In this post, I will cover a hip bar that serves veggie food in the hippy area Fitzroy, and Girls and Boys Fitzroy which has the (perhaps) only vegan dessert and ice-cream in town, then we will go have a stroll around Victoria market and have a snack at Invita Living, and we also discovered the best vegan fast food in the world (so far the best!). Don't forget the check out the part 2.

Vegie Bar

The Vegie Bar is located in the famous Fitzroy area in Melboune, where you see hippie culture, street art, vintage boutiques and vegetarian cafes and restaurants. It was one of the most popular on the list so when we explored there in one afternoon, we decided to give it a try.

The bar is housed in an old building, and it was full of people even we were way past the lunch time. The interior remains largely in its original form, the wall and ceiling unfurnished with modern posters and decoration around. Every table and chairs around it are kind of unique. Some element such as the Santa on the moon was a bit kitsch (or retro?) but perhaps it was just for the holiday. The atmosphere was bustling, although with people talking and music in the background, we found it too noisy to even hear any conversation. However, the waiter was very cordial, doing his best to arrange our seats and take order.

The menu has a mixed style, a bit everything from around the world that any savvy vegan/vegetarian would be familiar with. We only tried two simple lunch dishes, as we wanted to save a bit space to eat some dessert later.

Honey ordered tofu and quinoa burger served with sweet potato fries. The sweet potato might be oven baked, we don’t know for sure, it was less greasy but also not very crispy as we would like them to be. However, the chipotle mayo sauce was excellent! The burger was piled high and looked cute, although not super practical to bite into. So we ended up cutting them into small pieces and eating several pieces together. The burger patty made of tofu and red quinoa had a crispy edge that was really good. Honey also commented that the vegan cheesy tasted very good and authentic.

The soba noodle salad with fresh greens, seaweed, avocado and black sesame. I was a bit disappointed as the soba noodle wasn’t the type with high content of buckwheat, which should have looked dark, but it was totally white and it was a bit too soft for my taste. I also expected the “seaweed medley of arame, wakame and hijiki” as stated on the menu, but I’m not sure I saw much of those? However, the lime flavored miso source was very fresh, and together with my favorite avocado it totally rescued the whole dish. So I still enjoyed my lunch.

In a word, basically we were satisfied with the food, and would like to try more, but we don’t like too much noise so we aren’t sure if we could come back during our stay in Melbourne. Perhaps next time we visit Melbourne we would give it another try. If you enjoy globalized vegan/vegetarian food, a lively and bustling atmosphere in a funky environment, don’t miss The Vegie Bar!

• Address: 380 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC 3065, Australia
• Website: https://www.vegiebar.com.au/

Girls and Boys Fitzroy

Girls and Boys Fitzroy might be the only bar or cafe place in Melbourne (correct me if I am wrong) that serves delicious vegan ice-cream, cakes and smoothies.

Located right next to the Vegie Bar, the bar has a counter where a few yummy and nice looking desserts were waiting. There weren't many available, but that was the last day before they shut down for holiday, so we had no idea whether that's usually what they have or just not much left yet before holiday. The bar gives an industrial feeling, with dancing music and interactive camera where you can create a cloud of flow on the screen standing before that. However the chairs were particularly cozy, which I usually associate with when I eat dessert.

We only tried this matcha tea cream tart, as it is so pretty! It was very creamy but shell was made shortbread style, so a bit hard to break unless you put your teeth into it (then you might not eat like a lady lol.) I think I enjoyed a bit crispy texture when it comes to shell like that. But as a whole we really loved the dessert.

Since we were busy in downtown mostly we didn't have chance to go back for some more desserts. If you happen to stroll around in Fitzroy, don't forget to stop there for a treat at Girls and Boys Fitzroy! Let me know if you discover something amazing!

• Address: 382A Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC 3065, Australia
• Website: https://www.girlsandboysfitzroy.com.au/

Invita Living Food

If you’re planning to shop a lot at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, do make sure you know Invita Living Food is opening and you know where to find them. Believe me, having all bags in your hand and feeling terribly hungry will not give you good mood. We didn’t know the market is very large, so we spent a bit time looking for them for a while but failed to locate it, right at the moment of feeling frustrated and giving up, we arrived at their yard, thank goodness!

Honey ordered something with mozzerella cheese, so unfortunately not vegan, so I didn’t get to taste it. Just a picture to show you what you get when you eat here.

As a whole it’s an inexpensive place to get a quick bite or some drinks if you’re shopping in Queen Victoria Market. The vegan choices might be not very extensive yet, but there might be one or two available at least. In addition, they do seem to have more vegan options for desserts, that’s too bad we didn’t have time to taste any.

• Address: Invita Living Food, 76 Therry St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
• Website: http://www.invita.com.au/

Lord of the Fries

Yes, I know. The fast-food chain's name sounds like that book by William Golding, but I promise there is nothing vicious here. All the food is 100% vegetarian, and can be made vegan when requested. All the burgers and fries have generous proportion, using good quality ingredients such as real green lettuce leaves (not a piece of cheap and bland iceberg leaf you normally associate with fast food burgers), good quality frying oil and tasty well-made rich sauces.

We tried those: Spicy: this one is quite spicy. It has a vegan beef burger, green lettuce, onion, jalapenos with spicy tomato sauce and chili mayonnaise. If you enjoy authentic Thai food and Indian food, you will absolutely love this one, and eat it happily with or without tears in your eyes. I definitely cried a bit. Ok, I admit, I am not good at tolerating chili.

Chick'n: very meaty and nice-textured faux chicken burger, topped with mayonnaise and mustard sauce. If you want something chewy but not spicy, this is an excellent choice.

Sweet potato fries: absolutely one of my favorites! I generally prefer sweet potato to ordinary potato, so whenever I could choose from the two, I will choose sweet potato. Those sticks are very crispy, sweet and soft inside.

Shoe string French fries: crispy, golden and slightly salted, your classic choice of fries. Parisian sauce: if you're bored by the ordinary cheap ketchup in the bag to go with your fries, try some of those delicious alternatives, such as the aioli garlic mayonnaise.

Lord of the Fries definitely offers one of the best vegan burgers and fries I’ve ever tasted. I so missed it after I left Australia. If only one day they expands to every corner of the world! So no matter where I am, I would never run out of my beloved sweet potato fries when I crave it. So even this is not the healthiest option, I urge you to try them, because they’re really good!

• Address: multiple locations in Australia, check their website for details
• Website: https://www.lordofthefries.com.au/