I had been to Monk Bodhi Dharma a few years back, when it had first opened. I remembered it to be a tiny, cramped space, but with amazing food, so much so that people were willing to wait for a table and be squished into a little corner.

Monk Bodhi Dharma is a vegetarian and very vegan friendly cafe, so when the other half's cousin, J,  embarked on a one month vegan diet, I suggested we go to Monk Bodhi Dharma for breakfast. With no eggs on the menu, and almost three quarters of the dishes vegan, or vegan adaptable, this seemed like a great idea, so off we went.

The Monk is located down an alley, off the main road, so make sure you check the website to understand exactly where it is. J didn't do this, so after a phone call and a walk down to the main road, we found him, and walked with him to the front. 9:30am on a Saturday was clearly peak breakfast time, but luckily we only had to wait a few minutes before there was a table available for us.

A quick glance at the menu and J was excited to find he had multiple muesli options and all of them vegan  or vegan adaptable. This was clearly a win! I couldnt go past the umami mushrooms, a variety of mushrooms cooked and served on homemade pumpkin, spinach and sundried tomato polenta bread, with goat's cheese, thyme and chilli oil. It was delicious!

Monk Bodhi Dharma also pride themselves on their coffee, and with good reason. Between a short black and a latte, we both agreed the coffee was a winner. (We also had a flat white drinker who wasn't that impressed, but we dismissed his opinion!)

With super friendly staff, delicious food, and great coffee, this place is definitely one to check out, regardless of whether you're meat inclined or not! And whilst leaving, we learnt that there will be a second branch open, Admiral Cheng Ho, in Abbotsford! Great for those north of the Yarra!

I've been bogged down with a cold since the end of last week, and I finally decided my body had to stop and have a proper rest, so I decided to take a day off work. Unfortunately days off from work very rarely involve rest for me, instead they are filled with errands, and getting tasks done that cannot be completed on the weekends. One this day off, my mum also suggested that we go out for brunch, and she specifically requested that we go to Gold Sweets and Chaat in Glenhuntly. This place had been highly recommended by a friend of mine, and had long been on my list to check out. 

As per most Indian suburban restaurants, this place was a little shop front on Glenhuntly Rd, flanked by other Indian restaurants on either side. It clearly had some competition! But it was the 'chaat' in the shop's name that won me over. Chaat is Indian street food, and it is amazing! Think spicy, tangy flavours, engulfing the crunch of beaten rice, or the softness of boiled potatoes, all eaten on the busy streets of Kolkata, with Bollywood music blaring from radio speakers. I couldn't think of a better way to eat food!

A scan of the menu and I knew I was in for a treat. There were so many things to choose from, but I couldn't go passed the pav bhaji. Pav is a bread roll, that is toasted and smeared with butter, and bhaji is a potato and pea mixture that is slightly running in consistency, full of flavour from a special spice blend, and then unapologetically dripping with butter. The idea is that you put the bhaji in the pav and eat it like a sandwich, bit by bit.

The Gold version of pav bhaji was delicious. I imagine everything else on the menu is too!