Monk Bodhi Dharma

To die would be an awfully big adventure and so is to eat vegan (totally kidding... but seriously). So A and I went exploring and after much searching found Monk Bodhi Dharma in Balaclava. Seriously this cafe is one hard place to find, when we arrived at number 202 we were horrified to find not a cafe but a dental practice and it wasn't until we reluctantly walked down an alleyway around the corner that we actually found the place. But hey, all in the name of food right?

So Monk Bodhi Dharma was actually a vegan joint, something that did not sit well with me as I am a carnivore, but reviews had all been really good so I was curious to try out my first (and now last) vegan meal. 

Chai Tea - $4.50

Honey - $0.50

My first mistake at Monk Bodhi Dharma was ordering my chai tea without soy milk. The tea was laden with cinnamon and is something I will never forget the taste of. While it was flavoursome, it was also incredibly spicy and had really strong peppery notes! I remember just having to keep adding in dollop after dollop of honey to tone down the spiciness and thus, I have learnt my lesson. Spicy drinks and me just don't work with each other.

Avignon Apple Pancakes - Buckwheat Apple Pancakes served with Cinnamon Icecream, Maple Syrup, Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream with Dehyrated Apple Chips and Fruit - $18.50 My second mistake was ordering the buckwheat pancakes instead of the mushrooms that A had. The waitress sucked me in when she said there was coconut milk in the raw vanilla bean whipped cream. Curse you coconut and your allure. The pancakes were underwhelming and I found it hard to get through mine as they were burnt on the bottom and really thick. I didn't like the texture of the ice cream or whipped cream either as both of them were still quite grainy and lumpy but at least it added some flavour to the pancakes. The one saving grace of this dish was definitely the maple syrup, it thankfully added in that much needed sweetness that I found to be lacking in this dish.

Umami Mushrooms - Slow Roasted King Oyster, Shitake, Oyster and Swiss Brown Mushrooms on a house made Pumpkin,Spinach and Sun dried Tomato Polenta Bread served with Goats Cheese, Thyme and Red Chilli Oil - $18.50 A got the umami mushrooms, which I'm still depressed I didn't get as it tasted so much better and was probably the closest thing to meat on the menu. While A liked most of the mushrooms in his dish, the one type that he didn't like were the enoki ones as they were too stringy for his liking. He also enjoyed his polenta bread but said that he would have preferred normal bread as the polenta bread was quite filling and he didn't end up finishing his dish.

While it was interesting testing out vegan dishes for the first time, I can't say I'll be returning here anytime soon. Admittedly I was impressed that they managed to make some of their dishes without the use of eggs or cows milk however, I wasn't too impressed about the taste of those dishes or having to pay the amount of money I did for them. What can I say? I will always be a carnivore at heart.

Monk Bodhi Dharma

Location:

202 Carlisle St, Balaclava VIC 3183

Contact: (03) 9534 7250

Opening Hours:

Mon - Fri - 6:30am - 5:00pm

Sat - Sun - 8:00am - 5:00pm

Pricing: $$

Have you tried eating vegan before?