Elektra II

February 15, 2025

   

It's hard to believe that Elektra is well over five years old! I've popped in again a few times since our first visit and blog post, though not as often as they deserve. It was the perfect spot for a long catch-up weekend brunch with a friend, colourful and cosy, and we arrived early enough to nab a booth. I tried the Namaste porridge (~$22) for the first time - it features the tender bite of black rice (plus quinoa), it's creamy with coconut milk, there's abundant fruitiness and colour from rhubarb, poached pear and pomegranate, and it's finished off with the nuttiness of toasted coconut, slivered almonds and pepitas. It's comforting, yet not too heavy for summer.

Elektra are proud of their chai options and I would have been remiss not to order the Himalayan sticky chai (~$6) - it was a lovely as always, and well insulated for slow sipping throughout my visit.

____________

You can read about our first visit to Elektra here. There are past positive reviews for Elektra on THEYCALLMEMAGGIE, Suzie Scribbles and Gastrology, though one is self-reported as a freebie and I suspect all three might be.

____________

Elektra 

268 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 

9417 4255 

https://elektrafitzroy.com.au/

Accessibility: Furniture is densely arranged! There are stools out front and mostly chairs with backs inside. We ordered at our table and paid at a regular-height counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Chào Bạn @ Henry Sugar

February 6, 2025

   

Since celebrating my birthday there late last year, Henry Sugar have clearly put me on their email list. Late in January they announced that they'd be hosting a pop-up on Wednesday and Thursday nights throughout February called Chào Bạn. They'd be serving meaty and veg-friendly xôi xéo (sticky rice) plates with a few add-ons and drinks while the sun shone on Henry Sugar's street-side deck. We stopped by for dinner after a book launch at Readings.

   

We really did hit golden hour on that deck! The light, the drinks and the fluffy turmeric sticky rice were gold, gold, gold. Michael went for beer ($10), while I had a big, icy cup of peach and ginger iced tea ($6). The rice ($22) was topped with a tumble of starchy shaved mung bean, caramel tofu, vegan nước chấm, crispy shallots and fried garlic, pickled cucumber and roasted peanuts; every mouthful a different proportion of the components and every mouthful wholly delicious. We missed out on the battered eggs ($3.50 each) and didn't have room to try the lemongrass bánh bò (honeycomb cake, $7).

This Chào Bạn event was fleeting and fun, a perfect late-summer weeknight out. We'll keep an eye out for when they next pop up!

____________

Chào Bạn @ Henry Sugar 

296-298 Rathdowne St, Carlton 

9448 8196 

menu 

instagram profile 

Accessibility: This pop-up was hosted in the outdoor seating, with tables at both street height and several steps up on a wooden deck. Furniture is densely spaced, with a mixture of backed benches and backed chairs. We ordered and paid at a high bar just inside the door (accessed by shallow ramp). We didn't visit the toilets.

Chanhouse

January 31, 2025

   

We enthusiastically accepted our friend Nat's invitation to join her and Ben at Chanhouse to try their special yum cha menu in celebration of Lunar New Year ($48 per person). Chanhouse was barely on our radar; it's a vegan, allium-free and alcohol-free Chinese restaurant in a modest shopping strip within residential Doncaster. Inside it's cute and comfortable, and we were happy to put ourselves in their hands with the set menu.

   

The staff rapidly served a first pot of Chinese tea and kept it replenished throughout the meal. Shark fin-style soup followed soon after, gently salty and flecked with tofu threads.

   

Then came plump crystal dumplings and steamed siu mai stuffed with mock pork, both tender and savoury.

   

I think I clapped my hands at the arrival of the turnip cake, with its thin crisp char on the outside and soft, velvety centre - this one included a bit of mock ham.

   

The fried dumpling was my favourite dish of the night - the golden-fried exterior gave way to a thick rice dough layer with a real chew to it, then a molten mock meat centre. It had a surprising sweetness to it!

