Brim CC Japanese Organic Cafe

Shop 2, 601 Little Collins Street,
Melbourne
3000 Victoria

We ended up eating at Brim CC Japanese Organic Cafe by mistake. I was due to meet Brendan next door at Spicy Korean, but got confused seeing another friend waiting for his takeaway at Brim next door and ended up there instead. It was only once I was at the counter that Brendan pointed out we weren't in restaurant I'd suggested... by that time I'd already decided on what I wanted, so it was a bit late!

The signage for Brim CC is unusual in that the name less prominent than the description, although it is helpful to know that they prepare organic Japanese food! It was a warm spring day and the tables outside were in the direct sun so we stuck to the indoor tables.

There isn't a whole lot of space inside, with a large shared table, a few smaller ones. We got lucky and were able to grab one of these after ordering at the counter. The lunch menu is fairly short with a few more options available for dinner.

I went for the Tokyo style vegetable curry with rice for $9.50. Apparently their "organic VEGE stock adds natural SWEETNESS on this curry!" and they "proudly recommend this as one of the best choices of vegetarian food in Melbourne." The plate was loaded up with a good portion of curry and rice, the sauce was mildly flavoured, rich and comforting.

Brendan went for the beef curry and rice which cost a dollar more. He also enjoyed the sauce, but was less impressed by the meat content, but happy overall.

The service was basic but friendly and efficient. The quality of the flavours and healthy, hearty feel for the price was a winner in my eyes, and I'd happily head back for more.

Gong De Lin

264 Swanston Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000

I met up with Brendan below the sign for Gong De Lin on bustling Swanston Street, before taking the lift up three floors and stepping into the smart and tranquil environment of the restaurant. Most of the tables are in booths and we were seated at one of these. There weren't too many other diners on the Tuesday which complimented the peaceful vibe. The menu is large and features a range of vegetarian dishes, we both picked ended up picking from the noodle and rice dish section which worked well for lunch.

Brendan doesn't normally pick out veggie meals when we head out for lunch, but was happy to give it a whirl on this occasion. He went for the vegetable dumpling noodle soup which looked the part and he enjoyed.

I had the vegetarian shredded pork in Szechuan style on rice. I've enjoyed a few mock meat dishes in the past and was ken to find out how this version measured up. The mock pork was closer to shredded ham in my opinion, but pretty close to the mark. The sauce was spicy without being overpowering and the ingredients worked well together.

The service was friendly and efficient. Each of the dishes came in at $12.80, although there are dishes on the menu that go for quite a bit more. If you do decide to take the elevator up to check out the vegetarian choices on offer, there should be something to take your fancy.

Paperboy Kitchen

320 Little Lonsdale Street
Melbourne
VIC 3000

It had been a while since I'd had lunch with Brendan and we've both moved offices since we last caught up. We met at Paperboy Kitchen Little Lonsdale Street.

The interior has a minimal industrial feel with an open kitchen. It is fairly small with a few shared high tables with stools and a bench tops against the windows. We found somewhere to perch, made our selection from the short menu of dishes that either come with noodles or in a bread roll, and then ordered at the counter...

...instead of the table number we got a plastic lion, there were other miniature animals on offer too.

Brendan went for the BBQ Chicken Bowl, starring marinated free range chook on rice noodles with Asian 'slaw, carrot-daikon pickle, sriracha mayo and coriander which he really rated.

I went for the red curry cauliflower bowl. The house spicy curry sauce packed a punch and combined well with the slaw, pickle, Sriracha mayo and coriander, atop the well prepared noodles.

The dishes were $12 and $13 respectively and were well worth the price. The service suited the casual but busy vibe, with the staff keeping up pretty well with the rapid turnover of punters in the small space. We were both happy with our meals and would be happy to return.

Overloaded, Footscray

253 Barkly Street
Footscray
VIC 3011

When I was emailed a $10 voucher from one for one of the online food ordering sites, I decided to put it to use checking out the newly opened Overloaded Cafe and self proclaimed 'Burger Specialists'.

The store front on Barkly Street is easy to locate once you get close and also seems to house an accountancy office. Inside the bare brick walls feature a counter along one side and a couple of tables along the other, one of which was occupied on my weekend lunchtime visit.

Despite my order having been made an hour before and me being a few minutes after the appointed pick up time, I had a few minutes to wait before my bag was ready.

I'd gone for the mushroom burger and the initial impression was reasonable.

Opening the burger I found 2 halved mushrooms, rather than the single larger portabello. Beneath there was a salad featuring plenty of lettuce and red onion along with a couple of slices of tomato. The roll itself was dry, and the sum of the parts didn't add up to a great burger.

The chips were fine, but got cold very quickly on the way home.

The meal would have been $12 without the voucher. Overall I don't think 8 bit has much to be worried about...

Mi Amor Cafe

234 E Hwy 246

Buellton

CA 93427

We stopped for lunch in Buelton, ending up at the Mi Amor Cafe.

We shared a roast veggie sandwich and an avocado wrap.  The wrap was fresh tasting, surpassing our limited expectations. The sandwich was a little heavier and more filling.

Nature's Grill

566 E Main Street
Ventura
CA 93001

Mark took us to Natures Grill on the Main street of Ventura.

We visited on a Saturday lunch time and it was buzzing with plenty of the tables occupied. After  perusing the menu and ordering at the counter we found ourselves a booth and waited for our meals.

