Vegie Bar is somewhat of a vegetarian institution in Melbourne, having been located on Brunswick Street for over 20 years now. They do amazing vegetarian, vegan and raw food and are always busy no matter what day of the week, or time of the day you visit. It’s definitely worth waiting for a table though – I have never been disappointed! In fact, I can’t believe I’m yet to write about Vegie Bar here on the blog, it’s been a favourite of mine for probably close to 10 years now!
My only real criticism of Vegie Bar is that I almost have too much choice! So often I’m used to choosing between a handful of items on a menu, so when I’m presented with a whole list of things to choose from it can be somewhat overwhelming! I try and choose different things each time I go, but by now I have worked my way through most of the menu, although the ever-changing special board means there’s always something new as well!
The day I bought my apartment (saying that is still surreal to me!) B and I decided we should visit for a celebratory dinner, and chose to pick a few things to share to allow us to sample as much of the menu as possible, and we started off with the dim-sims ($5.50 for 4). As B has been vegetarian his whole life he has never eaten dim sims before, but these are definitely no ordinary dim sim! They are stuffed with a variety of vegetables and were served with a soy dipping sauce and were an excellent start to the meal. They were nice and crispy on the outside and full of soft, tasty vegetables on the inside – just as they should be!
Next up was the Virtuoso Pizza (small size $10.50) which had a seeded spelt flour crust, tomato and pesto base with fresh spinach, caramelised onions, roast pumpkin, cherry tomatoes and vegan cheese. This was equally delicious, with the base being light and crispy and the toppings generous and tasty. Given the crust was fairly thin it was a bit of a two-handed effort to eat the pieces to ensure the toppings didn’t all fall off, but that was a small price to pay for the flavours!
Our last savoury dish was the Vermicelli ($13.50) which was rice noodles, tofu, asian greens & capsicum with a sweet chilli and sesame reduction, topped with crushed peanuts, bean shoots and coriander. I’d had this a few times in the past and it never fails me. There was a great mix of veggies, plenty of tofu and the fresh bean shoots on top added excellent texture and freshness to the dish. Thumbs up all round.
We finished up by sharing a slice of the Flourless Chocolate Cake with ice cream ($7). This cake is decadently rich and is definitely one to be shared, but man is it delicious. The photo unfortunately doesn’t do it justice as it had gotten very dark in the restaurant by this stage, but believe me when I tell you it was a gooey, oozy piece of deliciousness! The ice cream helped to balance out the richness, and it was an excellent way to end our meal. Luckily I don’t live too far away so we were able to roll ourselves home, full and content!
Have you been to Vegie Bar before? How do you cope with having too much choice on a menu?!
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I Spy Plum Pie is Liz, an early 30s kiwi-born, Melbourne raised girl who is passionate about the environment and sustainability, food, exploring and learning new things. Join me on my journey to a happy, sustainable life!