   

The sweet & sour fried gluten was a novel rendition for us - the gluten was very soft, airy and absorbent, the least dense mock meat I've ever encountered. It had soaked up much of the sauce, which was translucent and brightly tangy.

   

The salad prawn rolls were crunchy-battered, Nat's favourite of the night as they brought her back to the seafood sticks she enjoyed as a youngster.

   

I was more fond of the fried taro dumplings with their delicate, lacy shell and sweet starchy centre.

   

By this time I was very satisfied, and it was difficult for me to imagine digging into the rice rolls. These tender layered pillows went down surprisingly easy thanks to a dark, mushroomy sauce and we cleared the plate.

   

The finishig jellyish ginger cake was more texture than flavour, and a little fruit was the best possible way to cap off an incredible feast. We were all delighted by this meal and the friendly, well-coordinated service we received. I'm looking forward to any opportunity we get to try Chanhouse's standard a la carte menu.

____________

Chan House

21 Rosella St, Doncaster East

8806 9056

Lunar New Year menu

https://chanhouse.tuckerfox.com.au/

Accessibility: Chanhouse has a narrow, shallow ramp on entry. Furniture is regular height with backed chairs with a mixture of dense and generous spacing throughout. We ordered at the table and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Tofu Shoten

January 18, 2025

   

I've been following Tofu Shoten on instagram since they were based in West Melbourne and I'm embarrassed about just how long it's taken us to visit. In the end we found the ideal time for it: a sunny Saturday, peckish for an early lunch, with bags and list ready for some grocery shopping.

   

As their website so succinctly puts it, there's "tofu for home and snacks for now". Making great tofu is where it all starts, then that process generates soy milk, which might be flavoured with red sugar, black sesame or matcha, and okara, which is mixed into biscuit sandos in a rotation of flavours. Tofu is packed up for sale at varying densities; sometimes smoked, fried or formed into savoury balls. Soft tofu is made into desserts and the scraps are transformed into tofu donuts. Everything is connected and everything is tofu! Many, but not all, things are vegan and gluten-free and the labelling is pretty clear.

   

While Tofu Shoten doesn't offer any seating, those of us ordering snacks for now can ferry them just a few steps north to the public seating along the side of the Brunswick Library. Our two hot parcels of tofu nuggets ($10 each) had us both ecstatic - the nuggets are soft-centred (but not entirely silken), golden-fried on the outside, and generously dusted in the most exquisite, gently-spicy seasoning. The accompanying vegan tartare sauce I chose ranks among my all-time best tartare experiences; Michael's mango sweet & sour sauce was also excellent. The nuggets' one challenge is that they're a bit too large and hot to eat in a single bite, and a bit too delicate and hot to bite through and hold half of.

   

For dessert, Michael had eyes only for the donuts ($5 each) and chose black sesame over kinako (roasted soybean powder). He described the donut as dense, filling and only subtly sweet (all intended as compliments).

   

I took my time over a hojicha tiramisu ($9) which layered chocolate sponge and chocolate soy milk mousse. The infusing hojicha (roasted green tea) was pretty subtle but I was delighted by the neat layers of contrasting texture and clean, true flavours.

   

We packed tofu balls ($4 each) and some jiggly smoked tofu ($11) into our bags and they later made their way into a huge batch of vegan char kway teow.

We love the Tofu Shoten ethos and we love their variety of foods! They'll definitely become a feature of our weekend errand runs.

____________

Tofu Shoten

6b Saxon St, Brunswick

https://tofushoten.square.site/

Accessibility: There's a narrow, flat entry and moderately narrow, flat interior bordered by display cabinets. All food and menus are visible from standing waist height. We ordered, paid and picked up our food from a low counter. We didn't seek out toilets.

Florentine slice

January 4-5, 2025 

   

Michael did some baking for work that left us with half a box of cornflakes. Once some spare time opened up on our summer break I was ready to do some baking of my own, and recalled that my mum had one or two cornflake-based recipes from the Beautiful Biscuits cookbook on regular rotation. When I opened up my op-shopped copy I learned that, in fact, cornflakes are one of the feature ingredients that the book is indexed by and there were six options to browse. I chose the Florentine slice - having had great success with a modernised, vegan version in the past couple of years I was ready to briefly revert to an older style.

