Delicious.100: Victoria’s most delicious vegetarian dishes
Being meat-free no longer means you have to miss out on the delicious dishes on offer at Victoria’s top restaurants. Here’s where to get top notch meals that will keep any vegetarian happy.
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Don’t be spooked by Transformer’s commitment to “innovative plant-focused dining”.
What it simply means is they work wonders with fruit and vegetables. Grilled persimmon with saffron, whipped ricotta and grains of paradise. King oyster mushrooms with pine nut puree and smoked shallot... Transformer can really turn a carnivore’s head.
Start with the snacky chickpea panisse, showered with parmesan, or nicely charred flatbread for dunking in a spiced pumpkin dip. Both will sit well with one of Transformer’s exotic elixirs. The purple glowing G&T is a doozy.
SMITH & DAUGHTERS
For the past five years Shannon Martinez has been changing what plant-based dining looks like in Melbourne and her merry band of meat-free believers have packed out her Brunswick Street restaurant since day dot, here for 2019 takes on those old classics and serious cocktails shaken with intent.
This is veganism for those yet to fully rescind the pleasures of the flesh, where flavours are as bold as the EAT VEGAN neon cross that lights up the dining room.
A punchy, pungent “bagna cauda” accompanies broccolini and cauliflower smoky and charred from the grill while other simple veg pleasures, such as chickpeas with cima di rapa on polenta, abound.
That “tripe” is cloud mushroom braised until tender yet still textural and tossed through maccheroni topped with salty parmesan, and that beef ragu with pappardelle is rich and comforting. To finish, there’s the tiramisu that’s as decadently creamy as Nonna’s finest.
PRINCE DINING ROOM
The Prince Dining Room talks all the trends – sustainable, low-waste, seasonal, traceable happy produce – but they back it up with a well-priced menu strongly weighted to the plant kingdom.
Come summer, you might find a fabulously sunny plate of grilled nectarines served with peppery mustard leaf, juicy sharp radish and manchego cheese.
Equally vibrant, a rainbow of roasted beetroot teamed with segments of pink-tinged orange with aniseed adding a cool breeze.
FULL PRINCE DINING ROOM REVIEW
HALF ACRE
The atrium-like dining room is one of the city’s most fetching, serving an easy-please menu fuelled by a woodfired oven.
But the vibrant flame-toasted vegie dishes are where it’s at.
There’s the grilled cabbage, all blackened edges and supple inner, dressed in a zingy chimichurri with crumbled charry goat’s cheese for a smoky creaminess, or the sweet, roasted flesh of a wedge of pumpkin offset with persimmon and spiced pepitas.
Roasted heirloom carrots dotted with buffalo stracciatella, and cauliflower doused in dukkah and tahini are more players in Half Acre’s strong vegie game.
OAKRIDGE
Oakridge’s celebration of the Yarra Valley’s produce and producers grows keener and more focused with every vintage, transformed into generous plates with a distinctly Asian lilt.
Side dishes are never an afterthought here – creamy cabbage sprinkled with caraway is an elegant elevation of a much-maligned veg – while desserts, such as the shiraz ice cream with candied and fresh citrus, remain front of mind long after coffee.
While the bread, with its deeply caramelised thick crust, is reason enough to jump in the car.
Like one of the elegant estate wines, Oakridge just gets better with each passing year.
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BRAE
The connection to the almost ten hectares of Otways hinterland only grows stronger – organic wheat for the famous sourdough is now grown on site – while a spirit of innovation and adventure informs the experience such that no two meals are ever the same.
The many course menu delivers – the apple and parsnip dessert, crisp Jerusalem artichoke or the simple pleasure of a patch of herbs and flowers dressed with shar Shaw River pecorino.
LUME
A new chef, a new direction for South Melbourne’s fantastical fine diner, Lûmé. Young gun chef John Rivera was an early adopter of vegan cooking, ensuring the meat-free options across the carte are as good – if not better – than those they replace.
Like the tiny tomato tart filled with bottarga custard or the addition of Calamansi – a citrus used extensively throughout Filipino cuisine – adds sticky sweetness to a shiitake broth of downy softness.
TARRAWARRA ESTATE
Tarrawarra is worth visiting for some of the most creative and downright delicious food you’ll find in a winery setting.
It’s innovative, confident cooking that’s backed up by staff who can talk the garden walk, with estate wines that remain elegant and eminently approachable. A long-time favourite with renewed energy that’s palpable and supremely enjoyable, Tarrawarra 2019 is a terrific surprise.