Moroccan deli-cacy, East Brunswick cafe and deli

Moroccan deli-cacy may be the new kid on the block in East Brunswick but it has a rich heritage.  It is situated in the old Miramar Nut Shop that was one of the first Lebanese mixed businesses in Melbourne.  Now it is a cafe-cum-deli run by Hana Assafiri who has run much loved Moroccan Soup Bar.  I am happy to report that the standards are every bit as high as the expectations.

My mum told me how good Moroccan deli-cacy looked last week just before I read Michael's high praise for the cafe. Yesterday I had lunch there with my mum.  It was every bit as amazing as I had hoped.  We arrived at the cafe.  It still feels like a nut shop with bins of spices, tubs of nuts and shelves of tinned goods.  Around the edges are colourful red stools and outside is more seating.

At the back of the shop is a display cabinet of salads, grain dishes and even a mountain of a yoghurt that was on its way to becoming a cheese but stopped midway, according to Hana.  She is a welcoming and bustling presence behind the counter.  She asks if we have any allergies and dishes up a platter of wonderful colours, tastes and textures.

It is a glorious feeling to sit at a tiled table with Hana's creation before me.  The cafe is light and airy with the large windows open to let in fresh air.  Without a menu I am at a loss to tell you everything I ate.  I just know it was the sort of lunch I wish I had every day.

I was initially impressed by the spiced couscous with soft dried apricots and dried cranberries.  Other dishes include a barley and legume dish, creamy chickpeas, another grain dish, smoky baba ganoush, green salad, fried zucchini, the yoghurt, fried haloumi, pickles, wonderful falafel and hearty wholemeal bread.  I noticed some spiciness and my mum noticed lots of mint.  For those seeking a vegan lunch, Hana was creating a vegan platter when I spoke to her later.

We also order fresh mint tea which is worth ordering just for the gorgeous silver teapots.  It is also a refreshing drink.

The food is different each day.  Compare this to the meal that Michael had.  He also had some ricotta pancakes with a coffee.  I noticed some turkish delight, macarons, and (I think) almond crescents on display on the counter.  But I was too full to want anything sweet.  It was a meal that was satisfying without leaving me feeling uncomfortable.  I can't wait to go back.

Before we headed home, I had a wander around the corner to check out the street art in Ann Street.  It is changed since I was there last year, most notably with the controversial Karma Sutra Burger.  The Moroccan deli-cacy has added new colour to an interesting part of East Brunswick and I am sure will attract yet more people to this area.

Moroccan Deli-Cacy
313 Lygon Street
Brunswick East
03 9387 6805

Vegan Mozzarella, Judy Blume, Jean Ure and a weekend of Asthma

Last week was busy.  I worked every week day for the first time since Sylvia was born.  Fortunately it was part time hours but busy nevertheless.  I washed a couple of loads of washing, did the grocery shopping and baked in readiness for a weekend of gymnastics, Fitzroy market and a family lunch.  Instead we stayed at home all weekend with the only outing being to the hospital at 2am last night for treatment for Sylvia's asthma.

Time at home did not mean as much time in the kitchen as I would have liked.  At least I managed two recipes that I wanted.  I made my regular bread yesterday morning and then I tried vegan mozzarella for the first time last night.  It went very well as melted cheese on toast with some spicy beans or tinned tomato soup on the side.

I did find more time for reading than usual.  Last night I finished In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume.  I really enjoyed reading this novel for adults from an author that I loved reading as a child.  She still has great empathy for teenagers.  Perhaps now she writes from a teen point of view to remind adults how it feels rather than to show other young readers that they are not alone.  It brings to mind a brilliant article on books by Neil Gaiman about how tv shows how other people live but books give us a chance to step into someone's mind.

I have recently read a book by another author I enjoyed in my childhood.  I have fond memories of reading If It Weren't for Sebastian by Jean Ure when I was a teenager.  So I was happy when Sylvia picked up Jean Ure's Jelly Baby from the library shelves.

