New Zealand Report: Depot Eatery, Auckland

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Today I return to writing my NZ dining series with a review of Depot Eatery, already an Auckland favourite just two years after it was opened in 2011 by Al Brown. Having seen the rave reviews of Depot everywhere, it quickly made my shortlist of places to try. Sure enough, it didn't disappoint - my mum and I loved it so much that we ended up eating here twice during our long weekend getaway.

Depot is buzzing on any given night and its popularity is evident just by looking at the happy crowd inside and the people waiting outside for a table. We were lucky to get seats fairly quickly on both visits, perhaps due to our party size being just two. Seating throughout is bar-style and relaxed, with elevated bar chairs and tables, and they've thoughtfully included bag hooks next to most seats. There is also seating at the bar itself, where you can admire the booze collection on the racks above you while ordering your tipple and food from the super friendly bartenders.

The menu, presented to us by our waitress as a large folded-up sheet of paper in keeping with the chilled-out vibe of Depot (and no doubt because they constantly rotate their offerings), is divided into sections for oysters, small share plates, large share plates, sides, and drinks. Both nights, we ordered a jug of NZ cider to sip as we deliberated on our choices.

Suzuran, Camberwell, Melbourne

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It's already evident from my existing blog posts that I'm a Japanese food devotee. Authentic Japanese food in Melbourne is generally quite pricey and fancy, and sometimes I find myself just wanting a quick, cheap fix. Unfortunately, while there are sushi takeaways all over Melbourne, it's a real struggle to find an authentic one.

Suzuran, an unassuming little place at the northern end of Burke Rd in Camberwell, is welcome relief in Melbourne's sea of faux-Japanese. This is a grocery shop and sushi takeaway run by an all-Japanese team, which becomes apparent as soon as you walk in and hear the Japanese chatter and see the handwritten Japanese signs everywhere.

My family and I dropped in near closing time to pick up some sushi for dinner. The queue of customers even at that hour was a good first sign. A further glance around revealed that for a takeaway shop, Suzuran's roster of sushi and sashimi offerings is pretty impressive. You can order from a long list of platter combinations and/or from the individual piece menu. I noticed rather cool ingredients on the list, such as yuzu and whelk on the individual piece menu. I'm also pleased to report that Suzuran is super vegetarian-friendly; they offer many vegetarian platters and are also happy to do customised vegetarian platters.

The platter menu

Vue de Monde, Rialto Tower, Melbourne CBD

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I'm going to have to finish off my New Zealand miniseries later - exams got in the way of me getting it done earlier - because right now I have a number of people nagging me to post photos from my Vue de Monde experience, not surprisingly!

The Rialto Tower. Vue de Monde sits on the 55th floor.

Last week I had some relatives arriving on a visit from overseas and we had the great privilege of taking a nine-course degustation at Shannon Bennett's famed establishment. Now, normally I'd write a detailed review, but in this case I really don't think it's necessary. Today, I'll just let the photos and videos do most of the talking...

I requested a "good table" due to our overseas visitors, and we were duly treated to one with views of Melbourne's CBD.

 

Pre-appetiser: house-made salt and vinegar chips with macadamia paste

New Zealand Report: Vaniyé (Vaniye), Parnell, Auckland

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Earlier this year, my mum and I visited New Zealand properly for the first time (airport transits don't count as visits!) with a long weekend getaway to Auckland. I know, I know...some of you out there might scratch your heads at the idea of just visiting Auckland. However, (a) I only had a few days' time - not enough to do the whole South Island thing, (b) the flights worked out cheapest, and (c) I have a mate in Auckland, who did a fantastic job showing me his city. And of course, NZ has an excellent reputation when it comes to wining and dining no matter which city you visit. As such, I thought it would be fun to do a miniseries of blog posts to share some of my musings and dining thoughts from my journey. To whet your appetite, here's my favourite photo from my trip:

The view from Devonport towards Auckland CBD

From the Vegicurean's Bar: Maija's Cranberry Bubbly

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Phew! So much has been going on for me lately that I've barely had time to blog, but in honour of this being Saturday night, I'll steal a moment just to share one of my favourite cocktails. Aside from food reviewing and cooking, mixing drinks is also one of my hobbies and similarly, I love digging up unique recipes to try out...

