Showing my mum a good time

My mum was down in Melbourne this week for work. I love my family and welcome any opportunity to see them and hang with them. We had a busy few nights of eating and walking around the city...

La Citta

The Entertainment Book lead us to this cosy little restaurant on Degraves St. Unfortunately they were totally lacking in vegetarian options - the only meal was a Chestnut & Mushroom risotto. Whilst nice it was completely boring - risotto is always the vegetarian staple at a lot of restaurants, and quite frankly, we get sick of it! Claire at Melbourne Gastronome wrote a post about this very thing which seems to be noticeable to everyone except the Chefs of Melbourne! Please hear our hungry cries of despair!

Lord Of The Fries

Tuesday night saw us having a quiet one in, assisted with the deliciousness of French Poutine Fries from this vegetarian haven for fast food. Chunky fries smothered in cheese and gravy - does comfort food get any better than this?

Shakahari

Wednesday night was "date night", so we trekked over to Carlton for dinner at Shakahari followed by a movie at Cinema Nova. I've lived in Melbourne since early 2007 and I'm ashamed to admit I had never been to Shakahari until a week ago. On my first visit I went for the Puy Lentil Lasagna, which contained leeks, sweet corn and pumpkin. My dinning companion, the lovely K, had the Satay Legend - skewers of tofu, seitan, capsicum and onion, served with an addictive satay sauce and rice. Meal envy took hold of me, and I knew exactly what to order when my Mum and I went. Washed down with an organic vegan wine from New Zealand, it was a really lovely dinner. Unfortunately the movie was a dud, but 1 out of 2 ain't bad right?

The Outpost

Mum flew out this morning, and my spirits were low. A lunch out with some fabulous ladies from the Office was exactly what I needed. We work just around the corner from the Outpost, which I've been hearing so much about, so we walked the 2 mins and marvelled at the unique and warm lay out of the place. It seems that the menu changes slightly each day, and today I was debating between a Truffled Cauliflower & Gruyere Soup w/ Garlic Bread and a Penne with zucchini, rocket, Parmesan and chili. The pasta won out (they kindly made it without the pancetta as described on the menu), and it was delicious. While it was a generous portion, it wasn't as heavy as most pasta dishes, as the ribbons of zucchini was the major component. So yum, but I'll be trying the soup next time for sure!

Its been a busy few days hanging with my mum, and even though I already miss her, I am going to enjoy having a quiet night at home on the couch..