Kale Mary II

Note: Kale Mary has now closed.

January 5 & 7, 2023

   

In my review of 2022, I noted my diminishing enthusiasm for brunches. The notable exception to this was Kale Mary, and sadly it just closed last weekend! I unintentionally made the most of their last two weeks in operation, visiting three times. 

   

Kale Mary have regularly mixed up their all-vegan menu, and the final version was split into breakfast, all day and lunch sections. There has consistently been original, delicious versions of avocado toast on the menu ($19): Michael's last one included charred corn, cashew ricotta, mint oil and almond pesto.

   

On the same visit, I browsed the toastie options and picked a filling from the list of specials (~$15): cauliflower cheese with optional pickled kale. This was original, fun and compact. I also took advantage of their drinks special, a lavender butterfly pea iced tea ($5) that was cold, clear and very floral, just barely sweet at all.

   

I insisted that we return soon for breakfast, so that I could try the pancakes ($18). They look little on this plate, but the modest stack was just right for me. Kale Mary somehow intuited my ideal pancake topping preferences - something creamy (coconut yoghurt) and varied fruits (including a saucy compote and dehydrated kiwi shard). The fruits were tangy enough that the maple syrup base was welcome. No icecream, fairy floss or lollies. It's a yes from me.

   

Meanwhile, Michael's breakfast yardstick is scrambled tofu, known as Mary's Eggs ($18) here. He like that they seasoned it with black salt for the eggiest vegan experience, but missed having a second piece of toast. Kale, charred corn and pesto all made repeat appearances in this dish too.

Kale Mary's staff were always warm and helpful and, as you can see above, the food was terrific. I found their menu to be truly distinct from what many veg*n cafes currently offer, and I'm going to miss them very much.

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You can read about our first visit to Kale Mary here.

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Kale Mary 

207 Albert St, Brunswick 

0493 572 466 

breakfast, all day/lunch, drinks 

https://www.kalemary.com.au/ 

Accessibility: Entry was flat and and two doors wide. Furniture was well spaced throughout the café, mostly regular-height tables and chairs with backs, although a couple of high tables with backless stools and low lounge chairs were present. The toilet was an ungendered spacious cubicle with handrails and menstrual products available.

Master Lanzhou Noodle Bar

January 4, 2023

   

Possibly our most favourite cheap eat of the past 5 years has been the vegan-friendly youpo noodle bowl. Our preferred venue was Lanzhou Beef Noodle Bar in Carlton, which later changed its name to Master Lanzhou Noodle Bar. We didn't even dare try to replicate this meal during the lockdowns of the past few years and it was often one of the first things I'd venture out to eat when restrictions eased.

During that period, the Carlton outlet seemed to cease operation so we shifted our loyalties to a sibling store on Elizabeth St in the city. I've since learned that Master Lanzhou has set up an Express venue at University of Melbourne campus just around the corner from their previous Carlton one, and it opens only for weekday lunches. Meanwhile, there's an extra new Master Lanzhou in Chinatown!

   

How reassuring it is to have ready access to a youpo noodle bowl ($13.90) once again. At Elizabeth St it's possible to order from a touch-screen to the left of the entry, and then help yourself to any cold dishes or drinks you're after - whenever possible, I pick up a honey grapefruit tea ($4.80) to counteract the spice.

The meal is simple but special. Noodles are stretched on the spot to order, and take only minutes to cook. They're wide, elastic when manipulated with chopsticks, delightfully springy when bitten into, and so very filling. The noodles are seasoned liberally with oil, smoky ground chilli flakes, minced garlic, spring onions, and topped with blanched bok choy. Everything needs a big mix-up before you dig in. It is a supreme comfort food but, we've learned, pretty caustic if you need to wear a mask afterwards. So plan your youpo noodle bowls accordingly.

