Vegetables Naturally

April 1999

Not many restaurants can pay the extra price of organic produce. With such a competitive market they need to keep costs down. Perhaps if there was more consumer demand they might consider putting on dishes which featured organic products.

Certainly there is demand for vegetarian dishes and to some extend those eaters also prefer the taste and cleanliness of the organic.

Amongst those places that are proud of being part of the non-pesticide, non fertiliser crowd are Belinda’s Foodstore, Café Cafe Organix; Cafe Tarrango, Nostralis Wholemeal Pizza, Rasa’s Vegie Bar and Wild Rice

Belinda’s at the back of the Toorak Village is known for its vegetarian dishes but certainly does not exclude meats and poultry from the menu. Free range chicken cooked Thai style and pork rolls with soy ginger dip are amongst the most popular. ‘Sausage Rolls’ are made with ‘Chinese chicken (?) or traditional beef’. Amongst the six soups on offer are an oxtail and winter vegetable soup and ‘my great grandmother Augusta’s traditional lamb shank and barley soup’. Owner and chef Belinda Carver tries to make sure the fruits and vegetables she uses are organically grown.

Café Organix in Brunswick promises that all their fruit and vegetables are grown organically. Beside the Café is the Organic Wholefoods Grocery which stocks a complete range of health food items. Devotees claim that this is one of the few places in Melbourne where you can be sure that your juice is made from organic produce. (Hagen’s Organics at Prahran Market also juices organic fruits)

At Café Tarrango chef owner Debu Battacharya tries to use organic produce as much as possible. But "there are not enough growers to keep up supply all of the time" management here says. "Supermarket chains have tried to establish organic sections and then discarded them. This has made many growers wary of continuing on this difficult path. There are no guarantees of sales of ‘spotted or blemished goods’ to the general market".

Sam Safidi, the owner of Nostralis Wholemeal Pizza in Caulfield came to Australia from Jordan nearly thirty years ago. He has a commitment bordering on the fanatical for the virtues of wholemeal flour and organic produce. His menu declares "abuse of nature’s law is bringing about a major ecological eating crisis of the pizza," and says that "wholemeal pizzas are the only reality that can resolve the dilemma of our time".

Rasa’s Vegie Bar is a tiny hole in the wall in St Kilda with a bench outside. Predominantly organic produce is used here and it serves a surprising number of meals.

Around the corner in Barkly Street, Wild Rice is a happy place to enjoy a range of vegetarian dishes, "food cooked and served with love" is their message. Amongst their aims is to use organic produce ‘where possible". It’s a popular spot with its pleasant courtyard out back and a daily changing menu.

NOTE

List of sellers of organic produce--

Vic Market Organics at Stall 72-76 (Shed I) at Queen Vic and also have a shop called Juicy Fruit in Barkly Street, St Kilda

John Gordon at Stall 77-81 (Shed I) at Queen Vic

Hagen’s Organix at stall 313 Prahran Market