Very Good Falafel by Shuki and Louisa: Brunswick cafe

I have always enjoyed the dips (such as these) from Shuki and Louisa at farmers markets.  So when I heard they were opening a new cafe in Brunswick I was excited.  I met Faye from Veganopoulous blog there at 11.30am on the day the cafe opened.  It was still fairly quiet and we were able to watch the place filling up for lunch as we ate.

When we ordered our falafel and salad plates, the names of the salads had not been chalked up on the blackboard yet.  (After all the place had only opened at 11am!)  They all looked so beautiful that I was happy to order something of each.  Faye ordered a vegan platter which came with everything except the eggplant salad.

While we waited, Shuki gave us a falafel to snack on.  Yes they are friendly folk as well as excellent cooks.  I was super impressed with the falafel.  Prior to this I would have claimed that the best local falafels were at Half Moon Cafe.  Shuki's were really really good.  So light and crisp with a lovely green colour inside.  I can see why their University of Melbourne market stall falafels in pitas are popular.  You can also buy falafel in pita bread at the cafe.

Opening another Middle Eastern cafe on Sydney Road seems like take coals to Newcastle.  You might ask why pay $13 for a salad plate (and I think more for the falafel) for lunch when you can get much cheaper Middle Eastern food in other cafes.  I would counter that this cafe is really beautifully designed and offers a very different sort of meal that is great value for money.  We were really full by the end of the meal.

I really loved the salad and falafel with a drizzle of tahini sauce.  We also shared a pita bread which was soft and pillowy.  I am not sure which salad I liked best but I can tell you that they were brilliant together.  The fried potatoes and the wilted greens.  The starchy comforts of the freekah and the fresh aniseed flavours of the raw fennel.  I've been told that the salads change regularly.  I hope the desserts don't change too much as I would love to go back and try the tahini halva and walnut brownies.

For lots of great photos of the cafe, check out Faye's review at Veganopoulous.

Update July 2016: Went again yesterday and had another salad plate with more beautiful food (forgot to take note of salads as chatting too much)!  And I can confirm that the halva and walnut brownies were really good.  Loved the chunks of halva in them.

Very Good Falafel
629 Sydney Road, Brunswick
www.facebook.com/ShukiAndLouisa
www.shukiandlouisa.com/