In My Kitchen: May 2025

May brings a desire for more warming comforting food as the weather cools and nights darken.  The local hardware store reflects this change of season with lots of heaters, rugs, and brasiers out on prominent display.  We have had a quieter month but some interesting moments with a federal election, Mother day and staff changes at work.  I've been to the optometrist, the osteopath and had my flu jab.  The month has ended with one of the two dogs next door being put down and his poor little friend sending out anguished cries of mourning every now and again.  We've also been planning to get the house painted inside.  June will be very unsettled when the painters are in but I look forward to freshly painted walls!

The top photo is of pizza we were making with a green pasta (below) and a favourite nut roast.  The photo is taken while we were topping the pizza.  I put the green pasta on first and then added the chopped nut roast and cheese but Sylvia started with nut roast and added the pasta and cheese on top.

 

This Creamy Green Pasta by Meera Sodha with such a glorious green vegan sauce.  It was packed with spinach, basil, parsley, silken tofu, nutritional yeast flakes, miso and lemon juice.  I misread the recipe and added lots of lemon zest to the sauce.  It was actually intended to be part of a marinated olive garnish that I did not do.  We had ours with coleslaw and a tomato cucumber salad.  It was lovely but a bit too zesty.  I want to try it again without all that lemon zest and then work out if I need to tweak the flavours a little to our tastes. We had quite a bit of leftover sauce.  As you can see below, it is very versatile for using in different meals.

We had lots of the above green past leftover so we had a carb on carb comfort of pasta on pizza.  You can see a work in progress photo at the top of the post.  I used my favourite pizza base and had cream cheese, green pasta, nut roast, green olives and cheese.  So so good!  Lots of carbs but it felt a little healthier for all that green!  

Due to the over zesting of the above green pasta sauce, I was not sure how to use the leftovers.  So I froze it for later.  Soon after we decided to add it to Nagi's Cheesy Broccoli Soup.  Green is such a delicate green colour that it often fades.  So I was pretty happy that this soup kept its colour even the next morning.  It was a really quick photo before work while I was packing my lunch.

Never mind the great Aussie democracy sausage, I love an election day cake stall.  After voting in the federal election on 3 May, I perused the many options at the Coburg Primary School cake stall.  Sylvia loved the gingerbread biscuits with faces. I was a fan of the chocolate caramel slice which fused onto the choc chip cookie in the paper bag.  We also had a dulce de leche honey joy and an Anzac biscuit.  I have added some of the How to Vote flyers that we are inundated with as we walk in the gate.  Though it was so busy with when got there that I had to queue up outside the gate.  And I did leave with a democrazy sausage!  

I was excited to see the five grain tempeh from Wilder Foods at the Coburg Farmers Market:.  It was excellent.  I fried and chopped it to serve with Gnocchi with broccoli pesto.  I also bought an upcycled lemon miso seasoning that I am yet to use but am looking forward to it after the test tasting at the stall. 

As an aside, the rest of the broccoli pesto went into another version of Nagi's Cheesy Broccoli Soup (compare to the green sauce version above).

As a long time fan of the classic Zucchini slice, I am always on the lookout for similar savoury baked slices.  This Creamed corn rice slice from taste.com.au sounds interesting.  Creamed corn from a tin is so sweet but some comforting.  I tweaked the recipe with more (brown) rice, cooked corn off the cob, fresh herbs and a layer of melted cheese on top.  It was nice on the night but even better the next day when it had firmed up.  This was great for work lunches.

I am still regularly making my toasted muesli (granola).  When I have fruit mince I use that but outside the festive season I use a variety of dried fruits.  I tried some crystalised ginger recently but was not so keen.  The one above has freeze fried strawberries on it which I enjoyed more than dried strawberries.  Their bright colour really makes the muesli look beautiful.  I am missing the stone fruits and berries of summer.  They have given way to grapes, apples and pears but are not as good with my museli.

While I miss the fruit of summer, I love a good warming winter stew.  I loved returning to Cadry's gnocchi soup with sauce and kale.  It is so creamy and comforting.  I added some miso and mustard for extra flavour which worked really well.  I hope to make this again before the end of winter!

