chose one of his current favourites - the Little Creatures Pale Ale.The prices here are on the high side for a pub (but definitely worth it), so we chose to share an entree - the Mushroom & Tofu Gyoza. They arrived quickly & were delicious. The mushrooms gave most of the flavour to the filling & I really liked the dipping sauce (it was based on soy sauce, but had something added). How do you split 5 gyoza between 2 hungry people? Well, I let D have 3 & I compensated by eating the green stuff.For his main, D chose the Whole Field Mushroom Lasagne with Three Cheeses. He really liked this but wished the lasagne serving had been bigger. Of course, with that cheesy sauce I couldn't taste it so can't give you much more detail on the flavours.There was a hiccup with my meal - I ordered the Thai Tofu Balls with Asian Coleslaw & Satay Sauce - but initially received the Marinated Tofu Steak with Wasabi Mayo. I'm not a fan of spicy food, so, even though it looked quite good, I did send it back. I have to say, the service was outstanding. I received my correct meal within 10 minutes & the staff let me know what was happening the whole time - big ticks!

This meal looks impressive - strangely there were a few spring rolls on the plate, but they tasted great, so I'm not complaining :-) The balls had a nice flavour & a perfect golden crunchy crust. They may have been a bit bland on their own, but with the satay sauce & salad this meal receives a gold star from me! If you're on the northside I highly recommend the Fox to you - friendly and attentive staff, efficient service, outstanding food and a fantastic vibe.

The Fox Hotel
351 Wellington St, Collingwood
Mon-Thur 3pm-late (kitchen 5-10pm); Fri-Sun 12pm-1am (kitchen 12-10pm)
http://thefoxhotel.com.au

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.