If you've already read my beetroot salad post, you may have noticed me reminiscing over the time I've spent in Finland. One of my favourite aspects of Finnish culture has got to be Finnish design, be it glassware, textiles or fashion. As such, I often drop by the website of Finnish textile legend Marimekko for a bit of a browse. On one such occasion, I stumbled upon an absolutely delightful cocktail recipe in the blog section of the website.

May I present, courtesy of Marimekko: "Maija's Cranberry Bubbly", which has evidently been named in honour of Maija Isola, the designer who first made the company famous half a century ago. It's a relatively simple mix of 1 part vodka, 2 parts cranberry juice, 4 parts champagne, and some frozen berries, but it looks great and is effective.

In keeping with the theme, I mixed my cocktail in this divine apple green glass by renowned Finnish glassware designer iittala. Isn't it just stunning - I brought two of these glasses all the way home from Helsinki to Melbourne! Note that in making the cocktail, I had to replace the cranberries with raspberries because I couldn't find any cranberries at the time.

I think this is a really clever cocktail, particularly because the frozen berries are able to take the place of ice cubes while also adding flavour. If you can't source cranberries, as I said, you can easily replace them with other red berries and it will taste just as wonderful. Just a small tip: I used Yellowglen "Pink" for the champagne part of the drink and most people to whom I've served this cocktail seem to prefer it made with that rather than regular champagne, perhaps because the berry flavours of "Pink" actually enhance the berry goodness of the cocktail. However, your tastes may differ, so I recommend trying both Pink and normal champagne to see which you personally prefer. Either way, with spring well and truly upon us and summer just around the corner, I think this refreshing summery cocktail would be perfect for your next dinner party on the patio :-)

Cocktail recipe HERE. Cheers...or "kippis!", as the Finns would say!

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High Tea Report: Grand Hyatt Hotel Melbourne

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All my friends know what a high tea fiend I am. I will never turn down a high tea invitation...maybe it's the excuse to glam up and make full use of my overflowing designer wardrobe? Maybe it's the cute, bite-sized food on offer? I reckon it's both. And of course, I'm always on the lookout for high tea institutions which look after both meateaters and vegetarians well! My latest tea venture brought me and two girls to the Grand Hyatt because it was the only one which suited our schedules that day. It pains me to have to write a negative review, but unfortunately I wasn't too impressed by it. Read on to find out why...

Having settled ourselves into the plush lounge-style dining room - the interior design gets a big thumbs-up from me (see photo below) - we started off with a three-tiered stand of sandwiches and cakes. I'd forgotten to tell them about my dietary requirement when making the booking, but nonetheless there were enough egg sandwiches to keep me satisfied. Quality-wise, the sandwiches weren't overly impressive - no better than what I could have made at home. The cakes were pretty decent, but were of the kind of quality you'd expect from a plain jane suburban café, not a five-star hotel high tea.

(Photo credit: The Grand Hyatt Melbourne)

On weekdays the Hyatt high tea includes a small buffet, which we started "working on" once we were done with the tier stand of food. There was only one vegetarian option, a mini-wrap, which I found pretty crudely made. It wasn't well wrapped, which meant that it easily fell apart once I tried to eat it, and it too fell below my expectations, with a thick chunk of capsicum and some greens. What really ruined it for me though, was the random slosh of spicy, supermarket-quality, salsa-style sauce which just did not make sense with the ingredients and completely spiced out my taste buds. I ultimately resorted to taking a few bruschetta, removing the salami and just eating them with the veg-friendly ingredients. As for the sweets, they weren't much of an improvement either - most of them consisted of the same bad generic crust (refer to my photo) with various crème fillings. For example, my friends commented that the mandarin-white chocolate one was a "weird" flavour combination which did not work well together. There were also various other sweets on offer, for example cakes, ice cream and toppings, and chocolate fondue, but these were similarly of very plain quality.

At $35 a head, the weekday Grand Hyatt high tea is quite cheap by Melbourne high tea standards which is a plus, but in my humble opinion the quality of the food is reflected in that. It wasn't "unacceptably bad" as such, but it was very, very ordinary as you can tell from my descriptions above. Coming to a five-star hotel for high tea, I expected a certain quality of offering, which just wasn't what I got. To their credit, the dining area is really lovely as I mentioned before, and service was friendly. However, in the end it is the food which truly makes or breaks an institution and in my opinion, I would rather pay a little more to be rewarded with something of much better quality. Look out for my upcoming high tea reviews to see my recommendations!