   

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Master Lanzhou Noodle Bar

379 Elizabeth St, Melbourne CBD

9326 4404

youpo noodle bowl $13.90

https://www.masterlanzhou.com.au/

Accessibility: There are two steps up on entry. Furniture is densely arranged and it's common to share a table with others. Tables are mostly high and accompanied by backless stools. There are three lower height tables explicitly reserved for those who physically need them. We ordered and paid standing at a touch screen, grabbed our own drinks, and food was served to our table. We didn't visit the toilets. Photos of the Chinatown outlet hint that it might be a bit more comfortable.

Banana blossom tacos

January 3, 2023

   

Last week I pulled a can of banana blossom out of the pantry and resolved to use it. I no doubt bought it on a whim, perhaps during one of Melbourne's lockdowns, after eating the banana blossom 'fish' and chips at Brother Bon. 

As I browsed the internet for recipes, I got more interested in using this ingredient in Baja-style fish tacos and switched to researching actual fish-based recipes rather than the vegan adaptations. The fish is typically beer-battered and deep-fried, but for home cooking I prefer a light flour-coating and shallow fry. I seasoned my flour and dredged my banana blossom pieces through it a few at a time, but in future I would reduce the flour and throw everything into a lidded bowl for a shake as we often do to tofu, so that's how I've written out the method below.

I chose the simplest combination of accompaniments that I observed online, and spent even less time than usual assembling and photographing my plate (...so I understand if the photo above doesn't look particularly appetising to you!). These were a fun summer meal; not something we'll make often, but likely to spur me on to buy the odd can of banana blossom again.

Banana blossom tacos

(adapted from an NPR recipe for Baja-style fish tacos)

1 x 510g can banana blossom

1/2 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon oregano (Mexican is preferable)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

sunflower oil

tortillas (corn preferable, although I could only access flour-based)

finely shredded cabbage

diced avocado

vegan mayonnaise, aioli or sour cream

hot sauce

lime wedges

Drain and rinse the banana blossom, but allow it to remain damp. Slice it into large, taco-friendly chunks, e.g. 5cm lengths. Place the banana blossom into a container that has a secure lid, but don't use the lid yet. Scatter over the flour, garlic powder, cayenne, mustard powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Secure the lid and shake the container until the banana blossom is well coated in the seasoned flour mix.

Heat a generous layer of sunflower oil in a frypan. Shallow-fry the banana blossom pieces in batches, until they're golden and a bit crisp on the outside, resting them on absorbent paper until all the banana blossom is done. Dry-fry the tortillas briefly to heat them up.

Fill the tortillas with cabbage, avocado, mayonnaise, the fried banana blossom, and then add hot sauce and squeeze over lime juice, to taste. 

where's the best in 2022?

   

All you can eat at Maalu Maalu

 

While we're not nearly as prolific as we once were, where's the beef? has made it through another year and it's time to update our where's the best? page. At the conclusion of 2021 I was pleasantly surprised at how few of our favourite eateries had closed; this year it seems that the stresses of running a business in a pandemic have only compounded, and I've regretfully made more than a dozen deletions. Many of these are brunch spots. Breakfast was probably our favourite meal out pre-pandemic but we've lost our knack for it - please tell us your current favourite spots for scrambled tofu, pancakes without icecream, and hash browns!

Other businesses have moved or changed their format: Admiral Cheng-Ho has rebranded as Kaede, Beatrix has shut its storefront and shifted to whole-cake pick-ups, Beku Gelato has moved from the Brunswick to the Carlton end of Lygon St, the once-brunchy Merri Clan is now an evenings-only Merri Bar, Smith & Daughters & Deli have coalesced at a new address with a new look, Moroccan Soup Bar has switched from Fitzroy dine-in to North Melbourne pick-up and delivery, and Warung Agus endured fire damage and is farewelling a core staff member. We'll aim to revisit many of these venues and report on their revised offerings in 2023.

