24th July 2011

Celtic Corner

7/45 Cambridge Pde, Manly Qld

In the midst of so many styles of vegetarian food from different parts of the world, have you ever felt like eating something a bit more mainstream Anglo, or perhaps Celtic? This Corner has what you need! They do wonderful veggie burgers, in which the tasty patties come with bright and crunchy salad on Turkish or white bread. The burgers are enormous, and if your mouth doesn’t open wider than mine you’ll find one tricky to eat; you can use the knife and fork the management thoughtfully provide, or pull the sides apart and treat it as two open sandwiches. Either way, it’s a great burger. You can also order a dish of plump potato wedges that come with either aioli or a sweet chilli dip. If this is not enough, they pour a mean pint of Guinness that goes well with slightly oily food, and on the night we visited there was live Irish music! There’s a happy atmosphere at the Celtic Corner, which is thoroughly recommended to anyone who thinks of vegetarian food as something alien to the ethnic roots most of us have in the West.

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17th July 2011

The Vietnamese

194 Wickham St, Fortitude Valley Qld

A recommendation from friends brought a group of people together at this simply named restaurant, and what a good one it was. We enjoyed bean curd salad in rice paper, rolled by an expert (it turns out you are supposed to fashion the wraps into parcels, rather than the pipes I have vainly sought to manufacture in the past), vegetables in satay sauce, and steamed green vegetables with garlic (the cook kindly substituted this for the oyster sauce that is usually used; the combination of greens with garlic, which has parallels in Greek cooking, provides a simple yet utterly satisfying taste.) But the highlight of our meal was the wondrous vegetarian spicy noodle soup, in which many vegetables and thin noodles came swimming in a thick sea that was flavoured with flecks of chili and dried fried onions. Not only was the soup delicious, but it was served in an enormous bowl filled nearly to the top! The quality of the food was one of the ingredients of a very happy occasion.

The Vietnamese on Urbanspoon

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8th July 2011

Highlighted Campaign for July 2011

Break The Cycle Africa – 3 Jul to 14 Aug 2011

I think most vegetarians (not a blanket statement) would agree that compassion for animals also equals compassion for our fellow human beings. (The shame about this is that often this is not necessarily vice versa.) I am fairly certain that within our membership we are in agreement that we love animals and people and hope for better for those of the human race who suffer.

Since I am currently in Africa, this month I’d like to continue with the African theme and highlight some Aussie cyclists who are doing their bit by riding mountain bikes 5668 km across Southern Africa. This event aims to raise money for child focused projects in Southern Africa.

You can learn more about this event and how it can be supported, follow their blog, leave messages of encouragement etc, at:

http://www.breakthecycle.org.au/africa/

Good work guys – we salute you!

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3rd July 2011

Song Noodle King

3/224 Hawken Drive, St Lucia Qld

While the vegetarian options on the menu are scanty, and the complimentary prawn crackers did not find favour with my non-vegetarian companion, who pronounced that they tested like cardboard, there is a very good reason to eat at the Song, and its name is Gado Gado. At the centre of the plate is a mixture of sprouts, cucumber and, in place of the more widely used potato, pineapple, over which has been poured a lightly curried peanut sauce; on top sit the quarters of a boiled egg, and around the side are pieces of soft diced tofu. This is a luscious dish of contrasting tastes, colours and textures which it’s hard to imagine not liking, but here it is particularly well done. We also enjoyed salt and pepper tofu, in which the pieces of bean curd sit on crispy noodles and are accompanied by finely chopped red chilli and spring onion, rice sitting to the side. If you don’t relish singing for your supper, I recommend the Song for lunch.

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