AUCKLAND - Milse

The Pavilions, Britomart

Strawberry pistachio & chocolate gelato stick

We had walked all the way to Tart Bakery in Grey Lynn because they were rumoured to have some vegan pastries. Sadly, it was very closed until January 5th (like many things in Auckland, evidently). These gelato sticks saved us from emotional and physical meltdowns.  They were amazing.

AUCKLAND - the Blue Bird Cafe

299 Dominion Road

Mt Eden (at near Valley Rd)

The people working here were so nice! They made us a tempeh dish and some pancakes for breakfast. Both were delicious, obvs. 

WELLINGTON - Midnight Espesso

Midnight Espresso  (178 Cuba St) was my favourite food spot in Wellington. Deluxe Cafe was a close second (post forthcoming). I got the vegan hash stack. I also got some deluxe eggs veganized the day before. That was amazing. I maybe even liked it better than the hash stack. I just ate it so furiously there was no picture opportunity.  It was a bean patty (I think) topped with a bunch of tasty things and sauces. The hash stack was also delicious, and there were tons of vegan treats in their baked items case. If I lived in Wellington I would go there every day.

CIRCADIAN RHYTHM

I'm a huge fan of this place on St. Andrews, and I don't take nearly enough pictures. I will say that their curry is great and their Afghan cookies are delicious. Their pakoras are also tasty and their stuffed bread is genius. One of my very favorites is this lentil shepherds pie. It seems like it would be boring, and maybe in a way it is, but in the comforting, cozy, happy way. It's really flavourful and satisfying. It's also very cheap.

JOYFUL VEGAN - Tempeh Bacon Wrap, Greens Bowl, Sloppy Faux

The Joyful Vegan is a food truck at the farmer's market on Saturdays

Best day to be vegan in Dunedin!

I wait all week

All week... Saturday is coming!

ACORN CAFE - Nice Cream

To my amazement and joy, I discovered that the Acorn Cafe on Albany has single servings of Nice Cream. I also learned that Nice Cream is amazing. It was a dream come true. I am never eating salad for lunch again.

They also have tasty food and a delicious vegan blueberry banana muffin. 

AUCKLAND - Sunflower Vegetarian Cafe

I had long day in Auckland for work. Naturally, it ended with vegan snacks, PJs, and terrible TV. Thanks Sunflower Cafe!

MELBOURNE - Gong De Lin

264 Swanston St

My phone ran out of batteries before we ate here, but it was really exceptionally good. I did get a picture of the menu. By some miracle, we just walked by and saw it.

To be honest, I'm not always mad about fake meats. My friends are bat-shit crazy about them. I must admit, it was all so good! We got noodles with vegetables and a fake chicken dish. They were both fantastic. The noodles were pan fried so they were all crispy. It's above noodle palace, and I'm guessing the noodles are fresh. The fake meat dish was also very good. My noodles were the best noodles I HAVE EVER HAD.

MELBOURNE - Merry Cupcakes

261 Brunswick

Chocolate something something crispy topping

Lime something something cream cheese frosting

SO HAPPY

MELBOURNE - Vegie Bar

380 Brunswick St Fitzroy.

I had dinner at Vegie Bar with friends the first night I arrived. I got the roast mushrooms with quinoa and my friend got the risotto. My mushrooms were amazing. The risotto was ok.

I also went there for breakfast yesterday. They had vegan french toast and a vegan tofu scramble on the menu. The breakfast menu is pretty limited compared to the day menu, and when both me and my breakfast pal went for the tofu scramble, I was a little bummed out. It turned out so fracking good though. They had little squares of roti chopped up and tossed in. Genius.

I think they only have it on the weekends. Gotta have something to distinguish one day from the next. 

MELBOURNE - Las Vegan

22 Smith St

T&T Salad. Tofu and tempeh in a peanut satay sauce. They nailed it. 

Fush and Chups. 

It was delightful, especially the tartar sauce. And the fush, even though I refuse to ever audibly use the word fush, was exceptionally tasty. 

MELBOURNE - The Bear Cafe

439 Brunswick St

When we got there, we weren't sure whether everything was vegan. They have cheese on the menu, but it's vegan cheese! Hooray! You can also buy the cheese in the cafe. 

We got the big breakfast, featured directly below, and the mushroom and spinach breakfast dish. It was pretty darn good. It seems like toast with things on top is a very classic Melbourne breakfast. I'm cool with it, although sometimes it seems silly. When I was out with a friend at some point, I totally got toast and Vegemite. What was I thinking! I eat that all the time in Dunedin. What a wasted opportunity. These were good though. 

