Australia basically has two vegan cheese substitutes at the moment: Sheese and Cheezly. The former, a Scottish import, is really more of a spreadable cheese for eating on crackers. But Cheezly does quite nicely on pizza as it melts well. The taste is pretty mild.

Perhaps one day we’ll get Daiya here to start a cheese revolution. Until then vegan pizza in Australia tends to fall into two categories: those with Cheezly and those that are cheeseless. Because I feel it is my duty to tackle the tough issues, I have bravely devoted my time to testing out the vegan options at three pizza joints around Sydney’s Inner West to see who reigns supreme. Oh the sacrifices I make for my blog!!

First up was probably the most well-know stop for vegan pizza lovers: Basil in Newtown, who opt to Cheeze things up. What’s wonderful about these guys is that they have lots of topping choices as well as gluten-free crust options, vegan desserts, and sides. I’ve tried the Potato Rosemary which is like dying and going to carb heaven and the Vegan Supreme. (Though I opt out of the pineapple because pineapple on pizza is just wrong and you will not convince me otherwise.) The crust is thin, the toppings are always tasty. A good solid choice!

Next we hop over to Glebe for some cheeseless pizza at eLounge. If we’re giving out superlatives, eLounge wins for dorkiest name and website. It’s straight out of 1995 when surfing the net was the newest fad. But I kid because I love. Their pizzas are wood-fired which gives it a nice flavor. The one I got here was called a Vege Heaven and had roasted pumpkin – a pizza topping I’d never had before but worked quite nicely. Word of warning: we waited quite a while on the pizza here because it’s a small oven so order an appetiser! eLounge has a lot of vegan pasta and other options as well.

Last but not least we have Melinzana Wood Fired Pizzeria in Enmore who offer options of both vegan cheese and “deli meats.” I opted out of the faux-mystery-meats but did go for a Cheezly-topped eponymous Melinzana pizza. I’m not sure I’d have known it was wood-fired if they hadn’t told me, but I am a major lover of eggplant on my pizza and theirs is quite satisfying. It even held up to the standards of my omni dining companion. We got takeaway though and the delivery dude was a little surly, but that’s ok, we don’t need to be BFFs.

So who’s the winner?

Everyone wins when there’s vegan pizza!!!

I am a city girl through and through. I probably couldn’t function without public transportation, late night takeaway, street art, and smog. But one of the things I love about living in Australia is that in just a few hours you can take a little day trip out to the country and feel like you’re miles kilometres away from everything else.

So for my birthday last weekend, I saddled up for my first Aussie roadtrip down to Berrima which is about an an hour and half south of Sydney. Why Berrima? Because in the middle of the vastly carnivorous countryside exists a lovely little spot called Zen Oasis.

Although it sounds like a Day Spa, Zen Oasis is actually a family-run vegetarian restaurant. They operate only on the weekends and require a booking. Supposedly they follow in the Wafu tradition of reprimanding you for not cleaning your plate, to the tune of a $10 surcharge, though I saw no evidence of this. Could be because I rarely leave a plate anything but spotless!

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Yum cha is ideal for social lunches.  Sharing a bunch of smaller plates between a group allows you to enjoy a wide variety of dishes, providing different flavours, textures and perhaps even widening the scope of what you would normally order.   Somehow, in the magic of shared yum cha, the meal ends up far more than the sum of its parts.

Yum cha for one is but a poor cousin of the shared experience.  But this wasn’t enough to put me off; when a meeting in Parramatta ended just before 1pm I didn’t pass up the chance to swing past West Ryde on the way home to visit Tian Ci Vegetarian Restaurant for some solo yum cha.

Tian Ci Vegetarian Restaurant - 1006 Victoria Road, West Ryde

Given I don’t make it out that way too often, it had been at least a year since my last Tian Ci feeding and it was certainly good to be back.  I’ve always found the service very friendly and accommodating, with a good mix between attentiveness when needed and yet also knowing when to let the diners eat in peace.

The extensive yum cha order card

At Tian Ci, the extensive list of yum cha options is presented in an order card, which means dishes are cooked to order.  This helps to eliminate the disappointment of choosing from the trolley a pre-cooked plate of so-called steamed dumplings, only to find said dumplings have been circulating in the restaurant for a while and have gone from steaming to room-temperature.  For the eco-minded eater, the order card system also presumably reduces wastage of dishes that circulate beyond their servable life.

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Vegans in Brisbane are probably only too familiar with Loving Hut, the only truly 100% cruelty-free restaurant in town. If I had to write a one-sentence review of the eatery it would go something like this: once you have been for a meal at Loving Hut I can almost guarantee you will become a regular. It is that good.

From inari sushi to pumpkin soup, Loving Hut has all bases covered. During my many visits I have delighted in dishes such as faux-chicken nuggets, fresh rolls, salt and pepper mushroom and french fries… and these items are just from the snacks list. Don’t get me started on the main meals. Spaghetti bolognese, crispy chow mein, curry and laksa. It is an eclectic, imaginative and delicious menu.