Rating: C

Vegetarian Friendliness: 5/10
Price Range: $$$

 

The Collins Kitchen @ Grand Hyatt Melbourne

123 Collins St, Melbourne

VIC 3000

AUSTRALIA
 

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Manchester Press

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My internet is finally back up and running after my area's cables got damaged in those raging Melbourne winds over the last two weeks, thank goodness! You really don't appreciate the necessity of the internet in the 21st century until you're left without it. At the same time, it was a nice little pause from being wired up 24/7!

Anyway, as my return to blogging, I thought I'd do a brunch-oriented review today. Manchester Press is a good summary of Melbourne brunch: eclectic, warehouse space found tucked away in a laneway. An interstate friend was in town for the weekend and our usual "thing" is to go for a girls' brunch, so I proposed Manchester Press, knowing that she enjoys artsy places like this and having seen the photos. Sure enough, it lived up to its expectations in that department.

The menu was relatively short; the focal points were definitely bagels and coffee. Although I'm not a coffee drinker myself, my friend rated her coffee highly and it was served with beautiful coffee art. Our other friend and I opted for the "juice of the day", which in our case was watermelon, rockmelon and mint. Can't say no to a beautifully made, all-natural, fresh juice!

At the time of my visit, I did not find the menu particularly vegetarian-friendly. There were virtually no savoury vegetarian items, with most of the bagel dishes coming with things like salmon, salami or pulled pork. The meateaters will be right at home here - looking at the menu, I thought that the combinations are very thoughtful and gourmet-quality, and judging by my friends' orders, the ingredients used are only the freshest. As for me, I looked to the sweet selection and ultimately opted for this bagel with marscapone, mixed berries, and pistachio dust:

The fruit marscapone was well done, being neither too heavy nor too sweet. If anything, I perhaps would have liked to see a few more berries in the mix. As for the bagel itself, well, the fantastic bagels which I had the privilege of trying in New York still set the benchmark for me, particularly in texture - the NYC bagels which I liked the most were ever so slightly softer and less dense in texture than these, but that may be my personal preference. And my benchmark is informed by awfully high standards, given that I woke up to bagels from famed NYC bakery Balthazar's in my hotel breakfast every morning! The Manchester Press take on the bagel is definitely great quality and one of the best I've tried in Melbourne and I would be happy to recommend it to anyone looking for a bagel fix here. Also note that you can ask for plain, seeded or fruit and nut bagels with your order as you please.

Manchester Press is one of those places which keeps a tight focus on doing a select few things, and doing them well. I'd come here if you're in the mood for good coffee, bagel-based dishes, and perhaps some fresh juice and cakes/slices on the side. If you want a more conventional meal with less bread or bagels and more things like cooked meat, pasta, risotto, and so on, or a menu with more variety in the type of dish served, I would look elsewhere. Meateaters will be happiest here judging by the menu, though I believe that since my visit, the lack of savoury vegetarian choices has been remedied with the addition of a bagel served with avocado, feta, chili and mint mash and cherry tomatoes, rocket and pine nuts. Overall, I was definitely impressed by the quality of what I had and by the atmosphere, and would definitely recommend Manchester Press to anyone looking for the kinds of things which fall within the focal scope of their work.

Rating: A+

Vegetarian Friendliness: 6/10

Price Range: $

 

Manchester Press

8 Rankins Lane, Melbourne

VIC 3000

Australia

 

(Ph): (03) 9600 4054

(W): www.facebook.com/manchesterpress
 

 

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From the Vegicurean's Kitchen: French Lentil Salad with Beetroot and Feta

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I'm excited to present the first of many posts I hope to do about my own cooking. While I mostly do dining reviews on this blog, I will share insights from my kitchen and share some great vegetarian recipes which I've found.

Lentils are wonderfully nutritious and I've always known that it's a good idea to get more into my diet, especially as a vegetarian. However, I've only rarely found recipes which make lentils appealing enough to my, admittedly, somewhat snobby taste buds ;-) I was therefore delighted to stumble upon this recipe for a lentil salad with beetroot and feta cheese on the back of a packet of McKenzie's brand French lentils given to me by a friend...

Lake House Restaurant, Daylesford

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Alla Wolf-Tasker's Lake House is undoubtedly one of Australia's most renowned country restaurants. It's a long drive from home for me, but every so often I'll make the effort to have a meal there. My recommendation for a brilliant day out is to start with a good relaxing soak at the nearby Hepburn Springs spas, followed by a late lunch here at the Lake House - which is exactly what my friend and our mums recently did. Call it a girls' day out!

