Where to Eat in Melbourne - Vegan Brunch Ideas
【尋找墨爾本的⋯⋯ 美味素食早午餐！】
出發之前，已經有不少朋友告訴我澳洲是一個非常適合素食者旅遊的國家。第一站的墨爾本，是個著名的 “Brunch” 和 “Coffee” City；當然試一試他們的早午餐是務必要做的事吧！
Before I travel to Australia, many of my friends told me it is a very vegetarian/vegan-friendly country. With a lot of options for plant-based diet, Here I would like to share two brunch places which I love the most in Melbourne!
- The Healthy Delicious Comfort Food -
Vegie Bar
380 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia, 3065
如果你也喜歡Fushion式的餐點，Vegie Bar 絕對是其中一個必要到的地方！在潮流地區“Fitzroy”的中心，它離 Rose Street Designer Market 非常近（手工藝和設計商品愛好者的“必遊之地”）—— 我也買了一只手工杯子呢（我是個質感工藝品控～）。
在大馬路對面看到餐廳已被餐廳的外觀吸引。步進餐廳，樓底非常高，和室內的工業風格，都充滿著嬉皮士的感覺。無論是服務員、還是在用餐的客人，衣著也很有獨特風格；配著輕快節奏的音樂，輕鬆氣氛遍布整間餐廳。餐廳還設有露台室外區，非常適合微涼的夏日跟一班朋友聚餐。
If you are into Western-Asian fusion food and being a fan of casual comfort food, Vegie Bar is definitely one of the good choices. Located near to the Rose Street Designer Market (a “must-visit” place for hand-crafted goods lovers!) and in the heart of hipster district “Fitzroy”, you can easily notice the restaurant when crossing the street.
Raw and industrial style of the interior, friendly and young waiter/waitress, a laid-back atmosphere is created all over the house. The big restaurant also has a terrace area, perfect for breezy summer days.
還未有吃過早餐的我們，下午三時多己經差不多日餓壞了，所以各自點了一個主食分享。餐點上，一般西餐中的薄餅、漢堡、小食也有；想健康一點的，他們也提供一些較輕盈的選擇如沙律、炒菜和穀物碗等等。愛好甜點者，目光一定會被他們的蛋糕櫃緊緊鎖著——從布朗尼蛋糕（奶素）、“芝士” 蛋糕（純素）到祼食蛋糕（純素、不含麩質）；一共有五至六種選擇，真真正正是植物性飲食者的天堂！
第一道菜，如其名，就是典型的素食版Big Mac漢堡！這款漢堡由兩層素餡餅（應該是豆類製品）、素芝士、生菜、洋蔥、酸菜和特製醬汁，配上三層漢堡包組成。雖然我以前也沒有很喜歡吃巨無霸，不過這個味道的確叫人回味，就是回憶中Big-Mac的味道。
第二道菜，英譯中的名字就是「大多是蔬菜」，聽上去以為會比較乏味，卻是最讓我驚喜的一道菜。時令的新鮮蔬菜配上有機天貝，用了我們熟悉的醬油，大蒜和薑炒起，是亞洲風味的做法，非常惹味。天貝是一種印度食品，由油炸發酵的大豆製成，是高蛋白質的食物，口感有點像肉的質感，也非常飽肚。（我第一次吃是在台北，已經立即愛上了。）加上糙米，混著芝麻醬一起吃（也可以選沙爹醬）；一道蔬菜做得如此色香味俱存，使用亞洲的食材卻有不同的異國風味，印象的確很深刻。
最後一道，則是中東風味的菜色。香料的醃製過的番茄、烤鷹嘴豆及胡桃炒起，配上南瓜和烤椰菜花，伴著小米。為了讓口感更加的豐富，上面則撒上醋栗，杏仁，榛子和椰子片。與烤過的微熱薄餅一起吃，在漸冷的冬日吃，既溫暖又滋味。
All the comfort food like burger, pizza, pasta and fries are available (Who doesn't love these food?!); at the same time, they also serve some lighter or wholesome options like grain bowls, stir-fry greens and salad. Not to mention they have a list of vegetarian/vegan dessert - from brownies, “cheese” cake to raw cake, truly a paradise for the plant-based diet.
