I love going back to Veg Out Time; the Owner/Manager always makes you feel like a friend that he…read morehas missed dearly. This simple little eatery on busy Fitzroy St caters for the hungry vegetarian, or vego minded. With the kitchen viewable out back, the counter offers ready made Asian influenced curries and little fried yummies bain-marie style. You can also get stir-fries or noodles cooked to your liking, but for a quick eat, the curries out the front hit the spot. I love that you get offered the choice of brown or white rice and can then blend a tofu masala with a red roasted pumpkin curry, delicious. There are at least 10 curries waiting for your tastebuds and all are fresh and appetising. The décor is cheap and you help yourself to water and cutlery. Simple, fast and fresh and all served with a chat and a smile.

Okay, so let me start by saying Im no vegetarian. But I do have many vego friends, and so at times…read morewe'll all go vego together. We stopped in here to grab a late lunch recently, and I have to say, a meal here even sans meat is pretty good! Veg Out serves up predominantly Indian and Asian style grub, with lots of great sauces. Its one of those pay by the plate situations, where you pick two or three items plus a side of rice, vegies or noodles. I would really recommend any of the curries, and perfaps the meat lover in me enjoyed the red curry best, even with out the meat. Veg Out hasnt quite killed my aversion to tofu though. But in terms of cheap quick meals, its worth a try - even for those carnivores out there!

Get in early, as early as you can. Their curries do sell out, and sell out fast they do…read more Basic meals comprise a choice of one from three types of rice (steamed, biryani or spiced), and a choice of one meat with two vegetable dishes. Of course you could go two meat and one veg or two meat and two veg, and you can also omit rice and have it with roti instead. Prices will vary. Curries are chicken (two levels of spicy-mild and hot), lamb, goat and beef. There also chicken tikka. On the veg front, there's a divine eggplant and potato (this is so rich and creamy and tasty and you just want to slather yourself with this), carrots and leek in a turmeric gravy, cabbage and peas and lentils. The accompanying condiments are a jackfruit chutney, yoghurt raita and poppadums. Now the condiments run out fast, so again it's very vital you get in early. Portions, are a bit erratic depending on who serves you and also the time of the day, as in how late you arrive. But if you're late, you don't have much to choose from. They've also got giant samosas and curried pies or pasties. These are pretty decent tasting. The setup in the docklands restaurant are pretty decent, but staff do try to keep it neat and clean especially during lunch when it's the busiest. There's air conditioning here too. Because its a pretty basic setup, expect echoing noises as people talk shop over their lunches but it just adds to the atmosphere anyway, because you'd be focused on the yummy curry in front of you and trying not to sweat buckets whilst eating it!

If you are craving for authentic Sri Lankan cuisine, you need to visit Cinnamon's in Melbourne. We…read morehad dinner on Saturday at their St. Kilda Road location, the food was delicious and cooked to perfection. The owner, Patricia de Silva takes pride in cooking the dishes herself and each dish we ordered was great. If you like spicy and tasty Sri Lankan cuisine this is the place for it. We just moved from the US to Sydney and we have visited many SL restaurants in Sydney but so far this is the BEST. Its worth taking a flgiht from Sydney to Melbourne to enjoy a delicious diiner (1 hour flight). Thank you Patricia for a wonderful job and we hope to visit you soon.

I've been a fan of Gong de Lin for a long time. It's one of those crowd-pleasing Chinese…read morerestaurants with an incredibly massive menu that will satisfy everyone. Gong de Lin is pretty typical of most Buddhist vegetarian Chinese restaurants in that it serves a whole lot of mock meat -- but if mock meat's not your thing, there are plenty of veggie-only offerings too. Also plenty of tofu options. Over the years I've had and can recommend the sweet and sour pork, the teppanyaki steak with black pepper sauce, the lemon chicken, the curry potato casserole, and veggie fried rice. The sweet and sour pork and lemon chicken are probably my favorites, and I'm not even a huge fan of mock meats! But these are delicious. Everything here is vegan except for some drinks and desserts that might have honey -- be sure to specify that you are vegan when ordering any sweet drink or desserts. Atmosphere-wise, this place is a bit weird and hard to describe. More function than form, I'd say. Gong de Lin is hidden in the same building as popular rooftop bar Goldilocks, with a noodle shop on the ground floor. You go into the noodle shop and immediately head to the elevator on the left, which feels all secretive and Melbourne-y and stuff. Then you take the lift to level 3 and the doors open into the strangely sterile-yet-peaceful Gong de Lin. It's very bright and has cheesy Chinese flute music playing in the background, with dated decor and a smattering of Buddhist touches around. To improve on the atmosphere, I highly suggest you grab one of the tables against the window. There's a lot more natural light here and it's fun to look down on Swanston St. Service is good, always quiet and polite. Honestly, the only thing that prevents me from coming here on a regular basis is cost. Some dishes are reasonably priced, but a lot of dishes seem more expensive than their portion sizes should allow for. The food is good, but sometimes you feel like you're paying upscale prices for a not-upscale vibe, so that's a bit of a let-down. Still, definitely worth a visit if you're in the CBD and looking for good Chinese food in a quiet oasis above all the hustle and bustle.

