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