Melbourne The First 2017 - Part 2 (Carb Fest)

Are you ready for some serious carb loading?

For dinner on Friday night we went to the fairly new Red Sparrow, an all vegan pizza place. Normally I am on the ball and book for things, but my mind wasn't in it and I wasn't sure how many there would be or what time it would be. Turns out they were fully booked out, but were able to squeeze us in on some bar seating. Book ahead folks! Or get takeaway/delivery, lots of boxes were heading out the door.

Leigh and I shared three pizzas. Two from the specials (the Tandoori Chicken and the Hawaiian), and the Puttanesca. They were good pizza. Not as good as Gigi's in Sydney, but Gigi's is a different beast all together. But close to Pizza Pi or Sizzle Pie in the US (Pizza Pi still wins my heart for best trashy pizza). The tandoori chicken was not very spicy, which was good, though did have a coconut drizzle, eh. It was probably my least favourite (I picked off all the capsicum). I enjoyed the Hawaiian (which we got with olives because that is the best way to have a Hawaiian), though I wish the toppings were a little bit more evenly distributed. The puttanesca was very nice (we got the chili on the side), though the flavour of the sauce was a bit drowned out by the epic ton of vegan cheese that was on it. That may have been a case where less was more.







Leigh's friend Neibi had recently overdone herself with mock meaty cheezy pizzas, so was after something a bit simpler. She got a tomato pizza, hold the vegan cheese.



To finish we shared a piece of Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Pie. The top layer was based on coconut, though it was pretty mild and not too fatty. I was happy to leave it the the others and scoop out the delicious peanut butter banana chocolate underneath. SO GOOD! Very rich.



The next morning, after the carb-tastic feast of Friday night, we had some green smoothies. HA! No, we didn't. Instead we went four a double dip to Smith & Deli. First stop by was for breakfast and croissants! Here's what some Egg McMartinez sandwiches and some pizza croissants look like.





My Pizza Croissant is actually snug in my freezer here in Brisbane, awaiting a chance for me to drown it in ketchup as I forgot they are a bit spicy! But never fear, because I also had a Blackberry and Chocolate croissant to feast on, as well as the best chai latte ever.





After this we swung by the new location of the Melbourne Cruelty Free Shop, which is the biggest vegan supermarket in the world. Big in area, though, as the selection itself was fairly standard. Still, it was fun and I picked up a few goodies.

Then it was back to Smith & Deli at 11.30, which is when they start serving sandwiches. Also to pick up some goodies from their grocery shelves (they have a lot of fun products). And a peanut butter hot chocolate (I have to remember in the future to just get a small, as they are so rich!). So back to the sandwiches. I was thinking maybe three to share, Leigh had other plans. We ended up getting a lot. We took them back to Leigh's for a lounge room picnic.



Let's break it down. First up, The Mensch! Smoked salmon, dill cream cheese, red onion & capers on a bagel. We got it without the raw onion, though. The smoked salmon seems to be made from tomatoes and was very nice! Their bagels are super filling and heavy though, so go with caution because they will fill you up fast.



The Hail Seitan is one I'd wanted to try for a while, though I knew it would sit pretty heavy so I was glad to share. It has salami, ham, turkey, pineapple, BBQ sauce & cheddar. All things I love! It was good!



The Free Willy 2 is not one I would have picked, given that I am not a fan of most faux fishy things (vegetable-based salmon substitutes excepted). It is a toasted sandwich with their tuna salad and melted cheese. No idea what they use for their tuna salad, and never need to know. I took a tiny bite of this and I was out. Not for me. Though I have it on good authority from Jojo that if you are looking for a good tuna sandwich, this is one! So it is all personal tastes.



The Home Alone is the first sandwich I ever had from Smith & Deli, but Leigh was yet to try it. It has turkey, stuffing, roasted Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, mashed potato and gravy on a roll, and it is still one of my favourites from there.



Finally, I wanted to try the Club Sandwiches Not Seals, which had turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo and cheddar on sourdough. I do love club sandwiches, but I had been wary of trying this because once you have The Club at Wayward Vegan Cafe in Seattle, no other club measures up. And I'm sad to say this fell way short. I didn't mind that it didn't have the middle layer of bread (especially as there was enough bread to go around on this particular day), but it was kind of just like a meat and salad sandwich. The cheese was a bit rubbery. It was cold. If it had been toasted it would have been much improved. But... eh. My friend Taylor loves them, though. But he has never had a Wayward Club.



Obviously you cannot go to Smith & Deli and not come away with some sweets! We got some Ginger Apple Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, which were super nice and actually not too sweet at all. I also got an almond croissant (which I brought home for my mum), a cherry danish, and apricot danish, and a sweet potato tart with marshmallow frosting. Leigh was horrified by the thought of the latter, but I really enjoyed it!





We watched the first episodes of the new Twin Peaks that afternoon. Unfortunately Smith & Deli did not have any cherry pie, so I made do with my cherry danish (which kind of looked like a little owl, so on theme) with a damn fine cup of peppermint tea.



This isn't even the end of the food we ate that Saturday, but it is the end of this post!

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



Chia having a sweet little nap.