james test

August 14, 2016 Though it's still pretty chilly, there are signs that winter is receding - the neighbourhood magnolias are flowering, the magpies look ready to swoop any day now and we've seen 20 degrees again, just the once. It's enough to inspire Michael to get up early for bird-watching, and for me to grab a picnic blanket and meet him for lunch. Rather than preparing our own spread, we picked up lunchboxes from Mankoushe ($13 each). They'll cater to all manner of special dietary requirements, and the packages were vegan by default on the Sunday that we dropped in. We enjoyed dense little packs of a half-dozen dishes - grainy salads, garlicky sauteed greens, fresh tomatoes and pickley cabbage, nuts folded into a starchy mash, and slightly saucy lentils. Michael ably shovelled up his share with a wooden fork while the sun was still shining; I was slower. The wind picked up, the sun ducked behind a cloud, and I tucked up the last third of my food for later. We escaped ...

Monday night looked like a good one for De Orchid takeaway, so I gave them a call as Michael walked home. Unfortunately their phone went unanswered, eventually returning a message that they were closed due to unforeseen circumstances for a week or two. Darn. It seems that someone else was having the very same conundrum, finding our blog via a google search for indian delivery carlton melbourne just eight minutes after they searched for "de orchid" carlton ! I wonder if they tried the Balti Indian Cafe as google recommended? Instead I took a look at our fridge, papered with takeaway leaflets as it is, and chose the Classic Curry Company. Michael and I first sampled the Classic's curries even before we moved to Melbourne. We were lodging nearby while attending a conference and had somehow heard of it as a local purveyor of cheap and cheerful Indian food. Like Red Pepper , it was an unadorned fit-out filled with members of the local Indian community, and big pots ...

It seems we've finally settled on a local Indian takeaway place, with our second visit in three takeaway trips to De Orchid on Rathdowne Street. The intermediate stop (at Spicy Junction ) had been a bit of a letdown, so it was wonderful to go back to De Orchid and find three more delicious takeaway vego curries for our delectation. We decided to try totally different menu items to last time, going for: a serve of samosas ($3), daal maharani ($8), pumpkin masala ($8.90), navaratan korma ($8.90) and a roti bread ($2). The samosas were a fairly standard smooth vegie mush, with a generous scattering of coriander seeds throughout and a lemon-minted raita. Very tasty. The daal was thick with chunky lentils, had a mild flavour and some easily dodgable chunks of fresh tomato. It was probably a little on the stodgy side, but that's what you want from a daal really. The two vegie dishes were the stars: the korma had the finely chopped vegies that too easily remind me of frozen mixed ...

Even though we hit the jackpot last time with De Orchid , Cindy and I thought we should try out Spicy Junction (which was closed for renovations at our last attempt). The menu promised a range of vego curries for the same kind of prices that most of the local Indian shops offer. I decided to sample three (enough to ensure that we'd both get lunch the next day): the vegetable vindaloo, the navratan korma and the malai kofta. They were all... orange. I was surprised by the orangeness of it all, and Cindy was surprised by the kick in the vindaloo (which was supposed to be mild). The vindaloo and the korma were both full of the kind of small vegie cubes that instantly remind me of McCains frozen vegetables, even if they've been freshy chopped. The tiny chunks also tend to remove any scope for differentiation, so that each mouthful is just orange 'vegetable'. I much prefer chunks of plainly identifiable potato or cauliflower. The kofta fared a little better - creamy a...

Cindy and I have blogged previously about our quest for an excellent Indian place. We've had a few successes , but mostly the local Indian places have been reasonably priced , reasonably tasty , slightly dull - nothing to really inspire our loyalty. Especially not when it comes to take away. J-Wow told us that Spicy Junction on Johnston Street was worth checking out, so I wandered past on the way home to order something to take home and enjoy. The menu looked quite impressive, with loads of vego options, but they were inexplicably closed. Luckily I had a fallback plan - I'd wandered up Rathdowne Street on my way home one evening and stumbled across De Orchid, an Indian place about a block from our house that had completely passed us by. Luckily they were open and their menu was equally veg-friendly. We ordered three curries (to make sure we scored some leftovers for lunch the next day): Saag Paneer, Baingan Bharta and Malai Kofta - two old favourites and an eggplant cu...