The dining room itself is gorgeous, decked out in lush white and purple fittings and overlooking Lake Daylesford. The occasional kookaburra pays a visit to the white verandah outside. It is pure zen gourmet indulgence...



Lake House's menu changes very regularly, approximately every half-season, to keep absolutely in line with seasonal ingredients. My latest trip last September coincided with the transition from winter into spring, and ingredients such as truffles, pumpkin, asparagus, beets and pear were being showcased in the dishes accordingly. For the meateaters, there was beef, duck, pork and also seafood options.

Our whole party took the the three-course lunch for $99 per person, but diners can also choose a two-course or a multi-course tasting menu option. Whichever you choose, the Lake House has deliberately kept the menu appealing to a wide range of taste buds, from vegetarians to seafood-lovers to those who like the "heavier" meats.

Koko @ Crown Towers

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Today I'm journeying back in time to April this year, when I last dined at Japanese restaurant Koko, which has been a fixture at Crown Casino since the complex opened. It does both teppanyaki and a la carte dining, but I haven't tried the teppanyaki option, so my review will be based solely on my a la carte experiences.

The dining room is surely one of the most serene and beautifully designed in Melbourne, with its great view over the Yarra into the city, and of course...that large pond in the middle of the restaurant! My friend and I were lucky enough this time to get one of the tables for two which face the river, which you must step on one stepping stone in the pond to reach. For a moment I regretted my choice of footwear (my favourite 4-inch heeled Proenza Schouler designer boots!), but fortunately I didn't end up stacking into the pond ;-)

I commenced with a strawberry mocktail which was thoroughly impressive. I watched the waiter bring a box of fresh strawberries to the bar, where my drink was made to order. I then sat back and sipped as I enjoyed the view...

Perusing the menu, I realised that there were no vegetarian mains at all and I was told that it wasn't possible for me to take advantage of their lunch multi-course special since there were no vegetarian choices there either. As such, while my friend was able to take that lunch deal, I resorted to ordering three different vegetarian entrees to make up my meal...

Tuck Shop Take Away, Caulfield North

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Today I was in the mood for some lunchtime vegicurean exploration, so I made a trip to Caulfield North to test out this cute new eatery which a friend had told me about the day before. I did some pre-dining research, and learned that this is a new project started by husband-wife dream team Clinton and Katrina, who have honed their craft with the likes of Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck), Ben Shewry (Attica) and Shannon Bennett (Vue de Monde).

Tuck Shop is the epitome of what I view as one of this year's culinary trends: childhood food made good (remember that LuxBite lolly bag cake on Masterchef!). It reminds me of one of my fondest memories of New York, Momofuku Milk Bar. Americans reminisce over their milk bar snacks...we Aussies reminisce over our good old school tuckshops. I've long craved for a place in the same vein as Momofuku in Melbourne, and at last I've found it.

The eatery commands a prime position at the corner of Glen Eira Rd and Hawthorn Rd. It's a lovely spot to enjoy a bite while sitting at the window, watching the world go by, with Glen Eira Town Hall in the background. This was my view from the window seat:

The menu is approximately 50% savoury and 50% sweet. When I visited today, there were about four vegetarian options among the savoury items: a gourmet veggie burger, hand-cut chips, creamed corn-caramelised onion jaffles, and baked bean-double cheese jaffles. For such a small tuckshop-type place, that's plenty enough to keep vegos satisfied. Bring a meateating friend along to enjoy their regular burgers, which are already getting plenty of buzz around town!

I went for the creamed corn and caramelised onion jaffles as my savoury choice. Freshly pressed with a hint of melted cheese inside, these were very, very tasty and the flavour combination was excellent - "classic with a gourmet twist".

I'll confess that the vast majority of my visit was spent sinfully devouring sweet temptations. With my jaffles, I enjoyed an absolutely divine salted caramel milkshake. Yes, you heard that right! Other flavours on the milkshake menu include Nutella, Redskin and peanut butter, so it's safe to say I'll be coming back for some more taste-testing!

My second round of ordering consisted of a nutella soft-serve plus a redskin tart. Yum!!

There were several other sweet items which I didn't get around to trying: sweet jaffles, holey donuts, redskin-chocolate brownies, and huge choc-potato chip cookies. I'm also keen to try a few more of their constantly rotating soft serve flavours. Next time ;-) Side note: I'm an ex-Caulfield Grammar student - at the other campus out east, but I was often at the Glen Eira Rd campus for activities - and I'm unspeakably jealous of this generation of Grammarians who now have a "second tuckshop" just down the road in the form of Tuck Shop Take Away!