As I often do, I made substitutions to suit what was already in my pantry - dried currants instead of sultanas, and salted roasted peanuts when unsalted were specified. I scaled the recipe to neatly use up the cornflakes on hand but have written up the original quantities below. I think I spread my reduced quantity over approximately the same-sized baking tray and as a consequence my slice was rather thin - the original intention is probably a slice 1.5-2 cm thick while mine was half that.  

Then there's the chocolate - even allowing for my quantity adjustment, I think there should be more of it and I've noted that below. The recipe has this slice constructed upside-down, with the melted chocolate being spread thinly across the papered tray and then the cornflake mixture pressed on top of it and baked! I suppose it might yield a smooth chocolate side, but the spreading seemed fraught and I was very unsure about baking the chocolate. I had good results baking the slice right-way-up, chocolate spread after baking, and that's the method I describe below.

Baking Florentines to just the right texture can be a challenge but this recipe worked well, with condensed milk acting as an easy binder and the cornflakes caramelising gorgeously under its glaze. I didn't much like glace cherries as a kid but I've unexpectedly developed a nostalgic fondness for them and I'm glad I used them here.

   

Florentine slice

(slightly adapted from a recipe in
The Australian Women's Weekly The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits)

3/4 cup sultanas or currants

2 cups (160g) crushed cornflakes

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1/4 cup chopped glace cherries

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

185g dark chocolate, melted (consider increasing this)

Line a 19cm x 29cm walled baking tray with baking paper. Preheat an oven to 180°C.

In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients except for the chocolate. Press the mixture into the baking tray, using the back of a spoon to even it out and smooth it over as best you can. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the cornflakes have started to brown and smell great.

Melt the chocolate using your preferred method, then spread it evenly over the top of the slice. Allow the slice to cool and the chocolate to set before slicing and serving. 

Microwaved miso noodles

January 4, 2025

   

We had an 18-year break between microwaves, and just acquired a new one at the end of 2024. Johanna's post about microwaving udon noodles with miso and edamame arrived at the perfect moment, bringing together ingredients that we love to eat, all stored conveniently in the freezer and pantry and then heated in a matter of minutes. 

We ate our noodles with leftover sesame carrots and sliced satay tofu from the supermarket. Our primary adjustment was to use a little less miso as we found our first batch a bit too salty. There's plenty of flexibility in this recipe to throw in other frozen or leftover veges and sprinkle over seasonings - I'm sure we'll eat this recipe any number of ways throughout this year.

 

Microwaved miso noodles

(slightly adapted from a recipe we found on Green Gourmet Giraffe,

where it's credited to Okonomi Kitchen)

250g udon noodles, frozen or refrigerated

1/4 cup frozen edamame

1 scant tablespoon miso

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 teaspoon tamari

1 teaspoon golden or other sweet syrup

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

anything you might like to sprinkle over: sesame seeds, shichimi togarashi, fried shallots, etc

Place the noodles and edamame in a microwave-safe container with a lid and a vent to let out steam, and microwave for 2.5 minutes. Stir in the miso, butter, tamari, syrup and garlic and microwave for a further 2 minutes. Stir again and serve, sprinkled with whatever you like.

where's the best in 2024?

   

Ima Asa Yoru

Having caught up on my 2024 blog posts, I'm ready to enter our favourite experiences of the year into our where's the best? page. The first, sad task is to delete any past faves that have permanently closed. In 2024 we said goodbye to a number of beloved veg*n businesses: the decades-old Shakahari, compact cuties New Day Rising, the Fitzroy outlet of mock meat maestros Vegie Mum, the comfy Carringbush Hotel, and our local lolly-pink vegan dessert nook Gloria. This Borderland have given us warning that 2025 will be their last year of trade, and there are rumours that Girls & Boys will soon be lost from the Vegie Bar empire, so we've still got a chance to appreciate them one last time.