   

Sandwiches from Nico's

I've been getting into fancy sandwiches this past year. While Smith & Deli set a gold standard long ago, I've enjoyed new items at Good Measure, Rusty's Sandwich Parlour and Nico's. Here Fishy Fishy is another favourite picnic dinner. Sable is absolutely smashing out the mock meat, while Kale Mary serves great veg*n food without it. We've had memorable banquets at the new, casual Maalu Maalu and the higher-end decades-old David's.

   

Florentines

At home, 2021's leek & mushroom quiche and pineapple upside-down cake earned on-repeat status in 2022. Confit chickpeas entered the dinner rotation, and we've baked spring rolls at least three times. My grandmother's bienenstich was a special new bake, and these vegan Florentines are so versatile that we've made them four or five times between us - for home, for friends, for sports games and for long rides. We had some stellar new recipes from In Praise of Veg late in the year: we were so impressed by the haloumi with roasted rhubarb & tomatoes and roasted butternut pumpkin with sage & macadamias that we made them for family on Christmas day. My one shot at coconut rum truffles for new year's eve was a success too. 

Some of these themes will doubtless spill over into 2023 - I've got my eye out for more deli sandwiches, and am fond of picnics in general; we'll be back at Maalu Maalu before this week's done. I might also ramp up my pastry-making: I just picked up a charming new pie dish from a Dandenong op shop that's begging for a bake.

   

Coconut rum truffles

December 31, 2022

   

We saw the new year in with a casual potluck hosted by some friends nearby. We contributed a couple of vegan, gluten-free dishes. Michael revisited the butterbean hummus with red pepper and walnut paste, and teamed it with plain corn chips. I brought along coconut rum truffles, a new-to-me recipe that I made in stages while we watched Glass Onion with family in the afternoon.

This is a case where it's worth returning to the source material at Lazy Cat Kitchen. Ania's post includes a detailed method, and thorough background and potential substitutions for ingredients. This gave me a little more confidence to use golden syrup, almond meal and coconut oil instead of maple syrup, coconut flour and coconut butter. My coconut mixture ended up a touch too runny, most likely due to my mindless swap of Aussie for British tablespoons, but I think my use of coconut oil helped set up the coconut centres in the fridge before it was time to drop them into the melted chocolate. I worked quickly and unfussily - you can see that my truffles aren't perfectly shaped, and some of the later makes had desiccated coconut caught in the chocolate, but their bobbles and their coconut flake garnish signalled that everyone was in for a true home-made treat.

I have previously elected to double-coat other comparable chocolates, but I loved the flavour balance of a single, thin layer of dark chocolate here. It's smooth and less sweet than the textured coconut centre, and the inclusion of dark rum matches the depth of the chocolate. On a hot summer night, one or two each was enough to go round. The last couple truffles seemed to hold their shape on the plate, but they collapsed into melty puddles when picked up an hour later, a clear signal that they're best stored in the fridge.

   

Coconut rum truffles

(a recipe from Lazy Cat Kitchen)

1/4 cup maple or golden syrup

2 tablespoons coconut butter or oil

1/4 cup coconut milk 

   OR 2 tablespoons coconut milk and 2 tablespoons dark rum

1 cup dessicated coconut

2 tablespoons coconut or almond flour

generous pinch of salt

100g dark chocolate

coconut flakes, to garnish

Place the sweet syrup in a small saucepan over low to medium heat, and bring it to a gentle simmer. Whisk in the coconut butter/oil and allow it to bubble for a further minute. Turn off the heat. Whisk in the coconut milk and rum, if using. Stir in the dessicated coconut, flour and salt until well mixed. Refrigerate the mixture for an hour to cool it down.

Roll scant tablespoons of the coconut mixture into balls and place them on a tray. Return them to the fridge for another hour.

Melt the chocolate using your preferred method. Use a fork and a spoon to drop each coconut ball into the chocolate, roll it around until coated, and return it to the tray. Drop a couple of coconut flakes onto the top of each truffle, then return them to the fridge to set.

Continue to store the truffles in the fridge until you're ready to serve them.