I was quite surprised and interested that the main characters aged 11 and 13 were vegetarian.  The dad's new girlfriend really annoyed me the way she kept trying to get them to eat meat.  I was muttering out loud about how awful she was, which I don't usually do when I read to Sylvia.  This issue was really personal as I don't like to think of how many times I have had someone say "Go on.  I bet you would love a bit of my burger" or steak or what other other horrid meat meal they are eating.

We both really enjoyed this book, despite me getting very cross at the girlfriend.  It was a great book to read to Sylvia when I took her to hospital at 2am and we were waiting to see the doctor.  Hospitals are places of lots of waiting around and lots of disruption.  I was very glad to get home (about 6am) and have some peace and quiet.  And even more pleased that Sylvia was breathing easier.

So today I slept until 1pm.  Then we had a lazy day.  Television, finishing off some paper tulips and finishing reading Jelly Baby.  There is so much online about Halloween and autumn that it seems odd to be making paper flowers.  However all around us are flowers and that glorious spring fragrance of jasmine.  Our rose bushes are in full bloom.

Sylvia had more energy today and was outside finding flowers to decorate the lunch platter.  She didn't eat so much yesterday so I tried to put together a tempting platter for a late lunch.  We sat outside on the verandah enjoying good weather and a chat with our neighbour.

For dinner we had more mozzarella on toast.  I really enjoyed it.  The recipe at Vedged Out specifically requests that bloggers do not repost it so I will not.  The mozzarella has a good melted cheese texture though it is a little stretchy rather than having those strings that amaze me with the dairy counterpart.  I hope I will make it again and would recommend it.  (I added a tablespoon of nutritional yeast.  Maybe a teaspoon would be enough.)

I have also seen a vegan mozzarella recipe with aqua faba at Avocados and Ales that interests me.  I am constantly keen to try a vegan mozzarella like this on pizza.  The cheese experiments will continue, if I can find the time and energy.

Tahini, quinoa and apricot toasted muesli and World Food Day

I never understand people who don't eat breakfast.  I never leave the house without breakfast.  Even if I go out for brunch.  However I ricochet from dish to dish when it comes from what to eat for breakfast.  This year it is has been muesli.  The toasted kind that Americans call granola.  I've been eating chocolate muesli every morning.  All year.  So recently fancied a change.  Cindy raved about tahini muesli so I tried that.  And agreed with her.

The tahini gives the muesli a rich satisfying aroma, though the taste is not overwhelming.  This was enough for me as I like my tahini in small amounts.  I have been making muesli regularly all year but putting this together was fairly straightforward, as I have my method honed to suit me.  While I have found that cranberries are fine to add midway through baking, the apricot was a bit chewy when added in this way.

I had found myself happy to eat the chocolate muesli with plain yoghurt.  With the tahini muesli I am eating more yoghurt and less muesli so I find that I need a drizzle of yoghurt as well.  I also like to add some fruit if I have any about.  The muesli came with us on holidays and was a fine travel companion.  Easy to transport and a great way to start the day.  Especially when served with a peach and mango yoghurt.

Muesli is a fitting recipe to post on World Food Day.  It is one of my strategies for using up bits and pieces of nuts, seeds and dried fruit that otherwise would go to waste.  In fact, sometimes it seems anything goes.  I put some dried quinoa in this muesli (thanks Joanne) and also have recently seen Jules using psyllium husks in hers.

World Food Day is an opportunity to reflect on food waste and sustainability.  The food waste is staggering (for example see the infographics on Helpling or Food Wise).  In Australia on average, each household throws out 345kg of food per year.  Food waste means more carbon emissions, more landfill and unnecessary resources being used to product food.

I have reflected on my week and it is not all good.  I bought watermelon a couple of weeks back and went to use up some of it only to find it was covered in a yellow slime.  A couple of tomatoes I was about to use had gone mouldy.  The remains of a bunch of parsley was yellowing at the bottom of the fridge.  It can be a challenge to find the balance between eating enough good food to encourage us to eat well and not so much that it finds its way to the bin.  Not to mention the food Sylvia rejects.

