james test

Friday found Cindy craving a fix of Chinese-style fake meats, so we met up after work at White Lotus in West Melbourne. White Lotus leads the way following our preliminary explorations of the fake-meat scene in Melbourne, and has the added advantage of being on our side of town. We continued our exploration of their menu: curry 'chicken'($13.50) for me, sweet and sour 'pork' ($13.50) for Cindy and some steamed vegies (pictured above, $12) for the pair of us to pick at. The chicken was great - tender and melty the way good curried chicken should be. The curry was fine, with a good amount of spice and some nice fresh vegies, but I couldn't help imagining how great it would be to find an Indian restaurant that made fake meat curries with pseudo-chicken this good. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed a good chicken korma. Luckily for me I resisted tasting Cindy's sweet and sour pork until she was eating the leftovers for lunch the next day. Otherwise I could...

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 ...

It could only be a matter of time before Michael and I sampled the 2007 Cheap Eats vegetarian dish of the year, from the White Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant in West Melbourne. As luck would have it, this restaurant is a leisurely bike ride from Michael's and my workplaces. Well, it would be leisurely if it didn't involve negotiating Victoria St in peak hour. For the last couple of blocks I took the safe but wussy option of walking my bike along the footpath - it's the only way to observe the regular honking and occasional yelling from the streets with a detached air and perhaps a short, dismayed laugh. Had I been utilising my prop in the way it was intended, I could easily have glided right past the White Lotus, mistaking it for the local greasy takeaway. The cheap-looking tiles, paper tablecloths and vinyl seats are all there. The menu, however, is a study in the fine Buddhist tradition of mock meats. Sure, you could order some tofu, soup or noodles, but wouldn't y...