I've been a bit slack with Gertrude Street Grub of late - mostly because I've not been venturing to any new places and just been revisiting old favourites . This week, I finally got around to dropping into the Made A Mano bakery and grabbing a pasty to takeaway and eat. Made A Mano is an organic bakery, with a wide range of breads and a heap of delicious looking lunch options (focaccias, pastries, muffins etc). It was impossible to go past the vegetarian pasty option ($5): a huge slab of pastry, filled with potato, peas, onion, celery and a dash of curry flavouring. The pastry was crisp and flaky and the filling was rich, tasty and vegie-licious. I found myself a nice park to sit in and savoured every mouthful. Tremendous. Address: 228 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy Ph: 9417 5998 Price: $5 for pastries

After our cheap and delicious lunch at Nila , we ducked our heads into The Organic Food and Wine Deli (TOFWD) to check out what they had to offer. While the stock isn't strictly vegetarian, there was a wide range of well-marked vego, gluten free and vegan treats to eat in or takeaway. We selected two vego pies: one filled with a mushroom and tofu mix (vegan) and the other with a cheesy mexican bean mush ($4.80 each). We heated them both up on a lazy evening at home (accompanied by a cabbage dish that Cindy will blog soon) and halved them to share between us. The mushroom and tofu mix was my favourite - one of the better pie fillings I've tasted (although still not a patch on Cindy's homemade efforts ). The fact that it mixed so well with my preferred condiment (Worcestershire sauce) probably helped. The Mexican pie was tasty as well, but a little less like a traditional pie and thus not quite as exciting (at least for me). It's rare that we opt for the lazy premade...

On this Saturday we were blessed with sunny skies and an empty schedule, so we decided to venture southside to visit a Melbourne icon: Andrews Hamburgers. This place is the real deal, a 50-year-old family business that hasn't changed its spots (or wood panelling) over its lifetime. And why change when you've hit on the winning formula? The burger-with-the-lot is widely touted as the best in town. Now that's all well and good, but such an establishment is unlikely to offer much to a vegetarian, right? Actually, Andrews Hamburgers do have a vegetarian burger and it's not a completely token latecomer: owner Greg Pappas told the Age that the patty - made of potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, coriander, parsley and feta - is from a recipe that his mother made at home. This is veering into the territory of Grill'd Urban Burger Republic , perhaps, but the rest of this construction is old skool Aussie takeaway: a well-toasted white bun, tomato and iceberg lettuce, g...

Update, 31/12/2014: Bellissimo Gelateria is no longer trading, but there are still loads of similar offerings on Lygon St ( Casa Del Gelato is our favourite!) Icecream has been a great remedy for my tender gums and under-stimulated palate and when my chocolate litre ran out on day five, it was time for an important mission. After days moping around the house, I would dress with some modicum of self-respect, venture out of the house and procure some gelato from one of the Lygon St vendors. I didn't care which one and entered Bellissimo , the first open gelateria I encountered, not hesitating for a second before ordering an extravagant $18.50 1-litre pack to take away. Enthusiasm got the better of my still-numb and muddled mouth and I had to self-consciously repeat my order to the girl at the counter: one third watermelon & orange, one third lime, and one third hazelnut. This investment yielded returns even higher than my previous fix from Sara Lee. Gelato has a unique textu...

After about four days of subsisting on whatever's been in the fridge, supplemented with a few fresh veges, I decided that I'd splurge on a takeaway before Michael returns home. Several times throughout Wednesday I thought about what I should order. On a wintery evening with "showers and local hail" forecast, delivery seemed the smartest option. But delivery constrained me to pizza or Indian, neither of which I was particularly interested in. What I really wanted was some Chinese-style mock meat from the White Lotus vegetarian restaurant and I was pretty sure they don't deliver. Phoning ahead and picking up presents a few more obstacles than it should: you see, I don't drive. No license, no car. I just never got around to it. It would be a long cold walk, an extravagant cab ride, or a cumbersome tram trip. But as I walked home from work to clearing skies, I knew I wanted it that much. I phoned my order in, and the man receiving it warned me that they ...

