I Dream of Sushi

I Dream of Sushi
6 Margaret St,
Moonee Ponds
VIC, 3039

03 9375 7961

website
vegan menu

I Dream of Sushi is a cute little Japanese restaurant with a seperate vegan menu, conveniently situated opposite the Moonee Ponds train station. Classics such Agedashi Tofu ($10) and Tofu Don ($14) are on offer, along with a Bento of the Day ($15) where you can often expect crunchy fried mixed veggies, tofu steak, edamame, steamed rice and whatever else is on offer that day. Whatever you go for, it’ll be fresh, tasty and quick.

There is limited bench seating inside, but takeaway is also an option. Do be aware that this isn’t a fully vegan place, and our fish friends are often on display in the glass cabinet.

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 11am-8pm Fri-Sat: 11am-9pm Sun: Closed

 

Union Kiosk

Union Kiosk
Shop 2,
Causeway Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000

0413 402 331

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menu

Union Kiosk is a hole in wall found in Causeway Lane which churns out delicious and creative vegan toasties. We tried the 'Veg Bolognese, mozzarella + garlic butter' ($7) and 'Mushroom, basil, spinach + mozzarella' ($7) and they are were top notch. They have indeed perfected the essential melty cheese and golden crust.

Sweet toasties are also a thing, including one consisting of 'Melted hazelnut vego bar'– yikes, dangerous! Vegan cookies and slices are baked daily, and coffee, turmeric lattes, matcha, chai etc are available in a variety of plant milks. Cows milk is still available for now, but will be phased out soon. 

Note: Union Kiosk can be under the pump post any animal rallies held in the CBD, but cruelty-free toasties are worth the wait.

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8am-4pm Sat-Sun: 9am-4pm

 

The Cake Collective (Now at Curators Collective)

The Cake Collective
778 Mt Alexander Rd
Moonee Ponds VIC 3039
In Queens Park Gardens

59 Tram,
Stop "Queens Park Gardens"

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facebook

If you like the sound of walking the dog* in a beautiful garden with a vegan toastie or sweet treat in tow, then head to Queens Park. This all vegan hole-in-the-wall whipped me up a 'Fried Chick'n Sammich' ($15) with schnitzel, pickle, slaw and mayo; it was fresh and tasty, although the schnitzel was more akin to Fry's than the Temple of Seitan action I was secretly dreaming of.

A large array of vegan cakes are on offer, along with hot drinks and smoothies & shakes, and some casual outdoor seating.

Opening Hours:
Mon-Wed: Closed | Thur-Sun: 10–4 | Open 7 days on Uber Eats

*Adopt Don't Shop – find a new BFF near you here.

 

Smith & Deli

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Smith & Deli
111 Moor Street,
Fitzroy VIC 3065
(03) 9042 4117

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sandwich menu

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Opening Hours:
Tue to Sat 8am–7pm

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Smith & Deli is an all vegan, New York style deli bought to life by our friends from Smith & Daughters. This is the place to stop by for bread, pastries, coffee, cheeses, meats (all vegan remember!), salads, soups, pies, meals to go and an incredible array of over 25 sandwiches.

Sandwiches are king at Smith & Deli and the menu may stun you with the sheer amount of options of available, so check it out before you go. The 'Rubenstein' ($15) is a good pick with pastrami, sauerkraut, pickles and Russian dressing on rye; or go for a 'Buffalo the Vampire Slayer' ($12) with buffalo tofu, ranch, shredded iceberg, carrot, onion and celery in a roll. Next time I think I'll channel Kevin and try the 'Home Alone' ($15) made up of turkey, roasted brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce, mashed potato & gravy, all on a roll. Gluten free bread is available for all sandwiches for an extra $2.

Some lighter options that are more in the breakfast camp are also on offer, including a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches ($8-$12), croissants, and chef Shannon Martinez's take on a popular fast food breakfast item with the 'Egg McMartinez' ($7) including egg, bacon and cheddar on an English muffin with your choice of sauce.

Meals to go, such as pizza ('pepperoni' $16), lasagne, pies (four different flavours everyday, in both single and family sizes), sausages, schnitzels, tofu and tempeh are all available.

The cabinets are full of sweet treats too, where (with options rotating daily) you might find 'Maple Bacon Donuts' ($5), 'Vanilla Slice ($6), 'Apple Pie Bars' ($5), 'Lemon Tarts' ($7) and much more.

Black coffee is $3.50 or $4 with non-dairy milk – or add an extra $2 for Smith & Deli's own fresh nut milk. The chai soy latte sweetened with agave nectar ($4) is great.