But it is not all bad.  I have also found some ways that I have rescued food before it got to the bin.  I have:

• used up old eggplant in a vegie and lentil stew
• used up some stew leftovers for lunch
• used up more stew leftovers by mixing with pasta
• used up opened avocado in a rice salad
• used up parsnips I'd bought on sale and the glace ginger from Christmas in a cake (recipe soon)
• used up an over-ripe pear in a smoothie
• used vegie scraps from my freezer stash to make stock

I am sending this muesli to Kimmy for Healthy Vegan Fridays, to Kate (on behalf of Elizabeth) for No Waste Food Challenge, and Mandy for Cook Blog Share.

More posts on Green Gourmet Giraffe about reducing food waste:
Back when we had a compost bin
Making nut balls using leftovers from crumbing tofu
The herbs and citrus in my garden
Making vegetable stock using vegie scraps
A soup using neglected greens

Tahini quinoa and apricot toasted muesli 
Adapted from Where's the Beef and Green Gourmet Giraffe

4 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup raw cashews, roughly chopped
1/2 cup raw quinoa
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup seeds (I used a mix of sesame, sunflower, linseed and hemp)
1 tsp mixed spice
pinch salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup rice bran oil (or other neutral oil)
1 cup chopped dried apricots

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Lightly whisk together maple syrup, tahini and oil in a large jug until smooth.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until well mixed.  Tip into two large lined roasting tins.  Bake at 180 for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Stir in dried apricots and leave to cool.  Store in an airtight container.

On the stereo:
My Head is an Animal: Of Monsters and Men

Echuca holiday and sightseeing

One of the main reasons we chose to spend a week of the school holidays at Echuca was that I love an historic town.  Echuca is the closest point to Melbourne on the Murray River.  In the nineteenth century it was a busy port for paddle steamers bring products from outlying towns to take to the city.  The Port of Echuca, the historic heart of the town, was the place we spent the most time.

Echuca boasts plenty of interesting architecture that is reminiscent of its glorious heyday.  Even the shops in the high street have heritage facades.  The sweet shop is not quite as heritage inside.  Sylvia loved it as much as she disliked the ubiquitous bull ants.  I was more surprised at how hard it was to find an all day park, but not impossible.

A visit to the Echuca Historical Society Museum (1 Dickson St) was worthwhile in getting my head around the history of the town, though there was very little on the town's Aboriginal past.  It did have lot about paddle steamers, floods, and the 'founder' Henry Hopwood.

I enjoyed the display of historic dresses, being able to step into a goal cell, and reading an unintentionally amusing 1950s text on sewing with advice such as needing to look your best while sewing just in case a visitor or your husband drop in.

Once I had the context it was interesting to look around Echuca and see details with more understanding.  Well mostly!  The thong tree was still just good fun.

On our first morning, we decided to walk through the forest and along the Murray River to the Port of Echuca.  I don't think Sylvia quite understood that we were on the state border between Victoria and New South Wales.  We drove across this bridge to Moama later in the trip and it was not quite as exciting as crossing the Murray when I was thirteen.  I remember my brother kneeling down and kissing the ground because it was so momentous that we had finally gone interstate.

The walk towards the Port of Echuca meant we were able to observe the river side of the port.  It is quite spectacular with the old fashioned wooden criss cross.  Sadly it is hard to walk along the river side of the port without actually paying to go on a paddle steamer or a tour.  However it is quite easy and free to walk down from the port to the other side of the river to view the port and the paddle steamers taking the tourists down the river.

The paddle steamers are Echuca icons.  They are everywhere.  On tea towels.  On postcards.  Even in the playgrounds.  The above paddle steamer play equipment is fun and quirky.  I love quirky.  The yarn bombed tree and plastic flowers added colour to the Port of Echuca.

