The West End in Brisbane is a great place for a foodie to explore. Especially if you’re looking for a little city chic and up-market dining. You can certainly grab an awesome brunch, lunch or dinner. Plus, there’s some lovely veggie spots to feast at if you’re living life without meat. Sat on the street corner is one of those vegetarian foodie spots, VegeRama.
The Vibes:
Founded by a lady called Ruchi, this chain of restaurant is helping shape a new generation of conscious eating through a plant based diet. Envisioning a more sustainable food culture and only sourcing fresh and local produce, Vege-Rama strives to serve ethically-sourced wholesome healthy food. With great focus on compassion towards animals and less environmental impact too, they also use biodegradable packaging and eco-friendly procedures. It was really refreshing to find a restaurant which advocates the same values and vision of Life Without Meat!
The restaurant itself airs an up-market but relaxing vibe to suit its location in The West End. I loved the colourful tile work above the open-kitchen. It illustrated the restaurant’s core values which was a nice touch; and the colour added a funky vibe in contrast to the rest of the restaurant’s décor.
The Service:
The staff were very friendly, professional and attentive, though they served quite a cool and casual vibe with it. I ate at VegeRama for lunch and at this time, it wasn’t too busy. I was sat immediately and didn’t wait too long for food either.
The Food:
And the food… oh my life, it was great!
For starters, I had the Steamed Sao Bun Sliders. These were filled with black sesame tempeh, Asian slaw, spiced peanuts and pickled ginger. My God, these buns were an explosion of Asian flavour, oozing with all sorts of spice and seasoning. The ginger in the pickled cucumber was particularly prominent and went well with the sticky tasty tempeh. The buns were delightfully soft and everything in the middle just melted in your mouth. They were honestly amazing…
After, I had their Quinoa & Chickpea Falafel Salad. Green beans, sesame and sweet potato, heirloom tomato, and radish mixed together on a plate, drizzled with mint coconut yogurt and tahini dressing. Sounds delicious right? So I had to try it. The falafel was excellent – crunchy on the outside and full of flavour on the inside. Though my mains were a different cuisine completely and probably didn’t pair well with my Asian infused starters. It was delicious nonetheless. Part of me wished I ordered the Singapore Noodles because they looked soooo good too.
The Damage:
The Bao Bun sliders cost $15 and my salad was $18. Though the price of food is quite expensive, in all fairness you are eating in one of Brisbane’s nicer areas, so it’s not more than you’d expect.
Should I go to Vege-Rama?
Vege-Rama was a lovely spot to eat out at. I’d highly recommend a visit if you’re living life without meat. It was a pleasure to experience great and tasty ethically-sourced food in the heart of Brisbane city.
VegeRama, Shop 2a/220 Melbourne St, West End QLD 4101