We have ordered 3 main dishes to share:
1/ BETTER THAN A BIG MAC
A typical vegan version of Big Mac Burger! Ingredients including 2 vegan patties (yes, not beef!), vegan cheese, lettuce, onion, pickles and special sauce in a 3-part brioche bun. Although I am not a fan of Big Mac, this burger reminded me of the signature childhood burger... (I don’t think there are any differences!)
2/ MOSTLY GREENS
A stir-fry of seasonal vegetables with organic tempeh served in a wok without sacrifice to flavour - it is actually very yummy with tamari, garlic and ginger taste! What is Tempeh? My previous article “3 Vegan Restaurants in Taipei” has recorded my 1st experience in trying it! Tempeh is an Indonesian dish made by deep-frying fermented soya beans. High in protein and a good meat substitute - it really does fill you up! We love to mix the tahini sauce (you can also choose satay sauce), together with the brown rice, the dish is full of different flavours.
3/ MOROCCAN TAJINE
A middle-east inspired plate served in a wok with spiced tomato, baked chickpea and butternut pumpkin stew with roasted cauliflower. Topped with currant, almond, hazelnut and coconut flakes. Simply delicious when eating with the warm pita bread.
這間小餐廳，可能是我這次在墨爾本到過，最特別喜歡地方。他們的早餐和早午餐的好評極多，是使用新鮮的食材，即時烹調我，同時提供肉食和素食餐點。假若你是胃口比較大的，在澳洲不用擔心吃不飽！他們的餐點的分量超大，胃口比較小的朋友們，便很適合跟大夥兒一起分享。可別以為分量大，質量便會相應減少——美味度是不會改變的！（大份夾好食應該就是這個意思……）
This lovely restaurant might be my favourite place during the trip. Being well-known for their breakfast and brunch, they make fresh and delicious food with vegetarian/vegan options. The portion is huge (I guess that is normal Aussie portion) without having to sacrifice the taste of it. If you are going with friends of different diets (meat/vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free), it is the place to visit!
一向愛自己在家做燕麥粥的我，當然要偷師。之前在倫敦、柏林等地也有試過不同咖啡店的燕麥粥，的確比起港式的牛奶麥皮及來得更具特色。這個是混合了藜麥、奇亞籽和粗粒燕麥煮成的，伴上香蕉和莓漿果，灑上夏威夷果仁碎（澳洲就是周圍也是夏威夷果仁！），無論是口感還是味道也相當不錯。
媽媽點了蘆筍配水牛奶酪，配上水煮蛋，灑上檸檬杏仁和煙肉碎。她喜歡比較清新的味道，配上無麩質的奇亞籽脆片，香口美味。哥哥則點了牛排三文治——用焦糖洋蔥和甜菜根來平衡牛排的強烈味道，我們也笑說這份量可以餵飽兩個飢腸轆轆的人吧... 超級巨大的三文治、還有厚切的薯條！
他們也提供一系列的葡萄酒、咖啡、茶、果汁等等。我點了豆奶的印度香料奶茶，澳洲的版本都是一整個壺上的，純素食的你也可以試一試！
I ordered my "go-to" breakfast - Oat porridge. Cooked with warm quinoa, chia and rolled oat, the soft and creamy porridge is served with banana and berry compote. And topped the macadamia crumbles, simple, tasty, and very satisfying.
My mum ordered asparagus with buffalo mozzarella, served with poached eggs, lemon almond houmous chia crips and bacon crumble - she likes the refreshing taste and guess what, this is a gluten-free dish. My brother had the fillet steak sandwiches on sourdough. With caramelised onions and beetroot remoulade to balance the taste. I guess this portion could feed two really hungry people… It is super huge!
They also served a range of vegetarian cakes on the bar, with a selection of wines, coffee and tea. What I love about drinking Chai Tea in Australia - they always come with a full pot of goodness. A must try if you are a fan of CHAI!
澳洲早午餐的餐廳的確有很多……由其咖啡店特別多！留言告訴我你想試哪一家餐廳吧。下次再跟大家分享墨爾本的咖啡店！
Let me know which restaurant you would love to try, and next articles I will share more about the cafe-hopping experience.