Hello! So it wasn't really a food holiday, more like a couple of days off in between shows. But along with having a lot of sleep and trying to get over my cold, I ate a lot of food. A loooooottttttt of food. Here is what I ate. (v) indicates the restaurant/cafe is completely vegetarian/vegan. All the restaurant names are clickable.
When we first arrived in Melbourne I was so tired and hungry so I walked to the nearest cafe that Urbanspoon told me had vegan and gluten free options. The girl at the counter was so helpful in finding me something I could eat (and take away so I could go to the hotel and eat in bed!) I had an avocado sandwich on gluten free bread and garlic and thyme roasted tomatoes. For beverages I had a soy flat white and a grapefruit juice. The grapefruit juice was so amazing I went back to look for it twice but they'd run out, so I had a mandarin juice. Yum! They put it in a cardboard box so I could carry it home with me easily. Legends.
Lord of the Fries is a mega treat whenever I'm in Sydney or Melbourne. If there was a Lord of the Fries near me... I don't even want to think about it. I had the 'Original Burger', which is seriously just like a cheeseburger, except everything on the menu is vegetarian and they can make most things vegan/gluten free on request. I had it on a gluten free bun with vegan cheese. Incredible. They also do chips with various toppings, nuggets, onion rings and other delicious fried yummies.
This restaurant had just opened last time I was in Melbourne and I didn't get around to visiting, but this time I managed to get in while they were open (check the opening times!) and have the most amazing experience. The girl who served us was so lovely and helpful (and incidentally, her mum - who she mentioned during our conversation about food - commented on an unrelated photo of mine on Instagram saying her daughter worked at Smith & Daughters and I should go there... small world!) ANYWAY, so I had this incredible hot juice of orange, ginger, turmeric and some other good things. It was so spicy but I loveddddd ittttt.
This was the breakfast burrito, gluten free version. Atop the corn tortillas is scrambled tofu, kale, cashew cheese and a few other lovely things. 10/10 WOULD EAT AGAIN. But their whole menu was incredible so I would love to go eat there many, many times. Everything on the menu is vegan and there are gluten free options listed.
This was yummy and I ate it ALL in one sitting while watching TV on the couch, because I am superwoman. Crispy tofu entree and basil and chilli fried rice. Their website said they did gluten free and vegan on request so I felt pretty comfortable asking for what I wanted over the phone. It was delicious. Now I want more crispy tofu.
Vegie Bar is one of the most exciting places to eat in Fitzroy. It's always packed and busy with people eating their amazing meals. Last time I went I ordered a nachos and it was HUGE and I could only eat a third and they don't allow takeaway so I felt sad. Haha. So this time I was incredibly hungry and I ate and ate and ate until I felt sick but kept putting food in me. It was great. The staff are lovely and the food is surprisingly quick to arrive seeing as how busy it is. The menu is clearly marked with vegan and gluten free options. This is the Gado Gado, steamed veggies and satay sauce kinda thingo. Yummo.
Now I couldn't just stop at one course, could I! I had been craving something sweet (and I really should have stopped at this one thing...) so I got this raw cheesecake, I believe it was lemon and vanilla flavour. It was tangy and smooth and cheesecakey. Their selection of cakes and sweets in the cabinet was impressive.
I had three beverages while I was eating my food because I am greedy and it was cold. This was a rather yummy hot chocolate on soy.
I'd been to Spud Bar once before so I knew what I was in for (extreme deliciousness). The guy behind the counter was so friendly and gave me free avocado instead of the dairy in my meal (woo!) Believe it or not, there is a whole potato under all those toppings. I got the Chilli Bean and Salsa spud minus the dairy. (Plus the avocado, of course!) It was goooooood. There are a few veggie options on the menu and they can easily leave off the dairy.
Remember when I said I should have stuck to one sweet item today? Yeah...this was my downfall. I wanted something sweet for after my spud (whyyyyy!!!???) so we checked out Frolic Yoghurt and were pretty excited to see the word 'vegan' around the store a lot. There were several flavours of vegan frozen yoghurt (pictured here are coconut, chocolate and caramel/walnut/banana or something like that) and also most of the toppings are vegan and most of the things in the store, apart from the obvious things like biscuits, are gluten free. I topped my ridiculous serving with caramelised banana, cocoa nibs, shredded coconut, vanilla halva, slivered almonds, warm blueberry sauce, nutella sauce, Hersheys chocolate sauce and caramel sauce. I ate it and then I felt very, very sick from eating too much sweet stuff. I should know better! There's a reason I never feel like sweet things...my body does NOT like them. I felt quite ill all night and the next day. BUT...it tasted bloody good and when I visit again I will eat it again but a much smaller serving. Good girl.
We had just found out that we got nominated for an ARIA for Best Rock Album (woo!) and we went out to celebrate with breakfast, because we are very rock. I suggested Martha Ray's because it was close by and yum. Everyone agreed. I had exactly the same thing as I had the other day, except not takeaway. So it was a little prettier. I also had a chai. Mmm I love chai.
We played in Ballarat and the venue has its green room at the local Irish pub, where they offer discounted meals for bands. The menu is pretty amazing...if you're a meat eater or someone with no allergies. I just asked for 'whatever you can give me that's gluten free and vegan' and got this pretty amazing plate of goodness! The next night I felt like something a little different so I got a spicy soup and fried rice from a local joint called Jasmine Thai Restaurant. Was very yummy.
Tonight we are in Bendigo and the spread they've put on at the venue is incredible! Plenty of fruit, chips and dips, olives, etc. Delicious. We have two more shows to go on this run - San Remo and Geelong - so I'll be interested to see what I get to eat over the next couple of days. How good is food.
Jen
I can't wait to go to Melbourne in 4 weeks! I just booked birthday dinner at Smith & Daughters, and I have added Frolic to my Google Maps based on your review. So much food!
ReplyDelete