Saturday 9 November 2013

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: $$
Monk Bodhi Dharma on Urbanspoon
Have you tried eating vegan before?

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The Salmon Shop - Tassal

Now that exams are finally over, expect to see a lot more blog posts coming your way. If you thought I ate a lot while I was at uni, wait till you see how much I can eat while I'm on holidays! So if you've ever eaten with me, you'd know that I LOVE salmon and that we legitimately think it is the greatest fish in the sea.What's not to love about it, it tastes good raw, baked, smoked, the possibilities with salmon are endless. So of course when I heard that there was a brunch spot in Kew called the Salmon Shop, I knew I had to go check it out for myself. Now if you've ever bought salmon from the supermarket, you would've noticed that one of the brands that supplies salmon is Tassal. Tassal, in all of it's vibrant blue glory, is actually Australia's biggest salmon producer and the Salmon Shop in Kew along with the one in Tasmania is owned by this very brand! 
As you can see from the picture above, the Salmon Shop is not just a cafe, but also a cooking studio and a shop as well. Unfortunately when I went, there weren't any demonstrations on, but be sure to keep an eye out as from time to time there will be guest chefs in store showcasing the versatility of salmon. If you're looking for more information about these demonstrations, have a look at the Salmon Shop's cooking events calendar on their website.
That's the cooking studio in the back there, I couldn't get too close though cause that man was staring me down!
Now for the food and drinks. I ordered my usual chai latte and was left feeling disappointed as it was equivalent to drinking a cup of milk! There was just no flavour in the drink and I could barely taste any chai in it at all. This might not have annoyed me so much if we were given water to wash it down with but service was rather inattentive and by the end of the meal we still hadn’t received any water at all.
Chai Latte - $4.00
The one thing the Salmon Shop did get right though was of course the salmon! I opted for the ‘Taste of the Salmon Shop’ dish as the reason I came to the store was salmon. So what could be better than salmon? Salmon cooked three ways! The dish included Creole hot smoked salmon, salmon mousse, Regartta Point Cold Smoked Salmon along with some pickled beetroot and olives. Out of the three salmons, my favourite was definitely the hot smoked salmon as it was so wonderfully flavoursome and flaked apart beautifully. But the deliciousness didn't just stop there either as the mousse and cold smoked salmon were also very tasty as well! I have to admit I was a little bit weary of the mousse as I’ve tried horrible salmon pates before but this mousse was done very well and wasn't overly creamy or artificial tasting at all. Not to be outdone, the cold smoked salmon was also a step above the usual salmon you could get at other cafes and was so incredibly fresh! Combined with the acidity from the pickled beetroots, this dish was a must have in my opinion. The only thing I didn't like about the dish though were the olives, but that's simply because I'm not a fan of olives so don't let that deter you!
Taste of the Salmon Shop - Creole Hot Smoked Salmon, Salmon Mousse, Regartta Point Cold Smoked Salmon, Marinated Olives, Beetroot Pickle and Artisan Bread - $22.50
As for C, she opted for the safer option and ordered the breakfast bagel along with some crispy bacon. While the salmon was once again of an excellent standard, C found the rest of her meal pretty average but luckily for her, the bacon was done to her liking. C's pretty picky with her bacon (I would know from the number of times we've eaten breakfast together) so if she thought it was good, then it definitely was. 
Breakfast Bagel - Fried Eggs, Smoked Salmon, Sauteed Spinach and Cream Cheese on a Toasted Bagel- $13.50
Crispy Bacon - $3.00
If you're a salmon lover, then I'd definitely recommend stopping by the Salmon Shop some time soon. The salmon is absolutely phenomenal and I've yet to find a place that serves salmon that can match up to the quality and freshness found here.

The Salmon Shop
Location:
339/343 High St, Kew VIC 3101
Contact: (03) 9092 0777
Opening Hours:
Cafe
Everyday - 7:30am - 3:00pm
Shop
Mon - Fri - 9:00am - 6:00pm
Sat - Sun - 9:00am - 4:00pm
Closed on Public Holidays
Pricing: $$
The Salmon Shop - Tassal on Urbanspoon

Do you like salmon? Do you prefer it raw or cooked?

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