Confessions of an Eco-Food Dude

A Fairtrade Coffee Complex

2010-06-28T18:21:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, the unthinkable happened.

We ran out of coffee!

And since the food-dude's household was kindly loaned a proper barista's coffee machine we've been really enjoying the daily cup.

So I headed down Little Collins to the venerable Quists Coffee to top up supplies.

I struck up a conversation with the friendly barista and asked if Quists had any fairtrade blends for sale.

“No, but we do source from suppliers that provide a fair return for growers”

Fair enough, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt and plunked down some cash for 250 grams of their finest Miscela Italiana - delicious. But is it guilt free?

Now obviously it had a few food miles on it, but I have yet to find an Australian grown coffee I enjoy, so sometimes we have to make concessions. I do however, like to make sure the coffee is bringing at least a modicum of benefits to the growers.

Wanting to find out a bit more about how Quists provide their "fair return" I thought I'd drop them a note.

Kudos to Doris at Quists for her quick responses. It seems that Fairtrade is a complicated area and although the official label does bring a degree of credibility, there are companies out there trying to do the right thing.

What do you think? Should Quists subscribe to the Fairtrade Association or are you satisfied with their position.

You can follow the email exchanges after the jump.

------------------------
Subject: Fair Trade

From: eco-food-dude
Date: 28 June 2010
To: quists@quistscoffee.com.au

Dear Quists

I support local businesses and would like to continue to buy coffee from Quists.

However, I will need to seek an alternative coffee supplier if you are unable to offer a fair trade option. I don't expect all Quists products to be fair trade, but I would appreciate the option to choose.

I understand from your employees that the buyer of Quists coffee endeavours to source beans in a way that provides a fair return for growers, but I would prefer if Quists worked with a recognised organisation such as Fair Trade Australia and New Zealand http://www.fta.org.au/

Please consider this request.

Kind regards,

eco-food-dude

----------
From: quists@quistscoffee.com.au
Date: 28 June 2010 16:19

Hello eco-food-dude

Thanks for your email.

Attached, please find a document I have prepared regarding our stance on Fairtrade.

Regards

Doris Niesen-Baruta
Quists Coffee

Quists Coffee was established in 1938 as Melbourne’s first coffee roaster and for over 70 years has developed a reputation as a coffee institution. Guided by a heritage of European expertise, Quists found its niche by focusing on quality with regard to coffee bean selection, roasting and blending.

At Quists Coffee, we align ourselves with reputable Coffee Merchants who offer us the best available quality coffee whilst eestablishing lasting relationships with major producing countries and local growers. Our buyers pay a good price for good quality coffee. There is no negotiation in price when you are buying top quality.

We and our suppliers, believe you can’t just buy coffee off people because they’re impoverished. That isn't sustainable. We have to sell high quality coffee because that's the only thing that the consumer is going to enjoy and come back for, cup after cup and thus sustain the market. Our suppliers have made a conscience decision to associate with plantations that promote good working conditions and have measures in place that encourage positive attitude.

We believe that we must contribute in further developing our coffee growers, which is definitely our industry’s best resource. If we can help in any way to offer a better quality of life to the women, men and children of our nominated plantations, we feel we are also contributing to the future of coffee.

Fairtrade is a scheme that gives a minimum price to farmers. Most farmers never taste coffee as a drink. They're kept in the dark about quality variations so they can't demand a better price for higher quality bean. If you're credited as a Fairtrade producer it doesn't matter if your quality is outstanding or indifferent you get the same badge and the same price.

Fairtrade was conceived as a safety-net to protect farmers in case the bottom fell out of the coffee market, so way back at the beginning it offered security to people that were economically vulnerable. It also raised awareness of the poor deal coffee farmers were getting and created a market for the consumer to change that. But it was not ever intended to be the endpoint in terms of coffee pricing. Saying "I pay the Fairtrade minimum for my coffee beans" is like saying "I pay all my staff minimum wage" and thinking that's a good thing.

It takes a savvy consumer to know which questions to ask. Fairtrade has developed as a badge system that people can identify, buy the product and abrogate responsibility. Fair trading is a wide area that is complicated but if you want to find out a little bit more about it, do so and make an informed decision.

To re-iterate, Quists Coffee prides itself on providing the best quality coffee for our customers at the best prices possible whilst sustaining the livelihoods and future of the suppliers.

----------
From: eco-food-dude
Date: 28 June 2010 17:40
To: quists@quistscoffee.com.au

Dear Doris Niesen-Baruta

Thank your quick response and the information you provided. I heartily
support Quists goal of focusing on quality.

I appreciate your suggestion that a savvy consumer should know what
questions to ask.

My primary reason for wanting to support Fairtrade products is to
achieve positive environmental and social outcomes because I
understand that Fairtrade rewards and encourages environmentally
sustainable farming and production while also providing a fair price
for farmers.

For example, today I purchased some Quists coffee from Costa Rica.
However, I have since learned that if I'd purchased the Fairtrade
equivalent, I would have contributed to future positive environmental
and social outcomes. In 2008, the Australian and New Zealand Fairtrade
group paid the Costa Rican farming community an extra AU$26,000
derived from Fairtrade premiums which funded a conservation project
chosen by the farmers. The project has reduced deforestation, river
bank erosion and water extraction to improve environmental outcomes.

