Australia is a land of steakhouses, grills and big steaks.
Our friends in America have the same enthusiasm for grills and big pieces of meat. But the land of the vegan new frontier has come up with a fascinating alternative – the veg grill.
The Veggie Grill, which has 3 locations in California, actually markets itself as a provider of ‘Original Sandwiches & Burgers’, yet all their grilled offerings, including ‘The Stack’ – a grilled veggie steak piled with onion rings, tomato, lettuce, pickles and dressing – are available without bread.
Other items on their menu include interesting salads such as Baja Fiesta, which has a ginger-papaya vinaigrette, soup like Bean Me Up Chili, various grilled chickin fare such as Bayou Chickin and Sata Fe Crispy Chickin plus a grilled tempeh dish called Bali Bliss.
Last year the editors of VegNews magazine awarded the Veggie Grill the Best Restaurant of the Year in their annual Veggie Awards.
Earlier this month i sampled what was possibly the best roast tofu i’d had at Sirens in Tasmania. I’m a little wary of of big slabs of tofu – they can end up perfect fodder for die hard carnivores. But even though this did come out in a big slab it was really tasty, with an irresistable smoky bbq flavour.
So having sampled tofu at its best and heard of the Veggie Grill, could Australia handle a veg grill of its own? (By the way kudos to Sirens, who although they’re vegetarian, offered up sumptuous vegan food.) As well as offering take offs of meat counterparts like steak and chicken, it could also add tofu and tempeh, which done right, could halt meat lovers in their tofu ridiculing tracks. (Someone told me about a fridge magnet that had the slogan ‘Tofu – F U’.)
It’s an idea that would suit Australia and its love for bbq. But the food would have to be tasty to avoid becoming the butt of meat lovers’ jokes.
At its best though, i see a chain of veg grills across the country, like the NSW based Iku. A place we’d have no hesitation sharing with meat lovers we know.
Rico
Tags: steak, steakhouse, veggie grill
