BlendCo

Concealed in a secluded carpark, you can find BlendCo blending away in the backstreets of Richmond. Blenders by definition and alchemists by trade, the guys behind BlendCo churn out epic blends of smoothies, juices and superfoods. 

The Acai Cup Blend

I grabbed myself an Acai bowl - a refreshing and healthy blend of acai berries, blueberries, dates, coconut water, banana, apple and a generous sprinkling of their superfood blend - a combination of 7 organic superfoods to support healthier skin they say. The perfect pick-me-up I say.

BlendCo, I could use more of you in my life.

BlendCo

3 Newton Street

Richmond, VIC

http://blendco.com.au

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Combi

Combi needs no introduction. Famous for their gorgeous raw organise super food smoothies, there is no doubt they haven’t popped up on your Instagram feed. Cue hashtags #cleaneating #raw #organic #vegan #superfoodsmoothies

"In here, there’s always time to eat well, live well, love others, laugh at the small stuff, nourish your body, kick back, take a load off, eat organic, make friends, build community, laugh at the big stuff, roll with the punches, be cheeky, share a smile, waste time, be compassionate, admire others doing their best, dream a little dream, eat your way to beautiful, laugh at yourself."

Berry Beloved / Shine On

Velvet Cacao 

My Shine On was bursting with fresh colours and flavours – brimming with coconut flesh, banana, mango, chia seeds, passionfruit, spinach, mesquite, raw fermented vanilla protein powder, probiotic powder and house made nut mylk.

Maggie’s Berry Beloved was crammed with raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, acai, lucuma, raw fermented protein powder, coconut flesh, banana and house made nut mylk. Whilst Peach Water’s Velvet Cacao was packed full with raw cacao, cacao nibs, berries, coconut flesh, cinnamon, banana, raw choc fermented protein powder and house made nut mylk.

The Shine On was unanimously the winner of all three smoothies.

Raw Pizza

I’m not usually one for raw vegan foods, but Combi’s Raw Pizza was spot on. A crunchy base made of dehydrated sunflower, flaxseed and almond, spread with kale and basil pesto and heaped with shredded veggies, sprouts herbs and drizzled with a raw cheesy cashew sauce. Though the pizza was very on point, the timeliness was not so much. Someone please explain to me why it takes 75 minutes to bring out a raw pizza ? I mean, there’s not even any cooking involved, it’s raw!

Apple Crumble

We also dug into Combi's rendition of an Apple Crumble. Layers upon layers baked Granny Smith apples marinated in cinnamon and cardamom, topped with almond meal, shredded coconut, coconut oil, drizzled with organic maple syrup and served with organic vanilla bean yogurt. Unfortunately this one didn't do it for me, it just tasted a little too healthy for my penchant for apple crumbles.

With their philosophy of clean eating and healthy living, Combi has left Melburnians swooning. Super bowls full of goodness, raw vibrant foods, in-house raw treats, cold pressed juices to revitalise, vitamin rich kombucha on tap and jam packed super food smoothies to nourish.. Not to mention everything is guilt-free and most importantly, Instagram worthy. Get a move on to Combi today. Oh, Combi – you should get a move on too.

Combi
1/140 Ormond Road
Elwood, VIC 3184
http://combicoffee.com.au/ 

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Vegie Bar

Vegie Bar really needs no introduction. For a very long time, Vegie Bar has been a hot topic on Urbanspoon. And finally, here I am ! 

Braving the cold night, we made our way there. Stepping inside, the space was open, coat racks on the right side of the wall and an isolated counter/bar in the middle. The environment was buzzing and filled with happy chitter chatter. It was warm and toasty, and had a great feeling about it. As we waited in line to be served, I couldn't help but let my eyes wander off to what people were eating and the specials board. We added out names to the waiting list, and were told the wait would be approximately 25-30 minutes. The wait sounded a little deterring, but we were keen. Keen beans ! And so we were told we could wait at the bar while waiting for a table on this busy night.

After only 15 minutes, our names were called. Taken to a smaller sized table at first, we kindly requested a larger table as we planned to share and wanted a little bit more room. Moving quickly, the waiter happily led us to a much roomier table located upstairs. 

Food wise, there were a range of dishes inspired from all over the globe. Indian, Mexican, Vietnamese, Italian, Malaysian... You name it ! With so many yummy options and cuisines on offer, we were spoilt for choice.

Stuffed mushrooms

For starters, we went for the stuffed mushrooms. Oozing out of these piping hot mushrooms were tofu and herbed ricotta, which we generally lapped up with their special chutney.