Can you give me an example of the kinds of measures the plantations
Quists work with are undertaking to "promote good working conditions
and encourage positive attitude" and also positive environmental
outcomes? What systems do Quists have in place to sustain the
livelihoods and future of the suppliers and achieve a healthy
environment for suppliers.

I would very much like to continue my support Quists coffee and make
informed decisions.

Regards,

eco-food-dude.

----------
From: quists@quistscoffee.com.au
Date: 28 June 2010 18:08

Hello eco-food-dude

I understand your wish to achieve positive environmental and social outcomes from your coffee purchases.

As per my previous correspondence, Quists Coffee and it's Brokers believe that we must contribute in further developing our coffee growers, which is definitely our industry's best resource. If we can help in any way to offer a better quality of life to the women, men and children of our nominated plantations, we feel we are contributing to the future of coffee.

We have made a conscience decision to associate with plantations that promote good working conditions and have measures in place that encourage positive attitude. Therefore we focus on farmers that provide scholarship assistance for the workers' children and give financial support to cover healthcare plans for the members of their staff and families.

In the farms that we buy coffee from, children do not work during the harvest season while their parents work. Children receive education; they play games and build mutually respectful relations with the local community. The farmers that sell coffee to our brokers cover the operating costs such as food, educational material, daily transport services from and to the education centre, and even the teachers' homes are included.

For the purposes of efficiency and reliability these local organizations aided by NGO's, assesses the students' experiences and knowledge acquired at the end of each period. Afterwards, the farmers that sell coffee to us implement the recommendations for the next period, thus, following up the education process.
Our brokers ensure that growers are paid for their coffees at the highest possible level and we work together with them in developing their qualities.

Our Brokers also take part in the preparation of their coffees, from the tree through to the "green bean ready to roast" stage, making sure that the qualities of the bean meets the highest world standards and as such attract a high price and a high return for their work. This is not an "aid" program that sees the growers as peasants, rather we view the coffee growers that deal with us as our partners and specialists in all agronomic and agricultural meters on the coffee chain.

We hope this helps answer your questions.
Thanks again for yor enquiry

Kind regards

----------
From: eco-food-dude
Date: 29 June 2010
To: quists@quistscoffee.com.au

Dear Doris

Thank you for your quick response.

I really appreciate the time you have taken to consider and respond to
my questions.

I will continue to support Quists in the knowledge that you are
working with producers to achieve positive outcomes in the plantation
communities.

Thanks again for taking the time to provide me with information on your work.

Kind regards,

eco-food-dude

What's in a can of tuna?

2010-06-06T23:58:00.000-07:00

I was having lunch with a long-lost friend the other day when she asked me about the sustainability of tuna.

I made some vague response, but I was floundering and didn't really know the answer. Being the geek I am, I thought I'd do some digging.

Turns out that not all tinned tuna is created equal. Find out more after the jump.

Locating wild tuna in the open ocean is really hard. They aren't just spread around evenly like trees in a forest, there are pockets of really high density in super-fast swimming schools and the rest of the ocean is empty.

Fishermen are clever and quickly figured out that tuna and dolphins hang out together. And because dolphins come up for air, they are much easier to spot than tuna. If you find one, chances are you've found the other. So one method of tuna fishing is to follow schools of dolphins, circle the pod with a purse seine net and haul the lot on deck.

Luckily for dolphins, they are charismatic and pretty and when word got out in the 80s and 90s that tinned tuna came with a dolphin price, people were displeased and pushed for a change. Dolphin friendly tuna was the result and pretty much all tuna now claims to be dolphin friendly, although monitoring or auditing processes are still questionable.

In an effort to minimise dolphin bycatch, tuna fisheries moved towards deploying and fishing around things called Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) which is a fancy name for structures that float in the sea and attract fish, including tuna. Unfortunately, they also attract sharks, rays, other fish and sea turtles which can end up being accidentally caught too. A scientist called Mr Hall, estimated that for every 1 dolphin saved by targeting tuna schools not hanging out with dolphins, 16,000 small tunas, 380 Mahimahi, 190 Wahoo, 1200 Triggerfish, 20 sharks and rays, 1 marlin, and possibly more fish are incidentally caught. This is because fishers moved to this new method of targeting floating debris which attract all kinds of other critters along with tuna.

In tuna fisheries that supply Australia, the most common accidental bycatch are silky and oceanic whitetip sharks, according to the FAO. I can't find figures on turtles, but given how critically endangered sea turtles are, we'd almost be better off turning back the clock and chasing dolphins again.

I realise this is a highly emotive clip, but it does tell a story that applies to Australia's supermarket shelves. Almost all tinned tuna for sale in Australia comes from the Pacific where use of FADs and purse seine nets is very common.

Pretty much all species of tuna in the world are overfished. Luckily, one species - skipjack - is still going pretty well. It is fast growing and short lived, so it is hard to catch too many. A lot of tuna sold in tins in Australia and elsewhere is actually from other overfished species. But some tinned tuna companies are trying to do the right thing.

Greenseas are doing their best to not catch dolphins, to only buy legally caught tuna and to use the sustainable skipjack tuna in their products. I think they should be applauded for their efforts.

Unfortunately they still use purse seine nets, so silky and whitetip sharks are still being caught as well. I think Greenseas could go one step further and buy from fisherman using the pole and line method (just like a heavy version of the rod and line we all know) rather than the much more indiscriminate purse seine net. This would solve the dolphin issue and minimise the catch of sharks, unwanted fish and turtles.