To be perfectly honest this place was fantastically mediocre. The entrance to this establishment…read moreinvolves a ride in a rickettyish lift. However upon entry, the vibes are quite nice and calming. Upon being seated we were served by a lady who was nice but kinda abrupt. We obviously came for the food and as vegetarians/vegans with decent ish standards we were both slightly impressed yet disappointed at the same time. I mean the food is tasty and decent at what I would say is a reasonable price BUT it's also kinda disappointing The quality was not quite there on the night and the flavours a bit overpowering. Food left a msg aftertaste which could not be satiated for a good time after. Overall though I always love a good vegan restaurant so for what it delivers definitely was happy enough :)

Bali Bagus (Bali Very Good) is a great find. Tasty and simple Indonesian food. Maybe not a…read moreValentine's Day treat, but an excellent place for a quick bite with friends or the obligatory second dinner following drinks in the city. Expect to pay around $12 or less for a fairly substantial and authentic Indonesian meal and a drink. All of the popular Indo flavours are available here too. The Mi Goreng is a trusty staple and the rich Beef Rendang with anchovies and peanuts is a winner too. I've happy added Bali Bagus to my list of fav places for a quick city bite and am pleased to say it ranks just a little above its cheerful Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean counterparts. Bagus!

Despite the fact that I am an Asian. Indonesian food is as alien to me as.... well.. aliens (not…read moreexactly, but close). Nevertheless, I had to take my cousin for lunch somewhere we had never tried before and this made perfect sense since we were right next to a restaurant that was on my bookmarks list forever and one of those places that is so easily missed since it looks like any other shops in its proximate brethren. We had the Sate Ayam (grilled chicken), Iga Penyet +rice (beef ribs), Ikan Bumbu Penyet +rice (who Barramundi fish). The ribs were cooked perfectly, it was moist, flavoursome, perfect quantity of spices and rice. The Barramundi was also cooked to perfection. The most surprising part of this restaurant is how cheap the food was, which makes perfect sense for those price conscious and their main customers, university student while at the same time not being cheap ( I hope you know what I mean). The most expensive thing that we had was the very underpriced "whole Barramundi" for less than $13. Enjoy. CHEAP But not in a cheap way.

This is one of my favourite places to get a kebab in Melbourne. I love coming here whether I'm…read moredrunk and it's the early morning or I need to refuel before heading in, Ayadin is always there for me. The kebabs are amazing and although this venue is heavy on the meat you can always ask for more sauce or salad if you need to balance it out. The portions are enormous so I recommend either sharing or definitely rocking up on an empty stomach. They don't just do Kebabs here either. There are some amazing boreks and other Greek and Turkish dishes that you can have (the boreks are phenomenal), and sometimes these are a little bit better if you don't want to fill up instantly. Ayadin also has some pretty friendly owners and staff, no matter what time of the day or night it is they still manage to smile and are happy to have a chat.

I felt hungry after my walk around Collingwood's gallery district. So I stopped at this Turkish…read moretake away near the corner of Smith and Gertrude streets. As I was hungry I ordered a lamb kebab. Carved from the lamb spit roasting behind the counter the kebab comes with a good salad plenty of garlic sauce and just the right amount of chili. There is the usual selection of Turkish food on the menu and the usual soft drinks in the fridge. Large picnic table style benches provide seating in this shop. As I sit there eating my kebab people keep on coming in to order the soup - maybe I should try it next time. It is not a fancy shop but the kebab is a generous size.