20/12/2012: The Carlton branch of Browns seems to have closed down. Looks like Baker's Delight won the battle. I did some grocery shopping in the early afternoon on Saturday and picked up this vegetarian pasty ($5.20) from Browns Bakery on my way home. While I could have had it microwaved there, I elected to enjoy it in the comfort of my own couch after 15 minutes in the oven. The pastry is generous and comforting: a bit flaky, a bit buttery, but not at all greasy. The filling is dominated by potato but as you can see below, also includes a variety of other veges. The flavour is mild with a hint of pepper. After a couple of test bites I elected to add sauce, though it would be almost as enjoyable without it. While this was easily $5.20's worth of satisfaction on a winter afternoon it's possible that it's available elsewhere for less. I couldn't help noticing that Browns' corn, cheese and asparagus pie looked identical to the ones I occasionally buy from ...

30/06/2013: Over at Fitzroyalty , Brian reports that Tandoori Times has now closed. Thursday evening involved a couple of aborted plans, culminating in a night at home with home-delivered Indian. This time we sampled the wares of Tandoori Times. Their menu (available online) boasts about 20 vegetarian mains as well as the usual appetisers, breads and rice. With a base of basmati rice and garlic naan, we went for (from top to bottom in the pic) sabzi makhani ($8.50), Punjabi daal tadka ($7.90), tandoori gobhi ($9.90) and paneer pumpum ($7.50). The pumpum, battered and fried cheese, was a fairly chewy patty with an acidic tang and chilli punch. The curries were likewise quite hot, pleasant but not memorable; the naan well-flavoured but a bit rubbery. The highlight of the meal was undoubtedly the tandoori cauliflower: tender and super-tangy with a smoky finish. The leftovers of this dish were in high demand for Friday's lunch! Vegetarian tandoori options are something of a rar...

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...

Update 31/12/2014: Burger Republic has been taken over by Urban Burger - we've visited their Richmond branch but haven't been back to Errol Street to check out this outlet. After missing out on a taste of Burger Republic the other week , there was an undercurrent of chip cravings in our home for quite a few days. This manifested itself in a couple of meals with olive oil baked potatoes as a featured side dish (my subconscious at work), which were received with murmurs of "Mmmm....chips" from Emma. The situation was finally resolved on Saturday night. Emma and Simon had spent the day moving their belongings into their new home, and it was clear that beer and a burger would be a hearty and most deserved dinner for the pair. Burger Republic has an online menu , making the call-and-collect approach most convenient! Above is Michael's lentil burger ($8.50), with avocado, coriander, salad, relish and aioli. On the right is my red republic ($8.50), which contains a...

After dinner at the Vegie Bar and a drink a little further along Brunswick St, most of our party discovered their dessert stomaches and joined the out-the-door queue for gelato at Trampoline . Michael and I shared this cup of violet rumble, coffee crunch and caramel pear sorbet. Both the sorbet and gelato flavours were smooth and refreshing, not heavy or too rich. The coffee crunch and violet rumble hit the mark, but I found the caramel pear overly sweet and lacking fruity tang (guess I should have ordered lemon or lychee & lime if that was what I was looking for). This is the perfect treat for a summer night: cool and light, sweet and fruity or chocolatey as you please, and just a little extravagant. Categories: Takeaway Sweet

New Year's Day saw us back in Melbourne, with two guests in Emma and Simon and no energy for culinary creation. Thus, we opted for the lazy option of home-delivered takeaway Indian from Fitz Curry Cafe. Fitz Curry has featured previously in our quest for the best Indian takeaway in Melbourne and, while it's no Punjabi Palace , it's leading my mental rankings so far. After a quick look at our previous post, we decided to order five curries between four to ensure delicious leftovers for our disturbingly premature first days back at work. The orders for the evening were: kahari mushroom, paneer jelfrezi, malai kofta, spinach kofta curry and mumbai chicken (for Simon!). The kofta in the spinach kofta were massive and thus a little dry in the middle despite the oceans of sauce they were swimming in. The rest of the veg options were pretty tasty - particularly the kahari mushroom, with well-cooked mushrooms and a range of other vegies scattered throughout. Everything was ...