If you spend 2 minutes and paste the following (or use your own words) into an email to Greenseas, I reckon we could make a real difference.

consumer.support@heinz.com.au

Dear Greenseas

Thank you for your efforts in supporting dolphin friendly fishing practices and using the sustainable skipjack tuna species in your products.

I would tell my friends and strongly support Heinz and Greenseas if you offered a range of tuna caught using the pole and line fishing method to minimise wasteful bycatch from the purse seine nets you are using.

Regards,

Concerned Person

So thanks Jen for getting me thinking about this.

Other sustainable fish options for local readers are calamari, snapper and King George whiting. The DPI have a page on Victorian fisheries trying to do the right thing. Very few food-miles too. And a video...

Greenpeace recently audited canned tuna in Australia.

Coda

2010-05-11T01:44:00.000-07:00

In music, a Coda is a passage that brings the song to a conclusion.

My experience of Coda Bar and Resturaunt was surprising - in a good way - and very satisfying.

I ordered eco-food versions of the following items listed on the menu:

Spanner crab, galangal, roasted chilli and lime betel leaf $5.80

Soft rice paper rolled with pork, prawn, perilla and chive bud $6

I don't know enough about spanner crab and the most recent research I could find suggested that there is some uncertainty in estimation of stock status at least in Queensland. Instead, I ordered a vegetarian betel leaf which came topped with a delicious salad of glass noodle, corriander and carrot along with galangal, roasted chilli and lime betel leaf. It was superb.

The eco-food credentials of prawn and pork are questionable, so I again opted for an alternative. My vegetarian rice paper roll was excellent with the dipping sauce making my day.

I also ordered the eggplant and tofu lettuce delight with enoki mushroom, crispy garlic and black vinegar $6 which I couldn't fault. It had that melt in your mouth flavour explosion. Yum!

The surprising part was that when the bill was presented, I noticed something that I've very rarely encountered in any resturaunt. The betel leaf and rice paper roll dishes had been discounted to reflect my requested vegetarian modifications. They were only $4 and $5 respectively! A bargain in any language. Cool eh?

I was also impressed by the bar staff who served me (I sat at the bar rather than the tables). The gentleman who waited on me was extremely vegetarian savvy and accomodating. He suggested the numerous possible modifications and pointed out the several dishes on the menu that were either vegetarian, met my nebulous eco-food criteria, or could be modified as such. Very unusual and most welcome.

The nifty thing about sitting at the bar is that it gives you a prime view of Adam D'Sylva and his team as they busy themselves concocting cuisine in the kitchen. The bar is satisfyingly modern with lights picking out the colours in the bottles.

Adam - the head chef and owner of Coda has a strong pedigree having been Head Chef at Longrain. He is also a supporter of environmental issues and was appointed as an Ambassador for Earth Hour.

I reckon that in my case Coda means I need no longer continue my quest for eco-food fine dining.

But then again, there are no doubt other eco-food havens waiting to be discovered...

Trippy Taco

2010-05-11T01:14:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to enjoy the Trip but ...

I popped into Trippy Taco for lunch yesterday and ordered two of the signature Trippy Tacos.

When I arrived there were more staff (5) than customers (4). I ordered at 12.25 PM and my tacos arrived on the table at 1.00 PM. I'm not sure if this is the usual wait time and perhaps they were busy with some unseen take-away customers. Either way, it seemed like an age when I was starving.

The tacos arrived and the filling looked interesting, but as soon as I picked up the taco, copious amounts of watery juice (from the extremely runny salsa or perhaps too much water on the lettuce?) gushed from the side. Biting into it, I discovered that the black beans did not have any sauce to accompany them and while they were slightly tasty as the main filling, they were certainly not enough to carry this dish. I dumped on some hot chilli sauce for the second bite, but even that wasn't really enough to save it for me. I want to love this place and it is great that they do heaps of vegetarian tacos, but I can't see myself going back.

I was so hoping that I'd enjoy this place and now I have that ho-hum feeling as I write this review.

Perhaps if you go in with lower expectations you might be rewarded.

Bamboo and Buns

2010-05-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

Today I set myself an assignment. Find a satisfying two-course CBD lunch for under $6.

A quick bit of research prior to leaving the office suggested that that Nam Loong did a vege Bun for $1.50 which sounded like a perfect start for my assignment. Primed for success I marched along Russel and into the door of Nam Loong. I was greeted by shelves and shelves of buns of all varieties and enormous bamboo steamers preparing the more on the stove. Alas, the shelf labelled Vegetarian Buns was empty! And it was only 12:44 pm - sold out! Arghh. Could this be the beginning of an assigment Epic Fail?

I whipped out the iPhone and was relieved to learn that Miss T had found Melbourne Central's Bamboo City offered something similar for $1.80. I arrive full of hope, blinking in the neon, only to run into potential failure Number Two. Alas. Perhaps the GFC or Miss T garnered fame had lead to price inflation to round numbers. I gingerly handed over my $2 gold pieces in exchange for two quite substantial looking vege buns.

Across the road to the State Library lawn for the taste test. Not bad. Not great, but not bad. The buns were a bit hard on the outside - probably from sitting under the neon for too long, but the filling was tasty enough. The seagull certainly thought so. They were filled with glass-noodles, tofu, carrot and spring onions and were certainly filling.