A lovely quirky little lunch or snack spot which is reasonably priced for the quality you get. The only thing is that the shop is really small and it's pretty hard to get a seat, so you'll just have to be a bit patient if you come in wanting to stick around and taste test instead of taking away (...like me!). Overall, a highly recommended spot for both vegetarians and omnivores with a sweet tooth, which manages to successfully mix childhood nostalgia with gourmet grown-up cooking.

UPDATE Wednesday 18/9: I went back with a friend today on a food run after a long day and finally came with enough appetite to try the veggie burger plus a few other things, so I thought I'd add these comments to my original review. Tired and hungry while waiting for our burgers, we started with dessert, opting for their brand-new concoction, the toffee apple crumble. Big thumbs up - I loved the interaction between the apple pie crumble, ganache icing, apple cream cheese and the sponge cake.

Then, along came our "mains", and we both thought the high-quality, mildly sweet brioche buns matched up so well with the savoury patties. The fries were also beautifully done, with a texture which is soft but lightly crispy on the outside. Alongside our mains, I tried the peanut butter milkshake while my friend followed my recommendation to try the salted caramel; both of us agreed that although both were great, the salted caramel is the better of the two from a milkshake perspective. Finally, I finished our sneaky little food run with a very, very more-ish Redskin-chocolate brownie to take away...well, truth be told, it only got as far as my car before we just had to devour it. By the way, we got the owners' tick of approval for splitting our dessert-eating between before and after mains ;-)

 

Rating: A+

Vegetarian Friendliness: 8.5/10

Price Range: $

 

Tuck Shop Take Away

273 Hawthorn Rd.

Caulfield North, VIC

Australia
 

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Hanabishi Japanese Restaurant, Melbourne CBD

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Could this be one of Melbourne's most underrated Japanese restaurants? In the media and blogosphere, it is often overshadowed by the likes of Kenzan and Shoya, but having dined at the celebrated Kenzan, I must say that I actually prefer Hanabishi. It's definitely one of the best Japanese places I've tried in Melbourne...and one of the most vegetarian-friendly I've ever encountered both here and overseas. This Japanese restaurant has a separate, double-sided vegetarian menu! Score.

My friend and I are big fans of the fresh elegance of Japanese brews, so we started with a Kirin each. These were served with an appetiser: for me, the vegetarian, this consisted of edamame beans.

 We then ordered up a storm of mindblowingly good Japanese food. My friend enjoyed meaty dishes of crab, abalone, and a chef's choice sushi/sashimi platter, all of which she said were wonderfully fresh and pure-tasting. Meanwhile, I savoured the rare joy of being able to choose from a broad range of options in a Japanese restaurant...

Agedashi tofu, a staple dish. This was served at the perfect temperature, which was a relief when I have so often yelped in pain from biting into overheated agedashi tofu at Japanese restaurants! The broth and crunchiness-level of the tofu balanced appropriately.

Sushi - of course. There were a few options, but I was in the mood for the vegetable California roll (avocado/cucumber). Again, I can't fault what they served up, as the ingredients were ultra fresh and the sushi rolled nicely.

 Next up, "Vegetable Ten Zaru Soba". Cold soba has been one of my Japanese addictions since childhood! This version came with vegetable tempura and the usual dashi dipping sauce. One of the better versions of veggie tempura I've tasted, this was done to crisp perfection and the choice of vegetables very appropriate for tempura cooking. (At other places, I've had tempura which is served too soggy, and it only becomes soggier when you dip it into the sauce!)

 And so we come to dessert. This photo says it all - behold, our stunning nine-piece, house-made Hanabishi dessert tasting plate, each and every piece of it absolutely outstanding:

 My friend, an avid coffee fiend, particularly loved the coffee pannacotta. We both agreed that the ice cream was a real highlight; it was just "any" ice cream, it was house-made using Pacojet micro-pureeing and the texture was sensationally delicate.

An absolutely golden find for Japanese-loving vegetarians which will keep your meat-eating companions equally happy. Both vegetarians and vegans will be happy here, as they have noted on the vegetarian menu that they can also easily accommodate non-dairy. They also have a separate gluten-free menu. Smiling yet unobtrusive and unpretentious service is an added bonus. Yes, it's fairly pricey, but boy is it worth every penny. A full 10 out of 10 to Hanabishi for the stunning food and the true love they have shown to vegetarians! I shall be back!