Another great winter warmer were these Spanikopita loaded baked potatoes.  They were such a good variation on our regular baked potatoes with coleslaw, cheese, yoghurt and guacamole.  We ran out of the cream cheese and used some Laughing Cow cheese.  We also added sun dried tomatoes.  It was a recipe where I could be quite flexible with quantities.  They were lovely and green with some crispy feta crumbs on top/  I enjoyed mine with a grated beetroot, carrot and apple salad.  Again!  Please!

I have been in search of an easy ramen.  When I saw Lazy Cat Kitchen's Quick Ramen I was keen to try it.  My version bypassed the roasting of vegies and used fried tofu puffs and udon noodles.  I really liked the white miso in the milky broth and added more flavouring.  After the photo I figured that it was easier to eat the tofu puffs sliced.  I need to have another go to slightly tweak what I did but am hoping this will be a good version to make quickly.

On a cold Friday night in May, we planned to make pizza.  Before I managed this, we spoke to my mum who was having fish  and chips for tea.  The idea took hold and before we knew it, we headed out in the car to Flakes for what I nostalgically call "fish and chips" but is actually chips, potato cakes and corn jacks.  I also added a fried vegetarian dim sim.  It wasn't quite the same as the meat dim sims I got at fish ad chip shops in my youth but pretty good.  

I bought drinks at Terre Madre nearby.  I had the hibiscus Mateo with my meal and the Gurbuchi for later.  I hadn't tried the Mateo before.  It is made with yerba mate a tea like leaf from South America.  This is a bit sweeter than the kombuchas I love but very nice and has no added sugar.

I jumped at the chance to try Cheesy miso stuffed mushrooms from i am a food blog.  The stuffing was a fairly simple mixture of cream cheese, white miso, kewpie mayo and fried chopped mushroom stems.  When baked on with some parmesan cheese on top, it tasted really good.  I had mine with coleslaw and mock tuna (chickpea) salad .  The smaller mushrooms looked cuter but I really liked the flatter ones with more stuffing on top.  I think it would make a great pizza topping.

One of my favourite cakes I have made recently (and there aren't many) is the Chocolate tahini banana bread I posted in May.  This is a photo of our cat Shadow overseeing the baking.  You can also see the lining of the loaf tin, which was one of my better efforts.  In the background is a bunch of sunflowers that Sylvia bought me for Mothers Day.  They were a bit past their peak in this photo but they really brightened up the kitchen table.

I made an old favourite, Isa's smoky potato, bean and corn salad (gf,v) for dinner to eat with sausages and greens.  It was excellent mixed with avo and tomato for lunches.

My last winter warmer of May was this wonderful Mushroom Pot Pie on From My Bowl.  I made it all in the cast iron frypan: frying, simmering and baking.  We didn't have red wine so I added a bit of whiskey and water instead.  Perhaps this was why it was so rich.  The mixture of mushrooms, carrots, potato and peas in a creamy cashew sauce under a blanket of crispy puff pastry was so good.  The leftovers were excellent for work lunches.

I am sending this post to Sherry of Sherry's Pickings for the In My Kitchen event. If you would like to join in, send your post to Sherry by 13th of the month.  Or just head over to her blog to visit more kitchens and her gorgeous hand drawn header.  Thanks to Sherry for continuing to host this even that brings together some wonderful bloggers who share glimpses into their kitchens.

Street Art in Melbourne: Brunswick 2025

Today I bring you more Brunswick Street art that I have photographed mainly on bike rides.  It is a lot of colour and whimsy in Brunswick with a decent helping of birds, flowers, animals and nostalgia.

The above cat in a wet weather clothing with his ball of string and fishing line made me smile when I saw it in East Brunswick.

Tin Tin artworks at Quarry Hotel, Lygon Street in East Brunswick

Above (tiger) and below (astronaut): Ewing Street

Weston Street near the corner of Sydney Road

Birds, above and below: Opposite the Brunswick East Primary School on Nicholson Street

Above and below: A front fence by Elizabeth Gleeson in St Philip Street, East Brunswick, and a back garage in East Brunswick.