The Oz Maze however was a bit quirky for me.  We went there one evening and got so lost in the maze - looking for the capital cities of Australia - that I started to worry that a few of the broken planks had been ripped off in desperation by other lost souls.  We ended up ringing the reception so they could show us the way out and stamp "lost in the maze" on our cards!  The shame!  But I was too hungry!

E was most excited about Sharp's Magic Movie House and Penny Arcade.  Entrance costs $7 which includes some coins to feed to the vintage slot machines.  Not pokies!  These are more fun.  You can test your strength, shoot a gun, consult a fortune teller, watch the firemen put out a fire, or just see pictures that might have made a bishop blush last century.  We saw a bit of a Three Stooges movie on the big screen and then bought some delicious fudge.

The main attraction in Echuca was a ride on a paddle steamer.  I was disappointed to find that the Emmy Lou was built relatively recently.  If I had done my research I might have chosen to ride the Pevensey which was renamed the Philadelphia in the 1980s mini series, All the Rivers Run. 

However I was pleased with our choice of the Canberra, built in 1912.  I enjoyed seeing the view as we chugged along.  The captain's commentary gave information on each paddle steamer we passed.  Possibly most interesting was watching the hot and noisy engine in the middle of the boat and the paddles pushing the water around on either side.

The captain stood at a large wheel steering the boat and we sat at the back and watched the rudder swing to and fro.  When they asked if any kids wanted to go and have a got at steering, Sylvia joined the queue.  She held one end of the wheel and the captain held the other.  But when the captain walked away from the wheel, the responsibility was too much for Sylvia and she also walked away.  It made me laugh.  And of course there was another kid ready to take over the helm.

Then Sylvia decided she wanted a ride on the stage coach.  Do you see where the driver is sitting?  We sat up high behind him.  It was a bit scary climbing up and even scarier climbing down but once up there is was fun to watch the world go by from up high.

As we started driving through the Port of Echuca, an old time bard greeted us with a song including some yodelling.  Later on we visited his art gallery where he gave us instruments to play along to one of his tunes.  E enjoyed it so much that he brought his ukulele with him the next day and had a strum with the bard.

When my parents came up on our last night there, we walked around to see the port from across the river again.  It was a lovely sunny day.  Sylvia decided it would be fun to walk into the Murray River after seeing some other kids in there.  She convinced me to join her.  We made faces at each other about how squelchy and slimy the mud at the bottom of the river was and got very dirty feet.  I am sure I had green toes for the rest of the day.

As usual we didn't get to see everything.  We never visited the beer bottle museum or the holden car museum, both of which appeal to my love of quirky museums.  The local history society has a heritage walk (free) and there was also tours and then there was the Discovery Centre that we never visited.  However on a pleasant spring day, I would have just liked more time to sit on the banks of the Murray and watch the world pass us by while wondering how busy this port must have been in days gone by.

Wistaria Tea Rooms, Echuca

When you wonder along the dusty road of the Port of Echuca, the most striking eating establishment has to be the Wistaria tea rooms with its magnificent boughs of purple wisteria draped over the verandah.  We ate there twice on our recent holiday to Echuca.

Both times we sat outside to look over the historic Port of Echuca, to wave to the stage coach going by and watch the tourists.  The first time was for lunch.  It was a warm day and we had been told that our meal could take some time as it was rather busy.  So we relaxed with cold soft drinks in large glasses.  Sylvia had creamy soda, I had ginger beer and E had sarsparilla.  Suitably old fashioned drinks for a historic area.

Like many places in Echuca (and country Victoria) the vegetarian offerings were thin on the ground.  I think the fritatta was the only vegetarian meal.  I opted instead to have the focaccia with camembert, cranberry sauce and lettuce but no turkey.  The foccaccia was nice but not amazing.  The bread didn't impress me much.  I was more taken with the lovely crisp chips.

