james test

January 24, 2016 We've revisited The Glass Den for Sunday breakfast again , this time in the company of the Moody Noodles . The cafe has changed their menu since our last visit but the abundant vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options remain, including the wonderful coconut hotcakes . Dietary features are marked with pot-plant symbols that are cute but call for extra concentration. Michael ordered the vegan breakfast soba ($16.50), a beautiful bowl of green tea soba noodles, sauteed kale, garlic polenta-crumbed oyster mushrooms, pine nuts, smoked coconut and kale sesame crumble. The mushrooms looked and tasted amazing, and Michael enjoyed this rare breakfast-noodle experience. I took on the somewhat deconstructed black sticky rice pudding ($14). The sticky rice was molded into a dense cake that retained the rice's moisture and chewy texture. In this set-up I found the coconut mousse a teensy bit cloying, but there was bountiful fresh mango to lighten the plate. The odd crunchy...

October 18, 2015 The Glass Den is a roomy Coburg cafe set within the D-division gatehouse of the now-decommissioned Pentridge Prison. In the past month they've really ramped up their vegan menu options, so we skulked in for a late breakfast on Sunday morning. Though it's a meat-and-all menu, it's clear they know their stuff. There are dairy and three non-dairy mylk options on the first page (plus a vegan coffee frappe hidden further back!), and vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free symbols scattered everywhere. They're almost to be expected, perhaps, on the chia pudding and smashed avo dishes, but coconut mousse, coconut bacon and mushroom substitutions mean that plates like the big breakfast and the calamari salad are also on the veg*n table. You've actually gotta hunt for the eggs and bacon (they are there). It all made for some tough  decision-making. Michael needed a flu fighter juice (carrot, ginger and orange; $7) to combat his sniffles. With that done he demanded a se...

May 17, 2015 We've had an eye on Zaatar since it opened a couple of years ago, and we've noticed it earning seals of approval from Cate's Cates , Green Gourmet Giraffe and Veganopoulous in that time. We squeezed our first visit in before their 8pm closing last Sunday night, following an afternoon gig at the Post Office Hotel . We'd spent the duration steadfastly resisting the myriad bowls of fries floating around us, focusing on the falafel to come. The set-up is accessible and family-friendly at Zaatar, with clear display cabinets and counter ordering, dozens of quick-wipe tables that can be rearranged by customers, and a grin on the face of every staff member. Dietary indicators weren't marked on the menu, but there's plenty for vegos to choose from. Given that they make their own bread products on site, coeliacs might be more wary. We shared a combination meal of 3 mezza with dip and salad ($8.50), which was excellent value. The last falafel in the display...

March 9, 2015 If there's one thing more enticing than tray upon tray of golden pastry, then surely it is this sign proudly pronouncing that those pastries are vegan-friendly. Veganopoulous alerted us to Al Nada Sweets almost two years ago, and we've seen them sold at Radical Grocery and Prahran Convenience. But it was our recent 12-hour tour update that finally compelled us to catch the tram north past Moreland Rd and visit the source. While we intended to pick out just a couple of pastries at $1.50 each, we found it impossible to refuse the kindly owner's suggestion that we get their mixed box of 10 for $12. Each was a different permutation on pastry (flat'n'flaky or wiry), ground nuts and sweet, sweet syrup. The high sugar content preserved them well for the few days it took us to consume our collection. There's an extensive list of Al Nada stockists on The Good Hearted but I reckon it's worth getting the pick of the crop for yourself in Coburg. _______...

On a sweltering Saturday, Michael and I had an errand or two to attend to in Brunswick. Lunch in Coburg was the incentive we needed to get ourselves out of the flat and into the scorching sunlight. In particular we were aiming for the Half Moon Cafe - a couple of months ago someone recommended their felafel to us and we've been slow to take their advice. This is one of several unremarkable-looking kebab shops in an area with a distinctly Middle Eastern flavour. However the menu runs a little further than what I've come to expect from the average haven for late-night hungry drunks: there are five different felafel wraps on offer, a couple of legume-based salads and other sides for the vegetarian customer. In fact, as our felafel fried, we were offered teaspoons to taste their fresh batch of Foul Medames. Don't be put off by the name - this is a creamy Egyptian-style fava bean dish packed with flavour. It was only the interminable heat in and outside the cafe that prev...