Melbourne however, being the 'cultural capital' of Australia, with a history of artists, musicians, dancers and poets, has a culture of passing the time in cafés on the many laneways or in the bohemian/hippie/hipster/artists area of Brunswick St in Fitzroy. You can get there easily and cheaply from the CBD by taking the tram 86 or 96 within the free tram zone to St Vincent's Hospital, alighting here, then take a right at the hospital and then left at the church onto Brunswick Street.
If you are on a tight budget but like me, you love vintage clothing, coffee, books, food, especially vegan then your self control will be exercised! You can easily spend a day on this street trying the food, looking in the shops and enjoying the Gardens at the top, in Fitzroy North.
I visited Vegie Bar which is moderately priced but very popular. The vegan curries are great and change regularly. When I was there it was a Massaman Curry. I did a cooking class at Time for Lime on the Thai island Koh Lanta, which is vegan-friendly and we made Massaman Curry. The one at Vegie Bar came a close second to mine! We had the freshest of ingredients in Thailand and we pounded the curry paste for 30 minutes in a pestle and mortar. Anyway, their cakes looked really good too, though not so cheap.
Opposite Vegie Bar is an interesting bookshop and an entirely Vegan shop called the Cruelty Free Shop. Here you can buy anything from cooking ingredients to ready meals, caramel squares and tiffin etc, vegan alternatives to mars and snickers, soya milk and soya cheese as well as vegan shoes, wallets, bags and purses. Further up the road towards Fitzroy North is Mr Natural Pizza which unfortunately I didn't have time to try. Other vegetarian cafés on this street with plenty of vegan options are Radheys, Madame K's, Smith & Daughters, and a vegan bakery on Smith Street.
Within the city centre, or CBD, there are many non-veg cafés with soya milk and vegan cakes. There is a wholesfoods shop with vegan takeaway meals and cakes on Flinders Street, near Flinders Station. On Elizabeth Street, a 5-10 minute walk from Flinders Station and Federation Square is a vegetarian Indian restaurant called Om Vegetarian. There are two other branches of this company within Melbourne centre. I visited three times. They state on their sandwich board, ideal for backpackers, and it is. For $6.50 you get a vegetarian or vegan thali, consisting of a chickpea or lentil curry, a potato curry, rice, pickles and a lot of nan bread. The best bit is that if you're still hungry you can ask for more, even if you do feel like Oliver Twist going back to the counter with your plate! I'll note that there are also jugs of tap water sitting out. There is also Gopals and Crossways, very close to eachother on Swanston Street. I ate at both of these cafes, which I believe are both also Hare Krishna run. The food I had was tasty, and definitely hearty and filling. Crossways provided a full meal for less than $8, including dessert, a drink, a main course and seconds if you wanted!
Of course all over Melbourne is Lord of the Fries which is a vegetarian fast food chain, also providing gluten free and vegan. These are often situated on main streets and beside train stations etc and very handy if you're in a rush! They do great milkshakes and beautiful fries with various sauces.
Lastly, a visit to St Kilda Beach rewards you with not just a beach with calm waters just 20 minutes from the city and an original amusements park from 1912 but also Sister of Soul. Here I had what was probably my tastiest meal - a tempeh stirfry with satay sauce, followed by the vegan berry cheesecake. This restaurant is quite new and moderately priced but very popular. Nearby is Crave which sells frozen yoghurt and has vegan options. There was also a gelato shop with vegan ice cream/sorbet.
Sisters of Soul in St Kilda
There are also countless others all over Melbourne and you can find these on http://www.happycow.net/
No comments:
Post a Comment