My Monthly Chronicles: February 2026 (protests and One for the Crow cafe)

February was hot and busy (though not as busy as March which is already getting away from me before I can reflect on last month).  I joined a protest against the visit of the Israeli President.  We had vegan adventures for Sylvia's birthday and ate lots of good meals at cafes.  See more about my month: In My Kitchen: February 2026 post.

The final evening of February rang in the craziness of March with the USA bombing Iran and my sister turned back homewards midway on the first leg of her flight from Dublin to Melbourne via the Middle East.  There is lots more I could write about this but that will have to wait until my March post.  

Above is a delicious Summer salad I had at Wild Timor Cafe in Coburg.  It had apple, lettuce, goats cheese, tomatoes, carrot, cucumber, a pretty swirl of vinaigrette and something crunchy (nuts?).  I didn't take notes.  Just the thing for a hot summer day.

Hareruya Pantry, Carlton

I had this miso brownie at Hareruya pantry (15 - 17 Lincoln Square South) while on a lunchtime walk.  It is opposite Lincoln Square, a lovely green urban park.  I have not been there for ages and was enchanted by the kids play area with rope ladders and a little wooden house on a pole.  There are lots of shady trees so when I met a friend I used to work with, we met here on a warm day and were pleased to get out of sunshine.

Tylers Milk Bar, Preston

I have raved about Tylers Milkbar (656 Plenty Road) so many times; they always impress.  We love it.  Sylvia and I had a great lunch there.  I had the Caesar salad of "Crispy cos lettuce, chickpeas, roasted carrots, green peas, croutons, crispy bacon bits, capers, dill, chives & creamy tahini dressing finished with a cheesy seed crumble".  I had the tofu bacon option to make it vegetarian.  Sylvia had "The F*#%ing amazing toastie" with a chickpea omelette.  More about this toastie further down.  We were both very satisfied.

Pan Pan Theatre's Casando, North Carlton

This photo of a gorgeous sunset was taken on my ride home on a thankfully cool evening after immersing myself in Pan Pan Theatre's performance of Casando by Samuel Becket.  We met in the Wild Geese pub on the Southern end of Sydney Road, Brunswick and then crossed into Princes Park in North Carlton where we donned black hooded cloaks and noise cancelling headphones with a recording of Irish actors reading the play.  We walked in single file around the park with our heads down (mostly) and steady footsteps that made rhythmic crunch on the gravel.  I would have loved to have been an onlooker.  Nevertheless it was fun to be part of the spectacle and occasionally look up to see reactions of passers-by.  

I felt like a monk taking part in an ecclesiastical assembly as we paced among the trees in silence and meditation.  With our earphones hidden under our hoods, it looked silent but actually we were listening to Irish voices, intoning a script in which the mundane becomes portentous, and the occasional bursts of discordant music.  One bloke in a ute, driving past us on Royal Parade, yelled out "what the hell?" and who could blame him in these apocalyptic times! 

Protest against visit of the Israeli president, Flinders Street Station, CBD

On a Monday night I rode to the city after work to join the protest against the visit of the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, who was invited by our government despite him being found by the UN to be responsible for inciting genocide.  I finally had the fire in my belly and the circumstances where I could get to a pro-Palestine protest.  I wish it had been earlier but was glad finally to demonstrate my anger and concern!  I was met by a sea of Palestinian flags, political placards and thousands of people gathering in one of the busiest intersections in Melbourne (Naarm).

As it was I stayed for an hour of speeches and then went home rather than continue with the March.  The speeches were varying in quality.  (When Lidia Thorpe spoke about the links with the Australian Indigenous experiences, I was amused to overhear someone say that they didn't know that Israel was oppressing Aboriginal people.)  When I got home and saw that the mainstream media only focused on the Sydney protests where the state governments recent legislation allowed the police to created conditions for unnecessary clashes and violence.  I was so angry I contacted our local radio station the next day but it is so frustrating trying to comment on a complex issue in the short space allocated.

Most moving and insightful at the Melbourne protest was the speech by Mai Saif who starts by saying "I was asked what would you say to Herzog if he was right in front of you ... I just looked at the reporter and said what do you say to a person who cannot see you as a human being."  She told of her memories in Palestine as a 6 year old having a soldier point a gun at her head, of being tear gassed when coming home from school, of her grandfather released from prison being beaten and broken but refusing to be silenced.  You can see more of her speech and more footage of the protests as well as insightful and compassionate commentary on The Shot's episode on 15 February 2025: Cohesion, Division and State Violence – with guests Crystal Andrews and Antoun Issa.

Ballards, Thornbury

We shared an amazing 9 dish dinner at Ballards vegan restaurant (915 High Street).  I loved that the courses were lots of vegetables, nut and seed sauces and whimsical touches with no mock meat.  Having a non- alcoholic sangria was also a treat.  This was such a great special meal that Sylvia organised for my birthday.  You can read more about our dinner in my Ballards blog post.  