We sneaked a peak indoors.  It was very quiet as it was the end of the lunch hour and besides, it was much nicer to sit outside in the sun.  If the weather had been inclement I would have been very happy to sit inside.

A few days later we tried to come here for afternoon tea with my parents and my brother.  At 3.30 pm they were already closed.

Not to be defeated, we returned the next morning and snaffled a table.  I had decided I was getting scones with jam and cream.  Then my dad ordered the pancakes with berries and yoghurt.  He needed help so I gallantly offered to share it.  When the basket of warm scones came I had a taste and thought them pleasingly light and fluffy.  E and Sylvia were less impressed.  My mother was most displeased that the jam was not home made.  The Wistaria did earn brownie points in having loose leaf tea even for my peppermint tea.

The nicest dish I had at the Wistaria was the pancakes.  They were fluffly with a really generous serving of berries, though I would have welcomed a good drizzle of maple syrup.  I particularly loved that they were served with yoghurt rather than ice cream or cream.  By the time I shared it with my dad and everyone had a taste, I didn't have that much and could have eaten more.

I confess to enjoying the Wistaria more for the historic ambiance than the food but the food was much nicer than most that we had in Echuca.  I would happily return there should we find ourselves in Echuca again.

Wistaria Tea Rooms
51 Murray Esplanade, Echuca
Tel: (03) 5482 4210

Sandwiches, CLT and an Avocado glut

I had planned to write another post today and then we slept past the alarm, I took Sylvia to school without my house keys.  a friend drove me to the city to get E's keys and then I helped her dismantle her bed and put together a new bed.  So instead let me tell you how much I am loving avocados right now, especially in sandwiches.

When I dropped off Sylvia at school the other morning, one of the mothers had a basket of mini avocados.  I took lots, forgetting I had just bought three the day before.  You can see how small the little avocados are compared to a smallish regular one.

One of my first ideas for the avocados was this amazing epic avocado sandwich I found on Amuse Your Bouche.  It was like a posh crisp sandwich.  Avocado, tomato, lettuce, potato crisps and cheese.  Mine was only slightly different: avocado, tomato, baby spinach, bbq corn chips and peanut butter.  So delicious with that little bit of crunch from the chips.

I was determined to make myself something healthy for dinner with avocado.  So I decided to make a bowl of goodness with what I had.  This black bean, pumpkin and avocado bowl was made up of:

• black beans and mixed them with fried garlic, tomato, red capsicum, spring onion, oregano, smoked paprika and cumin,
• pumpkin roasted with some smoked paprika,
• steamed asparagus,
• mashed avocado with lemon juice, garlic, spring onion and a bit of water to thin it down,
• corn chips

It was so good and I felt so good after eating it.  More of the black beans and roasted pumpkin went into a chilli non carne.  Avocado is perfect on a bowl of chilli and rice.

So today I decided I needed a CLT - that is a Coconut Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich.  This was not a traditional one as I used baby spinach rather than lettuce and a roll rather than slices of bread but, oh my giddy aunt, it was delicious!

If only Sylvia would eat this.  I let her make lunch this morning while we were scurrying around getting ready and she made fairy bread - yes that is 100s and 1000s (sprinkles) in her sandwich.  But I will be enjoying more avocados on my chilli non carne tonight at dinner.

Echuca holiday, accommodation and what we ate

After lunch and book shop browsing in Castlemaine, we arrived at our rented cottage in Echuca in late afternoon.  Echuca is a few hours drive north of Melbourne on banks of the Murray River.  This post is an overview of the cottage where we stayed and places where we ate.  Echuca did not strike me as a town of amazing foodie cafes.  Yet we ate well.  I will write about the sightseeing in the historic port in a separate post.

Echuca Gardens (The Cottage)

103 Mitchell St, Echuca

Echuca Gardens has a few self catering accommodation options and we chose the cottage that sleeps 8 people because it had the larger lounge and kitchen. As we had so many beds, we invited my parents to visit which they did on the last night with my brother Dave.

