~ Curious Charlie ~

Vegetarian Eats @ Tahina Bar, Fitzroy @ Friday, July 06, 2018

Charlie & Co. dined as guests.
Friday 29th June

Someone isn't a fan of waiting for me to take all the pictures... not wanting to comprise the temperature of the food. lol, someone doesn't know that being a food blogger is eating more warm-ish meals that anyone would admit. I am seeking a plus one by the way, as my friends are busy/not interested/trying to sabotage the blog.

With white and blue, Tahina really does pop-up from its surroundings. Opening up a second restaurant in Hipsterville, already with quite a few vegetarian/vegan joints (more than any other town we've seen) Fitzroy welcomes Tahina Bar, a restaurant specializing in Israeli vegetarian street food (guessing that explains the colors of the front).

Inside there's limited bar seating, though there's more seats outside in the courtyard.

Vegan Carrot Hot Dog

Black smoked bun with pickled cabbage, spiced cured carrot, tahini amba

mustard and sweet tomato sauce sprinkled with sweet potato chips.

I never thought a vegan hot dog would be this good, but is it! And there's no tofu involved. All the textures and flavoured were well balanced and pretty amazing - I can't wait to return and get this again! Even Luna liked it, and she doesn't even like carrots! It's got those three textural elements that make any dish amazing: crispy, crunchy, chewy. - Charlie (that's me).

The "sausage" is actually carrot but it's hard to identify it before you cut it. It's serves with sweet potato chips on top of it which bring more texture. It smells like a "normal" hot dog (lol - I should tell you all that Luna doesn't eat sausages, so we do question her judgement, she's borderline vegetarian). But when you eat it, you will be amazed by the balance of sauce and the carrot. Even a hate-carrot person will enjoy it. - Luna (that's my +1 today).

Luna says carrots are stinky (?!! - that's what she said, don't think it's lost in translation here)/funky where she comes from (HK). So she actually hates carrots, though I insisted she order this dish. :P

It's as amazing as it looks. We have to get this again next time.

The Shakshuka Platter comes in three different versions: classic tomato, green veggies and white with mushrooms and cheese. Spicy and hearty it's the perfect winter food, full of flavour and it's not too spicy. The serving is HUGE! As in all this is one dish/menu item.

Served on the side was the pita & hummus, which Luna didn't like (they don't have hummus where she comes from), but I liked it, it's lighter than the supermarket dips, housemade.

This is the white Shakshuka platter; two free range eggs, wild mushrooms, fennel, fennel, chili, fresh thyme, oregano and Meredith goats cheese. Served with Israeli salad, spicy green salad, pickled cabbage, hummus, tahini and pita bread.

How is it? A little spicy, with a great mix of textures, chewy mushrooms, soft eggplant, a fresh salad with something that reminds me of sauerkraut. It's a great balance, with the hearty dish contrasted with the salad.

On a warm summer's evening it would be lovely out here, under the fairy lights.

Though for winter there are outdoor heaters, but it all depends if it's windy or not.

Coconut Golden Latte

A coconuty turmeric latte, equal parts coconut and turmeric, it's lighter than the last one we had (the au79 blend). Being lighter this one's perfect if you want to give the golden latte go but not sure about it, our lovely waitress said it's the cinnamon that make it different.Though at the end of the day turmeric is something you either like or hate.

Vegan Chocolate Souffle

With chunks of vanilla halva and topped with halva fairy floss.

Who could resist the chocolate souffle? Especially when it's topped off with pistachios and fairy floss. Warm chocolatey though not too sweet you'll want to get one each lucky for me I didn't have to share, cause my plus one isn't a sweets girl (or dog person O.O).

It's vegan but tastes normal. I love my butter, sugar and creams (we're definitely not vegan) but I love this. It's not as sweet as usual though still sweet, and being rich this is the perfect serving size for one.

Luna skipped dessert and had the 'Immunity Tea' to finish off which she commented had a
"Refreshing herbal flavour with mild sweetness after taste. It's recommended to have it with salad and brownies".

If you've been waiting for Tahina to come closer to the city (their first restaurant is up North) your wishes have been fulfilled! Even if you're not vegetarian I definitely recommend checking out this place (it's opposite a chinese bbq place, lol). It's actually the only vegetarian place I've been to and liked. Luna loved it, as where she comes from (HK) where been vegetarian means ordering that one side salad dish. Definitely order the hot dog and dessert!