One of the crowning glories of the Loving Hut menu has to be the mini vegan cheesecakes. I would argue there isn’t a finer vegan dessert in the whole of Australia. If I walk out of there with only one chocolate cheesecake you know I have shown immense restraint. With three flavours on offer, you would be a strong person to depart the premises without one of each in a take away container. I am so smitten with these mini pieces of heaven I am yet to commit any serious thought to the ice cream sundae on offer or the cupcakes that occasionally appear.

Now that you are aware of the glorious vegan food delights of Loving Hut Brisbane, I have a piece of news so exciting it might have readers from cities and towns across Australia planning a road trip. On May 9, 2010 Loving Hut are holding one of their famous all you can eat buffet events. Along with some of their more popular menu staples, the restaurant will serve up new savoury dishes, special desserts for the event and a selection of beverages.

Loving Hut Mother’s Day Buffet

Sunday May 9, 2010

2/1420 Logan Rd
Mt Gravatt QLD 4122
(07) 3219 4118

Adults $26

Under 12 $13

Under 5 Free

Bookings essential

The buffet will be spread over two sittings. If you are unable to attend lunch between 11am – 2pm, make a booking for dinner between 5pm – 8pm. Get a group of friends together, make a booking and enjoy some of the finest compassionate food available in the country. See you there!

Genesis in the Hills is a restaurant and music school in the Perth Hills. It’s a vegetarian – but very vegan friendly – restaurant that is always worth the drive to Roleystone. And hey, while you’re out there you can visit Araluen Botanic Garden and make a day of it.

There's a handmade vegan patty under all that salad, I assure you.

Genesis always has a good selection of vegan dishes on its regular menu, including a quinoa salad, fresh local bread and a vegan burger. The burger is my favourite, served open face with said local bread and an amazing side salad. I must say that, of all the things I have tried at Genesis, the salad is actually my favourite. Fresh greens and other vegetables (some, I suspect, from the garden on site) with dressing made from local extra virgin olive oil.

In addition to their regular menu items, there’s also a selection of three to five specials that change daily. Usually several of these are vegan or can be requested as vegan. To top it off, they have delicious cakes, and there is always at least one vegan option. The cake flavours are usually out of the ordinary, and I’ve seen many people scrunch up their noses (I think the last one I tried was fig and caramel), but I urge you to try them. Better yet, try them with a cup of coffee. At Genesis the coffee is always strong (just the way I like it), and there are plenty of tea options as well. (I seem to remember juices as well, but I’m not sure.)

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Bodhi in the Park is a family-run vegan restaurant and has been operating for more than 20 years. I’d heard it can be difficult to find but there are plenty of directions online. The restaurant is located below St Mary’s Cathedral’s forecourt, the stairs leading down are between the cathedral and the Phillip Park swimming pool.

I went for yum cha on a Saturday, we were seated outside and it’s a gorgeous setting for a restaurant as it over looks a park. As soon as we were seated we were being offered dishes and green tea.

We began with a salad in bean curd topped with satay sauce which was delicious and very refreshing. The next dish we tried was the satay tofu which was nutty and full of flavour and one of my favourite dishes.

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Naked Espresso is Sydney’s first all-vegan cafe. All of their equipment and cutlery were purchased brand new and is only used to  make and serve vegan food. They only use soy milk which means it’s the only milk that’s been used with their coffee machine and you can order a coffee without having to specify soy milk. Plus their coffee and hot chocolate is organic and fair trade certified.

The menu has grown since they first opened and it now includes specials and lots of gluten free options, making me a happy gleegan (gluten free vegan). My favourite thing to order is the Mix ‘n’ Match which includes toast (wheat or gluten free) plus any four breakfast items. My usual is  gluten free toast with home cooked baked beans, grilled tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms and hash browns – yum!

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Peace Harmony’s website boasts that it is “one of the kindest eating places in Sydney”. I’m pretty new here, so I cannot vouch for the authenticity of their claim, but it is definitely one of the tastiest eating places I’ve tried out so far.

The cuisine is mostly Thai, with some Vietnamese, Malaysian, and other Southeast Asian flavours thrown in. Everything that Peace Harmony serves is totally free of any animal products. They also avoid onion, garlic, shallots and chives, “to promote peace”. I’m not totally sure what they mean by that, but I’m guessing that it’s their form of protest against offensive breath¹. You don’t miss them, though, their food is wonderfully flavourful due to their generous use of spices, lemongrass, coconut milk, and fresh veggies.

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I hadn’t seen this cafe in any Sydney vegan guides or websites. It was one of those happy accidental discoveries. Like finding a ten dollar note in your pocket! Only in this case, the note is made out of delicious, organic tempeh!!

O Organic Produce Cafe is an omni sit-down or takeaway restaurant in my stomping grounds, Surry Hills with lots of healthy vegan options. Their takeway stuff is mostly wraps, salads, and yummy-looking baked goods. On my trip I had a veggie wrap with that aforementioned tempeh and it was good stuff.

Here is a pro-tip! Because I am a pro at eating lunch? I wish! Right, someone hire me for that job! Or any job! So I can afford to dine in Surry Hills cafes on a regular basis. My American dollar is useless here. What was I saying? Right, pro-tip!

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