Now with only $2 remaining for dessert I marched off in the direction of the delightfully named Little Cupcakes on Degraves. Sitting on the little wooden table inside I devoured the Cookies and Cream flavoured morsal. Yum.

I also felt a sense of achievement having marched more than 2600 metres in my mission to fulfill this assignment. I'm keen to try the Nam Loong buns because that would mean a two-course meal for under a fiver!

Sakura Kaiten

2010-05-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

Some days I feel like treating myself to a few tasty morsals of vegetarian goodness. If you also find yourself so inclined, can I suggest you try Sakura Kaiten Sushi.

The staff are friendly, welcoming and helpful in this stylishly decorated sushi bar. I asked for assistance in identifying vegetarian options on the sushi train and the waitress quickly pointed out several options for me to try.

I selected the vegetarian gyoza (5.80), a fried-mashed-potato sushi ($3.60), a seaweed sushi ($4.60) and the agedashi tofu (4.60). Other options on offer were vegetable tempura, seaweed salad, spinach salad, cucumber salad, edamame and several other options.

The potato sushi comes accompanied with subtly flavoured mustard and was probably my favourite of the selection.

The gyoza were topped with a savoury sauce and contained mashed vegetables including potato and were lovely and crisp.

The seaweed sushi had that straight from the ocean taste and was delicious when dipped in shoyu sauce.

I enjoyed the agedashi tofu, but I think the Wood Spoon and Peko Peko on Smith Street might have the edge for tofu goodness. Nothing wrong with Sakura Kaiten's offering, just not my favourite.

If you haven't been to a Japanese sushi train bar before, it is worth going just for entertainment value. While not featuring an actual miniture train like some places we found in Tokyo, Sakura Kaiten has a nifty conveyor-belt that whisks the beautifully presented and numerous dishes past diners for easy selecting. The dishes are colour coded to represent different priced options from black and pink as the least expensive to white and red as the (slightly) more expensive options.

The cafe soundtrack of Marvin Gaye and several other Motown and Soul balladiers contributed to an ecclectic and most enjoyable lunch.

Curiosity at Kanitar

2010-04-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

So you're in Geelong.

You're hungry.

And you're hankering for some Southeast Asian goodness?

I say, mosy on down to Kanitar on Malop St - the town's main drag.

I hadn't been there before, but I wandered in after seeing the golden statues, hoping for the best.

I was delighted to discover they do an $8 lunch special on a variety of thai staples.

The owner and chef are thai and the vegetable red curry I ordered was as authentic as any I've enjoyed in downtown Banglampoo.

The serving was generous. The service was friendly. The decor was quaint. And the flavours are all there. That perfect balance of spicy, salty, sweet and sour were married behind a little shopfront in Geelong.

A surpringly good find.

STREAT at Fed Square

2010-04-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

Don't you wish that eating lunch could have a positive social impact, great environmental credibility and also taste really good?

How about a meal where 100% of the money you paid for it went into a social enterprise, supporting and training youth at risk in Melbourne.

It almost sounds too good to be true, but at STREAT, founded by dynamic duo Rebecca Scott and Kate Barrell, they're realising these lofty goals.

I popped in to the Federation Square STREAT kitchen cart today and ordered the Kashmiri Chickpea Curry ($8.50). This innovative food store features a seasonal menu and there were four other dishes available on the day I visited. My curry was ready after a few minutes accompanied by rice and a papadum and came served in a nifty cardboard box. The box reminds you of the positive impact you are having "Youth homelessness is hard to swallow. 100% of the profits from this meal help it to stop."

The curry was a tasty blend of chickpeas, potato, mushrooms and cauliflower in a tomato curry base. It went nicely with the rice and papadums. There is a hint of citrus and sweetness in it too, perhaps from tamarind? Very refreshing. I'll have to taste it again to figure out those ingredients.

While my food was being prepared, one of the senior staff was quietly training a couple of newer recruits. The original KOTO concept in action.

Concepts like STREAT are fantastic and should be supported and applauded. I'll definitely be making it a regular lunchtime spot. The staff are very friendly and you get that lovely warm fuzzy feeling in your tummy that comes from tasty food and the knowledge that you are making a difference.

Here is a quick quote from STREAT's website:

STREAT’s training curriculum and street café menu choices also take an eco-gastronomic perspective. In this way we see our food as a fusion of the best of slow food and fast food. Food that’s fresh, tasty, healthy, fair, cultural but also served quickly, can be eaten on the run and great value.

STREAT is a hybrid organisation – or social enterprise – that brings about social change through market-focussed business activities.
In effect, STREAT is three organisations rolled into one and underpinned by sound governance structures. STREAT is a:

Social support provider ensuring holistic care and well‐being to trainees within its programs;

Training provider giving internationally recognised vocational training in hospitality;

Foodservice business that provides on‐the‐job training and work experience for trainees, while generating the income to finance the organisation’s activities.

STREAT's business model is designed to scale and the organisation expects to have five sites within Melbourne's CBD over the coming couple of years.

How could you not want to support this organisation? Stop reading this and go eat at STREAT!

Mamasita

2010-03-31T20:12:00.000-07:00

Does Mamasita live up to the hype?

I enjoy trying new places and this place has Melbourne abuzz with the prospect of authentic Mexican cuisine.

Close to work at the top end of Collins Street, it seemed like a good lunch option with a couple of work mates.