We've had new experiences to recommend across all meals of the day: Holy Crumpets, Sani and especially Ima Asa Yoru in the morning; Luke's Bakery for banh mi; Super Norma for fast and fabulous pasta; Makan for a Friday night in the city; Veggie Chef and Vegan Heaven for meat mocking good times; Joanne's Pizzeria and Roti Road for the obvious. We've expanded our icecream adventures to the freaky Fluffy Torpedo and Filipino Kariton Sorbetes. We've seen old favourites in new light, adding cheap eat Mankoushe to our breakfast line-up, day-time diner True North to our low-cost dinner options, and marvelling at Etta's new chef and menu.

   

carrot peanut satay ramen

Over the past few years our home cooking seems to have mellowed, shifting towards simpler dishes. We've made repeat batches of carrot peanut satay ramen, cheesy baked rice cakes & kale, gochujang vodka rigatoni, seven spice chickpea stew, and peanut cucumber noodles. I can't help noticing how many of these recipes make use of Lunar Mart's excellent noodles, rice cakes and gochujang. I revisited nib & peel biscuits and gave them a proper post; I'll probably bake them again when my name rolls around on my workplace morning tea roster. Our most memorable bigger project was cascatelli with mushroom ragu, and I was also refreshed by the sweet/savoury blend of sautéed rhubarb & fior di latte dressed in peppercorn oil.

I've already got some 2025 eats that I'm excited to write up, and I've no doubt that there'll be plenty more to share throughout the year ahead.

   

sautéed rhubarb & fior di latte dressed in peppercorn oil

Chocolate tahini caramels

December 31, 2024

   

We saw in the new year with friends close by. The hosts were vegetarian and excellent cooks so we knew we'd be well fed and, as I often do, I thought I could best contribute by bringing something sweet. The guest list included dairy-free and gluten-free eaters and my mind swiftly turned to a chocolate tahini caramel recipe I'd bookmarked just a few weeks earlier.

The active preparation time looked pretty quick and I was so relaxed about it all that I took an afternoon nap and just barely allowed enough time for these sweets to set! The tahini caramel looks soft and smooth when poured into the loaf pan but it needs freezing to solidify and once that's achieved, it doesn't necessarily slice into neat little squares. I didn't mind odd little caramel shapes and trusted that my friends wouldn't, either. It's worth keeping the caramels in the freezer right until the last moment before coating them in chocolate, because they will melt - quick work is needed and then it's back into the freezer for a final set.

This is the one drawback of this treat - it's not stable at room temperature. These bites need to be carefully stored, ideally not touching each other, in the fridge or freezer until it's time to serve them. If you can manage that, there's much enjoyment to be had: a fudgy centre with a sweet, nutty flavour; a thin, silky layer of chocolate; and a bonus burst of texture from the sesame seeds on top. 

   

Chocolate tahini caramels

(slightly adapted from a recipe on Minimalist Baker)

2 tablespoons margarine

1/3 cup sweet syrup (e.g. maple, golden; I used brown sugar syrup)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup tahini

1 cup dark chocolate chips

sesame seeds, for garnishing

Line a loaf pan with baking paper. Place the margarine, syrup, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Whisk the mixture as you bring it to the boil. Turn off the heat and whisk in the tahini. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and freeze for 1-2 hours, until solid.

When the caramel is solid, line a tray that will fit into your freezer with baking paper. Melt the chocolate using your preferred method. Retrieve the caramel from the freezer and slice it into bite-sized squares (as you can see from the photos above, my bite-sized chunks weren't always square). Use a teaspoon and a fork to swiftly drop one caramel at a time into the melted chocolate, coat it on all sides, and transfer it to the tray. Repeat with all the caramel bites. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the caramels and lightly press them into the top of the chocolate. Pop the chocolates back into the freezer for 30-45 minutes.

After serving, store any uneaten caramels in the fridge or freezer.

