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Gluten Free Friendly

Monk Bodhi Dharma, St. Kilda

November 26, 2011
★★, Breakfast/ Brunch, Coffee, Eating Out, Gluten Free Friendly, St. Kilda, Vegan, Vegetarian
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202 Carlisle St Map
Balaclava, VIC 3183
03 9534 7250
monkbodhidharma.com.au

Walk down the lane beside Woolworths towards the parking lots, you will come across Monk Bodhi Dharma which is this red brick block. Serving wholesome vegetarian food, vegan options if needed and a varying Daily Lunch Special of Sambar/Stew/Curry.

Coffee was good although the Soy latte was a tad clumpy.

Food wise, we had the Yucatan Peasant Beans $14.50, Umami Mushrooms $18.50 and the Lunch Special which was Mysore Spinach Pea & Potato Sambar w/ Rice $14.50.

The Yucatan Beans were a tad dry but nonetheless flavorsome with its mixture of beans, and vegetables. The Sambar was equally yummy and both dishes were really filling. I wasn’t a fan of their chilli jam which was more of a watery nature than jam. It tasted sour-ish and lacked punch compared to other chilli jams I’ve tried.

The Umami mushrooms were on the pricier side but tasted delish. Served with thyme on a housemade polenta bread, WH really enjoyed this dish. However, would’ve preferred if the portions were more  generous for a $18.50 price tag.

Overall, a good place for vegetarian food brunch/lunch and good coffee.

Gluten Free Friendly

Vegan Friendly

Rating:
★★         good, recommended
$              under $15 per main

Monk Bodhi Dharma on Urbanspoon

Horn, Collingwood

November 25, 2011
★★, Collingwood, Dinner, Eating Out, Gluten Free Friendly, Melbourne
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20 Johnston St Map
Collingwood, VIC 3066
03 9417 4670
thehorncafe.com.au

I was meeting some friends up for dinner and feeling rather adventurous, I suggested we try Ethiopian food.

Settling on Horn located at Collingwood, the place is rather spacious with a courtyard located around the back. They also have live performances Thursday to Sunday. As we went on a Wednesday, we missed that opportunity.

We made bookings just in case and arrived around 7.30pm. Surprisingly, we were the only ones there. The lady who served us was helpful and nice.

We told her that it was our first time having Ethiopian food and she gladly explained to us the various dishes and how we were supposed to eat (with our hands).

We had the Doro Wot (chicken cooked in red onion sauce), Keysir Wot (vege dish – beetroot, potato, carrot and spinach), a Lamb stew/dahl type dish , and the Ethiopian Donuts for dessert . The dishes came with Injera, which is an Ethiopian food staple. Looks like a pancake version of crumpets with tiny holes and tastes sour-ish.

The wait for food was quite long even though we were the only ones there.

Food wise, all three dishes were savory and tasty. Especially enjoyed the Doro Wot. Dessert was really good as well. Cinnamon, pine nuts & sultanas shallow fried in donut batter, served with ice cream & maple syrup. Nice crunchy exterior and soft centre, it was a good dish to end the night.

Overall, food was good and it was a good experience. But just be ready to wait as the food does take a long while.

Gluten Free Friendly

According to Science of Bread “ Injera is made with teff, a tiny, round grain that flourishes in the highlands of Ethiopia. While teff is very nutritious, it contains practically no gluten”

I’m not too sure about this as the restaurant might use other ingredients as well (best to just check).

Vegan Friendly

 

Rating:

★★         good, recommended

$$           $15-25 per main

Horn on Urbanspoon

Pho Dzung City Noodle Shop, Melbourne CBD

November 25, 2011
★★, Dinner, Eating Out, Gluten Free Friendly, Melbourne CBD, Uncategorized, Vietnamese
2 Comments
234 Russell St Map
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9663 8885
 

Located along russell street, I’ve walked past this place many times.

Had pho cravings but unwilling to head to Mekong (I think the last time I visited that place was around 3 years ago?, it was so MSG laden that I actually woke up with a puffy eye the next day, due to water retention from the excessive MSG or sth. I’m not kidding!)

So decided why not try Pho Dzung City Noodle Shop instead.

I had the Special Beef/ w/ Chicken Combo (minus Tendons & Tripe, forgot to mention no blood D: )and K had the Beef Combo.

Tastewise, the noodles were good, salty but still not that bad. Portions were good as well.

The beef was tender, especially the rare beef (which I would recommend getting as it continued to cook in the hot soup resulting in a perfect state of ‘done-ness’ ahah). Also liked the sausage peppercorn.

However, would’ve preferred if the waiter actually asked which size we wanted. He gave us mediums, K managed to finish his but I couldn’t finish mine (small would’ve been just right).

Overall, a good place for pho in the CBD.

Rating:

★★         good, recommended

$              under $15 per main
Pho Dzung City Noodle Shop on Urbanspoon

Carlton Curry House, Carlton

June 26, 2011
½, Carlton, Eating Out, Gluten Free Friendly, Indian, Lunch
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108 Lygon St Map
Carlton, VIC 3053
03 9078 1263
carltoncurryhouse.com.au

Carlton Curry House has been on my ‘to try’ list for a while now, and it happened that they were having a Deal Voucher for Lunch. I snapped up at the chance, bought the deal and booked in for lunch on a Friday.

It was a quiet noon for them, with only one other table when we arrived. Although that was the case, service was terribly slow and we waited very long for our food.

We were served Pappadams, Naan, Aloo Matar (potatoes cooked with green peas) and Beef Vindaloo.