We ordered our dishes from the Comida para la familia (Food for the family) section of the menu.

Bill and I ordered the $16 Chili relleno (Bullhorn chiles stuffed with wild mushrooms, pepitas, epazote ; pumpkin sauce). And Dallas couldn't curb his penchant for pork and requested the Costillas de cerdo al chipotle $18.

The Chili relleno came attractively presented but I was disappointed in the flavour. I could barely discern any mushroom in the stuffing because of the volume of rice used to fill it out. The sprig of corriander, the pumpkin seeds, and the pumpkin puree were nice addition, but I had to use generous dollops of the jalepeno sauce to make the dish more interesting.

I asked Bill and Dallas to guest blog.

From Bill - "An interesting take on classic Mexican favourites. I had the chilli rellenos which were stuffed with mushrooms, herbs and rice and served with pumpkin puree, a tasty combination but some diners may have been surprised if they were expecting the traditional cheese-filled variety. Downsides are the absence of condiments and sides served in traditional Mexican eateries and slightly stale corn tortillas and salsa that remided me of the type that come out of the jar. If you want the full Mexican 'comida', the extra cost of pre-meal tortillas/salsa and refried beans and rice side dishes pushes this restaurant out of the value-for-money range."

One of my favourite recollections of our time in Mexico was the almost instantaneous presentation of a plate of hand-made tortilla chips and delicious salsa that appeared on the table moments after you were seated. So I have to agree with Bill on the sneaky sting of pricey side dishes. If you add some fairly standard sides like Ejotes beans, Tortillas and Guacamole, you add $18 to your bill. Perhaps this is a necessity for a resturaunt renting at the pricey end of Collins? But it seemed steep to me. We ordered the Tortillas with salsa which were only $5, but as Bill says, the salsa was pretty lame.

We wouldn't normally discuss pigs on this blog, but I didn't want Dallas feeling left out. After all, he's such a retiring wallflower.

From Dallas - "Pork ribs that rock....Sazonado carne de cerdo!!! tender meat that falls away from the bone in a tangy but slightly sweet broth. Ah....why is the meat on the bone always the tastiest?"

So there you have it. If the dishes were under $10, I might be more charitable, but for the prices here, I expect something a little more.

Grossi Florentino - Cellar Bar

2010-03-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

I think I now understand what all the fuss is about!

I'd been hearing about Grossi Florentino and chef Guy Grossi for years. He and his resturaunt are a Melbourne institution. For some reason I'd always balked at spending more than the bare minimum on Italian food and shunned eating pasta at resturaunts. But it turns out, that like most things in life, you really do get what you pay for.

I was net surfing for lunchtime inspiration and seeking a jaunt outside the office when stumbled on the Grossi Florentino website. I hadn't intended to visit, but then an item on the menu really caught my eye - Pumpkin Tortellini with Fried Sage or Tortellini di Zucca Della Lungiana $18 as it is named on the menu.

Ever since our Solomon Island adventures, I've been a great fan of the tadka or chaunk technique of frying herbs and spices to add flavouring to a dish. This Indian method of cooking involves tipping the lightly fried and very fragrant herbs into a dahl or curry at the end of cooking to create an exciting fizzling flavour punch. I'm not sure how Guy does it with the sage over tortellini, but I wouldn't be surprised if his technique is much the same.

Anyway. The result is what matters and here it is superb.

The delicate flavours of pumpkin-filled tortellini were perfectly matched by the sage fried in olive oil. I also now understand the true meaning of 'al dente' too. The pasta had a delightful texture and even though it sounds cliche, it really did melt in my mouth. The meal comes with complementary herbed and seasoned bread and olive oil which is delicious.

As you'd expect in a place of this calibre, the waiters are fantastic. Friendly, attentive and unobtrusive. And your glass of water is never empty.

Maybe those of you who are Italian food gourmands will think me naiive to only now be just discovering these delights. And to be fair you'd probably be right given my previously irrational foodist tendencies. I've been addicted to Asian food for it's plethora of vegetarian options but was too quick to dismiss the Mediterranean for it's apparently meat, salad, gloopy pasta and otherwise bland cuisine.

How wrong I was.

Duelling Dumplings at Hu Tong

2010-03-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

It isn't often that a quick city lunch inspires poetry, but here goes...

After a moping morning
I crave a different dish
To dull my doldrums
And fulfill my wish
I found my saviour
And changed my mood
At Hu Tong Dumpling
Chique meets great food

My usual go-to dumpling dens are Shanghai Village and Camy Shanghai but sometimes you've gotta break the habit and try the competition.

When I arrived at 11.32 am (I told you I was craving), there were already 7 people waiting at the yet-to-be-opened door. A few minutes later the waitress let us all in and kindly gave me a table despite me being the only one without a booking.

I ordered the Vegetarian Dumplings With Spinach Flour Wrap ($5.50 for 6 pieces), the Vegetarian Spring Rolls ($4.50 for 3 pieces) and a pot of Chinese Tea ($2.50).

Are the dumplings worth the 100% price premium over their Village and Camy cousins around the corner? You betcha!

The spinach flour wrap added another very pleasing dimension to the already delicious fillings of mushroom, carrot, tofu and cabbage.