Toil & Trouble

December 22, 2024

   

Our veg*n group chat brought our attention to a new veg restaurant, Toil & Trouble, towards the end of 2024. It's located on Lygon St and a pleasant walk from our home so we ducked in for a visit just before Christmas. The atmosphere is a little fancier than most veg*n restaurants, perhaps aiming for a wine bar style, and they clearly take pride in their mixed drinks as we were offered, served and sitting with our drinks for some time before we caught sight of the food menu.

   

Michael tried the spicy cucumber margarita ($20), even (especially?) after a neighbouring diner spluttered in surprise at its heat - the medley of cucumber, chilli and coriander made sense. I selected Fluff of the Dog ($14) from the mocktails, a tall glass of yuzu and mint-spiked salted lemonade.

   

While a couple of the cocktails included egg whites, the food menu was all vegan, with many entrees to share, a couple of salads and a couple of mains. Our cocktails especially complemented the burnished miso butter corn ribs ($17). 

   

I'm always keen to try a veg*n phish & chips ($27) when it's available. Unusually for Australia, this one comes with a curry sauce, which worked well with the chips but just can't win over my love of tartare. Apple, fennel and cabbage slaw is a refreshing idea as an accompaniment but in practice wasn't quite as bright as I'd hoped. The centrepiece phish was impressive, though! The tofu had a bit of flakiness, was lined with nori, and was well-battered and seasoned - an excellent alternative to the off-the-shelf mock meats we know well.

   

We rounded out our meal with a spicy tofu salad ($18). Again, Toil & Trouble didn't shy away from the chilli and added some chunky charred leek to this plateful of greens.

It's early days for Toil & Trouble, so their menu and systems might still be adjusting. Our visit was a flawed but a pleasant and promising experience and we hope they'll have the space to grow into something great.

____________

Toil & Trouble

169 Lygon St, Brunswick East

7050 4821

food, cocktails, mocktails

https://www.toilntrouble.com.au/

Accessibility: The entry is narrow with a very shallow ramp. The interior is flat with quite densely arranged furniture, mostly standard-height tables with backed chairs and a few high tables with backless stools. We ordered at our table and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Marama

December 13, 2024

   

After a thoroughly enjoyed dinner at Henry Sugar, we cycled a little way north on Rathdowne St to another wine bar, Marama, for dessert. We once had a great (though unblogged) dinner of shared plates at Marama with a friend in 2023, so we entered optimistically. While Henry Sugar was sedate and welcoming, Marama had attracted a rowdy Friday evening crowd and we almost preferred to be offered a window bench on the farthest edge of it.

There were two desserts on the menu, so we were exempt from decision-making. The first was sticky date pudding ($19), with miso butterscotch and custard. While the miso didn't make a strong impression the classic elements were present and correct: a dense square of caramelly cake and a rich, silky sauce.

   

Second was something a little more creative and summery, centred on grapefruit ($20). A segment of lightly burnt grapefruit sat atop a scoop of white chocolate mousse, itself nestled within chunky-yet-tender black sesame crumbs, all with a side of grapefruit granita. These contrasts of texture, colour, temperature and flavour excite me most: the earthy, creamy, and icy; the sweet, rich and brightly tangy.

Marama did well to serve both the dessert traditionalists and the novelty-seekers with their two options! And they did their best to serve both the revellers and the more reserved patrons. Hopefully we'll find the right moment to return in 2025 and document more of their menu.

____________

Marama

793 Rathdowne St, Carlton North

9077 3303

dessert menu

https://www.maramawine.com.au/

Accessibility: There is a small step at the narrow door and a flat interior. Furniture is densely arranged with a clear pathway through the middle, a mixture of regular height tables with backed chairs and cushioned benches, and high tables with backed stools. We ordered at our table and paid at a high bar. We didn't visit the toilets.

Henry Sugar

December 13, 2024

   

I've been quite oblivious to Henry Sugar's reputation as a wine bar and restaurant. Locking my bike out front each time I got a haircut led me to looking them up on instagram, where I noticed that their Sunday lunch specials often had appetising vegetarian options. I decided to follow through with a visit for my birthday dinner with Michael.