I also liked that it was about 150 years old.  The owner, Kym, had renovated the cottage when it was in disrepair.  I loved all the friezes, pressed metal and framed pictures.  The frieze in the kitchen was particularly impressive for its Australiana theme with both the yellow and green colour scheme and the wattle motifs. 

The owner of Echuca Gardens is talented and fascinating.  He invited us into his house to see his extensive collection of souvenirs from his travels and hear him play piano to us.  He also is an artist and has painted murals in the garden of the place.  There were a few other accommodation options there included gypsy wagons which unfortunately were only large enough for a couple.

The kitchen was well equipped with both an oven and dishwasher, basic equipment as well as some basics in the pantry.  The only thing we really missed was a bowl for E to make porridge in the microwave.  I also had problems with finding the second switch to turn on the stove and oven one night and ended up cooking pasta in the microwave.

What we ate at the cottage

We came with lots of food, most of it in packets or tins that meant it could be taken home again.  I didn't bake any sweet goods for the holiday but I made a loaf of bread and I had a few honey joys that weren't sold at the Carnivale.

Food stuffs we brought included sourdough bread, peanut butter, vegemite, smoked almonds, naan bread, packaged curries, dried pasta, pasta sauce, cashews, soy snacks, crackers, cherry tomatoes, snow peas, margarine, chickpeas, tomato soup, baked beans, crisps, oats, muesli, Sylvia's cereal, tetra pak soy milk, golden syrup, herbal and regular tea, honey joys, wallaby bites (chocolate treats), popcorn, strawberry liquorice, apples, bananas.  I also brought along my favourite small knife and chopping board.  We bought a few vegies, croissants and yoghurt from Aldi in Echuca.

We ate most breakfasts at the cottage.  Mostly croissants (for E), muesli and yoghurt for me, cereal for Sylvia and toast for all of us.  From our holiday pantry we had dinners of curries and naan bread one night and pasta with pasta sauce and salad.  One night we had fish and chips (corn jack and chips for Sylvia and me) from Fish Bite Seafood (158 Hare St).  I made a salad to eat with it which made it less heavy.

I was really glad of some vegetables back at the cottage because there were not many in the meals I ate out.  In fact, much as I loved Echuca it was not a town of foodies.  I did not find any cafes which provided impressive vegetarian meals and had to improvise on a few occasions.  It was only after we left that my mum spotted a cafe that had a sign saying it served vegetarian and gluten free food (opposite the Black Pudding on the High St).

The Beechworth Bakery 
513 High Street, Echuca

We wanted to eat brunch out one day and decided to go to the Beechworth Bakery.  It is an impressive bakery for a cuppa and something sweet but not a place for a vegetarian to find breakfast (given that I don't like eggs).  We all had cheese croissants (except E had ham in his as well).  I hadn't seen many other places that did interesting vegetarian breakfasts but I might have had a fry up at the Black Pudding just down the High St.

As with so many eating establishments in Echuca, I was more impressed with the physical place than the food.  It had amazing views out the front over the High Street from the balcony or at the back over the Campaspie River.

We enjoyed our croissant and juice but I wanted something sweet.  Fortunately we were there late enough to justify morning tea and we each had a doughnut.  I had to try the nutella doughnuts which I loved, Sylvia had a cute frog in a pond which amused her and E went the traditional route and had a cinnamon doughnut.

I loved looking at the cakes and slices display in the Beechworth Bakery.  It was so much fun with all the marshmallow creatives and decorated cupcakes.  I really loved that it also had lots slices (lamingtons, jelly slice and vanilla slice) that you would find in a traditional Aussie country bakery.  They also sell pies and pasties which I have enjoyed before.

Star Hotel
45 Murray Esplanade, Echuca

One of the lunches that I most enjoyed was the Star Hotel.  We might well have been here after the Beechworth bakery as we only had a light lunch.  E ordered the tomato and basil bruschetta which he enjoyed with a nice rocket salad.  Sylvia and I shared the spicy capsicum, hummus and tzatziki dips, olives and pizza bread.  The dips were nice but the pizza bread was amazing.  It was crisp on the bottom and light and airy and warm.  In fact as I look at their online menu I curse that I missed their dessert pizzas.  However I wasn't that hungry and they weren't that cheap.

