Molly Adventures Part 10 (Brisbane)

Friends! The end of our adventures are here. 10 posts later. What an epic food adventure we had!

But of course it wasn't all food. On Friday morning, Molly's last morning, we went out to Cleveland Point, which is a lovely little park. It also had a lot of little crabs scurrying all over the rocks and concrete down near the water, and lots of sassy seagulls.







For lunch we went to Cafe O'Mai, a vietnamese place with many vegan options. I had been there once before for breakfast, but was excited to try their lunch offerings. We started with some Lychee and Mint Frappes, which were wonderful. Though drink carefully, they are cold. So cold and with a metal straw, I gave myself a few brain freezes!



We shared the Tofu Rice Paper Rolls and the Vegan Banh Mi. The rolls are so lovely, with a hoisin peanut sauce. The Banh Mi was also great, though we both wished that it had some vegan mayo on it (the vegan one is tofu and veggies, no mayo or pate). Though as we were halfway through it, Molly spotted a sign in an obscure and hard to see place that said they did do vegan may on request, so I'll remember that for next time.





We both had the same thing for lunch, each ordering a Buddha Bowl Bun (which had lemongrass tofu, crispy tofu and vegetarian spring rolls as well as salad, noodles, and dressing). This was just lovely, so refreshing, and I loved all the different tofu textures.



Afterwards we went past Kiah Organics, an organic and wholefood shop that has a lot of vegan things, but also had this one flavour of Dr Bronners liquid soap that Molly loves and apparently is not available in the US. I also got a Cloud Latte (based on blue pea protein) to take away (after this we went to Kmart so that Molly could buy a second bag to take all her treasures home in!).



The afternoon was spent at home so that Molly could pack everything, before heading back into West End for dinner and a final trip to The Cruelty Free Shop for Molly. For dinner, we went to Eden Garden Indian Cuisine, a new to me place that has a separate vegan menu. We started with some Samosa Chaat and some Pakoras. The samosas were interesting, sliced and served on top of chickpea curry and spices. A bit spicy for me, but yummy.





They make some exciting vegan breads, and I was super keen to try the Vegan Kulcha, stuffed with soy cheese, onion and coriander. Sadly, this was not good. I believe they use one of the very old brands of vegan cheese that don't taste great or melt well, so it was a disappointment. Thankfully the Garlic Naan was great.





They also have a lot of vegan curries, including many that are traditionally vegetarian rather than vegan. Unfortunately it turned out the way they do this is through using coconut cream, so I avoided that. Some also have soy cheese in place of paneer, but after the soy cheese in the bread I think best to steer clear of that. And the biriyani did not have a mild option. So we ended up ordering those vegan old faithfuls, Daal and Aloo Gobi. However, these were delicious. I think the best Aloo Gobi I've ever had, so we had no complaints!





We were pretty full after dinner, so ended up going for a long night-time stroll through South Bank. I'd taken Molly there at the beginning of the trip during the day, but it really is quite lovely to see at night as well. The bridges get lit up, and the river is so pretty at night when you can't see how brown it is. We saw a heron who was also out for a stroll around the cultural precinct!





We even walked far enough and across a bridge so I could see the twinkle tree! The council has put fairy lights in certain trees, and every night when I drive home from work I see the tops of these trees as I am driving. This day I got to stand at the bottom of them, and it was magic!



Our final place that we visited was I Should Coco for a final ice cream. We both got the Berry Merry.



And then it was over. The next morning I took Molly to the airport, and she went home. Brisbane was so sad that the sky cried hard all day, there was so much rain! I had such a wonderful two week with Molly, getting to show her around my home and adventuring in Melbourne together. If anyone else wants to come visit, I am always in favour of that!

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



Adventuring is fun, but my heart belongs to my baby girl. I missed her a lot when we were in Melbourne, and was glad to get to spend a few days with her hanging out at home before I had to go back to work. Here is a terrible selfie attempt of the two of us. At least she looks amazing, as always!