The menu fits easily onto an A5 page. No dietary features are marked but we found it pretty easy to figure out what was vegetarian; the staff would no doubt be happy to help with other constraints.

   

Naturally there was a cocktail list and thankfully a few mocktails as well. I had the longest ice cube of my life, surrounded by Aces, rhubarb and rosemary ($14, pictured left) while Michael chose a Noël Sour from the seasonal specials ($23, pictured right), a concoction of white peach brandy, whiskey, rum, oloroso, crème de mure and lemon.

   

I was delighted when our crisps ($9) arrived in their own Henry Sugar packaging. These are lightly tempura-battered leaves seasoned with salt and vinegar, a fun way to get started.

   

The bread course ($9) is a little playful as well, as they serve puffy focaccia with Vegemite butter. 

   

Getting into the meal proper, we shared a shallow dish of smoked eggplant, stracciatella, curry honey and buckwheat ($24). This was soft, sweet and smoky with a contrasting crunch from the buckwheat, and the right thing to have alongside the bread.

   

The butternut 'short rib' ($29) was the meat-mocking we didn't expect to see on an omni wine bar's menu. It didn't resemble the texture of meat at all, but the sweet pumpkin was a good substrate for lacquering with koji BBQ sauce. Alongside was a spicy sambal tumis, which we both enjoyed in differing proportions.

   

As a side to the 'rib', we shared an excellent plate of charred asparagus served on a scoop of burnt scallion cream cheese with a halo of chilli crisp ($26).

We were pleasantly filled and very happy by this stage, ready to trust that the desserts would be very good. But it was early and the weather was gorgeous so we opted to get back on our bikes and make that a second stop of its own. The service at Henry Sugar was prompt and friendly, and I'd gladly go back if I found a special occasion for it. They're also well-placed for a sneaky mocktail-and-crisps after my next late-arvo haircut.

____________

Henry Sugar

296-298 Rathdowne St, Carlton

9448 8196

menu 

https://www.henrysugar.com.au/

Accessibility: There's a shallow ramp on entry. Furniture is medium-to-generously spaced, with a mixture of high tables and backless stools toward the front and regular-height tables with backed chairs and padded benches toward the back. We ordered and paid at our table. We didn't visit the toilets.

Holy Crumpets

December 11, 2024

   

I've had my eye on Holy Crumpets for a while. Their street signs are modest (with the previous occupant's name, babajan, still visible) and I suspect it's taken them a while to hit on regular opening hours (although these are now clearly visible on their door and their instagram page). Happily those hours included my 2024 birthday and we stopped in for breakfast at the start of a work-from-home day.

Holy Crumpets is a simple operation that suits me well: they make and serve sourdough crumpets with classic toppings (butter, Vegemite, honey, jams) and more elaborate special toppings, plus the requisite coffees and teas. That's it! The crumpets are vegan, as are many of the toppings, but there's no joy for the gluten-free.

   

Michael's long black ($5) and my chai ($5) arrived promptly in cute retro cups, and we didn't have to wait too much longer for our crumpets. I had a single crumpet topped with vanilla marscapone, raspberry coulis and chocolate flakes ($14, pictured top). It was almost as good as it looked, let down slightly by a lukewarm temperature. Meanwhile, Michael doubled up on the labneh, dukkah, olive oil and spring onion topping ($18, pictured below). The crumpets themselves are dense and textured, and we took home a pack to extend the fun.

I liked the casual set-up and constrained yet thoughtful menu at Holy Crumpets, and I'd like to return a few times to get a sense of their rotating specials and the consistency of their execution.

   

_____________

Sweet & Sour Fork visited Holy Crumpets when they were operating in the CBD.

_____________

Holy Crumpets

713 Nicholson St, Carlton North

food, drinks, specials

instagram page

Accessibility: Holy crumpets has one step up at the door. Furniture consists of a few medium-spaced regular-height tables with backed chairs and a high bench with backed stools. We ordered and paid at a regular-height counter. We didn't visit the toilets.