Update 04/01/2023: Yong Green Food is now permanently closed.
A few weeks ago Brian noted the impending opening of Yong Green Food at the northern end of Brunswick Street. Once the doors opened, the vegan mafia were quickly on the case, with Steph getting in with the first review. We took a week longer to swing by, and the menu looked to have expanded, with two massive pages of meals to choose from (almost all of them vegan). Yong specialises in raw food, but both Cindy and I were in the mood for something cooked, so we left the rawsagne for another day.
We did try the smoothies, made from almond milk, vanilla beans and blueberries ($8.50). These were cool and tasty, but if we'd paid attention to the prices before ordering we may have settled for something else.I wanted to try the Japanese curry, but only the Thai curries were on offer for the day, so I settled for a vegie green curry ($12.50).
While this was a pretty unadventurous order, it hit the spot nicely - the sauce was really spicy and coconutty, and the vegies and rice were a healthy combo I needed after too many days of festive eating. The price is a little steep for a fairly straightforward curry, but I was left well satisfied by the quantity and the flavour.Cindy was a bit more creative with her order, opting for the fishball wrap ($8.50).
Cindy was pretty keen on the fishballs, which were probably tofu-based and were a satisfying non-rubbery texture (although not particularly 'fishy'), but found that the coleslaw which made up the rest of the filling a little heavy on the vegan mayo.The staff were wonderfully friendly and there was a decent number of people coming through, which bodes well for Yong's future. On the other hand, the food was decent without being particularly inspiring, prices are a tad on the high side, and they're not far away from the juggernaut that is the Vegie Bar. Hopefully the raw component of the menu will draw enough devotees to keep them afloat in an area that's a bit of a restaurant graveyard. We really are spoiled for veg-restaurants in the inner-north, and it's great to have another option for a quick Fitzroy meal.
Address: 421 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Ph: 9417 3338
Unlicensed
Price: $6.50 - $14.95
Fish ball wrap? Intriguing!
ReplyDeleteI found the raw cheesecake most worth trying. It was delicious, and I would definitely drop in for that (though it was expensive).
owwww those smoothies look so thick and colourful. I've never thought about mixing almond milk and blueberries together, I'm so used to drinking almond milk on its own, might give this one a try!!
ReplyDeleteI went their this week also. Started by two sisters (one of them vegan), with their mum doing most of the cooking. Mum makes the kim chi! 30-40% of the fruit and veg is organic, which is an added bonus. I had so much choice that I couldn't decide what to have and like Cindy opted for the "fish" balls. Agreed, not fishy but nice.
ReplyDeleteI wish the sisters well, I hope the vego/vegan community get behind them as it seems like a worthwhile venture to support. If nothing else because in winter there'll be putting on vegan Korean hot pots - yum!
hey lady where do you get black salt and smoked salt? I heard you have the 411!!
ReplyDeleteSteph, the raw cheesecake seems very popular - another customer was vocal in her praise while we were there! The smoothie was enough for me this time but I'll have to make room for dessert when we return.
ReplyDeleteMaria, almond milk is great in smoothies! Since it's expensive I'd recommend using it with mild-flavoured fruits so that you can still taste the nutty goodness. :-)
AOF, I agree that this is a cafe worth supporting - the staff sure are lovely and they have the potential to carve their own niche in the neighbourhood. I bet Michael would love a vegan Korean hotpot!
Carla, you saw my advice elsewhere - hope you find what you want. :-)
FYI the almond milk is made on site fresh organic almonds, packet UHT almond milk is not used.
ReplyDeleteHey Carla,
ReplyDeleteCouldn't find a way to contact you directly through your own blog, so I'll post here. I notice you're in Brunswick. I found black salt (the egg-scented one) at Synergy Enterprises, a big Indian grocery store in Brunswick. It's on the Eastern side of Sydney Road, about five shops North from the intersection with Brunswick Road. Double-width shop with big orange signage. They have a big range of spices and may well have the other one you mentioned too.
Hope this helps.
Leigh