Vegie Valley

Place: Vegie Valley

Where: 193 Coleman Parade, Glen Waverley

In a nutshell: Asian vegetarian & vegan

Would we go again? Yep!

It was our third visit to Vegie Valley last night and it was the best meal we've had there.

We started off with spring rolls and lettuce delight. Both very nice but the lettuce delight was a bit messy.

Main meals - we had the peppered "chicken" hot plate which was great! Very tasty. We also had the tofu with lemongrass. The tofu was really lovely & light - wish we knew how to cook it like that!! The tofu was a bit chilli hot but it was still really nice.

The meal was great. The service last night was very attentive (moreso than we've had before) but the decor is always something that could be improved. The air conditioning is always a bit cold, the chairs are quite restrictive (your elbows keep hitting the arm rests) and the tables are covered in thick white paper (I feel like bringing along some bulldog clips to pin it back) but apart from that, it's a great meal & a good night out.

Grumpy's Green

Place: Grumpy's Green

Where: 125 Smith Street, Fitzroy

In a nutshell: funky, new, eco friendly veggie cafe

Would we go again? yes, need to check it out a second time

We visited Grumpy's Green recently during a power outage at our home. It was super hot & after calling, we were assured there would be air conditioning. There was & we were very happy!!

Our first impression of Grumpy's was the atmospheric interior. It was dark and moody and I liked it (although another person I spoke to said it was too dark).

We ordered our drinks (not sure if there are any vegan wines - best to ask) but there are vegan beers on offer.

We chose two entrees as we were hot & couldn't be bothered having that conversation to change the mains to vegan options. It would be great if Grumpy's could provide vegan sour cream, vegan cheese or vegan mayonnaise instead of having to omit them from the main menu meals.

The food was quick to arrive which was great as we were hungry. We enjoyed the marinated tofu skewers (very nice - $9) and the chickpea battered vegetables (loved the chickpea batter!! very crunchy & tasty - $9.50).

We will definitely go back to Grumpy's again soon to check out the live music on Friday & Saturday nights. I hear that the menu is also going through some changes & they are open to suggestions.

I suggest vegan desserts!!! Definitely need some of those! I'd also like vegan friendly wines marked on the menu.

For more information on Grumpy's Green, please visit - http://www.grumpysgreen.com/fitzroy/

Ranges at Olinda

Place: Ranges at Olinda

Where: 5 Main Street (Dandenong Tourist Road), Olinda

In a nutshell: Relaxed, inviting cafe (used to be a favourite)

Would we go again? Only for coffee or a beer

In the past we have visited Ranges cafe often. Since becoming vegan we often chose just the fries or the wedges & a beer/wine. We already knew that the wine would not be vegan (we're becoming more fussy about that too now) but to our surprise on our last visit we happened to spy a small handwritten note which was for the staff hidden on a wall.

Under the heading "Vegan", it read: can't have - chips, dairy, meat, etc. What surprised us was the chips listed first. We asked why & the response was that the chips & wedges are pre-cooked in beef tallow. Ick!!

We did stay for a meal in the end. We had the vegetable & chickpea soup (veggie stock used - we did ask!) and the roast vegetable bagel (minus the pesto). The soup was nice but not a patch on Kallista's vegan soups!! The bagel I was told was okay but nothing special.