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Three Meat-Free Dishes to try in Bondi

As a born and bred carnivore, I’ve always struggled to get excited about anything vegetarian. As I’ve grown older, though, the brutal reality of factory farming has become harder to avoid and with test tube meat still a little while off, I’m far more inclined these days to give the greens a go.

With omnivores making up roughly 90% of the Bondi population, we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to vegetarian dining options in the Bubble.

Here are a few of the top picks for the vegans, vegos and flexitarians wanting a meat-free bite by the beach.

Funky Pies

These guys are the embodiment of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. Whilst the shop front itself isn’t quite a feast for the eyes, you can be sure that what they’re cooking up behind the counter is one for your taste buds. Their pies are found in cafes and restaurants all around the country and are all made in the cosy Bondi store.

As you can imagine, the Funky Pies crew is all about sustainability and loving the earth. Along with the gluten-free and vegan pies & rolls, their coffee and juices are organic and fair trade; their packaging is biodegradable and they donate to a multitude of ethical charities. The Rustic Bolognese and Chilli-non-Carne pies are my go-to and are such good imitations of their meaty counterparts that they’ve even earned the Best Mock Meat Dish award by the prestigious Adzuki Awards.

Lauries Vegetarian

Up on Bondi Road is a cafeteria-style shop that offers affordable, convenient and ridiculously tasty vego meals. Laurie was vegetarian way before it was cool and her shop has developed a religious following among the omnivores of the eastern beaches. It’s fast food vegetarian style with ready-to-go comfort food like lasagne, lentil casserole and chickpea curry, which you can mix or combine with one of the many salads and finish off with a vegan chocolate cake for dessert. I prefer to be in and out in a couple of minutes and digging in down by the beach but there are a couple of tables in-store if you want to stick around to meet some of Bondi’s weird and wonderful vegos.

Sadhana Kitchen

If you’re a die-hard vegan and you’re after a tasty brekky or brunch, this is the place to be. Located on Warners Ave, a two-minute walk from the sand and just around the corner from QT Bondi, Sadhana serves up a seasonal menu of organic, pesticide-free, plant-based whole foods with almost everything made from scratch. Their twist on the classic Eggs Benny with vegan eggs made of coconut and sweet potato and tempeh bacon will have you licking your lips and questioning the limits of vegan food.

Now if your friends aren’t as down with the plant-based lifestyle or you’re a flexitarian that likes to mix it up Lox Stock & Barrel and Earth Food Store Café also have a sweet vegetarian menu and the Bonditony’s veggie burger seriously rivals the beef!

words by james philips

image: sadhana


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