Mark had the Turkey Burger, the patty was topped with grilled red onion, lettuce, tomato and sprouts served on a locally baked whole wheat bun with Thousand Island dressing, which didn't disappear  quite as quickly as the blurry photo suggests!

The Vegetarian Tamale contained pinto beans, organic corn, peanuts, green chiles, sea salt and garlic wrapped in corn masa. It was topped with ranchero sauce and sour cream and was served with short grain brown rice and beans and proved to be a winner.

I went for the Zen Burger featured a whole grain and vegetable patty with lettuce, tomato, sprouts and garlic mayo in another locally baked bun. The package of flavours worked well together, and the patty was moist yet held together pretty well. After eating the Zen I was suitably sated.

Each of the healthy and wholesome plates came in around a fair $8 and got to us in a reasonable time given the number of patrons. Nature's Grill lived up to its name and we were happy with Marks's suggestion.

Las Palmas Taco Bar

55 Front Street
Santa Cruz
CA 95060


The first stop on the trip south along the coast was Santa Cruz where we had lunch at Las Palmas Taco Bar, not far from the ocean. It is a fairly unprepossessing building surrounded by roads and a carpark, but we were hungry!

We both choose the regular veggie burrito featuring large flour tortilla, beans, onions, guacamole, sprouts and salsa verde. The filling was heavy on the beans, but satisfying.

Our burritos did take a while to arrive, but we did order just after a few other groups and at $3.50 each they were a great value way to sate our hunger.

Ruffage Natural Food, Waikiki, Honolulu

2443 Kuhio Ave, 
Waikiki, Honolulu
HI 96815

Our first meal in Waikiki was at Ruffage Natural Foods based on a healthy sounding recommendation from the Lonely Planet, and it was not far from where we were staying which was a bonus after a long flight. It was on Kuhio Avenue one street back from the main ocean front drag. The building was fairly unassuming, and the restaurant had a few tables outside off the street and undercover, past these was the entrance to the air conditioned store and restaurant counter. There were a few more seats inside too. It took us a while inside and outside to figure out what to order, but the server wasn’t worried by this.

I chose the vegan special featuring chilli, brown rice, avocado and salad was fresh, wholesome and satisfying.

The veggie chilli was a similar meal, with a flat bread and a different salad.

The meal came to US$30.14.

Diamond Head Cove Health Bar, Waikiki

3045 Monsarrat Ave #5
Waikiki, Honolulu
HI 96815

After tackling the walk from Waikiki to Diamond Head we were ready for a break and refreshment. We'd seen a spot as we passed by on the way, but on return found it full to bursting, fortunately a few doors down the 'Health Bar' had a few tables free. Plenty of the occupants were enjoying the smoothies on offer.

After ordering at the counter and a table change due to a severe wobble and a slight coffee spillage, our food was soon ready.

I had the veggie and humus wrap, which lived up to it's healthy billing, but could have had a little more of the chick pea paste.

The fish in the Ahi roll was maybe a bit over for our tastes but otherwise the roll was spot on.

The tables were close together and I found the overheard conversations a bit much. Overall the food lived up to the cafe's name, the service was friendly and it was a handy spot to refuel.

The Rickshaw, Fitzroy

199 Gertrude Street
Fitzroy
Victoria 3065

We were wandering down Gertrude Street after work on a Friday evening looking for a bite, on the way to catch up with some mates. We had a vague idea of a few options but decided to give The Rickshaw a try after checking out the menu.

From outside and as soon as you walk inside you can't miss the front section of the restaurants name-sake.

The fit-out is low key and cool with a view through to the kitchen at the back.

The wavy wire ceiling features lights hanging down over the bar. It was pretty quiet when arrived around 6, but the tables filled while we were there. Amit the owner welcomed us and was a friendly presence through the evening.

The menu is fairly short with a mix of dishes from India and across the rest of Asia.

We kicked off by sharing the beautifully presented Papdi Chaat of crushed chickpeas with cumin yoghurt, pomegranate and date sauce. The 'street food' inspired dish tasted as good as it looked!

Amit persuaded us to try the Pani-puri, another Indian street snack, in this case a a hollow semolina puff, containing spiced potato and tamarind and topped up with the coriander and mint emulsion. The resulting delicate casings slip into the mouth then burst with flavour.

We stuck with the veggie Indian theme for our main dishes. The pumpkin lakhanawi was subtly flavoured with mustard and coriander seeds and cooked to leave the pumpkin soft with disintegrating into a mush.

The slow cooked daal bukhara was a wonderful blend of lentils and spices. It had a surprising kick amongst almost smokey flavours. While we tucked in to our mains the head chef came out to chat to us, explaining each dish was cooked with it's own specific base.

The onion seed and basil naan was a nice twist on the classic bread and the rice nice if a little on the small side, indeed we ordered a second serve later.

desert,

We would have finished up at that point, but Amit was so keen for us to try a sweet that he shouted us gulab jamun. These again were presented beautifully with the soft dumplings sitting on Chantilly cream, with rose petals and a pistachio crumb. The flavours and textures complimented each other to finish the meal with a flourish!

The service which seemed to have caused a few comments on Urbanspoon was great for us, with plenty of opportunity to hear from Amit and the chef about the food and their influences and inspiration. The bill came to $87.50 including a few beers. The ambiance and attention to detail with the food and it's plating impressed us both and we'd be keen to return and try more of the dishes on the menu.