Veggie Kitchen
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Recently we took my son's girlfriend out for dinner. She's a vegetarian which isn't an issue but she also doesn't eat certain cheeses because of the rennet. Apparently rennet is an enzyme found in the stomach of calves and that was an issue.
Although I let the restaurant know in advance, the only thing they could offer her was a rather bland looking Mediterranean salad. It wasn't satisfactory.
A week later I found myself in a position of finding a restaurant suitable for a vegan. That meant no meat, eggs, dairy products or any other animal-derived ingredients.
[ADVERT]I tried a couple of local restaurants. One said they could come up with something vegan if the chef had 72 hours notice but given the previous experience I wasn't prepared to risk it. Plus I wanted my friend to have some options on the menu to choose from.
After extensive internet scrutiny I found so we trekked across town to Northcote.
ended up being a very quiet subdued restaurant in a suburban stretch of St George's Road. Calm might be the best word to describe it; quiet decor, quiet music and quiet waitresses.
The food is Taiwanese and for someone like myself who is neither a vegan or a vegetarian it was also incredibly delicious.
The best thing about the night, however, was observing my companion (who usually has so much trouble finding anything on a menu) oohing and cooing over the myriad options.
Entrees including items such as dried tofu mix, enoki mushroom on lettuces, hand-cut sweet potato chips, skewered soy protein served with peanut chilli sauce, dumplings filled with cabbage, radish and bean curd, and tofu pockets stuffed with green bean noodle, black fungus and tofu paste. Entrees ranged from $5 to $9 and there were lots of great options to share.
Mains included deep fried homemade tofu with homemade cabbage pickle and garlic soy sauce, pan-fried thinly sliced oyster mushroom with broccoli and stir-fried black rice with soy ham and vegetables.
Many of the meals came with black rice which is high in fibre and rich in iron and has a delicious chewy consistency and nutty flavour.
The two sisters who run are interested in the health properties of various foods so these are sometimes listed next to the dishes. For example their signature dish is five elements veggie pot with various fresh vegetables and the added goodness of goji berry and gingko. They also serve red moss omelette soup which is a clear vegetable broth with ginger, greens and steamed red moss omelette. The red moss helps blood circulation and increases
hematopoiesis . Mains were around $13.
For dessert there were items like tofu dessert pudding served with adzuki beans toppings and ginger syrup, black sesame pudding, and red bean pancakes. Most of the desserts were around $5.
It was lovely to watch someone who normally has very few food choices enjoy a three course meal with so many options to choose from.
A great addition were the
Mr. Nice Guy vegan cupcakes on the counter when you are paying the bill. "What?" he said in delight "I haven't been able to eat a cupcake in years."
He proceeded to buy three to take home.
Please note that this restaurant in not only vegan but also has many vegetarian options as well. I have tended to concentrate on the vegan options due to the nature of the meal we ate.
The restaurant is also unlicensed. This is by the owners' choice. I guess it all helps to add to peace and quiet and bump up the health benefits of this delicious food.
#vegan
#vegetarian
#restaurants
#northcote
#health_fitness
%wnmelbourne
218199 - 2023-06-16 07:42:04