But my favourite part of the experience was the sensational chilli flakes in oil with whole corriander seeds. The chilli concotion is part of the table condiments set, along with the ginger infused vinegar. Combined with the spinach dumplings, the chilli and corriander seed surprise was a wicked delight. I normally like soy sauce, but this trumps it very nicely.

The spring rolls were tasty with a curried filling and streets ahead of other dumpling places. But you don't really go to dumpling houses to eat spring rolls!

The tea was delicious too with none of the bitterness sometimes associated with the tea elsewhere.

The other feather in Hu Tong's cap is that it is a really nice place to eat. You won't find sticky white laminex or lurid pink here. I'll still probably pop into Shanghai Village now and again for variety (or if I'm really hungry), but Hu Tong is my new favourite.

Get onto Hu Tong I say.

Sustainable aquaculture? Yes really.

2010-03-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

Dan Barber is a chef who is passionate about fish and has a strong eco-food bent. His short 15 minute talk is well worth watching for sheer entertainment value alone. The guy is funny! But the fascinating story on sustainable aquaculture and his inspired views on world food were the glaze on the tofu for me. This one should almost be mandatory viewing. Enjoy.

I watched this on the train this morning. Since getting back from the Solomons, I've been really getting back into TED Talks. They are a fantastic resource and can be really inspiring.

You can also download it to your computer or iPod through iTunes. Just search for TEDTalks in Podcasts.

Izakaya Hachibeh

2010-03-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

Izakaya Hachibeh offers a refreshing change from the usual chain-store nori-ramen-noodles Japanese options elsewhere in Melbourne.

I went for lunch and selected from the excellent value $12 Hachibeh bento menu. Following the eco-creed I ordered the fried vegetables, potato salad and agedashi tofu (because I’m incapable of going to any Japanese restaurant and not ordering it). The bento menu might be confusing, but the idea is that you select one item from each of the A, B and C boxes. There are also specials options on a board and more extensive alternatives available should you wish to branch out further. A PDF dinner menu is available on their website. One of the more intriguing options is the “Hachibeh ladies lunch set” which is only available to those without a Y chromosome, so I was out of luck.

The large bento comes attractively presented with the three selected options and rice arranged in their own little compartments in the box. There is also a complimentary miso which was very good. The flavours in each dish complemented each other nicely. The tasty potato salad was cold mashed and well seasoned with spring onions and pieces of carrot. It went nicely with the flavoursome teriyaki sauce vegetable stir-fry of carrots, cabbage, cauliflower and onion topped with sesame seeds. Of course my favourite was the agedashi tofu. Deliciously crisp on the outside and exquisitely smooth within. And the texture was matched by the taste. Excellent.

The word Izakaya is a compound of the Japanese words for sit (“i) and sake shop (“sakaya”). Upon entering Izakaya Hachibeh, you’ll find it looks more like a restaurant than a bar, with black tables, maroon walls and beautiful red lanterns adorned with characters reading “izakaya”. But there is also an impressively diverse range of sake on offer including their “special-made Hachibeh sake” which I’d be keen to try for dinner.

The restaurant which markets itself as Japanese Tapas was a novel concept for me. But with more than 100 small dishes available for dinner, they certainly have variety.

Izakaya Hachibeh should also be commended for the clarity of their dinner menu. I haven’t yet been for dinner (perhaps for a future entry) but I checked the menu and was delighted to find an entire section headed Vegetarian No Fish Stock with 20 delicious-looking options to choose from. Other Japanese restaurants could do well by learning from this example.

Izakaya Hachibeh is a friendly and great value lunch spot with authentic tasty Japanese food and I’m looking forward to trying it for dinner.

Kamel

2010-02-27T22:25:00.001-08:00

Where have you been all my life!
Just finished a fantastic brunch with Chris, Rach and Mi at Kamel.
Great company, delicious food and plenty of sustainable options.
We shared saganaki, dolmades, dips (tsatziki, hummus and beetroot) and some zucchini, corn and
chickpea flour patties. All very tasty and satisfying especially when
accompanied with a glass or two of Pinot bubbles.
Thanks guys!

Kim Sing for a Song

2010-02-24T18:07:00.000-08:00

If anyone bragged about a hearty lunch spot where you'd have change from a fiver in the heart of the Melbourne CBD, I'd have called them wishful.

Yet somehow Kim Sing manages to produce exactly that in the form of a tasty, filling, freshly cooked vegetarian fried rice for a grand total of $4.00. Yep, really!

I stumbled upon Kim Sing on a lunchtime ramble yesterday and came back again today. If you're seeking romantic fine-dining with white table cloths and starched waiters you won't find it. But you will find an armada of woks dancing on blue flames, a supersized menu with lifesize pictures of dishes on offer and exceptional value for money.

Kim Sing is tucked in Port Phillip Arcade (which embarrassingly I only discovered yesterday, despite having lived in Melbourne for 30 plus years). The cafe spans both sides of the walkway. There is a small yellow sign to identify the place, but long before you see the sign you'll probably see dozens of tables full of students, backpackers and hungry office workers all munching on delicious looking fare.

Yesterday I had the Stirfried Mixed Vegetables with Tofu and Rice for $6. Presentation might not have been superlative, but it was very tasty and came with a nice sauce. The tofu was good, the vegetables were nicely crispy and the mushrooms were really good.