As their slogan goes: Thank you for being a friend, Smith & Deli!

 

Also visited by: veganopoulous,  where's the beef?, quinces and kale

Trippy Taco

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Trippy Taco
234 Gertrude St
Fitzroy VIC 3065
(03) 9415 7711

website
menu

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Opening Hours:
Mon-Tue: 11am-9pm
Wed-Sun: 11am-10pm

Phone orders taken up to 15 minutes before close.

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Trippy Taco is a popular all vegetarian restaurant that has been churning out Mexican style fare to hungry Melburnians since 2006. By replacing dairy cheese with vegan cheese, and egg with tofu, almost all of the menu is on offer to vegans. 

The vegan 'Tofu Asada' burrito ($12.50) is a favourite choice, with spicy chargrilled tofu, salad, salsa, vegan cheese, fresh lime and if you're lucky you might even find a couple of sultanas hidden in there (trust me, it works!). Ask for your burrito to be 'Californian style' and they'll sneak some paprika-ry 'Trippy Fries' into the mix too. I should mention that some of the Trippy Taco burritos (while being delicious), do tend to be rather 'juicy' and can be messy to eat (don't say I didn't warn you).

Other menu items include a 'Breakfast Burrito' ($10.50) with scrambled tofu in lieu of egg, 'Vegan Nachos' ($11 regular, $17 large GF), Tacos (from $7.50 each GF), 'Quesadillas' with vegan cheese (from $9) and Taquitos ($12 GF). The 'Trippy Fries'  ($4.50 small, $6.50 regular) are an essential extra and have a delicious seasoning.

The vegan cheese of choice for Trippy used to be Cheezly, however they've now (controversially for some) changed over to using Daiya cheese. I'll confess to being a member of 'Team Cheezly', however the changeover is far from being a deal breaker.

Desserts can also be found, and include the 'Tamale Dessert' ($12), a sweet corn tamale with soy ice-cream, banana and maple syrup (ask for vegan version) or a veganised 'Nutella and Banana Melt' ($8) with vegan chocolate spread and banana melted in a flour tortilla.

Trippy Taco can get pretty busy and while there's a few tables, they do tend to fill up rather quickly. If you're after takeaway, it's good to phone your order in to avoid a wait. Also note that phone orders are taken up to 15 minutes before closing, however in my experience, staff may be too busy to answer the phone, so it's best to call as early as possible.

 

Also visited by: Veganopoulous, easy as vegan pie, where's the beef?

Wonderbao

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Wonderbao
4/19-37 A'Beckett St
Melbourne VIC 3000
(accessible via Literature Lane - off Little Latrobe Street)
(03) 9654 7887

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Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8am - 6pm
Sat: 11am - 4pm
Sun: Closed

Cash only

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Wonderbao is a hidden little gem devoted to the humble steamed bun. It's a little tricky to find if you haven't been before, so we suggest ignoring it's official address and heading down Literature Lane (off Little Latrobe Street) where you can't miss it; just look out for the green milk crate seats out the front.

The great thing about Wonderbao is that all of the savoury vegetarian offerings are vegan. There is 'Choi bao' ($2.20), a steamed bun filled with shitake mushrooms, tofu and vegetables and a 'Fried silky tofu gua bao' ($4.20), which is a thoroughly delicious open steamed bun with pickled mustard, coriander, sweet soy sauce and crushed peanuts. For dessert, a vegan 'Taro bao' ($2) hits the sweet spot nicely.

We tried all 3 vegan offerings in a vegie lunch pack for $8.20, which offered a monumental saving of 20 cents. Wonderbao also make their own organic soy milk ($3) which is served hot or cold, ladled into a takeaway cup. Regrettably I didn't try the soy milk as it's out of my comfort zone to drink soy milk straight up - I'll vow to be more adventurous next time.

 

Also visited by: veganopoulous

Miss Chu

Miss Chu
Shop 2,
297 Exhibition St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
(03) 9077 1097

website

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Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 11am-10pm
Closed Sunday

It can be a real brain strain to come up with a last minute, no fuss, no booking required, non expensive, vegan friendly dinner option in Melbourne's CBD (and no, Lord of the Fries doesn't count). Fortunately, Miss Chu fits the criteria rather nicely.

