VICTORIA FOOD HOLIDAY PART 2

It’s always a little harder to find good gluten free and vegan food in regional areas so I’m always on the lookout for things I can put in my belly. I was totally bummed that I forgot to look up good things to eat when I was in Bendigo, because there is a gluten free bakery there that apparently also has vegan options! Arghhh! So I totally missed out on that. I’ll have to remember to go there next time I’m in Bendigo. The rider was so extensive in Bendigo that I didn’t get anything else for dinner. So dinner that night was mostly olives, hommus and crackers. Mmmmm hommus.

The Westernport Hotel - San Remo

Nice, fancy pub food. We were playing there so we got a small discount on our meals. I ordered a roast pumpkin salad and a side of roast potatoes. The restaurant was quite busy but not completely full. I have no idea why, but it took over an hour for us to get our food. Everyone was very apologetic about it. Tables who arrived after us got their meals way before us, so I’m not sure what was going on. The food was pretty good, the dressing on the salad was fantastic. But the pumpkin and chickpeas were very minimal in the salad and I would have been very disappointed if I had paid nearly $20 for a salad of mostly greens. The roasted potatoes were delicious. I assume everyone else enjoyed their meals, but they were mostly just cranky about having to wait an hour. Playing with a full belly is pretty difficult (try doing a workout for an hour after a big meal…) so an hour makes a huge difference if you’re eating before a show.

Nude Food - San Remo

We stopped for a quick breaky before a long drive, and I’d noticed a sign saying ‘gluten free’ out the front of Nude Food. So while the boys got pies and pastries from the bakehouse, I walked down to Nude Food and asked what was gluten free, vegan, and easy to take away. The lady said she would make me a wrap with lentil patty and salad. I was keen for whatever. It was delicious, huge and also had hommus and sweet chilli in it. Gooooood!

Bobo’s Fish and Chips - Geelong

I hadn’t had anything battered for about ten years. And being vegan, you certainly ain’t going to get anything suitable at a fish and chip shop unless it’s just chippies, and I’ve come to realize that simply potato does not a hearty meal make! So when I found out about a fish and chip shop that was mostly gluten free… I was pretty intrigued. I figured I might as well pop along and see if there were vegetable based items in sweet, sweet batter. I was not disappointed. I had a great chat to the owner, who told me the batter is simply rice flour and water, no other nasties, and cooked in separate fryers. Ah-mazing. I had a pineapple fritter, homemade spring roll, potato scallop and pumpkin scallop. WOW. They were incredible. Next time I go I’ll probably just get two pineapple fritters and three spring rolls. They were deeeeelish. I was the happiest girl in the world.

Kohinoor Tandoori Restaurant - Geelong

I have it on good authority from a Geelong local that Kohinoor is the best Indian food in Geelong. I got a takeaway vegetable biriyani. Quite often I go the vegetable biriyani as it’s pretty transparent in regards to ingredients. This one was quite good but basic and it could have had a bit more spice and flavour. I ended up taking it home with me and putting some chilli and other spices in it when I heated it up. I like peas.

Smith & Daughters - Fitzroy (v)
I think this could actually be my favourite place to eat in Melbourne. The staff are so lovely. And the food is actually the best thing. I had an omelette and a juice. I have no idea how they make a vegan omelette that tastes and looks like an egg omelette, but my word it’s good. They are very clever food builders. They also have a homemade chorizo style thingy in the omelette that tastes just like chorizo. Magic. This is a very special place and I will be visiting it at least once every time I’m in Melbourne.