Jackfruit

Come on, The Guardian, you're years behind the curve on this one!

I have yet to try the pulled pork method, but I can vouch for a jackfruit bourguignon. Take onions, brown in oil. Add diced carrot. Add drained, ripped-up jackfruit, some wine (I used a pinot noir), tomato paste, Massel "beef" stock. Thyme and bay leaves. Cook for c. 30 minutes. Add sliced mushrooms, give it another 5-10 minutes.

I promise that the precise quantities don't really matter. Especially when you drink the rest of the wine.

Berlin

I managed to take off my hair-shirt last year, and permitted myself a (short) Holiday in Berlin (listening to Frank Zappa the entire time). Sadly for my extremities, this was in December and I spent the whole time cold and wet. Happily for my brain, I consumed All Of The Culture (Wittgenstein graffiti!!), and a fair amount of the food.

Indeed, my selection of hotel was premised entirely on it being located at the midpoint between the main museums and galleries, and the hipster district, Kreuzberg; the hipsterishness being verified by the concentration of vegan cafes.

On my first night, I trekked down to the main part of Kreuzberg, where I found a Kaisers, and on the way home the very excellent LPG Biomarkt. This doesn’t sell gas for your car, but is a gigantic organic/healthfoods shop. This provided me with the means for a somewhat cobbled together dinner, but no less delicious.

 You can’t get much more echt than real bread, wurst, and a bloody big gherkin. 

Interestingly, though the wurst was completely vegan, it tasted eerily like the (animal) wurst I had in Germany as a child. Spooky verisimilitude.

At the bottom left there is a doughnut; I was foolishly trying to photograph this with one hand while trying to not get the whole thing completely soaked by the continuous rain. 

Other eats in Berlin involved pretzels (surprisingly no better than the good ones in Melbourne), sufganiyot (it was hanukkah at the time, so I went to a vegan-friendly Jewish bakery; also conveniently this was a Berliner. Two birds, one stone!) and vegan Currywurst, wolfed on the most miserably cold day of all. And lots of bread. Bread bread bread. I paid the price for this, but it was probably worth it. 

Currywurst. I..e mock meat, dusted with curry powder, and covered in sauce. Not entirely convinced that this counts as a regional delicacy.

I also had the only good coffee of my entire 2 months outside of Australia in Berlin, courtesy of Five Elephant. Unsurprisingly, the young woman who served me was from Melbourne. Natürlich!

Though I was on a mission to visit Veganz in Prenzlauer Berg, there were Veganz concessions in branches of Kaisers, and other supermarkets (Aldi, REWE) had pretty decent selections of vegan food. I got some organic vegan pate at Aldi, for instance, which was something ridiculous like one euro. Top marks for the bio soja drink in a glass bottle, too. 

Classy glassy. Even plant milk tastes better in glass.

Vegan mecca

 I did make it to Veganz, and came out with more German “meats”, and vegan chocolate (white chocolate with cherries; “milk” chocolate with peanut butter). It was hectic, busy, and my browsing was somewhat hampered. Quite possibly they never have quiet times, a la Terra Madre. 

I wasn't completely enraptured by Berlin, probably because I spent more time in the Big City bits (i.e.  too much like any big city) than I wanted. Next time I will explore Kreuzberg, Neuköln and Prenzlauer Berg properly. I would also recommend going with another person, because that way more stomachs = more food to try. 

Running, life etc.

Running

Next month I am competing (how ridiculous it seems to use that word) in the half marathon that is part of the Melbourne Marathon Festival. It will be my second half, so I have some idea what to expect, but my first since the unpleasantness of my metatarsal stress fractures. Since April, I have been back in my usual routine of alternate day runs around Princes Park, ranging from two to five laps, with a couple of runs with the Running Fit run group thrown in. With just over a month to go, I have yet to have a trial of 21.1km, or even the 6-lap runs I managed on weekends before the Run Melbourne half I did last year.

I feel moderately queasy about this, and would have hoped to have got my long run miles up by now. However, the joys of a paediatrics rotation has meant that I have spent much of the last two months with a succession of viral and other infections, requiring a bit more rest/antibiotics/sneaky steroids.

I am hoping that with my Women’s rotation coming up next, I am going to be less exposed to novel pathogens. Plus the weather is picking up, making morning runs much less unpleasant.

(As a parting gift from the Children’s Hospital, I have come down with a sore throat and big nodes again. Thanks kids. Appreciated. 

I am using this, courtesy of my lovely friend R. The Engrish states that it contains semen, which just goes to show why you shouldn't rely on Google Translate.)

Food Finds
“Gluten free” oats, from Terra Madre (also spotted at La Manna Organics; Aunt Maggie’s) have made a welcome addition to breakfast, in the form of overnight oats. Particularly good when soaked in Bonsoy (my birthday splurge). The Australian official line is that GF oats aren’t really a thing, contrary to what is acceptable in the UK and US. I’ve not noticed any symptomatic response either way, but that doesn’t mean much.