Tired? Famished? Indifferent? Venturesome? Come here…read more You'll have no control of what, where, or how much you eat, but you know it'll be warm and vegetarian and while likely highly delicious, it won't likely be served with a smile. You'll sit, you'll be fed. You'll be told how much to pay, you'll leave. Picky? Sensitive? Opinionated? Like to be in control? Turn and run. Immediately.

The word 'Bar' here is a slight misnomer…read more Every time my girlfriend suggests we go to Moroccan Soup Bar for dinner my heart drops. But why? I say. I mean, there's heaps of other good stuff around and we can make soup at home. Then, every time she makes me go I say 'why don't we come here more often lady, this shit is delicious'. Invariably this is followed by my beloved informing me that I am in fact a cock brain and not worthy of being granted licence to function as a regular human being. But c'mon, soup for a dinner out? It hardly gets the juices loose does it? This place puts the excitement back into soups with a fine array of soup variants and all manner of spicy delights. An added advantage is that you can take your own (extra large) takeaway container and they'll heap it full of steamy goodness. Believe me, don't doubt the power of this joint. They do pretty much one thing, but they do it pretty much better than any other fucker in town. Yum.

My partner and I had our first date here a few years back. Her choice. I was too nervous back then…read moreto realize what a great meal it was. We went back there a couple of nights ago and had the same sharing plate. The meal is huge. We struggled to finish it and I eat a lot. For $48 for two it is definitely worth it. The bread (injura) is fantastic, the meat and beans taste amazing and it's always fun eating with your fingers and not caring what anyone else thinks. Highly recommended.

Here's a tip - don't go to The Abyssinian until after your manicure has fully dried…read more.. Yup, this is a traditional Ethiopian restaurant so that means you get to eat with your hands! Although it's tricky at first, once you get into and deal with the fact your hands will get dirty, it is a really fun, social way to eat. But now to the actual food - I've only had African food once before (a quick take away plate at the night market) so I really don't have anything to compare it to, but I really liked it. We had a selection of curries, both vegetarian and meat, all served on a big platter with bread. They were each quite delicately spiced and surprisingly not too oily. Nor were they dry like some dhal, either. My personal favorite was the goat - it was super tender and had a really lovely almost smokey taste. The atmosphere here was fantastic - we went on a Saturday night and it was packed full of diners out for a good time, and the service was friendly and efficient. I will definitely be back.

I have now visited this Croatian House twice. First time was for a wedding reception which I very…read moreclearly remember being served up the chicken noodle soup, cabbage salad and their amazing sarma. After moving down here Katarina's was the first place I wanted to go so I could get my fill of sarma. Now this is a traditional dish you will either love or hate...depending on your love of cabbage. I took my flatmate with me as she has also experienced the deliciousness that is sarma and we were both extremly happy with our meals. The sarma comes in entree and main sizes and comes with mash potato and a basket of fresh crusty bread so you can soak up the sauce. It tastes as good as when my Baka used to make it for us. We also decided to order the cevapi (skinless sausage) which came with a big serving of cabbage salad (also very delicious), lettuce salad and chips. I was a little confused by the chips but you cant hate potatoes. The restaurant is set out nicely and is clean and spacious. They have a kids room so the adults can have a good time whilst they are busy playing. They have a full bar and the staff were very helpful with all enquiries. There dessert menu has a variety of cakes and PANCAKES! The pancakes are generally like a crepe nice and thin. They have a range of toppings and I will be getting a serve next time I go because after my big meal...I just didnt have any room left to eat them. This place wont be for everyone but if you want a little taste of traditional croatian cuisine then I recommend a meal at Katarina's.

I had been hearing about this place for awhile. The mountainous quantities of meat and…read moredeliciousness so I took my partner here a few weeks ago. Menu: We got the Mixed Grill (full size), and the chicken soup. The quantity wasn't as huge as I expected. Other reviews talk about a main plate could feed a family of 4. My partner and I easily finished both dishes quite comfortably. The sausages and meats were yummy, but nothing overly complex. This place certainly has its strengths, and its not trying to be anything beyond what it is (which I like in a place) They didn't have the Grah available on the day that we went, but would like to try that at some point.