Above and below: Wilson Avenue near Sydney Road across from Barkly Street.  (I love the "Women need men like fish need bicycles" badge because my sister had one like it when I was a teenager.)

Above and below - alley behind the Sydney Road Bunnings.  (There's a moose loose with a paintbrush!)

Pizza on lane behind Lygon Street between Albion and Blyth St

Red Wattlebird on Albion Street across the road from Brunswick West Primary School.

Flowers on Edward Street near Sydney Road

Gig on a back lane behind Lamond Hotel by corner of Blythe and Lygon Streets.

Garfield in North West Brunswick.  (Another nostalgic moment that takes me back to my childhood)

3RRR Building on corner of Blyth and Nicholson Streets.  The picture with its quote "nemesis of mediocre radio everywhere" takes me back to listening to The Ghost - aka Stephen Walker - on this radio station in my student days.

Brunswick Road: the picture is of people threading together Australia and Asia. 

 Ibis (aka bin chicken) on Union Street.

We finish with Leunig's Mr Curly with his teapot, books and wagon painted on a fence by the Merri Creek bike track.

More Brunswick Street art:

• Street Art in Melbourne #2 Ann Street, East Brunswick
• Street Art in Melbourne #5 Brunswick alley
• Street Art in Melbourne #7 Brunswick miscellaneous
• Street Art in East Brunswick (OConnor St and Piera St) 
• Street Art in Brunswick - Florence St (Sinch memorial) 
• Street Art in Melbourne: Tinning Street, Brunswick   
• Street art in Melbourne: Brunswick 2017-2018  
• Street art in Melbourne: Brunswick 2020
• Street Art in Melbourne: Brunswick - Manallack and Saxon Streets   
• Street Art in Melbourne: Brunswick 2021
• Street Art in Melbourne: Brunswick 2024
  

The Vegie Bar, Fitzroy: old school charm with a modern vegan outlook

The Vegie Bar is an iconic vegetarian restaurant in Fitzroy that opened in 1988.  It was there when I moved into a student shared house in Fitzroy soon after and the Brunswick Street foodie scene was emerging.  I wrote a brief post about it within weeks of starting my blog in 2007.  Since then I have been many times.  Every time I plan to write a more comprehensive post with better photos.  So today I have some reflections and a collations of photos, mostly previously shared my blog. 

The Vegie Bar has moved with the times to offer more modern plant based and gluten free options but the menu still includes some of the original wholesome dishes that justify indulging in a slab of chocolate cake from the tempting display cabinet.  I still love eating there with sunshine streaming through big windows into the large warehouse and remembering the good old days of Brunswick Street.

Many restaurants had just one vegetarian dish on the menu in the early 1990s when I went vegetarian.  I could eat out but I was always the person who knew immediately what I would order because there was so little choice.  It was exciting to go to a vegetarian restaurant where I could order anything off the menu.  (I fondly remember Lord Lentil in Rathdowne Street in North Carlton.)  These vegie restaurants generally had wholesome menus that offered dishes from an eclectic range of cultures including Indian, Mexican, Asian and European.  

There is an old Vegie Bar menu from the early 1990s online that that offered just this sort of food.  The Mostly Greens, Mexican burrito and Mee Goreng are still on the menu today.  Other items on this old menu that remind me of old school vegetarian restaurants include rice balls, dahl, tofu burger and nachos.  Other items are similar to those offered at the Vegie Bar today: curries, stirfries, pasta and pizza and a salad bar. 

 

The Vegie Bar has moved with the times and updated its offerings to reflect modern trends.  Today its menu is all vegan with some dishes offering a dairy option.  In the 1990s you would occasionally encounter textured vegetable protein or seitan in a vegetarian restaurant but not the range of vegan cheeses and mock meats on the menu today.  Like many other places, the Vegie Bar menu has retained some wholesome dishes but added more processed vegan meats and cheeses and fancier ingredients.  Vegan duck, kimchi, edamame, vegan fior di latte, chickpea crisps, yuzu and sriracha would have bee pretty rare in the 1990s.  It is always interesting to see what is on their menu.  There have also been a few niche ventures in the nearby streets such as the Girls and Boys vegan gelato bar and the Transformer fine dining vegetarian restaurant.

