April 30, 2010: Yong Green Food II

Update 04/01/2023: Yong Green Food is now permanently closed.

When Yong Green Food first opened Cindy and I were a little worried that they would struggle to compete with Brunswick Street behemoth, the Vegie Bar. Since then, we've been proven utterly wrong - Yong is booming, with reviews popping up all over the internet: Melbourne Vegan, New Perestroika, Shokuiko, In the Mood for Noodles (again), Words @ Random, Vegematarian, Marylou and Polka Dot Rabbit have all given it the thumbs up. And the word has clearly spread beyond a bunch of nerds on the internet - when we met Kristy and Toby there on a Friday night, the place was heaving.

The menu has undergone a few more changes since we visited, and we were spoiled for choice. Cindy was finally ready to take on something from the raw side of the menu, going for the raw nachos ($13.50).

She really dug them - nutty raw crackers (made from corn, flax seed, onion and garlic), a slightly spicy sunflower seed-based dip, onion-y guacamole and a smooth cashew cream. The dips were all fantastic, and the raw corn chips, while lacking a bit of crunch, were a pretty impressive effort.

I went with the Dragon Bowl ($12.50), a hearty noodle bowl with slivers of tasty faux-beef, heaps of fresh vegies and a generous dollop of rich chilli paste and sesame oil on top (see up the page). This was the perfect meal for me - everything hit the mark, it was healthy, spicy and filling. The side bowl of miso soup was a nice touch as well. A huge step up from the curry I'd ordered the time before.

Everyone who's tried dessert here has raved about the raw cheesecake ($7.50 each), so Cindy and I decided not to share and went with one each - she with the chocolate and me with the blueberry. The cheesecakes are built on a base of almonds, sunflower seeds, dates and sultanas, with a coconut and cashew 'cheese' filling. Mine was flavoured with generous swirls of blueberry, while Cindy's was rich with chocolatey goodness. These are deliciously smooth, but lacked a little in flavour - by the end of a slice you're running out of steam a little. The first few mouthfuls were amazing, but I reckon Cindy's raw lime pie gives them a run for their money.

Read about our previous visit to Yong Green Food here, or check out one of the many links above. And stop by - they're doing a great job, and should be able to hold down a place on Brunswick Street as long as they fancy it.