Veggie Bar 2.0

Ellya Sam:

Can I get a hollah for vegetarian desserts please!! I can never get enough of Veggie Bar, really. Not only does it make me feel good, it's actually.. really.. good. I decided to skip dinner and just go full head on to desserts this time round. Came here with my beautiful cousin after a night out and we were so impressed! I've always wanted to try the desserts at VBar, but never found the space in my tummy after a meal here. Excellent plan to just jump right to dessert for this occasion! The desserts did not only look scrumptious, it tasted scrumptious too! AND it was vegetarian! Flourless Chocolate Cake with a side of Soy Ice Cream $7 This was so yum! Rich and decadent with generous amounts of cocoa in the cake. It was topped with a shinny chocolate glaze which had a bitter taste and it worked so well with the sweetness of the moist cake. The soy ice cream was also a steal! Very yummy! And gluten free! Berry Cheesecake with Greek Yoghurt $7 This baby was plated up so beautifully! Look at that! The berries were nicely plump and fresh. The base of the cake was buttery and tart. It complimented the cheesecake filling which was so smooth. It had hints of berry in it  which gave a sour pinch. This cake definitely stole the show! Impressed Ellya is impressed 8.5/10 Check out my FIRST Veggie Bar post! : Veggie Bar Veggie Bar 380 Brunswick St  Fitzroy VIC 3065 (03) 9417 6935

Veggie Bar

So we decided to hit Veggie Bar today for a quick and healthy bite before heading to Lu Lu Lemon's Factory Outlet to get a few things.  It was a lovely Autumn day in Melbourne.

VB looks super chill on the outside. Then again, we expect nothing less. This place is filled with youngsters hanging about around the area. The amazing this about VB is that all food served here is vegetarian or vegan. Hence, the name Veggie Bar. So you vegsters! Here you be at. ;)

When you walk in, you will be amazed at the amount of space this place. It is huge! There is also an outdoor section and a waiting bar for when nights here get busy. 

Look at the desserts! :) Too bad we were so full we couldn't stuff any extras in our tummy.

We started of with fresh fruity drinks, Ellya tried out the raspberry lassi, whilst I had berry blast juice without bananas because I think they taste yucky.  The raspberry lassi was incredible, with the right amount of fruit, honey and yoghurt, and you totally got a blast of berry goodness from the juice. $6.50 each! :) Recommended!

As an entree we had the stuffed mushrooms with tofu and herbed feta, which were fairly impressive not exactly the best meal we've had though.  In accompaniment to the mushrooms, an asian- inspired sweet and sour sauce was served with it, which slightly heightened the contrasting flavours. Size wise it was the perfect nibble to have before our greatly anticipated mains! $.8.50 pricey.

Cutie patooties. :D

The Moroccan Pizza with a hummus base, roasted eggplant, pumpkin, mushrooms, capsicum and toasted sesame seeds. $12.50

I thoroughly enjoyed the Moroccan Pizza, the base was light and crisp, and the pizza was large enough to fill you up perfectly.  You don't ever find yourself wondering how good the pizza would be IF it had meat, because it's already so darn delicious.  Although it was enjoyable, I can't really say it was the best pizza of my life, but it's definitely worth a try if you go.

The falafel wrap with tzaziki, hummus, salad and roti. 

$8.90

Overall, this dish tasted pretty good. However, the falafels were too rock- hard, making it very difficult to eat! Meh. Not very happy with that. 

Our thoughts.. 7/10 Veggie Bar 380 Brunswick St  Fitzroy VIC 3065 (03) 9417 6935

Naked For Satan

Ellya Sam:

Can I get a hells yaaah. $1 pintxos? If you're not THAT hungry, but nonetheless need to be fed, this place is super affordable for a small- appetite lunch or dinner. A HUGE selection of drinks to choose from and $1 pintxos are the way to go.

Basically a pintxos are related to tapas but are 'skewed' with a toothpick.

As you come into NfS, you feel kind of lost cause all you see is a bar and plates and plates of different pintxos ready to be picked at. Don't worry. You come in, get a plate and start putting the small little bread topped goodies on your plate. Get seated. Then start nomming. At the end of your meal, just gather your toothpicks from your pintxos and pay at the cashier. See, I've just saved you the embarrassment of asking how their system works.

I, unfortunately went through that awkward "Err.. so.. uhm.. how do I order?". :P

The downside to this place is that eventhough it is so cheap, you could probably make this in your own home for cheaper. But lazyness sometimes does kick in. It happens to the best of us, dont deny it. ;) 

The upside, is that this place can host huge groups. And, the drinks selection is pretty fantabulous. Also, their cocktails are yum. Try their Fallen Angel. :) I liked. 

4/10

Naked For Satan

285 Brunswick St  Fitzroy VIC 3065 (03) 9416 2238

Rice Queen

Ellya Sam:

I needed dinner. As do most people. Rice Queen sounded pretty cool, so I decided to have a nice meal here on a relaxing Saturday night.

See, I pass Rice Queen everyday to and from Uni and every time I pass by that place, I feel drawn in because of the amount of people waiting outside. This is classic me assuming that the food here is good. When there are people clumping around something, there will be good food. Or cheap food. Whatever.

It being an Oriental Bar and all, I expected well.. more asians. To my surprise, there were none. And then there was me. LOL. But all good, no hate on who God create. I was just surprised that's all.

The atmosphere when you walk in is pretty chill. Lots of chinese, japanese and korean memorabilia on the inside, hanging on walls. Even the plants.. asian- like. Very true to the theme of the place. Pretty cool I might say. It also had a western feel to it. Mainly because, well, everyone inside were caucasians and there was a big bar on the side which is sooo what you won't find in Asia.