Molly Adventures Part 9 (Brisbane)

We were back in Brisbane for a few days before Molly was due to leave, so there was still a chance to get some eating done! Wednesday morning, we had a little sleep in and I went off to yoga while Molly caught up on some things before we went out for lunch. We went to The Green Edge, to experience their cafe and also so Molly could enjoy Brisbane's first ever vegan shop (you can see my other visits here. Molly was keen on trying the Mega Matcha Burger, which I had eaten at a previous visit and posted on Instagram.



I had a Skin Brightener juice (apple, beetroot, carrot, spinach, parsley) to rehydrate after yoga, and to eat I picked the Cheesy Gnocchi with Crispy Sausage off the specials board. This was so yummy, and so saucy that I asked for a spoon so as not to miss any of it!





Afterwards we went to Ciao Gelato for more vegan ice cream! I had been there once before and was excited to go back. I got a double scoop, with peanut butter chocolate chip on the bottom and acai pomegranate on the top. The acai pomegranate ended up being my favourite, it was so refreshing. Kind of reminded me of a berry pear mix. All on a vegan-friendly dark chocolate dipped waffle cone, of course.



That night, after a big lunch and several days of overindulging in Melbourne, we kept dinner super simple. Molly had a few leftover bits and pieces she needed to eat up, and I just made myself a bowl of stir-fried green and rice.



The next day was a very important day. It was YUM CHA DAY! I normally work every Thursday, and Thursday is the cheap yum cha day at Easy House, my favourite place! We started with some Steamed BBQ Pork Buns and some BBQ Pork Pastry Buns.



Then my beloved Steamed Beancurd Rolls and some Coriander Dumplings (my favourite dumpling flavour).



Some Dim Sims and my precious Radish Cakes.



Sesame Rolls and Mushroom Dumplings.



And finally some sweet Steamed Custard Buns.



And of course no trip to Easy House is complete without stopping off at Flour of Life on the way home to pick up a box of vegan baked goodies! My box included a Vegemite Scroll, Apple & Rhubarb Crumble, Berry Danish, and my favourite Strawberry Flan. You can see my other visits to Easy House and Flour of Life here.



After spending some time at home resting and digesting, we went out for dinner to my favourite Thai place, Khot Thai, which has lots of vegan options (see what else I've ordered here). We started off by sharing some samosas and the excellent fried tofu with peanut sauce.



And also refreshed ourselves with some coconut juice.



Of course I ordered the Pad See Ew, my favourite Thai dish and one of my favourite dishes in general! Their one is very good. And Molly got the yellow curry. We shared, though I just had a bit of curry and stuck mainly to my Pad See Ew. Even when asked for mild, sometimes the yellow curry can be a little on the too spicy for me side, and this was one of those days.





This is the penultimate post of this series, I have been pushing through to get it done by Christmas. Final post to come soon!

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



Remember Leigh's cat Momo in Melbourne? She loves a tummy rub! Here she is lying on her back, enjoying a nice belleh massage. What a cutie.

Molly Adventures Part 8 (Melbourne)

While Molly and co were off at the beach, I went back into the city to hide out in some air conditioned buildings. I went to the Immigration Museum, which I had never been to but had been recommended to me. I definitely would also recommend it, it is very interesting, though often confronting. I learned a lot of things that I never knew, some of which were very disturbing, but very important to recognise. When I got about half way through, there was a great influx of school students, which disturbed my peace somewhat. But I think it is good that kids are being taken to places like this. On a lighter note, they had a room with a recreation of a ship so that you could see what different conditions were like traveling to Australia. On the outside, they had some windows that talked about introduced animals. Including this cat, which says 'Reason for immigration: Job opportunities as pet and hunter'. They also had one for rats which said 'Reason for immigration: We go where we please.'