2007: Dahl and pizza
This photo is from 2007 post on the Vegie Bar.  E enjoyed the duo special with the chickpea dahl, lentil dahl, brown rice and and roti.  I chose the Italiano pizza from the specials menu.  It had pesto, napoli sauce, baby spinach, spanish onion, sundried tomato, olives, pumpkin and mozzarella cheese.  Good food, good times but not so much good photography!  I also noted in December 2008 that I had the Mexican burrito which I found huge.

Chocolate cakes
The next time I mentioned the Vegie Bar on my blog was in 2009 when my daughter Sylvia was a baby.  I took her there to meet my friend Yav and had an indulgent slice of chocolate cake while Sylvia slept despite the noisy music.  I have a particular penchant for chocolate cake at the Vegie Bar.  I remember stopped there on the way home from work when I lived in Collingwood in the early 2000s and loving a comforting slab of chocolate cake.  The photo above is from April 2014 when I was shopping in Brunswick Street and stopped in at the Vegie Bar for an amazing huge piece of chocolate cake to eat while I read my book.  In 2024, I managed to resist the "sumptuous layered chocolate cake with dark chocolate ganache & toasted almond flakes.  Served warm".

July 2014: Vegan nachos
In July 2014 I had an amazing plate of Vegan nachos and a green kale smoothie.  I wrote that the meal had "Heaps of corn chips, salsa, black beans, vegan cheese, vegan sour cream and jalapenos.  It could easily serve 2 (ie I could not finish it).  Nachos can be a bit dry but these were full of vegies and sauce and were really satisfying."

June 2017: Miso, mushrooms and sourdough
I next mention the Vegie Bar on my blog in June 2017 when I stopped in for a quick meal while reading Wonder by R. J. Palacio.  I had the vegan Miso, Mushrooms and Sourdough off the specials menu which was described as "Asian mushrooms, silver beet & cabbage wok tossed in a miso sauce, served on pumpkin sourdough w/ macadamia feta" for $15.  I remember writing somewhere about not liking it as much as I expected.  I am not a big fan of mushrooms as the star of a meal.   I suspect I wanted more macadamia feta and less mushrooms on the lovely pumpkin toast.

September 2017: Watermelon poke bowl
I took Sylvia to lunch at the Vegie bar.  There is a second room after you enter from the street.  We sat there at a window bench enjoying the warm sunshine at the start of Spring.  I was very excited to be able to order the Poke bowl with watermelon chunks, cucumber, carrots, avocado, edamame, alfalfa sprouts, pickles and brown rice with a slice of lime.  It was delicious with lots of different textures and flavours.  I love the way the watermelon looks a bit like salmon but tastes so much better. Sylvia was less impressed with her margarita pizza with tomatoes, vegan cheese and basil as it was not like the pizzas she was used to at the time.

September 2017: Charcoal juice
At the same visit I had a black juice of activated charcoal, filtered water, maple lemon, and passionfruit.  I think this might be the only time I have had a juice with charcoal.  It had a slightly gritty texture but I really liked the juice combination and the colour.  However I was not so keen on the passionfruit seeds that got stuck in my straw.  (I have notes saying it looked like a bottle of dead flies.)  I think this was one of the in-house juices that they would pre-bottle but I am not sure if they still sell these.  Their current menu has juices such as Clean and Lean: watermelon, apple & cranberry; Immunity: orange, apple, carrot & ginger; and Energiser: Apple, celery, cucumber & mint.