Rating: A+

Vegetarian Friendliness: 10/10
Price Range: $$$

 

Hanabishi

187 King St.

Melbourne VIC 3000

Australia

 

(Ph): 9670 1167

(W): www.hanabishi.com.au
 

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Budapest Restaurant & Palinka Bar, Elsternwick

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Ah, Budapest! What memories...right up there as one of my top 10 favourite cities in the world, a restaurant named in its honour and serving up Hungarian cuisine was sure to grab my attention. I've now dined here twice. And you know you've come to the right place when the whole table behind you is speaking Hungarian...

As an entrée before my review, let me share one of my many travel photos of Budapest the magnificent city, in all its free-spirited glory:

Anyway, on to Budapest the restaurant and what it has in store for vegicureans. Huge portions, for one, are not just reserved for meat-eaters at this place! And the good news is, they've taken specific care to include vegetarian options in most sections of the menu. By the way, please excuse the photos - the restaurant lighting made it really tough to get better photos.

We started with a round of drinks: apple pálinka for my friends, and imported Hungarian peach juice for me. Good peach juice is one thing I really miss about Europe!

Knowing that the portions are as big as they are, we passed on entrees and went straight for the mains. My friends chose schnitzels, while I ordered the same thing I got the first time I ate here: crumbed camembert cheese served with peasant potatoes, csiki sauce and braised red cabbage. The deal is that you can add an extra side to any main for $4, so I added nokedli (Hungarian dumplings) with paprika sauce, although as you can see in my second photo, they forgot to give me the paprika sauce until I reminded them. Again, my main dish did not fail to please; it is absolutely true to the various versions of this dish which I've enjoyed on my travels around central Europe. And, our whole table agreed that the peasant potatoes were absolutely delicious; so much better than your average boring mash!

Thoroughly bursting at the seams after mains, we nonetheless couldn't resist a sneaky (well, not so sneaky...check out the size of this thing!!) sweet finish to the meal. My friend and I split a Rákóczi cream cheese crepe served with vanilla ice cream. It was very tasty, with a perfect hint of zinginess to the cream cheese, but alas, due to the sheer size of it, we couldn't finish it! If anything, I thought there was a LOT of cream in proportion to the actual crepe, but it was definitely a very tasty dish overall.

Well done to Budapest for looking after us veggie heads despite the fact that Hungarian cuisine is traditionally very meaty. Service was a bit slow and forgetful compared to my first visit (e.g. the waitress gave us a bottle of water but forgot about water glasses until we asked after a long while, and they had to be reminded about my friends' juice order), but the staff are perfectly pleasant and friendly. Prices are a little on the above-average end, but still decent value considering the large servings. Good selection of imported tipples, the highlights being naturally the Hungarian pálinka and tokaji which are not so readily available in other restaurants.

Rating: A

Vegetarian Friendliness: 9/10
Price Range: $$

Budapest Restaurant & Palinka Bar

273 Glen Huntly Rd

Elsternwick VIC 3185

Australia

(Ph): 9530 0849

(W): www.budapest.com.au
 

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Restaurant Dansk @ Denmark House, Melbourne CBD

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Those who know me well, know that I'm crazy in love with all things Nordic. Naturally, this includes food. So imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon Restaurant Dansk, the restaurant at Denmark House, the Danish Club of Melbourne!

Most people associate "Nordic cuisine" with meat and seafood - herring, meatballs, cod, etc. Indeed, that's the sort of produce the region has been renowned for since as long as we can remember, and such ingredients dominate Nordic cooking into the 21st century. However, as the Restaurant Dansk kitchen ably proves, vegetarian food cooked according to Nordic culinary principles is an experience in itself. (See the Manifesto for the New Nordic Kitchen here: http://www.clausmeyer.dk/en/the_new_nordic_cuisine_/manifesto_.html)

I dined at Restaurant Dansk twice this past summer, during which it was serving a four-course tasting menu entitled "Taste of Dansk" for $50 - and to my delight, a vegetarian version was available alongside the meat version! As such, it's a good spot for vegetarians dining alongside omnivore friends.

My dining experience kicked off with dark rye bread, a Danish favourite, served in a lovely silver bowl. It was delicious - ever so slightly sweet and sour - just like any I've tried in Scandinavia. The bread was refilled appropriately throughout the meal.