Duo

Onto our mains, we ordered The Duo - roti bread, steamed brown rice with a duo of chickpea dahl, lentil curry, plus a side of minted yogurt. This was a great dish to share. Using our hands, we tore up the roti and lathered it in as much curry as we could. Both curries were very tasty, however I found it a could have done with a little more spice.

Mexican Burrito

Having heard that Vegie Bar does burritos extremely well, we had to have it. On a bed of crunchy corn chips laid the burrito- stuffed with refried kidney beans, spinach, onion, capsicum and mushroom. Top this off with topped with chilli, melted cheese and spring onions. Add brown rice, salad, sour cream and guacamole and we have a ridiculously large meal. Thank God we were sharing. 

Lentil Burger

A Lentil patty, lettuce, beetroot, cucumber, tomato and carrot layered within the seitan buns. With no sauce, it was a little on the dry side, and lacked flavour. Looking back at the menu, it isn't only until now that I realise that it was probably because we mention which sauce we wanted. However, nor did our waitress ask. I guess she assumed it was the safer option to just serve our burger sauceless...

Overall, sharing punny jokes and reminiscing weird childhood stories with great company made a fantastic night. Service was either a hit or miss depending on the each individual staff, but no major problems. Serving contemporary vegetarian cooking, I would recommend Vegie Bar as a great option for the health conscious and the hungry. 

Vegie Bar

380 Brunswick Street

Fitzroy, VIC

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B'stilla

B'Stilla, pronounced bas-tee-ya is that cool new restaurant to South Yarra. 

Now, B'Stilla being the one to pop my Moroccan cherry, I did need some guidance. It was perfect that we had a lovely waitress who explained the dishes throughout the night. As we were ordering, she came over to explain to us that Moroccan food was a harmony of sweetness, savoury and spices. Having picked a few dishes already, we asked for her recommendations to fill out a few empty spots. Dishes at B'Stilla are made to share, which only meant more to taste !

Not much longer, complimentary hot Moroccan mint tea, fresh figs and harissa were brought over for us to nibble on.  Harrisa as explained by the glossary at the back of the menu is a popular condiment in Morocco, flavoured with spices and chillies. It’s Morocco’s version of ketchup. The spicy sauce was so good, I wanted to smother everything in it.

B’stilla 

 Pigeon, duck, almond, cinnamon, saffron & egg

It would have been a crime not order their signature dish the restaurant was named after. Encased in a delicately thin pastry was an interesting combination of sweet, salty and nuttiness. The tenderness of the birds along with the buttery crunch was beautiful. 

 Spinach, eggplant, almond & fresh cheese rgahaif 

This was hands down, everyone's favourite dish of the night. A cool Moroccan street food snack, this crepe life pastry held together the wonderful flavours of spinach, eggplant, almond and fresh cheese. I could've just eaten the pastry itself- warm, soft and rich in butter.

Fig, goat’s cheese, chickpea & root vegetables tagine

As the waitress came over with our dish in the special Moroccan tagine, I knew I was in for a treat. This comfort dish was filled to the brim generously. Like a treasure chest, the deeper I dug, the more treasures I found.  
The addition figs in this earthenware dish was a light, sweet touch to the earthy, warm spices of the tagine. Alongside this, was the goat cheese which I felt really brought the whole dish together.

Beef short rib with carrot jam & preserved lemon 

For only $25, I was very impressed by this dish.  Cooked to perfection, the bones slid out with ease and had the perfect fat to meat ratio.  This was by far the most succulent beef short rib I have had,  the tender meat literally dissolved in my mouth. So good. So juicy. I could also taste the patience. This flavour packed meat would have been slowly simmered to absorb the richness of the braising liquid. Accompanied by a carrot jam and preserved lemon, this was the other favourite of the night.

Cous cous with apricot, smoked chili, coriander & preserved citrus

For the smaller portion, the cous cous dish was enormous. Together with the tagine, this cous cous was a great combination. However, by itself, I found it a little too citrus-y.

Cucumber, saffron, dill, piquillo, nigella & yoghurt

This pickled cucumber salad played a nice role in adding the 4th 's' to the table. Sweet, savoury, spicy and sourness. Very refreshing.

At such a modern, relaxed chic space, impeccable food and at such affordable prices, B'Stilla is definitely worth a visit, it was absolutely moROCKIN'.


B'Stilla
30b Bray St 
South Yarra, VIC 3141

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