Vegan fish?!
Hunky Dory was created in 2004, inspired by almost 90 years of fishing on the Greek Islands! It started as a little family business to try to bring healthier seafood options to the usual take away of fish and chips.
I had visited them before actually and I have to say they sure have one of the best fish meals I have ever tried in my life! But this time, they took jt that little further and have come up with a whole menu of plant-based fish meals! 👏
I absolutely love that places are making the effort to create more plant based items and make every dietary requirements easier to please and, while sometimes the final vegan product doesn’t work out that well, here this is just INCREDIBLE! 🤩
I went to visit the South Melbourne store, even though I have previously visit the other South Yarra and Port Melbourne locations and although they are a Melbourne-based fish & chips chain’s, Hunky Dory is currently in 15 locations across NSW and VA!
The store has plenty of space both inside and outside and I absolutely love the blue and sea vibes it transmits. That was actually what drew me in the first time to try it - it looks to appetising and delicious the fish they have on the display windows and the fisherman vibes with the little buckets even!
Like I said, this time, even though I absolutely love their fish, this time I went to try their new plant based menu with new dishes featuring Future Farm’s fish-less fish!
What is the fish made of? It’s a combo of soy, wheat and pea proteins, vegetables and some grains such as quinoa, amaranth and millet and I have to say, I AM A FAN 👏 they take pride in preparing and cooking fresh, tasty and healthy meals made to order and I love the fact that incorporated many healthy options and wholesome salads to this new menu so that everyone can create a perfectly balanced meal. The ‘fish’ itself can be served in a burger or wrap with sweet potato wedges or in the famous Hunky Bowl.
All the items sounded amazing and it was hard to choose what to have! Even though I didn’t go for the Super Salads, I want to highlight they were incredibly good looking and the two new vegan additions to the menu are the Cous Cous with cous cous, kale, cucumber, red capsicum, sundried tomatoes, cranberries, parsley, spring onion & citrus dressing, and the Spiced Cauliflower which I was told it isn’t spicy at all and features cauliflower, brown rice, chickpeas, edamame, corn, currants & Dijon vinaigrette.
I absolutely want to try them in the future but here are the items that I went for and tried:
- Southern Fried Cauliflower - if you think that cauliflower is boring, I have to say that I personally agree 😂 I’m definitely not a fan. And I had actually tried some fried cauliflower before and wasn’t that impressed. But after seeing the pictures of these ones, I knew it was a winner. And IT SURE WAS 👏 this was one of the best new things I have tried lately and I am a fan! It comes in a portion of 3, each one relatively large and with a very delicious and decadent aioli on the side (seriously SO GOOD!) I have to say that the price is slightly more expensive than I would find it ideal for just a smallish item but it is definitely worth the money. The taste incredible and the outside and crumble is absolutely incredible 👏the inside is of good consistency too and this makes me want to eat cauliflower indeed 😂 a must try, definitely! Foodie tip: add this cauliflower bites to a burger instead of the sweet potato fries! Big call, I know, but TRUST ME, you will love it, you sure will!
- Hunky Spring Roll - huge expectations for this vegan roll as I am a huge spring roll lover! Ive had my fair share of good, average and very bad rolls too 😂 and I cannot highlight enough how impressed again I was with this! They use not only the usual corn and carrots inside, with a few bits and pieces of greens but they actually add some peas to the filling! How good! The spring one is presented with two items on the official board of the menu, but you have to purchase them individually. I only had one and I think for the size the price is reasonable for this one - it is way bigger than your usual spring roll and basically twice the size! Not greasy and crunchy on the outside as it should be 👏 would have it again for sure! It comes with again the same aioli and 🤤 OMG, it’s just so good!
- Plant-based Fishless Fish - I wanted to have a little more of their new fishnets fish so I added a little extra, so I could pair it with the spring roll! I’ve already described the vegan fish and I will repeat again that this is amazing 👏 it is not greasy like you find with some other competitors and even with non vegan competitor options and this sure won’t be the last time having these! They nailed it from the shiny but not oily look, the the actual portion size and then the taste 👏 for me it does that a taste of chicken nuggets actually 😂 it doesn’t taste much like fish to me and I think it would be quite hard to surpass the quality of the fish the my provide, but it is certainly very well done and achieved and the whole team deserves and applause! 👏
- Plant-based Fishless Fish Hunky Bowl - of course that I could not visit without trying the one and only Hunky Bowl but in the plant based version! All their bowls come with fresh broccoli, red cabbage, cucumber, edamame, corn and red pepper, that are fresh and of adequate portion of each 👏 they also come with lemon & dill brown rice for that wholesome and nourishing aspect and a sesame dressing that is absolutely decadent and you will want to lick it all 😂 in this case because I went for the plant based bowl, it came with the fishless fish items, slightly smaller than the separate items but as great as the other. This is what I see as the perfect balanced meal for take away and I think vegans will definitely appreciate the fact that they can do that too at Hunky Dory (and not just vegans! 😂🤭😍). They also have another Hunky Bowl, just with the same old base but with the new cauliflower items and I’m sure it’s as good! Can definitely recommend!
- Lentil Burger - one thing I like to try at places is items that they don’t specialise in, as it shows how much commitment and effort they make to have something different. And it can go very well or very wrong because obviously it’s a risk 😂 and these guys added not only a fishless fish burger with their new menu (you can basically have the vegan fish in any form from the a burger or wrap with sweet potato wedges, to the healthy Hunky Bowl or even just as single item!) but a lentil burger! Risky call for a fish based store but I have to say very much appreciated result! 👏👏👏 plus it gives vegans another option to choose from, which is always welcomed and very thoughtful! The size of the burger is big and I absolutely loved it! The lentil patty is one of the best I’ve ever tried, great portion and relatively tall, with an outstanding consistency and taste and pairs very very well with some beetroot relish on top of it - very curious combination but definitely works and even though I’m not a huge beetroot fan, this was just fantastic and lick-finger! 👏 I am sold indeed! It comes, below the patty, with a lot of shredded cos, pickled cucumber, tomato and has again the famous aioli that I cannot get enough of 😍
They say that at Hunky Dory, you’re part of the family, and I think you truly are. With great food and a great team behind this business, you have the recipe for success 👏
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