GF Weet-Bix - surely a misnomer, since there is no wheat. I’ve tried the plain sorghum ones, which taste pretty much like normal Weet-Bix, i.e. blah. On the plus side, vitamin and mineral fortified and fairly low in sugar (especially compared with other cereals). Bought as a novelty, and not very rationally at that, since I don’t actually like Weet-Bix. Even so, I am still prepared to give the sunflower seed version a go. God, the gullibility of neophilia.

Pistachio nut butter - from Terra Madre. Another birthday splurge and well worth every cent. This did not last long.

“Ridiculously Good” peanut butter - from the local IGA. I’d hesitate to say it really is ridiculously good. It’s pretty good. It’s better than bog standard peanut butter, but given the cost you’d want it to be. The Murray River salt is a nice addition, but I don’t think it offers more than the fresh PB you can get at Terra Madre, Wholefoods etc for a lot less money.

Loving Earth Caramel Chocolate - this is pretty good, but I probably won’t buy again since I really prefer the very, very dark and bitter chocolate. (That said, I’m open to trying the Salted Caramel variant.)

Parsnips - not a food find, but the first time in ages that I’ve had them. I’d forgotten how great they are roasted.

Domino’s GF pizza - the first time in my life I have bought takeaway pizza, and my embarrassment at going somewhere like Domino’s (as opposed to a nice, independent, doesn’t-advertise-on-TV place) was overcome when I discovered that the pizza is actually pretty good. Then again, with an extra fee of 2.95 for the GF base, it’s to be hoped.

Mayver’s Dark Chocolate Super Spread - this is basically crack, and I don’t trust myself to buy it again.

Hemp - eating hemp seeds is about as rebellious as I get. I had hemp milk in England (thanks Tesco!) and loved it. The DIY version works just as well, and I’ve enjoyed sprinkling the seeds onto salad, smoothies etc.

Balls - i.e. dried fruit and nuts blitzed in the Vitamix. I cannot bring myself to use the other terms for them e.g. Bliss Balls (so vile). I like adding protein powder, maca, mesquite, cacao and have found that those ingredients will also successfully mask spirulina and other (thoroughly revolting) green powders. I find 100g dates, 50g nuts, 10g protein powder works as a template.

Cauliflower "pizza" - this was an epic fail, and I blame my oven which alternates between burning everything or creating a hot, soggy mess. 

Admiral Cheng-Ho II - 23 June 2014

Winter finally hit Melbourne, although the ridiculously warm autumn obviously confused the local flora: trees are budding and there has been a host of daffodils outside the Grainger Museum for weeks.

On a horribly blustery and wet day, I made my way to Collingwood to meet up with a friend and her delicious, beautiful, bright five-month-old daughter. Though the area is replete with brunch options, we settled on Admiral Cheng-Ho, since I knew from last time that it has a multitude of choice for GF vegans. I had also intended to go a few days earlier, but ended up having vegan phở at Fina’s in Richmond (which was, as it happened, perfect given I was incubating a vile virus).

The menu had had a few subtle changes since my last visit, and I was beset by indecision. Sweet or savoury? Do I have what I had last time, since I enjoyed it so much?

Plenty of dishes looked divine on paper, but Reason pointed out that a few could more-or-less be replicated at home. Whilst I love avocado & toast variations, for instance, I have a bag of avocados in my kitchen so it would be ludicrous to pay someone else to feed me this.

After drinking most of my long black, I eventually settled on The Admiral - zucchini and kale fritters with seasonal vegetables (carrots and beans), beetroot relish and cashew cream (and sunflower seeds).

What the photo doesn’t really indicate is how substantial the fritters were. If they hadn’t been so madly delicious I would’ve struggled to finish, but the combination of perfectly crisp exteriors and smooth vegetal interiors proved to be irresistible. The beetroot (with microherbs) gave a lovely earthy freshness, and the cashew cream and seeds added a sophisticated and technically adept finesse.

Perfect food for lousy, cold weather, and more than sustaining for a walk and bike ride home through the wind and rain some hours later.

Cornish Arms - February 2014

Finally - I sampled the Cornish Arms’ vegan fish and chips. After a 36-hour fast (thanks to a medical procedure) I was more than in the mood for pub grub. I had planned to go to the Sweetwater Inn, but by the time I was discharged I couldn’t face the thought of going to South Yarra when I had the Cornish round the corner from home.

This is obviously pre-GF regime (indeed, it marked the end of a rather vile gluten challenge), as the batter contained both flour and beer. It was pretty damn worthwhile the ordeal, though.

