Living la vegie loca

With a sign that looked like it hadn’t changed since the eighties, I was initially hesitant about The Vegie Bar in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. That and the fact that there was absolutely no sign of meat anywhere in sight, which scares me just a little bit. Step through the front door and into a dark, hip, converted warehouse and it becomes clear that this Saturday hotspot is anything but your conventional restaurant. At the same time, it is far more than a big room full of tofu-loving hippies and communal seating arrangements as the daggy sign out the front may have suggested. From groups of stylish 20-somethings swapping their weekend gossip over burgers and wine, to conservative-looking families sharing coffee and dessert – The Veggie Bar has such a diverse range of patrons and menu options, it could be easy to forget about the whole vegetarian thing.

My cousin H and I were seated by a friendly staff member in between two groups of people, on one of the long communal tables. The place was absolutely packed, yet it had a great relaxed atmosphere. Despite being run off their feet, our waiters were friendly, helpful and attentive. I felt completely comfortable sitting among strangers and admittedly, quite enjoyed listening to rather entertaining snippets of other people’s conversations. While we each guzzled down a huge freshly squeezed juice and perused the huge menu selection, we found ourselves distracted by a giant slab of decadent mud cake being shared by the couple next to us. Having sufficiently worked up an appetite by this point, H and myself decided to share a wood fired Margherita pizza to start. The simple combination of tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil and olive oil on a delicious crust: not too thick, not too thin. Next on the table was the Mee Goreng: yellow Hokkien noodles fried with plenty of garlic, onion, vegetables, chilli, peanuts and garnished with a sprinkling of bean sprouts. We took one look at it and wished we had brought a few more friends to help us eat the mountain of noodles. Both dishes were extremely flavoursome and not what I would consider your stereotypical vegetarian meals. The Vegie Bar is not your average vegetarian restaurant so even if you’re a bacon/steak/chicken/lamb-loving carnivore like me, you will be nicely surprised to find something other than a lettuce leaf to satisfy your craving.

The Vegie Bar

380 Brunswick Street

Fitzroy VIC 3065

Ph: (03) 9417 6935