Miss Chu is a manic Vietnamese restaurant with a tuckshop style ordering system requiring you to tick boxes on your menu/order form. There are a good number of vegan items that are really well labelled, with gluten free options being well signed too. Miss Chu call themselves the 'Queen of Rice Paper Rolls' and offer a 'Vegan tofu' version (2 per serve $7.50) however I was drawn instead to the 'Traditional Vietnamese steamed rice crepes (bánh cuốn)' ($12) which were filled with

mushrooms, black fungi, tofu and spring onion and topped with fried shallots, coriander and fresh chilli -  delicious!

Another good choice is the 'Vegan sauteed shitake, enoki & shimeji mushrooms' ($15) which arrives with either a Vietnamese warm vermicelli salad or with steamed rice and greens. We went for the rice and greens options and were happy to be presented with red rice and royal quinoa, as opposed to boring white rice. There was also a generous amount of tofu along with the mushrooms.

The 'Vegan soup' ($13) wasn't really bursting with flavour, but is still a hearty choice, full of fresh veggies, including an array of mushrooms, broccoli, capsicum, carrot, snake beans and basil, along with silken tofu and plenty of chilli on the side. The 'Hanoi Curry' ($15) served with rice vermicelli and Vietnamese herbs is listed as vegan online, so I'll be certainly trying that next time.

If the self serve water doesn't take your fancy, be sure to try a 'Frozen young coconut crush' ($6.50). I tried the refreshing pineapple & mint combination, however lychee & cucumber and banana & mint flavours were also on offer.

Miss Chu have delivery (although I've heard it isn't that speedy unfortunately) and pick up options that you can order online. It can get very busy at Miss Chu's and it certainly isn't a place where you can get too relaxed and linger, as there will always be omeone waiting to take your table the second you depart.

 

Yong Green Food

Yong Green Food:

Fried Nori Rolls ($12.50)

Yong Green Food:

Oyster Mushroom Calamari (GF $10.50)

Yong Green Food:

Takeaway Raw Chocolate Cheesecake (GF $8.50)

Yong Green Food:

Japanese Curry ($15.50)

Yong Green Food:

Dragon Bowl (GF OGF $18)

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Yong Green Food
421 Brunswick St
Fitzroy, VIC 3065
03 9417 3338

website
menu

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Opening Hours:
Closed Monday
Tue-Sat: 12-4pm, 5-10pm
Sun: 12-4pm, 5-9pm

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The majority of Melbourne vegans need no introduction to the wholesome and delicious food on offer at Yong Green Food, and the midweek queues out the door are testament to the fact that the word has truly gotten around!

Yong Green Food offers an extensive all vegetarian (mostly vegan) menu with an abundance of gluten free options - along with raw, organic and biodynamic dishes. On our recent visit, we opted for the 'Oyster Mushroom Calamari' (GF $10.50), which was so incredible that I fear I won't try other menu options in the future in case they don't live up to this dish! The organic king oyster mushrooms are deep fried in organic rice butter (drool…) and served with salad, jalapeno marinara and vegan aioli sauces - clearly this dish is a 'must-try'.

Another delight from the snack menu are the 'Fried Nori Rolls' (GF $12.50) which are long, thin rice battered fried nori rolls of mung bean noodles, tofu and veggies. As stunning as this dish was, it didn't pip the oyster mushroom calamari at the post.

For mains, my sidekick gave the hearty 'Japanese Curry' ($15.50) a go - which had potato, carrot, mushroom, peas and sliced soy beef in a mild curry sauce with biodynamic brown rice. I'm not sure how many Japanese curries he's tried, but he did proclaim it the best he's had, which is a pretty damn encouraging recommendation.

I went for the most medicinally dangerous sounding dish on the menu - the 'Macro Dragon Bowl' (GF $18), without onion and garlic (OGF optional), which is a truly nutritious delight of biodynamic brown rice topped with assorted vegetables (including amazing shitake mushrooms), organic tempeh, seaweed and lemon tahini cream. As if all that doesn't sound fulfilling enough, the dragon bowl is also served with miso soup.

We took home a sneaky slice of organic 'Raw Chocolate Cheesecake' (GF $8.50) which is predominately made of cashew nuts, and I liked that it didn't have the strong coconut oil aftertaste that some raw chocolate desserts can have. We also wanted a slice of the organic 'Raw Pecan Pie' with cashew cream ($9) but alas, it's high demand had caused a sell out - which was no real problem for us really, because we'll be back at Yongs in no time.

