Walter G's, Dickson

Pizza is one of those things that people think vegans have to go without. But it isn't true any more. Aside from making your own at home, outlets such as Walter G's in Dickson are stepping in to take advantage of this gap in the market. Walter G's have gone the extra step by explicitly listing vegan options on the menu, and with vegan cheeses & aioli. All you have to do is ask for the vegan options and you will be taken care of. They have also taken a number of steps to avoid accidental contamination of ingredients. Pictured here is the veggie patch made vegan and with extra olives. A wonderful occasional treat.

Veggie patch (vegan version)

Kingsland Restaurant, Dickson (part 5)

Okay, so we go to Kingsland restaurant quite often. However, we do have something new to report.

The menu has been reworked to include some new dishes and desserts. There are several new types of soup on offer. The soups are served in large bowls which makes them substantial meals in their own right.

Particularly exciting is the tofu pho soup. This noodle dish is packed with fresh vegetables and served with a side plate of sprouts and fresh herbs. It is very tasty and we can only suggest you give it a try - prices are very reasonable.

The tofu laksa soup is rich, spicy and creamy, and it is the best laksa we have had in several years.

When eating out, soups can be tricky for vegans because it is hard to know exactly what ingredients have been used in the stock. At Kingsland there are no worries since everything is vegan.

Phở soup

Laksa soup

Kingsland Restaurant - Healthy Vegan Cuisine
Shop 5 Dickson Plaza, 67-69 Woolley Street, Dickson
(02) 6262 9350

Kingsland Restaurant, Dickson (part 4)

The salt and pepper tofu at Kingsland is vegan comfort food at its best. The recipe has been improved over time, incorporating some onion for extra flavour. There aren't many vegetables served with it, so it's best served with another meal that has more vegies included (and rice of course). 

The sweet corn patties are listed as an entrée and are a nice addition to any meal. They are served with a sweet plum sauce.

These two are some of the items that we order regularly at the restaurant.

Our previous review can be found here.

Salt and pepper tofu

Sweet corn patties

Kingsland Restaurant - Healthy Vegan Cuisine
Shop 5 Dickson Plaza, 67-69 Woolley Street, Dickson
(02) 6262 9350

Au Lac, Dickson (part 2)

On another visit to Au Lac, we ordered the stuffed bean curd in sweet & sour sauce. It appears to be bean curd that has had noodles stirred through it and then baked. The sweet & sour sauce is quite hearty and natural, almost like a thick soup. Some lightly cooked vegetables are included. This is great vegan food and we don't know of anywhere else in Canberra that makes anything like it.

Stuffed bean curd in sweet & sour sauce

See previous review here.

Au Lac Gourmet Vegetarian Restaurant
Shop 4, 39 Woolley Street
Dickson ACT
(02) 6262 8922

Kingsland Restaurant, Dickson (part 3)

The Ma Po Tofu at Kingsland consists of soft tofu and vegetables in a spicy sauce. The chilli flavour is a little hotter than most of their other dishes, but it is not too overpowering. It is visually interesting with a colourful variety of vegetables, and rice makes a good accompaniment. The chilli sauce soaks into the rice and makes it really tasty. This was another great meal at our favourite vegan restaurant in Canberra.

Ma Po Tofu

See previous reviews here and here.
UPDATE: a more recent review can be found here.

Kingsland Restaurant - Healthy Vegan Cuisine
Shop 5 Dickson Plaza, 67-69 Woolley Street, Dickson
Ph: 6262 9350

My Rainbow Dreams, Dickson

My Rainbow Dreams is a vegetarian cafe that offers a lot of vegan options. The food looks and tastes healthy. There are a number of tempting cakes and desserts, smoothies and fresh juices, and hot chai. The cafe is open during the day Monday - Saturday. See their website for opening times: www.myrainbowdreams.com.au

The Indian spiced lentil burger vegan option comes with hommous, satay sauce and salad.

Indian spiced lentil burger

The soup of the day is normally vegan (do check just in case). We had a hearty split pea soup on rice, though it can also be served with bread.

Soup of the day (split pea) on a bed of rice

Delicious marinated tofu and salad wrap with Tuscan bean pate, gluten free

My Rainbow Dreams
Dickson shops (opposite the Post Office)
Ph: 6247 8591

Kingsland Restaurant, Dickson (part 2)

Kingsland restaurant changed hands in recent years and this is one of the new choices that appeared on the menu. The eggplant and tofu is suffused with basil and a hint of chilli. It is one of the best dishes on the menu - try it and we think you will agree.

See also the review from our previous visit .

Kingsland Restaurant - Healthy Vegan Cuisine
Shop 5 Dickson Plaza, 67-69 Woolley Street, Dickson
Ph: 6262 9350

Au Lac Gourmet Vegetarian Restaurant, Dickson

Au Lac restaurant in Dickson forms something of a pair with Kingsland restaurant since they both specialise in Asian-style vegetarian, though Au Lac tends towards Vietnamese flavours. It seems that everyone has an opinion as to which restaurant they prefer, so you might as well have one too.

The royal noodle soup (below) is a popular dish that comes with a plate of fresh herbs. There are some mock meats used, and it is quite salty, but we enjoy a bit of salt every now and then. If you need to avoid gluten however, the choices in Au Lac are not clearly stated.

Royal noodle soup

Shredded tofu rolls

Fekerte's Ethiopian Cuisine, Dickson

Update: Fekerte's in Dickson has now closed, however they still have a presence in the food court of the Kingston Old Bus Depot markets.

There are some delicious vegan offerings at Fekerte’s Ethiopian Cuisine, Cape St, Dickson. In the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, members follow a strict vegan diet on Wednesdays and Fridays each week and daily in the lead up to Easter, so there's a good range of vegan dishes in Ethiopian cuisine. All mains are served with enjera—a spongy, slightly sour but scrumptious flatbread, and rice. 

Beetroot salad

Mixed plate – spiced lentils and vegetable curry

Lightly spiced pumpkin curry

Kingsland Restaurant, Dickson

Kingsland is the only completely vegan restaurant in Canberra. There is a huge choice of Asian-style dishes with creative use of vegetables, tofu and mock meats. The taste of meat is a distant memory for us, but thankfully, the mock meat doesn't quite mirror that taste. Most of the time you can just forget that it is supposed to represent an animal body part and enjoy it as the food as it is.

Anyway, we prefer the tofu dishes and there are plenty of those to choose from. The stir fried lemongrass tofu (pictured below) is a tasty dish to be savoured.

There is free tea on arrival, the staff are very friendly, and prices are affordable. There are lots of gluten free options, clearly marked on the menu.

The nest

Rice paper rolls

Stir fried lemongrass tofu