Vegan Eats in Australia, Part 1

As a vegan, and as a vegan who happens to also be celiac, food can easily become a complicated part of travelling. You can’t just pop in to any restaurant and expect to eat, you have to really plan ahead. That is why, whenever possible, I like to cook “at home” when I’m travelling. It’s not only cheaper, it’s often easier and sometimes even tastier. It also gives you a chance to try new foods that you might not be able to get in your hometown.

Thankfully, Sydney makes it pretty easy for vegans. The produce options are amazing. I think I eat at least two passion fruit a day and have been trying new fruits and vegetables every couple of days. For example, I cooked up a quince the other night (which was interesting) and tonight I am going to be cooking with a vegetable that is half brussels sprouts, half kale.

I’ve also been lucky to find a decent number of vegan and gluten free products, from faux beef and fake cheese to English muffins and cookies. So far the highlights have been the vegan cheese (way better than Daiya!) and the gluten free and vegan bread options. The faux beef was interesting, but definitely not my favourite. It’s hard to make good vegan meat alternatives without gluten.

While I love cooking at home, going out for food is fun too and you should definitely do it when travelling if you can. I highly recommend finding a few places to eat before your day begins, otherwise you might waste time wandering around trying to find somewhere to eat (I have done this too many times). The first time I came to Sydney, I made a trip to Bondi Beach but beforehand googled vegan joints in the area. I stopped in at a local vegan restaurant that also carried some vegan groceries to pick up some vegan cheese. The owner and I started chatting and she eventually gave me a whole list of great vegan restaurants in Sydney to check out, which brought to the most vegan-friendly neighborhood I have ever encountered: Newtown.

Newtown is home to a series of vegan joints and many of the non-vegan restaurants in the area have vegan options. My top pick? Gelato Blue. It’s an all vegan gelato store. You might be thinking this is nothing special, vegan ice cream has been around forever. This is true, but the flavour options at Gelato Blue will blow your mind. Everything you have ever dreamed of is an option. It is truly amazing. Just a couple days ago I had a delicious Peanut Butter Chocolate ice cream topped with a scoop of Dulce de Leche ice cream. I’m going back tonight for more.