Their lunch menu, including some cheese laden toasties, looked really good. A follow-up, "Bear Cafe 2" might emerge in a day or two, all toastie  laden. 

MELBOURNE - Trippy Taco

234 Gertrude St, Fitzroy
We got the nachos and a taco (both snack sized). We weren't even physically hungry. Psychologically hungry. Vacation hungry. By 1pm it was packed. People were saving seats before going to order. They seemed very casual about it. I would assume it's the norm at TT.

I really liked the nachos. I like it when the chips are pretty thick. That way they can hold a lot of topping. We had to eat much of it with a fork. I also really appreciated their hot sauce selection. 

Tofu asada taco. I had really missed vegan mexican food!

MELBOURNE - Crumbs Cafe

In Melbourne for a conference. Trying to triple my body weight while I'm here.

We fortuitously stumbled on this cafe yesterday morning while rushing late to our conference session. I believe it was on Errol st close to Victoria but I'm not 100% sure. They had doughnuts in the window. We had to stop!  We got a chocolate doughnut and a rhubarb pastry.

It was dreamy. 

MIGA

WENT TO MIGA IT WAS DELICIOUS

Miga is on the corner of Hanover and Filleul St, conveniently right across from my gym. As a Korean BBQ, they obviously have a lot of meat. When I went and asked about vegan options, they were very helpful and were totally willing to adjust other items and add some tofu. I got the Dolsot, and companion got the Bulgogi (veganized - it's normally with beef). They also lead up to the main meal with appetizers, and if you say you're vegan they'll make sure they leave off the non-vegan bits. We started with a pancake-like thing, and a noodle salad. The meal comes with lots of little vegetable condiments, as per the background of the top right picture. 

FARMERS MARKET

I'm obsessed with the farmers market. Yesterday I got there early, so I had lots of time to poke around. Th vegan food stall is still on vacation. Apparently they get back mid-September. I just cannot wait. My heart really sank when I didn't find them upon my arrival in June. Regardless, I think the FM is actually the best place to get vegan food in Dunedin. I mean, it's the best place to get any kind of food in Dunedin, and the venue couldn't be better.

As per usual, I got a steamed bun from the tofu stall. I normally get the usual tofu and veggie bun, but this time I got the tofu curry bun. I might like the other one better, but let's be real, the bun and the chili sauce are the parts that really matter. The chili sauce is the best, and sometimes I want to just take the container of chili sauce they have at the stall, place my bun into it, and eat it with a soup spoon, because ideally that's how much chili sauce I would like.

I was about to leave when I decided to check out the crêpe stall. I had always looked longingly at the sign listing all the food accommodations they could navigate, but then I would gaze at the massive lineup and decide that I didn't want to make a fuss. But I was there so early, there was no line! I walked up and asked Marie (I think Marie was her name) what kind of vegan crêpes they could make. She asked whether I wanted sweet or savory (savory, obvs) and then she gave me a few options. She made me a roasted veggie crepe with salad, humous, a thick, kind of sweet, tomato relish-type sauce, and some nuts. It was really good. Marie said that when I went to the stall again I should make sure I go to her and she'll whip up something vegan and delicious. My vegan prayers were answered! I cried a little.

MACARON FAILURES (AND LUNCHTIME RECOVERIES)

I tried to make vegan macarons yesterday. It was my second, and last, attempt. I had such high hopes of solving the eternal vegan problem of baked meringue. I believe my carton of powdered egg replacers has a picture of pavlova on the front. I'm sure, "No Egg," you made a delicious, light, lush pavlova out of your egg replacers. Just like I made macarons that melted in your mouth, rather than violently gnashing about, the sugar having crystalized into tiny little knives. I bet those pavlovas eat like hollowed out hockey pucks.

I was going to post the beautiful outcome of hours of labor. All the recipes studied. The searching for various products all over Dunedin. The beating, sifting, restarting. All the moments of ingenuity. Just FYI, vinegar will not solve the vegan macaron problem, although it does make the batter monumentally more flavourful. But really, as an aside, Vinegar is so delicious. Mix some fancy vinegar and soda water, and you've got yourself half of a cocktail. Trust me.

Luckily, Fluid Espresso had a delicious vegan brownie today, so the dark stormy cloud of broken dreams has been momentarily lifted.


It had nuts and dried fruit in it.  Needless to say, there is chocolate all over my office, in my hair, and on my person.

It was accompanied by a tofu, hummus, and harissa sandwich, as per lunchtime custom.

Macarons be damned.