I was getting hungry, but also not wanting anything too heavy. I thought I might try a place called Divine Realm that I had seen talked about on blogs, but although the internet said they were open, they were not when I got there. I decided to go to my old faithful Supercharger, but as I was walking noticed a place called Nosh that had poke bowls and sushi burritos. And while I hated the name of the restaurant, I was definitely keen on trying the Tempeh Teri-san bowl (teriyaki glazed soybean cakes, lotus and tofu, with quinoa and beetroot, kale, walnut and goji berry greens, topped with seaweed, pickled ginger and fried onions).



After lunch, I wandered around the city a bit before heading back to the room. It was HOT, so I spent a few hours lying around in the air conditioning and preparing myself for dinner. We had a few options for where we might go for dinner on our last night in Melbourne, but ultimately decided to try out the Tramway Hotel, a pub where a lot of the food has a vegan version. Molly ordered the vegan chicken burger, which had an Old Bay-spiced tofu cutlet, lettuce, tomatoes, ranch, pickles and slaw.



There were two things on the menu that I really wanted to try, both from the 'share' section. So I got them both, though my eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach! I got the vegan mac and cheese (which was very creamy and comforting, though I could have done with a bit more cheesy flavour) and the vegan mushroom poutine (excellent gravy!). This perfect comfort food combination was nevertheless a little too much for me, but thankfully I had Molly to help. We were able to finish off all the poutine, and took a bit of the mac and cheese home to stick in the fridge. The next morning for a pre-brunch snack I mixed the cold leftovers with some of the leftover creamy pesto potato salad and it was such a great combination.



Despite it now being well after sundown, it was still very hot. We got sweaty during the walk there, the Tramway was not airconditioned, and we needed something to help us cool down. So luckily Girls & Boys was on our way back to the hotel. Happily for Molly, their soft serve was working and she got to enjoy a choc top. I went for a scoop of Orange Blossom Pistachio, which was lovely and light.



On our final morning in Melbourne, we were super excited to go and check out Handsome Her and it did not disappoint. Even though it was hot, I couldn't say not to a Taro Latte (think warm and delicious purple cookie drink), while Molly had a more weather appropriate Iced Chocolate.





All the food is named after women. I knew that I had to get the Rosa Parks, a beetroot brioche bun filled with mushroom, pumpkin, bechamel, and mozzarella, with pea puree, salad, five spice crumble and almond feta. It was divine! Though it looks like has been removed from the new summer menu that they just released.



Molly went with the Kelis off the specials menu, a pulled jackfruit burger with smoky BBQ sauce, rainbow slaw, mayo, avocado, onion rings and pineapple on a charcoal bun.



Handsome Her also has a fun range of baked goods, though we didn't get any.



That is because we were on our way back to...Smith & Deli for the fifth and final time, to get lunch and some snacks for the plane.





For treats for later, I picked up an Iced Vovo and an Apricot, Raspberry, & Thyme Shortbread. Both were amazing. They must be using aquafaba for the icing and filling of the Vovo, and for the swirl on the shortbread, because they both had a wonderful marshmallow feel.



Of course I had to try a final flavour of my beloved Sugar & Spice fermented tea.



For my final sandwich choice, I got The Better Bundy, which is a BLT with Avocado (because why would you not put avocado on a BLT?). It was simple, as BLTs tend to be, but I love them and I enjoyed it a lot.



I also got another one of their savoury scrolls, this time a cheese, bacon and gherkin one. This ended up in my freezer in Brisbane when we got home, but thawed and heated up beautifully for a very tasty lunch.



Then it was time to fly home. We were flying with QANTAS, and if you mark that you are vegan when you book your ticket they will provide food on some flights. Our flight down was a 'snack' flight, so vegans get nothing. But our flight home was a 'meal' flight, so we each got a box of rice with curry. One of the curries was a bit too coconutty, and the other was a bit too spicy, but a decent enough meal. Much better than some of the other plane food I have been given in the past!



Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



On our walk down Brunswick St to get to the Tramway Hotel, we walked by a closed shop that had this cute kitty making smooches through the window.