First course was a thoroughly modern take on Danish smørrebrød: topped with curry, green apple and shallots. I liked how the curry was done; it was a fresh, light take on curry as we know it, made with mini macaroni pieces. A good, palate-cleansing start to the meal.

Second course was larger, showcasing two varying tastes. To the left is cucumber with peas, rye crisps and a selection of pickles on top. On the right, eggs royale topped with a feta and tomato salad. This plate was a nice display of contrasting tastes and textures between the "bitier" cucumber combination and the smooth, creamy egg dish.

Third course also consisted of two different items, and was the heartiest course. Where to start! On one side I was treated to three types of heirloom baby carrots mingled with brioche and almond slices; on the other, a perfect sweet potato puree with tomatoes, onion crisps and sweet potato pieces. All I can say is that the flavours all balanced perfectly to my liking! I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to sample those beautiful heirloom carrots; the purple one was my favourite, with its sweet, rich flavour.

Finally, dessert arrived: Rødgrød (redberry) soup with brioche and creme fraiche. Berry soup is a favourite in the Nordic region - and why not, when all kinds of berries grow free and wild in the forests! I often long for those cartons of berry soup one can readily buy in Nordic supermarkets. Anyway, Restaurant Dansk serves up a pretty elegant version of this Nordic classic. If anything, its fine texture was more "fine dining" than the slightly thicker, homelier version sold in the supermarkets over there which I'm used to - I find both enjoyable in their own ways. It depends on your own tastes. Side note: the waitress brought the plated brioche and creme fraiche to our table before pouring the soup over it. That prevents the brioche from getting the least soggy while waiting to be served. Fantastic attention to detail!

Beautiful food served in a beautiful setting, and with real thought given to vegetarian diners - Restaurant Dansk has my highest recommendation. Before you even get to the food, it's worth it for the chance to admire the lovely Danish furnishings, fittings and servingware alone!

Having done a dining review, I should also briefly note that the bar at Denmark House is now one of my favourite drinking spots in Melbourne. Everyone I've brought here has really enjoyed it too. Decked out with stunning Danish furniture, serving up Danish ciders and craft beers...you will literally think you're sitting in a friend's loungeroom in Copenhagen. It's where I go when I find myself longing for Europe (as I regularly do)!

**UPDATE 7/1/14: I wanted to add a few comments, having been back to Restaurant Dansk several times since I wrote this review. They now have less for vegetarians on the printed menu, but I've found that they are always more than happy to make something off the menu on request, and whatever they whip up is always thoughtfully done. Also, Dansk now does something called "More Mondays" from 12 to 2pm on Mondays. For just $19 all-you-can-eat, you are treated to a beautiful spread of smørrebrød (Danish open sandwiches like the one in my first photo) and authentic Danish sweet pastries. Meateaters will love the smørrebrød on the table, with a great variety of toppings including shrimp, beef and herring. If you're vegetarian, never fear: once again, I've found that even on More Mondays, the kitchen is happy to make you some to order, and you can just keep asking for more since it's all-you-can-eat.

Rating: A+

Vegetarian Friendliness: 8/10 

Price Range: $$$

Restaurant Dansk @ Denmark House

3/428 Little Bourke St, Melbourne CBD
 

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Life as a vegicurean

Contrary to the many jokes often poked at vegetarians, yes I do eat "real food" ;) In fact, I'm quite the foodie. I love exploring the dining scene of any city I'm in, be it my hometown Melbourne or another city I'm visiting. I love thinking critically about what I'm eating and drinking. More recently, I've started experimenting more in my own kitchen too.

Now in my early 20s, I've already been meat-free for more than half my life. Being vegetarian can certainly make fulfilling culinary exploration a little more tricky - but has never been a hindrance to me. I always manage to unearth beautiful vegetarian-friendly meals somewhere.

I appreciate a venue which puts real thought into its vegetarian offerings, because so many places focus so heavily on their omnivorous offerings that at times, the vegetarian choices can suffer. More than once, I've dined at highly-touted institutions only to find that while my meat-eating friends enjoyed their food, I was left wanting.

Here on The Vegicurean, I plan to write reviews which focus on the herbivorous delights dished up by venues all over Melbourne, and sometimes beyond Melbourne. Occasionally I'll also include a snapshot of the things I cook at home. I hope my blog will be a useful resource for other vegetarian epicureans out there. 

Follow me on the vegicurean trail!