The three whopping chunks of battered “fish” tasted very much like the vegan cod I had bought from Vincent Vegetarian Food in Footscray, on a mad mock-meat-buying extravaganza, but beautifully beer-battered. If you’re curious, it doesn’t really taste fishy as such - there is a little nori, I think, to evoke the sea - but the texture is probably a reasonable analogue.

The chips were, as per my past experience of the Cornish Arms, absolutely perfect. (I am incredibly fussy about chips - unless they are perfect I don’t want to know of them. Most chips are mediocre, if not crap, so it’s generally easy to resist.)

A bit of salad was a welcome addition. I know some people would see it as superfluous, or even a joke, but I actually like a bit of greenery amongst the batter. The tartare sauce was also welcome, and vastly nicer than any tartare sauce I'd had in pre-veg*n days.

I’d try to make it to the Cornish Arms more often, but the substantial meals tend to necessitate extreme hunger, bordering on hanger, that I can’t be bothered to invoke very often. I do have another half-marathon approaching later in the year, though…

The Grain Store - 22 April 2014

In the midst of my rural GP placement in Mildura, the Easter holidays arose, giving me an excellent opportunity to come back to Melbourne, meet up with one of my favourite people and do one of my favourite things - brunch.

My lovely companion suggested The Grain Store - I had already drooled over the menu online, with great delight that it had options for awkward dietary-requirement types.

I was more impressed still when I arrived to find one of the most aesthetically pleasing cafes in all of Melbourne - very much on a par with those in well-heeled parts of London.

The staff were also very patient with me and my awkward enquiries about what could and couldn’t be adapted from the menu, including suggesting a build-your-own from the toast + sides menu.

In the end I opted for the default vegan/GF item, currently listed as “Vegan cauliflower, quinoa & amaranth pops - roasted pumpkin hummus, goji berries, parsnip crisps, nigella seeds”. I think this has changed since April, however, as I had beetroot and endive rather than parsnip.


This was a spectacular and pretty dish. A marvellous combination of textures and tastes, from the velvety-smooth and sweet pumpkin hummus to the crunchy, savoury quinoa and amaranth, to the chewy and tart goji berries. I wouldn’t have thought of using goji berries in a largely savoury context, but it’s an idea worth using in other iterations.

The Grain Store has had its fair share of attention and positive reviews. Indeed, when I tried to go for coffee a few Sundays ago it was packed and we faced a 30 minute wait. All I can say is that it is worth a visit - there is surely something for everyone to enjoy, in civilised surroundings - just perhaps try to go on a weekday.

Smith & Daughters - 14 June 2014

Much anticipated, Smith & Daughters opened while I was on my rural GP rotation - an experience that could not have been more different to that of my normal life living in the cyclist-vegan-Green paradise that is the Inner North.

What this meant was that while I was being compared to livestock (“Jeeze girl, you look like you need to spend a year in the lucerne paddock!”), my hysterically flighty internet connection brought forth a flurry of Facebook and blog posts from those who were enjoying the latest addition to the Fitzroy epicentre of vegan cuisine.

“Damn you, Melbourne. I’ll be back soon and I’ll get my fill of plant-based Mexican deliciousness,” I vowed.

Following my return, a completely ridiculous amount of time then passed, in which I luxuriated in the convenience of the new Aunt Maggie’s in Brunswick (kale!!), resumed making my protein powder concoctions, and had the relief of seeing my weekly food bill drop dramatically in price.

The insanity of a voluntary exam - for only medical students would be so crazy to opt for additional testing, which has no effect on actual university marks and is therefore just a weird masochistic exercise in realising, Socrates-like, that one knows nothing - presented a valid excuse for a lunch treat.

After three hours of sitting semi-motionless filling out an MCQ sheet, my dining companion and I were both slightly frozen. She was at a greater disadvantage having got thoroughly drenched during her bike ride in (a rare advantage of my leaving-it-to-the-last-minute habit: I missed the downpour). A quick bike ride brought us to the warmth of Smith & Daughters, which was also, mercifully, not crammed with people.

After some slight confusion about what could and couldn't be done gluten-free, my brunching companion and I ended up choosing the same item - the Mexican omelette with corn tortillas. Accompanied by, in my case, a long black. My companion had a cappuccino with coconut milk. 

I was pretty ravenous by the time this came out, but managed to pause long enough to drown the above in Cholula sauce (I am finishing off a bottle at home, and know that for me it is pretty mild). 

The omelette thankfully did not replicate an eggy dish in flavour; texturally it was more like a savoury pudding. The sauces and avocado brightened up the dish, visually and in terms of flavour, and the corn tortillas were by far the best I've had. Best of all, the cast iron pan - though scorching hot initially - was another welcome source of warmth. 

So my Smith & Daughters desire has been partially sated - I need to sample the evening menu next, obviously.