Monday 18 March 2019

Eating Out: You Came Again

The new vegan kid on the blog is You Came Again, a vegan tapas bar that opened in West End several weeks ago. Vegan stuff just keeps on happening in Brisbane! I went there a couple of weeks ago for my friend Amy's birthday, and I am happy to report that we tried almost the entire menu. So buckle up, there are lots of photos ahead.

We shared a Grazing Platter, which has all of their small bites combined onto one big plate, plus some fruit. It included house marinated olives, roasted thyme and tamari nuts, beetroot hummus and labneh with dukkah, and bread. We got extra bread as well. It was all really good, except the labneh was basically a big wodge of coconut so that was no good for me.

Grazing Platter at You Came Again


Moving on to the Tapas section of the menu. These aren't really Spanish, more so they are small plates inspired by a number of differnt cuisines. And we tried them all! First up, the Vegan Meatballs with Romesco Sauce and Crispy Garlic Chips. While the capsicum infused sauce was not for me, I did really enjoy the texture and flavour of the balls.

Vegan Meatballs at You Came Again


No one could go past Crispy Fries with Lemon and Aioli. We got a couple of bowls of these to share with the table. The fries were delicious, the lemon seasoning was bright and zingy, the aioli was nice and creamy.

Cripsy Fries with Lemon Seasoning at You Came Again


I thought I'd try the Lemon Popcorn Cauliflower Bites with Sriracha Mayo, but avoid the may to avoid the spicy. Alas, the bites themselves were quite spicy. But other people were big fans!

Lemon Popcorn Cauliflower Bites at You Came Again


In the spirit of avoiding spicy food, I did not try any of the Harissa Roasted Carrots with Red Pepper Hummus, Toasted Hazelnuts, and Pomegranate Glaze. Although it looked so beautiful, I was told by others that it was definitely spicy.

Harissa Roasted Carrots


The Vegan Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms were more back to me speed... and by speed I mean heat level. Simply, you can't really go wrong with these. The pesto also was not super oily, which I appreciated.

Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms


The BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sliders with Southern Coleslaw were fun, though the mayo covered slaw overpowered the taste of the jackfruit a little.

BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sliders at You Came Again


I'm sure it will come to no surprises to anyone that the Japanese-inspired dishes were my favourite. First up, the Miso-Glazed Eggplant, which was perfect.

Miso Glazed Eggplant at You Came Again


And then the Agedashi Tofu. The broth on this was perfect and drinkable! Though does make it a bit harder to share. But they did bring out some cute spoons with it!

Agedashi Tofu at You Came Again


The Beetroot Carpaccio with Dill and Capers in a Citrus Vinaigrette with Vegan Cream Cheese was mostly disappointing, unfortunately. Whatever they did to it, the very thin slices just tasted like tinned beetroot. Which is fine, if tinned beetroot is what you are after. But not if you are hoping for something else.

Beetroot Capaccio at You Came Again


Finally, the Asian-Style Sesame Greens. Seared broccolini in a nice sauce. Because you have to have some greens.

Asian Style Greens at You Came Again


Then it was onto the desserts! I ordered the Crispy Waffles with Berry Compote and Nicecream. I ordered the nice cream on the side, because they told me it was coconut based. A good decision, as far to coconutty for me. But someone else ate it. Alas, the waffle came also drizzled in coconut milk! But I could scrape it off and it wasn't too bad. The waffle itself was nice, though not crispy, but good with the berry compote.

Berry Waffles at You Came Again


Several people ordered the Vegan Lemon Meringue with Lemon Curd, Crushed Meringe, and Whipped Cream. It got good reviews.

Lemon Meringue at You Came Again


The final dessert, and item on the menu,the Chewy Walnut Brownie with Nice Cream and Caramel Sauce, was ordered. But it got dropped off the order so it never came. Here is a photo of it from their Instagram for you to look at.

Brownie  at You Came Again


Overall, I enjoyed most of the food and the atmosphere and service was lovely. They have a large selection of local vegan alcohol, though as a non-drinker I enjoyed some lovely floral kombucha on tap. They also have a large backyard area where you can picnic with your puppies.

You Came Again Vegan Tapas - 245 Boundary Street, West End QLD

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post

Dim Sim


Dim Sim would like to remind you that she is still present and here and should be the focus of your attention but not too much please because she doesn't like to be crowded.

14 comments:

  1. You forgot the best part of the meal (my boiler suit) but I suppose that's ok. Definitely with you on the carpaccio. Shannon really has perfected it at S&D.

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    1. Of course it was the best part of the night, but a bit hard to chew to be the best part of the meal. ;)

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  2. The miso-glazed eggplant looks so good, and I'd love to try the crispy fries -- the lemon and aioli sound like fun additions!
    Hello, sweet Dim Sim!

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    1. I normally prefer thicker cut fries rather than shoe string, but they did them very well.

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  3. This was my favorite part of the post: "Whatever they did to it, the very thin slices just tasted like tinned beetroot. Which is fine, if tinned beetroot is what you are after. But not if you are hoping for something else." As a person who is in a constant state of hoping it is something other than tinned beetroot, it made me laugh.

    All of the food looks very prettily plated. Although, of course, Dim Sim is the prettiest of all.

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    1. It is kind of sad when you think that people go through all the effort to make a fancy beetroot dish and it ends up tasting like it just came straight out of a can!

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  4. The fries sound amazing!!! And the miso glazed eggplant looks gorgeous!!
    I love that a lot of the restaurants you go to have kombucha, either on tap or bottled. I've never had that option at a restaurant!!
    Hi Dim Sim! I think we could be great friends, I don't like to be crowded either!!

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    1. I wish more had kombucha, if I know I am going to be eating a lot it really helps my tummy out!

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  5. Wow. SO MUCH FOOD. I want to go eat with you sometime (if I ever make it to Australia!). Sad that brownie fell off because that looks amazing.

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    1. If you make it to Australia I can guarantee you I will take you all sorts of fun places to eat!

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  6. OMG YUM!!!! Everything looks amazing,it's so hard to pick favorites! The miso eggplant dish looks so incredible to me, and that sharing platter is right up my alley! Waffles and ice cream is something that I really love but NEVER eat but that one looks like it would be too good to pass up!

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    1. Even though I have a waffle maker... two actually (how?)... I rarely make waffles. But I love eating them!

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  7. This place reminds me of V Street. It is all small plates inspired with world cuisine. Although V Street has a larger selection of non-alcohol drinks to choose from which I love when places do that. Especially when i was pregnant because I didn't want a soda or a virgin daiquiri.

    Everything looks yummy, particularly those carrots.

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    1. Most places only have soft drinks (aka soda, that I don't like) or crappy juices. So I always get excited when I see kombucha. I would love to see more non-alcoholic options at more places.

      The carrots were probably the prettiest dish of the night. I was sorry to not be able to eat it.

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