Late 2017: Vegan big mac and fries
This Better than a Big Mac was really excellent.  I remember being able to say really quickly "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickled onions on a sesame seed bun" when it was a challenge on Maccas adverts in my childhood.  It is decades since I had a Big Mac and I never want to eat one again but there are times I wish they were vegan.  So finding a burger that is really similar but with vegan cheese and patties was such a great nostalgia trip.  Of course these are indeed better than a Big Mac.  Kudos to the patties that were excellent.  This is high praise in a world where vegie burgers are often disappointing.  I was raving in happiness. The sweet potato fries were also lovely but I wished I had ordered regular potato fries to complete that trip down memory lane.

September 2018: Dr Strangelove soda
When ordering my Better than Big Mac and fries I would like to think I also had fancy cola.  However I suspect it was the choice of E.  (My notes don't mention his meal).  I have had both the Dr Strangelove smoked cola and ginger beer.  Both are excellent with lots of flavour but not too much sweetness.  The bottles have gorgeous steampunk illustrations on the labels..  These sodas used to be in a lot of local cafes but are less common of late.  I love that I can always find an interesting sparkling soda or kombucha at the Vegie Bar.  On my most recent visit last year I had a lovely yuzu cola in the Caroline's apple cider vinegar drinks range.

July 2019: Better than Big Mac and fries
I had dinner with my friend Faye on a cold wet weekday night.  The sort of night I expect no one else to want to go out. But it was packed and we could only find a couple of seats on the communal table.  We both had the Better than a Big Mac: "Two house-made 100% no-beef patties, special sauce, iceberg lettuce, vegan cheese, pickles & onion in a three-part brioche bun. Served with golden potato fries. $18"  It wasn't quite as amazing as my first time.  The burger patties seemed slightly mushier with less structure.  But it was so fantastic.  I really love a burger I can pick up and eat, and it does imitate the iconic Big Mac of my teenage years.  We also had wonderful crispy rice balls with satay sauce.  But it was too filling for us to have room for dessert.

2019: Vegie spag bol
I have just the photos  but no notes from this visit in 2019.  My vegie spaghetti bolognaise was probably vegan and I think it might have had lentils  and vegetables in the bolognaise sauce.  I remember that it was very satisfying and delicious.

2019: Margarita pizza
At the same visit Sylvia had the Margarita pizza with tomato, vegan cheese and basil because she lacked my excitement at all the interesting menu options. 

30 December 2020: old school Vegie Bar dishes
Again I have no notes on these dishes I shared with a friend at the end of 2020 when we were all excited to be able to eat out after Covid lockdowns.  Strangely enough these dishes look like the sort of food I might have had in the Vegie Bar in the 1990s.  For starters we had the rice balls and spring rolls.  I think my friend had the Mee Goreng and I had the Laksa.  Great hippy food from nations all over the world.

October 2024: Zen bowl
My latest visit to the Vegie Bar was last year.  I had the Zen Bowl: Chilled ramen noodles, miso-sesame dressing, avocado, braised shiitake mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, wakame, edamame, cucumber, kimchi & togarashi.  ($29)  That dressing was so good with all those vegies, tofu and noodles.  My lunch was a little spicy with the kimchi but really delicious.

October 2024: Strawberry, kiwi and chia pudding
On this same visit, Sylvia had decided to have a burger at Lord of the Fries over the road.  (Maybe her spidey senses had twigged that the branch of the LoTF franchise was soon to close down.)  But who can resist the food in the Vegie Bar!  She had a vegan strawberry and matcha chia pudding from the dessert cabinet.  It looked so gorgeous.  Sylvia loved it though the coconut yoghurt was not great (but she is not really into coconut milk either).

This is not a complete list of my visits to the Vegie Bar.  I wish I had taken more photos and notes over the years.  Yet I am glad to have these ones to give an overview of good meals at a favourite vegie restaurant that is full of so many good memories.  I hope it is not too longer until I return to the Vegie Bar.  I end this post as I started 2007 post on the Vegie Bar, with a view out the window to the old fashioned post box and beyond across Brunswick Street and down Rose Street.

The Vegie Bar
380 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Open: Mon-Fri 11.30am-9pm, weekends 11am-9pm
www.vegiebar.com.au