I have been wanting to visit Lord of the Fries since I first saw it listed on the Vegetarian Network Victoria website . This Sunday afternoon offered the opportunity, preceeded by a walk from Carlton to the CBD, which diminished my chip-guilt. Lord of the Fries is essentially a burger stand opposite Flinders St station, and it seems to be designed with me in mind. First, it's 100% vegetarian. Second, they offer a multitude of condiments with their chips. Third, they sell miniture burgers as well as regular-sized, because they know that some of us like chips more than burgers . Between us, Michael and I almost demolished a box of chips with Belgian-style topping (mayonnaise). The chips were tasty and soft in the centre, though not as crunchy on the outside as those at Grill'd . The thick mayo is actually on a par with home made , far superior to Kraft or any other supermarket brand. The burgers are like vegetarian Big Macs, though the soy protein patties might be beefier...

Making risotto cakes and gelato earlier in the week had me all cooked out, and I still needed to bake some more muesli for breakfast. Sufficient excuse for a takeaway dinner, I'd say. I denied myself an afternoon snack with the promise of an early Indian meal, and wandered over to the Balti Indian cafe when I finished work. The cafe has a very pleasant interior and I probably would have enjoying eating in, but I was all psyched up to go home, maybe watch what remained of The Cook and the Chef, and get some muesli into the oven. I picked out vegetable samosas, navrattan korma, basmati rice and a plain naan and they were ready in about 10 minutes. I particularly enjoyed the samosas: the pastry was thin, crispy and not flaky; the centre was mostly smooth flavoured potatoes. The rice and bread both provided good support to the curry without being remarkable in themselves. I was underwhelmed by the korma: the potato pieces were very firm and I'm not a fan of peas; the spic...

Cindy had biscuit baking to do on Tuesday night, so we opted for a lazy night of takeaway. Unfortunately neither of us felt much like eating anything based on rice, meaning Indian and Thai were off the agenda, leaving us hunting for some good takeaway pizza. We'd tried Mr. Natural pizza previously, but given Melbourne's (and particularly Carlton's) reputation as pizza-town, were pretty sure we could do better. None of the Italian places on Lygon Street jumped out at us as being good takeaway options, so we gave Umago in Fitzroy a shot. I walk past it most afternoons on my way home from work, and have never been that excited by its slightly tacky looking exterior, but its menu looked impressive and they delivered, so that was good enough for us. There are four gourmet vego options, plus a couple of plainer choices, though the big 'V' next to the seafood pizza bothers me irrationally. We went for a Mexican (beans, corn chips, capsicum, avocado, sweet chilli and ...

A squally, rainy Friday evening put paid to our vague plans for a jaunt through the city and we scurried home to spend an evening lounging about the house instead. We had some vague plans for cooking dinner, but the lack of soy bacon at the local Safeway sapped Cindy's enthusiasm for home made burgers, so it was time for more takeaway. I've been hoping for an opportunity to sample one of the three vegetarian pizza places in Melbourne and we're outside the delivery limits of both Plush Pizza and Nostralis , leaving us with only Mr. Natual in North Fitzroy. They boast wholemeal bases, rennet-free cheese and fifteen different vego pizzas and offer two medium pizzas delivered for $20. Score. I chose the broccoli pizza (tomato, cheese, broccoli, mushroom, peppers, onion, olives, feta, parsley, garlic, herbs, sesame seeds) and Cindy wanting something plain, considered the marguerita, before opting for the mushroom. Unfortunately, I got distracted and ordered her the margu...