Food wise, the naan was quite oily but the curries were alright, pretty good.

Overall, food wasn’t good enough to have me returning and service was just way too slow.

Gluten Free Friendly

Vegan Friendly

Rating:

½            mediocre, nothing special

$$           $15-25 per main
Carlton Curry House on Urbanspoon

Vegie Bar (visit 2), Fitzroy

June 24, 2011
★★, Fitzroy, Gluten Free Friendly, Vegan, Vegetarian
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380 Brunswick StMap 
Fitzroy, 3065
(03) 9417 6935
 

After my first visit, Vegie Bar had become one of my favorite places. Liked the fact that there’s just so much to choose from, decided to head to Vegie Bar for dinner again, It was busy and full so we put down our names and were seated in the courtyard to wait for a table.

It was a really long wait, and some of the others got seated before us even though we arrived before.

The service here has friendly and helpful staff but some are less accommodating.

Finally seated, we had the Rice Balls, Mee Goreng, the Duo and the Cheesecake.

The Rice Balls was really nice, crispy on the outside and the well complemented by the satay sauce.

The Mee Goreng was one of those dishes where it starts out nice to eat but as you continue, it gets too much ( the sauce was really sweet and salty). Also, we found several unpleasant black charcoal in the dish.

The Duo was alright, Enjoyed the curry dip but not the lentil one (didn’t like the spice that was used). The Cheesecake was quite nice albeit a tad too sweet, mainly tasted of condensed milk.

Overall, value for money and great variety, but I think a check on food quality is needed.

Rating:

★★         good, recommended

$              under $15 per main


Vegie Bar on Urbanspoon

Famish’d, Melbourne CBD

May 30, 2011
★★, Eating Out, Gluten Free Friendly, Lunch, Melbourne CBD, Salads
1 Comment
130 Little Collins Street Map 
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9004 0322
famishd.com.au

Famish’d is great for their Design-Your-Own Salads or Spuds for $10. How does it work?

First you choose your base, lettuce, pasta or spud (hot potato /sweet potato), and then choose 5 ingredients.

Top it up with your choice of sauce/dressing and a piece of crusty bread to go along with that.

Soup of the Day – can’t remember what it was but it was alright taste wise.

TT and A designed their own spuds.

TT did pick a rather odd combination, tuna raisins corn carrot and salsa which she didn’t enjoy.

Although TT wasn’t a fan of her spud, I thought the concept was good. Fresh and good options.

Macarons are from La Tropezienne, which was pretty good as well.

We didn’t try their coffee that day as we headed to Machester Press instead. But their coffee is sourced from the wonderful St.Ali.

Overall, yummy healthy salads/spuds. Good spot for lunch.

Gluten Free Friendly

Rating:

★★         good, recommended

$              under $15 per main
Famish'd on Urbanspoon

Earl Canteen, Melbourne CBD

May 29, 2011
★★, Eating Out, Gluten Free Friendly, Lunch, Melbourne, Melbourne CBD
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500 Bourke Street (enter via Lt Bourke) Map
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9600 1995

Went there for lunch on a weekday, went just in time to miss the lunchtime rush and managed to grab a table quickly.

Service was great with friendly and efficient staff.

We had the Pork Belly Sandwich and the Wagyu Meatball Sandwich.

Pork Belly $13.5

Pork Belly filling was really good, with crunchy crackly and tender meat.

The Meatball however was rather dry, so didn’t enjoy it that much. We also found the bread rather hard and difficult to eat and chew.

Wagyu Meatball $12.5

We also had the Black Sesame, Salted Caramel and one more flavour (cant rmb) Macarons. It was pretty good, but liked the Black Sesame Macaron one best. Coffee there was good as well.

Overall, we did find the place slightly overrated, but the food was still yummy (filling good but bread was dry and hard)

Macarons were well made and pretty good as well.

note: heard from a friend that you can actually request for softer bread, will prolly try that next time around.

Vegetarian options

Gluten Free wraps available

 
Rating:

★★         good, recommended

$              under $15 per main

EARL Canteen on Urbanspoon

Dead Man Espresso,South Melbourne

May 23, 2011
★, Breakfast/ Brunch, Coffee, Eating Out, Gluten Free Friendly, South Melbourne
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35 Market St Map
 Melbourne, VIC 3205
03 9686 2255
deadmanespresso.com.au
 

A visit to Dead Man Espresso on a Sunday, they weren’t too busy ( it was about 3/4 full) when we arrived yet the service wasn’t great.

The waitress couldn’t be bothered. We weren’t acknowledged and were left standing there as we weren’t sure if we were to grab a table ourselves or wait for someone to seat us.

After a while, we just decided to get a table ourselves. Finally served, we ordered the Omelet of the day, and the Baked Polenta.

 

Coffee was a tad clumpy but still alright. If I’m not mistaken, their coffee are mainly sourced from Seven Seeds & Market Lane.

The Omelet was average, nothing special. The Baked Polenta was pretty good and interestingly presented, would’ve preferred more enoki though. On the pricey side at $18.50.

 

Overall, found it to be average,  nothing really stood out that will have me returning. But I still think it’s worth a try.

Note: according to Urbanspoon, they are Gluten Free Friendly and Vegan Friendly but on the menu it’s stated No alterations and No “swapsies”, so I’m not too sure. Anyone know if they do allow alterations for those with intolerances/allergies?

Rating:

★             relatively good, still worth a try

$$           $15-25 per main

Dead Man Espresso on Urbanspoon

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