I didn't notice the Vegetarian Fried Rice on the menu until after I'd eaten yesterday, so I had to come back and try it today just to see if it was possible to make a decent dish for $4. Verdict - yes! It came with carrots, beanshoots, spring onions, cabbage, brocolli and pieces of omelette. The rice was fluffy and light and there was enough on the plate to leave me feeling very satisfied. Was it the best fried rice ever - probably not, but it was infinitely better than the soggy overpriced, tasteless, reheated bain-marie gloop I've suffered through in food courts.

Chatter Box

2010-02-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

I confess I've been to Chatter Box several times in the last few weeks. They have a great lunchtime special of $8.30 for plenty of freshly cooked delicious dishes. So far I've had the Vegetarian Laksa, Nasi Pattaya and Char Kway Teow. All were very tasty.

On my first visit I had the Pad Kee Mou, but requested they replace the Mou (chicken) with tofu. This noodle fiesta was delicious with crunchy broccoli and other vegetables and the wonderful addition of fresh basil. It comes with a very satisfying amount of chilli which is more reminiscent of street food in Thailand and Malaysia than the usual anaemic chilli sprinkling apportioned in many other Australian restaurants.

Real Thai Recipes has an interesting explanation of the etymology of this dish. I assume they're talking about the same thing.

"In Thai, ‘pad’ means to stir-fry, and ‘kee mao’ means someone who likes to drink too much. ‘Kee’ literally means ’shit’, and adding ‘kee’ in front of any verb means it’s a bad habit. ‘Mao’ means drunk. So, a ‘Kee Mao’ (shit drunk) is someone who has a bad habit of drinking!"

So there you go!

The Laksa at Chatter Box is one of the better Laksas you'll get in the CBD. It might not rival Laksa King out in Flemington, but I'd give it 4 out of 5. I have a sneaking suspicion Chatter Box might employ shrimp paste and therefore this dish pushes the boundaries of eco-friendliness, but it is very tasty and sometimes one must relent.

The Nasi Pattaya was interesting. The fried rice part was excellent, but I'm not a fan of tomato sauce. I realise this is how the dish is supposed to be presented, but it just doesn't work for me. I ended up scraping the sauce off to the side. I really enjoyed the rest of the dish though.

Another bonus of Chatter Box dining is the endless free tea. I love this feature.

I was inspired to go here after Miss T Princess Vegan gave it a rave review. I reckon she was absolutely right.

Vegie Ducks at the Dumpling Village

2010-02-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

So I strayed from my staple of dumplings on my second visit today and it was a mixed blessing.

I couldn't resist ordering the Vegetarian Duck $4, just to see whether it was a salad-eating-antatid or something entirely different. As it happens, it is some kind of tofu/wheat gluten concotion (see pic). It tasted salty and had an interesting texture, but is probably a dish best enjoyed in combination with something else as its flavour is somewhat one-dimensional. I can't tell you how much the taste resembled its flesh and blood namesake because I haven't eaten any ducks for decades, but as a tofu vegetarian dish, it was quite enjoyable.

The same can't be said for the anaemic Vegetarian Spring Rolls $3 (see pic) which were mostly pastry and very little filling. I guess their price might have given me a hint of things to come, but I always hope for the best. I'd estimate the percentage of pastry to filling was probably 80/20 which made for a crunchy but rather tasteless dish.

The highlight for me today was the Buns with Vegetable and Mushroom $4 (see pic). I haven't had a huge number of steamed buns in my time as most of the places I've encountered them, they have been filled with dubious meat products of uncertain provenance. But at Shanghai Village Dumpling, they were full of delicous stirfried mushroom, spinach, and onion. The buns with light and fluffy and they came nicely presented in a bamboo steamer. Thumbs up for the buns!

I've also included a photo of resturaunt's Black List taped to one of the pink walls. I couldn't help it, I just found it quite funny. The List is designed to shame diners who have done a runner without paying. Maybe it's wrong, but it just reminded me of a tarring and feathering from times of old. I wonder how effective it is?

I shared my Shanghai Village Dumpling visit with Scuba Steve so we could have a bit of a catchup. Steve wasn't overly pleased by his experience as you can see his review on urbanspoon, but we had a good 'ol chat anyway while we waited and waited for our dishes to arrive. To be fair, they were quite busy.

Southern Spice Secret

2010-02-09T15:32:00.000-08:00

So you’re out west and suddenly develop a hankering for a fresh crispy masala dosai. Or you’re craving a breakfast poori that tastes like you bought it from a guy on Platform 18 at New Dehli Station as you rushed to board the Kerala Express? If you find yourself in this condition and you don’t mind popping into a café that has slightly less ambience than your local laundromat, then I’ll let you in on a secret.

Situated in a prime location across from a multi-colour-flag used car dealership and next to Pizza Hut on busy Gordon Street Footscray, Southern Spice may well sate your desires. Even though their address is listed as Ballarat Road, you enter off Gordon Street, there is a carpark behind the little group of shops or you can catch the number 82 tram. Here is a Google Street View.

The food is cheap (Entrees $2.00-$4.00 Mains $4.00-$7.00) and delicious. When we used to live near this place and I loved dragging Mi here as often as I could. We even convinced many friends to come with us. And while they were initially dubious, they were instant converts after the first mouthful.

The masala dosai comes with the usual spiced potato and ghee filling and the poori is served with a delicious light dal. They also have great lassis and there a plenty more vegetarian and vegan choices on the menu.

I'll have to go back there and get some photos for you, but in the mean time, why not check it out for yourself?

