Freestyle Espresso

I discovered a new cafe on Saturday. It was about 2.30 & I was heading from the Altona job to the South Melbourne job & needed to squeeze in a late lunch somewhere. The office is very close to the market but I've already sampled most of the cafes in the immediate area & was feeling like something a bit different. Then I remembered that my boss had told me about a new cafe that had just opened up in a laneway street opposite us. That cafe is Freestyle Espresso & it is brand new - only open 1 month.I knew as soon as I walked in that I was onto a winner. The cafe is light & airy yet funky at the same time. There was great music playing, a mouth-watering display of sandwiches & cakes on display & an all-round good vibe. I approached the counter & was greeted by a super-friendly waiter. Then for the scariest part for any vegan trying a new cafe for the first time - the menu. It isn't extensive & there isn't a whole lot of vegan options on there, but my eye was drawn to the Crushed Avocado & Roast Cherry Tomato on Toast with Lemon Zest. It happened to be just what I felt like so I didn't even ask about the possibility of veganising the other dishes. The staff are really friendly though & I'm sure they would be happy to adjust.I sat down & looked around - I noticed in the corner some shelves with sauces/chutneys/jams etc for sale. I didn't have much time to soak up the atmosphere because my soy latte appeared quickly & it was perfect - creamy & smooth - it disappeared in no time. My meal came out before I'd finished my coffee & looked so cute with the tomatoes still on their stem!I know this is a pretty standard dish in most cafes these days but Freestyle have made a couple of changes to make their version something special. Hidden in all that fresh avocado is tiny pieces of spanish onion, lemon zest & fresh parsley - just enough to add little bursts of flavour that perfectly complemented each other. The tomatoes were perfectly cooked & were super-fresh - very sweet & very delicious.

Freestyle reminds me of the laneway cafes in the CBD - with a bit more space. I really wish it could be kept a secret so that I can keep enjoying it, but know that it will be over-run in no time, which is also good I guess - it's nice to see people trying so hard succeed.

Freestyle Espresso
6 Union St, South Melbourne
7 days, 8am-4pm
www.freestyle-espresso.com.au

A burger from a chain-store

That chain store is Grill'd. I'd been interested in trying their burgers for a little while - they always come up when you do a 'vegan friendly' restaurant search in Urban Spoon. I found myself at work around lunch-time and feeling quite peckish so I decided that today was the today to check them out.

There are 3 veg burgers listed on the menu - one based on a standard veg patty with salad, a mushroom burger & another based on a chickpea patty. One thing I liked - the menu clearly states that all the patties are vegan. So, no need to waste time explaining what vegan is & hauling out packaging to check etc etc. You will need to ask for each of the burgers without the relevant sauce or cheese or pesto or all three to make them vegan though.

I decided to go with the chickpea burger - named 'Bombay Bliss'. The bun was nice & soft & the patty was topped with lovely fresh tomato, lettuce, spanish onion, roasted capsicum & chutney. Unfortunately, even though everything was nice & fresh, it didn't taste all that great. The patty had a hint of curry flavour, but it wasn't nearly strong enough & even the chutney was pretty bland. At $10.50 for a takeaway burger, I expected a little more.
Oh well, nothing ventured nothing gained. And now I know that there's another fast food vegan option out there if I'm ever desperate.