Tylers Milkbar, Preston II

I had a pleasant lunch at the wonderful Tylers Milkbar (656 Plenty Road) with my friend Jo in the courtyard.  She had a vegan version of the Top of the Morning burger.  I had the "The F*#%ing amazing toastie (Vegan option, GF option): Spring onion omelette, Six Eyed Scorpion crispy chilli oil, more spring onion and double tasty cheese with a side of our roasted sesame sauce for a dipping good time".  I had a vegan version so I could have the spring onion chickpea pancake which was so so good.  Sylvia earlier in the month had had hers with tofu bacon and asked for minimal chilli oil.  I forgot to ask for either of these and loved the chickpea omelette that I didn't mind but I did scrape most of the chilli oil off my sandwich and found that it was a nice spiciness for me.  It was fun to have Jo's company for most of the bike ride home.

Croix Croissant, Flemington

Sylvia and I had a visit to Croix Croissant bakery (185 Mt. Alexander Rd) soon after Valentine's day.  She was delighted that they still had their seasonal specials available and ordered the vegan Pink rose brulee danish  and the soy Pink latte with a sweet berry flavour.  She loved them.  I had a (not vegan) Banoffee cruffin which was lovely but my personal preference would have been more caramel and less custard.  Then because we got there so late, we were given a freebie vegan Passionfruit coconut cruffin topped with the cutest vanilla cream with a centre of passionfruit and coconut jam.  Again Sylvia enjoyed it more than me as I am not really into vanilla cream but the pastry was amazing.

Damona factory, Williamstown North

One of Sylvia's heart's desires on her birthday was to visit the Damona factory (40 Chelmsford St) to buy offcuts of their fantastic vegan cheese.  We rang first to see if they had offcuts before leaving home that morning.  They were very friendly and we got samples of mozzarella, American cheese, pecorino, feta and brie.  It is Sylvia's favourite vegan cheese and we are so happy it is made here in Melbourne.

 

Adventures in the western suburbs of Melbourne

The above birthday trip to Damona was just the start of Sylvia's birthday adventure in the west of Melbourne.  We are not out that way often so we made the most of it by shopping at the wonderful Helping Hands op shop (85-89 Hampshire Road, Sunshine), purchasing Dubai chocolate pistachio paste at iPantry (99-101 Proximity Drive Sunshine West) and finding more bargains at Savers (33 Albert Street, Footscray).  See my In My Kitchen: February 2026 post for more about these and also Sylvia's birthday presents.

Along the way, I found out the hard way that if you don't take the correct lane on the West Gate freeway to skirt around the new tunnel you have to go the long way over the bridge and back to turn off to Williamstown.  I also enjoyed seeing some beautiful street art and have shared these among other photos in my post on  Street Art in Melbourne: North Melb and West of Melbourne.  We also had a fantastic lunch at One for the Crow in Maidstaone which as you can see above had some wonderful crow wall art.  You can read below more about our scrumptious meal.

One for the Crow - burger

Sylvia was already a big fan of One for the Crow (9 Commercial Street, Maidstone).  She could not wait to try more after enjoying the Big Brekkie at this vegan cafe previously.  On this visit she ordered the "Nashville Hot 'Honey' Burger: Crumbed enoki mushroom drizzled with a hot 'honey' glaze, served with cabbage slaw, pickles and a side of chips, $24".  She declared it one of her best ever burgers.  

We also ordered one of their vegan fried eggs on the side because although Sylvia had had it previously I was curious.  I had intended to order it on the Hummus and Avocado (Beetroot hommus, sliced avocado topped with almond feta, smokey soy and sesame roasted pepitas, lightly pickled cucumber with fresh herbs on toasted sourdough.  Perhaps fortunately it was unavailable because am not sure I could eat a whole one of these eggs.  The yolk is a carrot and sweet potato mixture and the white is seasoned tofu.  It was gooey in a way that I find icky in regular eggs and was too eggy for me.  Sylvia enjoyed it though she found it less flavoured than regular eggs.  But it was fascinating that it looked so real and like regular fried eggs, it makes a meal look so much fancier!  We just had it on the side on a plate and even then it looked amazing.

One for the Crow - Reuben

Instead of the Hummus and Avo, I had the Reuben Toasted Sandwich: "Pastrami spiced tempeh, cheese, pickled cabbage, almond feta, dill pickles and kimchi mayo on sourdough toast, $21".  I am so sorry my photo does not do justice to this amazing sandwich.  It is the best Reuben I have ever had and I just loved the spiced tempeh and the vegan cheesiness with the tart pickled veg.

