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

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

Hot poppy

OK, here is something like a review, let me start by saying I am in no way a food snob; I know what I like & what I like is entirely subjective. I don't want this to be a foodie blog; I think I just want other vegan & vege people to be able to identify non-veg cafes where they can get a decent meal. So... here goes....

Partner & I had breakfast at Hot Poppy in North Melbourne on the weekend. I wanted to go somewhere new & I have never eaten in North Melbourne (though I have had good coffee at Hot Poppy before). I did some research & found their menu online that listed vegan breakfast options, so good to go!

First impressions weren't great. After sitting down & being tossed a couple of menus by a harrassed-looking waiter, we waited 15mins to be asked for our coffee/food order. I was also slightly disappointed that the menu we were given was different to the menu on the website. I cheered up when I saw the new vegan option though - a polenta, avocado, baby spinach & capsicum chutney pide. There were other more standard vegan options, like muesli or toast with extras etc & there were definitely plenty of vegetarian options.

The service picked up slightly & the coffee was good, I'd say 3.5/5. Food was yummy, fresh & full of flavour. Partner had the big veg breakfast, which from memory had eggs, mushrooms, spinach, tomato & pesto. Both servings were also huge & left us full until dinner.

Overall I'd rate the breakfast at around 2.5/5. I will give them a second chance, because the food was good, I just hope the wait-staff were having a bad day, because I really don't understand why someone would choose to work in a service industry when they don't like people. Also, this isn't the cafe's fault, but I really hate smokers in cafes. We usually sit outside to enjoy the fresh air & being joined by a smoker completely ruins the appetite. I don't understand why the VIC government hasn't banned this yet, will have to contact whoever is responsible & ask why the lag behind NSW?

P.S. Sorry about lack of photos, I don't have my digital camera yet.