Mandurah (Western Australia)

Flics

Upon return to beautiful WA I have been staying in the quiet coastal town (well technically city) of Mandurah, an hours drive south of Perth. A few years ago vegan options here were as rare as a unicorn but alas with the vegan trend sweeping through Perth it has also trickled down to Mandurah.

Flics is a busy, trendy cafe on the foreshore, overlooking the estuary. The menu caters for all with a detailed drinks list and variety of breakfast lunch and dinner meals.

I went with my omni parents who are, like most of their Irish bred generation, used to their comfort foods and afraid to try the unfamiliar. They settled with a safe yet well cooked eggs benedict.

Being the ‘vegan’, Mum was concerned there wouldn’t be anything for me but alas she had nothing to worry about! The vegan brekkie option was tempting although I opted for the less filling coconut yogurt pot.

At the base was home made coconut yogurt, followed by crunchy granola, fresh pineapple, scatterings of blueberries and on top was a scoop of mouth watering mango sorbet. Each flavour in the pot worked together. Savouring each bite I enjoyed the crunch of the granola and the smooth sweetness of the yogurt.

Visually pleasing and filling (4/5)

Barcelona

A few weeks ago a girlfriend found cheap flights to Barcelona for the weekend so in true wanderer fashion we clicked confirm sale straight away and started to plan our Spanish adventure.

When I imagine Barcelona I don’t think about the beaches, bowls of paella, sun kissed cheeks or adoring football fans. I think about the La Boqueria food markets and the rainbow of fresh fruits and vegetables on offer. Like a kid in a candy shop, my eyes lit up at the amazing fruity delights. Pink dragon fruit, exotic star fruit, juicy mangoes, sweet plums and never ending punnets of berries. I had no qualms spending 20 euros on a bag full of fruit.

How can you not love these colours!?

With my friends being meat eaters we compromised that I would find a vegan restaurant for one of the nights. After searching through many options I came across Teresa Carles. Although not a fully vegan restaurant I still had many options to choose from. I started off with mushrooms in a thick gravy with potatoes. Nothing over special or unique but tasty non the less. We then shared a few different cakes, each taking their own spin on classic flavours.

The brunch venue was a show stopper! On Sunday morning we left our hostel famished and ready for a wholesome meal to get us through the journey home. After much research (thank you Google!) I found Brunch and Cake. The rave reviews grabbed my attention, as well as the promise of a few vegan options. The line was winding around the corner and upon arrival we were welcomed with the promise of a 40 minute wait. Through some intervention of some kind we managed to grab a table within 5 minutes (maybe because we didn’t mind squeezing three of us into a 2 person booth).

After much deliberation and pondering I decided up on the acai bowl. I don’t say this often but it was the BEST ACAI BOWL I have EVER had! On top of the blended acai and banana mix was a combo of fresh strawberries, banana slices, passionfruit, apples, kiwi and their homemade peanut granola. It was a dining experience I never wanted to end. Along with my meal I chose the blueberry smoothie which was mixed with coconut and other complimentary fruits. A unique twist I enjoyed was the layer of chia pudding at the base of the glass. Each of their smoothie options have a chia pudding which is flavoured to add to the fruits in the smoothie. Mine was mango.

10/10 for a weekend trip of delicious food!