Thali Time

2010-02-07T15:25:00.000-08:00

Oh joy!

Bismi are now doing an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet from Mon-Wed with around 25 choices including dosai, roti, dhal and several vegetarian (8+) and non-veg curries.

For $11.90 it is great value but it certainly won't be good for my waistline. I'm going back tomorrow!

Bismi has without a doubt the best masala dosai in Melbourne - crisp, paper thin and very very tasty. I've been enjoying them for around 4 years now and I think they might even be getting better.

Their roti and thali dishes are great too. I can't comment on the biryani or meat dishes - never made it past my staples.

I think they might have recently turned down the music (at least when I was there) and it's possible they have even have given it a clean!

I would probably still frequent this place even if it was the grottiest in Melbourne - the food is that good.

Fo Guang Goodness

2010-02-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

Perhaps Fo Guang Gallery hasn't been reviewed because everyone wants to keep it secret? Not really surprising given the tasty food, relaxing music, and beautiful asian art all combined inside a tranquil haven on Queen Street. The entire menu is vegetarian, but omnivores will still find plenty of good options.

I had the Vegetarian Laksa $12 (see pic) which was more subtly flavoured than I'm used to, but still delivered welcome complexity with fresh curry leaves, mung bean shoots, veges and tasty gluten/soy vegetarian 'pork'. The laksa soup didn't have the knock-you-over punch of flavour I enjoy at my other favourite laksa haunts (Laksa King, Chinta Ria Soul, Blue Chillies and Laksa Me), but that is probably because all the others use shrimp paste in their 'vegetarian' laksa whereas Fo Guang is a proper vegetarian laksa. Fo Guang's laksa has a nice amount of spice and good flavours.

I also enjoyed a pot of Kumquat Tea (see pic) which was a balance of citrus and sweetness - not too sweet though. It even had a real kumquat rolling about and infusing at the base of the clear glass teapot. The tea was served with two delicous mini biscuits. The menu at Fo Guang has more desert and tea options than mains, so make sure you leave some room.
I'm looking forward to going back and working my way through the wontons, spring rolls, stirfries, and steamed buns. But first on my list will be the Crystal Dumplings ordered by a customer on the adjacent table - they engendered serious food envy.

What else are second visits for, other than trying things you missed on the first?

No Spice in the Road

2010-01-19T15:42:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately our high hopes for this place were unfulfilled. Where did all the flavour go? And I'd prefer not to have gritty coriander as a garnish.

The surroundings were nice, but the food was really pretty uninspiring for the price. If I'd eaten similar dishes in a lower-priced venue I might be more charitable, but at this level, I really expect something more.

We liked the sound of the Tasting Banquet and asked if we could have a vegetarian version.

'Yes of course - just select which dishes you would like vegetarian versions of.'

We did this, but then rushing back from the kitchen our waitress indicated that she was mistaken and that the only vegetarian dishes available were

'A stir-fry, papaya salad and a green curry.'

'Ok, no worries, we'll one of each of those.' says I.

Not a perfect start, but no problem.

Shortly thereafter, we were presented with a vegetarian version of the Betel Leaf entree (see pic). The dish was a puree of ginger, onion flakes, a tiny bit of chilly, kaffir lime and maybe pureed cabbage? It was interesting, but not something I'd order again.

Next came the three mains. They were attractively presented and looked the part, but the flavours just weren't there for me.

The stir-fry was a variation on Char Kway Teow with flat rice noodles as a base and mushrooms, capsicum and snap peas. The primary source of flavouring was soy sauce with a tiny bit of sesame oil and coriander. Frankly I've had tastier version of this dish in food courts. The other strike against this dish was the crunchy/gritty sensation which I think came from coriander which hadn't been washed properly and was still covered in dirt - ewww.

The Papaya Salad was a poor imitation of its authentic Thai cousin. I realise that the classic version of this dish has a liberal dose of fish-sauce, but we have had plenty of vegetarian versions in Thailand with light-soy mixed with a dash of mushroom oyster sauce that were delicious. The main disappointment was the absence of the Thai quartet of spicy, salty, sweet and sour that should combine to make the dish what it is. I don't think this dish actually had a chilli in it at all. Perhaps the chefs are caving to a chilli averse clientele. But surely a place named Red Spice Road can get away with at least the option of some chilli in its dishes.

Finally, the vegetarian Green Curry. The flavours in this dish were also very diluted. It was probably the better of all the dishes, but was more sweet than normal and a long way from authentic.

Mi and I were at Red Spice Road for our wedding anniversary lunch and I really would have hoped for a little more sophistication and frankly more spice!

Staff were accommodating and helpful, but the food really wasn't any better than standard 'food court' fare.

Wing Loong Restaurant

2010-01-04T15:13:00.000-08:00

Complimentary tea. Super fast service. Fluorescent menus for specials and banquets. $4 wine and beer. And tasty food!

What more could you ask for?

I guess you could ask for an aloe and lycee slushie? Well, you'd be in luck because they've got them too.

Been going to this place for years. I love the serving size of the vegetarian fried rice and it only costs $6.50. Great for when you're really hungry or perhaps a little hungover and it comes with tofu, mushrooms and other veges.

Now maybe the food isn't high class, but it doesn't pretend to be either. Fantastic place for a quick, filling and tasty lunch or dinner.

2009-11-11T19:31:00.000-08:00