Review: Mantra Lounge

Recently I had lunch at Mantra Lounge in Carlton. The place is near Melbourne University. It was a cold day, so I needed to eat something warm, and the food pictures on the internet for this place looked like they served warm food. In fact, even during the summer I prefer eating warm cooked food because I have sensitive teeth.

Mantra Lounge is 100% vegan, which is refreshing because it means I can order without worry and feel normal. I don't need to explain to anyone that I want no cheese, etc.

I ordered a "supreme" meal deal for about $18 and received a plate of lasagna with a salad (beans). I also had a chocolate "pleasecake" and a hot chocolate. The meal was extremely filling, and on a cold day it was very warm.

The location is also nice as it overlooks the old buildings of Melbourne University. There are giant old trees on the road. Leaves were falling from these old trees as I ate, which was very pleasant.

Review: Monk Bodhi Dharma Balaclava

Monk Bodhi Dharma is quite a small place. It’s important to look at the Monk Bodhi Dharma website as well as Google Maps first to see where it is. The website instructs you to park in a nearby Woolworths parking area, and from there it is a short walk to the cafe/deli. Thankfully you don’t need to pay anything at the Woolworths carpark. Driving and parking here is really easy.

Source: monkbodhidharma.com

When I arrived, it was a Sunday morning, so it was quite busy. A group of friends and I needed to wait fifteen minutes. Once inside, I noticed that the place is cramped and crowded. Everything on the menu is vegetarian and can be veganized. I ordered a veganized avocado on toast (called "The Avo"). This dish was recommended to me and I enjoyed it. The avocado was delicious because they mixed something into it (perhaps chilli) that enhanced the taste. I really liked it. If I had to give one criticism, it would be the bread, which was a little too hard for my liking. I also had a soy flat white with my meal. I was told that the coffee in this place is renowned all over Melbourne. I am not a coffee expert, so I cannot give my opinion. Most coffee for me is the same, so I end up judging a cafe by how extensive their vegan milk options are and how happy and nice the staff are.

All up I paid $19 for both the avocado on toast as well as the soy flat white. The place accepted Mastercard.


The Avo (Vegan) at Monk Bodhi Dharma Balaclava

Review: Atman Kafe Ubud

I am holidaying in Ubud, Bali now. I found accommodation on one of the main roads (Jalan Hanoman or Hanoman Street) to make sure I could walk to important areas (cafes, restaurants, ATMs, and convenience stores) without catching a taxi. It is so much more convenient having everything within walking distance.

Along Hanoman Street there is a placed called Atman Kafe. This place seems to have two different areas, a big restaurant to the left and a smaller cafe to the right. I went into the cafe on the right because it seemed less crowded.



The place has air conditioning and free WiFi. It seemed clean and neat. There are tables, but rather than providing individual chairs they provide cushions and pillows where you can stretch your legs and more easily mingle with other people. I actually prefer this setup because it is more cosy.



While the ergonomics are not ideal, you could easy place a laptop on your lap and get some work done here.

If you're sitting at the back, there is an opportunity for you to talk to random strangers if you are a solo traveler, although no one was at the cafe when I entered, and many travelers in Ubud seem to be very shy.

Atman Kafe serves meat but had an extensive range of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free food.

I ordered the vegan hot chocolate with cashew milk and Stevia. The hot chocolate was served to me alongside a small cylindrical glass container that has brown powder. I asked the staff what this brown powder was and whether I should mix it in my hot chocolate. Their English was not great, but eventually someone told me that this brown powder was the Stevia. I mixed the Stevia into the hot chocolate and drank it. It was okay, but it wasn't that sweet. I was under the impression that Stevia was supposed to make the drink sweet.


Vegan hot chocolate

After the hot chocolate, I ordered a large vegan margherita pizza. I expected vegan cheese to be used but instead it was replaced with crumbled cashew nuts. It wasn't that bad, and I appreciated a vegan pizza option.


Vegan margherita pizza

Following the pizza, I ordered a coco oil latte, which is a latte that had coconut oil in it. It sounded odd, so I felt I needed to try it. I suspect it is capitalizing on Dave Asprey's Bulletproof coffee fad (coffee mixed with coconut oil and grass fed butter).


Coco oil latte

Consuming fat with your coffee supposedly increases your energy, but I certainly didn't feel energetic after my coconut oil latte. My fingers were greasy as well.

For all this, I paid 130K rupiah (about US$10).

This place accepts credit card but charges a 3% surcharge, so it's best to pay with cash. Make sure the cash you use has been converted using a fair exchange rate without commission or fees.