The food, was needless to say, pretty good. I wouldn't say it was authentic Asian cuisine, like the ones you'd find back home (for me), but still, pretty good for something you'd find in Melbourne.

We started with their Korean Fried Chicken. Crsipy chicken ribs which tasted like cayenne overdose (good thing). I liked how it wasn't oily. Also, the onion bits were delish. The mint sauce was unnecessary though. The ribs were nice just on it's own, but that's just me. Some people like their sauces.

Seven spice crispy chicken ribs tossed with onions and dried chillies. Served with mint sauce ($8 for 5 pieces, $15 for 10 pieces)

Slowly after, our mains arrived. We had their Pad Thai, and Salt and Pepper Chicken Salad which was on special. LOL totally almost wrote "which was on sale". HAHA. 

Their pad thai was tasty. Then again, you can never go wrong with pad thai. The noodles were a bit sticky, so hmm.. yeah. Their chicken salad tasted pretty alright too. Crispy chicken and some greens. Nothing can go wrong, really. Although the sauce kind of reminded me of Yee Sang which you can get in Malaysia. Weird. Reminded me of home for a second there.

Right: Pad thai noodles (chicken, vegan or vegetarian) with chicken, egg, peanuts, bean shoots and spring onions. ($17)

Left: Salt and peppered chicken on a bed of bean shoots, mint and coriander. Dressed with soy and sour sauce. ($16)

After having the mains, my friend and I decided to try their desserts. They were very well described on their menu and it was just way too tempting to deny. Needless to say, the steal of the night were the desserts. 

The pandan sago was delicious. Because of the coconut sorbet on top, some of the sago pearls were a bit frozen which made the texture of the sago just.. ah, it was a party in my mouth. It was also well-complimented with the gula melaka and crispy, toasted desiccated coconut. Definitely a MUST TRY. 

Pandan sago with coconut sorbet, drizzled treacle, crowned in lime syrup. ($9)

Probably named wrongly because the 'treacle' should really be called Gula Melaka in this context, and I didn't taste the lime syrup AND they forgot to mention it was sprinkled with toasted desiccated coconut. Urgh. 

We also had the coconut cheesecake which was very nice. You could actually taste the cheese in this one. Which I like. The texture was so smooth it was unbelievable. After passing through the smooth top, you hit the crumbly pastry below which is just heaven. Very nice dessert. Although if you're watching your weight, probably skip this one. The cheese in that is enough to clog everything.

Coconut- Lime Cheesecake with mango ($7.5)

Didn't taste like mango. Awks.

Despite the 'errors' in the desserts which ticked me a bit, I had a good time. Amazing atmosphere and good food. All in all, a very nice place. I would love to come back again.

7/10

Rice Queen

389 Brunswick St, Fitzroy.

VIC 3065
P: 9419 6624

Little Creatures Dining Hall

After a long Friday, and finishing with choreography, we decided to go to Little Creatures Dining Hall for some de-stressing and also a little bit of a catch up sesh.

It's a pretty neat place. It looks a lot like a warehouse on the inside, which is pretty cool. It is however, a bit dark so if you're old and need reading glasses, and struggle reading in the daylight... DON'T come here. Otherwise, it's hip-and-happening, yo. Place to be on a Friday or Saturday night.

The drinks here are what you'd expect of Little Creatures. They brew their own stuff, so that's always interesting. 

We had the Pipsqueak Apple ciders to start off with.

Very yummy. A must try. 

Our dishes came really quick. We had the hand- cut fries with garlic aioli which was just.. God-like. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Just how we like our fries.

Then slowly after, our main arrive and we devoured it like two hungry men. We had the pumpkin pizza with dukkah, caramelised onions, feta and spinach. A really awesome main. It's not too big.. about 6 slices on a pizza. Just enough to fill a bunch of dancers up, especially since they also destroyed a bowl of chips just before hand. Yeewww! 

We ended our meal with a nice dessert. The chocolate tart. It was infreakingably amazing. Seriously, it was THE SHIT. The chocolate was not too overpowering and the pastry was nice and crumbly. 

In all, a really good experience and we're glad we chose this lovely place to wind down on a Friday night. Totally worth your while the next time you are on Brunswick Street.

Our thoughts: 9.5/10

Little Creatures Dining Hall
222 Brunswick St  Fitzroy VIC 3065
P: (03) 9417 5500

Alimentari, Brunswick Street

We were planning to check out the Blackbird and Rose Street Markets this afternoon on Brunswick Street, and decided to get brunch along the way. We happened to stumble upon the lovely Alimetari for a delicious meal.

We were welcomed by an array of delicious foods. A display of meats, cold cuts, pastas, sandwiches and cheeses which you can purchase at the front of the cafe.

There was nothing over $20 on the menu, which is brilliant for broke students such as ourselves.

We started off with our customary cap and lattes which were delivered promptly. :) Nothing too spectacular, but a coffee is a coffee.

The environment of Alimetari was pretty darn trendy. As you come in, you are deceived by what is thought to be quite a small little cafe, until you walk down past the deli area and you are greeted by an abundance of space. It's decorated tastefully with bottles of sauces, cans of fruit and whatnot, and the seating is comfortable beyond measures. It also wasn't too busy, that you could easily have a conversation with the person next you.

The food wasn't the best we've had, but it was pretty damn close. We had the:

Poached eggs on top of a bed of blanched spinach, bacon and a warm hash brown. Topped off with a spoonful of hollandaise sauce and you're good to go. Just perfect. 

Your average French Toast spruced up with a poached pear, vanilla creme fraiche, and toasted almonds to top it off.  

Not a bad place for brunch. Would definitely come back for more.

Our thoughts: 6/10

Alimentari
251 Brunswick St Fitzroy 
P: +613 94162001.