 

Also visited recently by: where's the beef and Green Gourmet Giraffe

Novel Kitchen

Novel Kitchen
80 Ferguson Street
Williamstown VIC 3016
03 9399 8437

website

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Opening Hours:
Tue-Fri: 7:30am-5:30pm
Sat-Sun: 8am-4pm

Cash Only

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With all three Sea Shepherd ships docked at Williamstown at the moment, we found ourselves touring the Steve Irwin and learning about the crew's last campaign, which saw 932 whales saved thanks to their direct action in the Southern Ocean. The Sea Shepherd crew don't contradict their values by protecting some animals while eating others; they are in fact all vegan, which is truly honourable! Speaking of eating, we got hungry after our tour so a mad google search led us to the Novel Kitchen nearby.

Williamstown is anything but a hub for vegan eating so we thought it a great discovery to find Novel Kitchen which has plenty of clearly labelled vegan options throughout the all-day breakfast and lunch menu. A few of the items such as the 'Tofubake' ($14 GF) and 'Silverbeet, potato and chickpea burger' ($15) were sold out so we delved deeper into the menu to discover a vegan 'Kashmiri vegetable pie' ($14), which was a healthy mix of lightly spiced organic vegies in a pastry base, topped with seeds. It had a good mix of spices and was accompanied by a salad which was reminiscent of the side salad from TOFWD* with grated fresh beetroot and carrot.

We also tried the homemade baked beans which were seriously good and had plenty of flavour. Too often, homemade baked beans at cafes are either tarnished with ham hock, or are a bland let down - but not this time! I had a side of avocado, tomato and coriander salsa which was an odd choice on my part to accompany beans, but it was fresh and tasty nonetheless. Other vegan options on the menu that we didn't try included 'Lightly spiced lentil and pumpkin patties served on quinoa and almond salad' ($13.50 GF) and a vegan 'Lentil bake, topped with a pumpkin mash' ($14) - a bit like a shepherds pie.

Take home meals are available at cheaper prices and there are some vegan cakes and biscuits on offer too, including an organic vegan chocolate mud cake ($3.30 GF), which would tempt any sweet tooth. Novel Kitchen uses Espresso Syndicate coffee (which is organic, rainforest alliance and fair trade) and has no soycharge for Vitasoy. The Good Hearted would love to see an end to the mother-flippin' soycharge in Melbourne so we give huge props to any establishment that bucks the trend and doesn't discriminate against compassionate consumers.

If you want to visit the Sea Shepherd crew for a tour (and perhaps to deliver a vegan food donation?!), you can do so until May 26th, 2013 at Seaworks, 82 Nelson Place, Williamstown (entry via Ann Street) - 12-4:30 pm on weekend days.

 

Misuzus

Misuzu's:

Four Uramaki ($2.30 each)

Misuzu's:

Hijiki Salad and Sweet Potato Salad ($9)

Misuzu's:

Tofu & Veg Salad ($6.20)

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Misuzus Restaurant
3-7 Victoria Avenue,
Albert Park VIC 3026

03 9699 9022

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Opening Hours:
Open 7 days, Midday-10pm 

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After an afternoon at the beach and in need of an easy takeaway dinner, all we could think of was "Oooh, I wish South was still open!" (Clearly, South had being making vegan life way too easy for us!). So the racking of the brains began, and we remembered that Misuzu's Japenese Restaurant has an awesome take home section that could sort us out.

The refrigerated glass cabinet was glowing with all sorts of tasty Japanese treats, including some delightful looking cold snacks of Sesame Tofu and Pea Croquettes. Unfortunately, neither of these were vegan as they contained egg (ughh, arrow through my hungry heart!). We got over that and our attention wandered to the selection of salads - all vegan!

We liked the look of the Hijiki Salad, Tofu & Veg Salad and the Sweet Potato Salad and snapped them up, leaving behind the Soba Noodle & Veg Salad and Green Seaweed Salad for another day. Prices for a large takeaway container of salad (choice of 2) is $9, while the small size (choice of 2 salads) is $6.20.

The Hijiki Salad had hijiki seaweed, julienne carrots and soy beans and was splendid. Even better was the Sweet Potato Salad, which was seriously amazing, with green beans, sesame and crushed nuts. The tofu in the Tofu & Veg Salad was firm on the outside, so silky in the middle and the dressing had a nice hint of chilli.  

We'd also picked up some vegan uramaki ($2.30 each) that contained seaweed salad, cucumber, carrot and sesame seeds. The accompaniment of white pickled ginger was much appreciated, especially as I recently learnt that the pink pickled ginger is sometimes white ginger that has been dyed using cochineal.

So next time you take yourself off for a swim at a southside beach, follow our lead and check out Misuzu's for a quick and healthy take home vegan meal or if you're not in a rush to return home, their restaurant is worth checking out too.