parliament, the spring street grocer and miss chu (again)

I’m a bit of a politics fan and there has been a fair bit of drama in the Victorian Parliament over the last week with the expulsion or suspension of an MP and the prospect of a deadlocked assembly.

For a couple of days I spent some time in the public gallery watching events unfold. Both days I needed to queue to get in. Parliament has never been so interesting!

On the first day I went to Miss Chu for lunch beforehand and had one of their vegan banh mi. These are only available at lunch. Delicious, full of mushrooms, the crunch of cashews, coriander, sauce and pickles on a crisp baguette. Great, but messy to eat!

I had been one of the last to get into the public gallery at parliament on the first day, so I was keen to secure a spot for the second day when there was more action expected. There was already a queue of six people when I arrived, over an hour before opening, so I went across the road to the Spring Street Grocer and grabbed a sandwich and picnicked on the steps of Parliament in the queue. Luckily I did get in!

But back to the food…

Pleasingly, there were at least five vegan options in the sandwiches on offer at the Spring Street Grocer. I opted for a toasted focaccia with eggplant, pesto and white bean puree.  This was several cuts above your average sandwich. The foccacia was crunchy, the puree was smooth and delicious and the eggplant beautifully cooked. It came with some potato crisps, American style.

Another good lunch option at the top of the city.

Spring Street Grocer
157 Spring Street
Melbourne, 3000
http://www.springstreetgrocer.com.au/

Miss Chu
297 Exhibition St
Melbourne, 3000
http://www.misschu.com.au/