One for the Crow - waffle

Our lunch was so good and it was a birthday celebration so we splurged on the "Creme Brulee Waffle: served with cashew custard, honeycomb, strawberries, roasted almonds and ice cream, $20".  I was glad we were sharing as we were pretty full by now.  But it was a wonderful waffle.  The combination of nuts, honeycomb, ice cream and berries was superb and the waffle was hot and crisp as it should be.

It was a great experience.  For our drinks, Sylvia had the Biscoff milkshake with a shot of coffee and loved it.  I was happy to have a kombucha.  The staff were friendly and happy to help.  We were both very full as we left but very happy to have eaten such good food.

Red Sparrow Pizza, Fitzroy

Sylvia is fond of a week of birthday celebrations so a few days later we went to Red Sparrow Pizza (60 Rose Street).  It claims to be Melbourne's first and only vegan pizzeria.  We are lucky it is only a few suburbs away.  Sylvia had eaten there before and raved about it.  She started with the Garlic Parmesan Not Wings which she enjoyed but asked me if chicken is always so stringy, having never eaten the stuff herself.  On her last visit, she loved the Cheeseburger pizza (Tomato Base, Mozzarella, Crumbled Burger, Red Onion, Pickles, Burger Sauce and Sesame Seeds, $30) so she ordered it again.  I chose the Verde pizza (Pesto Base, Mozzarella, Artichoke, Spinach, Broccolini, and Toasted Pepitas, $28 with optional goats style cashew cheese).  It was the prettiest pizza with edible flower garnishes and tasted good but I preferred the Cheeseburger.

Red Sparrow Pizza II

We also ordered mocktails: a berry and a matcha.  Mine was a bit tart but Sylvia's was really delightful and she loved having a vegan foam on top.

Of course we ordered too much and took some pizza home in their cute Red Sparrow box (with the lost in sauce illustration) that our cat now enjoys sitting on.
 

Wild Timor Cafe, Coburg II

On another warm day, I returned to the Summer Salad at Wild Timor Cafe (282 Sydney Rd).  It had apple, lettuce, goats cheese, tomatoes, carrot, cucumber, vinaigrette, dukkah and pomegranate arils.  While I loved it this time, especially all the crunch from the dukkah, I was less keen on the dukkah's spices.  I preferred the previous version of the salad that you can see at the top of the post.  I had a chat to the staff who said I could try it without the dukkah next time.  

In the News:

The media have continued to be focused on Epstein and Israel, with some the Winter Olympics offering some light relief.  In Australia there was a lot to be said about pro-Palestine protests (see more above), immigration and the Liberal and National parties joining up once more to be the Liberal National coalition.  Our Prime Minster put his foot in his mouth when he called Grace Tame 'difficult' and our Treasurer is looking at reforming Capital Gains Tax.  Some interesting reading below:

Jeffrey Epstein Couldn’t Stop Emailing People About Eugenics, MotherJones, 10 February 2026.

When peaceful protest is allowed to work, democracy works, Pearls and Irritations, 11 February 2026.

Canberra bar declared a crime scene as police seize 'clearly satirical' posters under new Commonwealth hate laws, ABC News, 19 February 2026.

Albanese changes tune on immigration and 'ISIS brides' as One Nation effect hits, in ABC News, 23 February 2026.

Could Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor’s arrest bring down the British monarchy? in The Conversation, 20 February 2026.

Left-wing plumber helps Greens sink ruling Labour and far right in surprise U.K. election win, NBC News, 27 February 2026.

Nearly 5,000 sailors, malfunctioning toilets: What’s happening on US’ largest warship amid Iran tensions? Firstpost, 25 February 2026.

Notable deaths were Jon Kadulka, the sharp-witted Tasmanian political cartoonist, and James Van Der Beek who is remembered fondly from Dawsons Creek and his good humoured sending himself up in later years.

Watching and listening (highly recommended):

Stranger Things, series 5: the final series of this coming of age, sci-fi, horror Netflix series.  Great characters, fascinating plot, amazing scenery, disturbing villains, 1980s nostalgia and memorable lines like "well butter my butt and call me a biscuit" from Murray.  My favourite character has to be Joyce because Winona Ryder makes me nostalgic for my days as a twentysomething.  

Tales from outer suburbia: an animated tv series based on Shaun Tan's otherworldly graphic novel, shown on ABC iview. 

Emily Kate Genatowski: My year living with a robot: Fascinating Ted talk podcast about considering on the day to day and policy challenges we will face with AI-powered robots in our lives rather than panicked statements on robots taking all our jobs and destroying our world. 

A short history of the innovations that have shaped human progress: a Conversations podcast with Andrew Leigh about his book on the history of innovations and how they change people's lives in both good and damaging ways (eg the printing press, the industrial revolution and AI) and how when a society is stable they are more likely to emerge.