We ate in the leafy courtyard.  Our time in Echuca had perfect mid 20s temperatures, blue skies and sunshine.  So we welcomed the shade.  However the dappled light beneath the tree did not make for great food photography.

I really liked the place and would have liked to have returned if we had time (and E had liked it more).  It was one of the pricier places we went.  However the staff were friendly and I loved the little interesting touches in the decor.

The Star Hotel is situated in the heart of historic Echuca and had a door to a downstairs area where one of the staff told us people used to drink beyond the legal hours.  Sylvia, bless her little innocent heart, asked if the people who worked there would have known.  We were invited to have a look but we had a paddle steamer to catch.  We meant to return to check it out but just ran out of time.

The Port Ice Creamery
616 High Street, Echuca 

Sylvia loves ice cream so we went for an ice cream at the Port Ice Creamery.  I had a cherry ripe with coconut and cherries and chocolate swirl.  It was pretty ordinary.  Lots of artificial and not much flavour.  Sylvia had a rainbow ice cream which is for kids with all their taste in their eyes.  E hit the jackpot with an English toffee ice cream that I wished I had ordered.  Sylvia and I tried to snatch as many mouthfuls of it as we could.

Brownz Courtyard Cafe

591 High Street, Echuca

I had promised Sylvia pancakes at another cafe but I think it was the echoes of my favourite cheese pancakes at the Pancake Parlour that drew me into this Brownz Courtyard Cafe with Pancakes written large on its side.  As well as pancakes there were lots of breakfast options and kid's meals.  I liked this place with its friendly staff and extensive options.

I chose the deckhand's choice which was a cheese and onion pancake with salad on the side.  The pancake wasn't as good as the Pancake Parlour but I enjoyed it.  The addition of onion was great.  It was a relief to have some vegies with my meal.

I was pleased hat Sylvia had baked beans.  By the time we were here she was over having chips at every place!  She did balk at the toast being buttered and cut the wrong shape.  I let her deal with it and she eventually ate some.  I guess whoever said that travel broadens the mind, never thought it might mean having your toast cut differently!  She was more excited about her raspberry spider (ice cream in raspberry lemonade).  E enjoyed an egg and bacon sandwich.

Tara's Hall Hotel

130 Pakenham St, Echuca

On our last night we went to dinner with my parents and my brother at the Tara's Hall Hotel which was the local pub near our accommodation.  We were told that it was the place the locals ate.  For some people this is high recommendation but I find this makes me quite nervous when dining in the country (where a country chef once told me vegetarians like me was the bane of his life).  And my concerns proved to be well founded.  The pub was a meat eaters delight.  In fact the huge steaks even defeated my parents who love their meat.  The steaks were almost the size of their heads!

My heart sank when I saw that the only vegetarian dish on offer was tomato soup.  It is not my favourite soup and though it was served in a cup it was a huge bowl sized cup.  Sylvia had some pasta with parmesan that she didn't eat so I added a bit to the soup.  We also ordered garlic bread - which came in surprisingly small serves.  It was just two small pieces of bread.  I guess guests usually have to save room for the huge steaks.  And we had some chips too.  E had bruschetta which he liked.

It was my brother who was happiest with his meal because they let him have the kid's serve of the chicken parmigiana with chips, which was plenty for him.  It was a nice place to eat and the staff were lovely but I just would not return because they do not cater well to vegetarians.

We also enjoyed eating at the Wistaria Tea Rooms which I will write about in a separate post.  I would not rush back to Echuca for its food offerings but I think it did a decent job for an Australian country town.  I am sure there is more food to explore in Echuca.  However I really loved the historic buildings and port and will write more about that soon.