I Don't Eat, I Devour

Plant based burgers - who knew they would ever take off? Well, apparently they did, because Soul Burger in Randwick turned completely vegan a while ago and has been serving soy-protein patties ever since. Straya Mate, $16 The 'Straya Mate consists of lettuce, tomato, grilled pineapple, guacamole and beetroot sauce, along with the dreaded soy protein 'beef' pattie. Overall the burger is quite enjoyable, but mostly thanks to the other ingredients apart from the main act. The soy protein pattie is dry and crumbly, and although not offensive, I think I would have disliked it but for the abundance of sauces and other ingredients to distract me from the taste. American Badass, $16 This is a monster - apart from the plant-based 'beef', this burger also comes with hash brown, onion rings, caramalised onions and veggie slaws, as well as mustard and ketchup. I think whether or not you enjoy these plant based burgers really depends on what you look for in a burger

Berta is truly one of the hidden gems on the Sydney dining scene. Tucked in an inconspicuous doorway on Alberta Street, Berta offers one of the most beautifully crafted set menus every Tuesday evening: Sagra. During Sagra, the chef takes one ingredient and curates a four-course menu around that ingredient. On previous occasions I have been to a pomegranate themed dinner and another one with artichoke, and both have been delicious. There is something very relaxing about giving over control to the kitchen team and letting them surprise you with their creations. The Sagra menu I am about to review is slightly different to the usual Sagra format, because the theme, rather than a single ingredient, is 'St Stephens Day' - or Italian Boxing day. Being the day after Christmas, the kind of food created are those which may be considered 'leftover fare' - where you take the bits and bobs you weren't able to use up for the Christmas feast and create yet another feast. The

The vegan bandwagon has been well and truly powering along for a couple of years now, and there are more options than ever for those who choose to adopt a plant-based diet. I am not a vegan, but I have been curious about the new crop of vegan restaurants popping up in the trendy suburbs of Sydney and am keen to discover how they are able to attract food-lovers while denying patrons any animal product. Prior to the vegan diet becoming popularised, one of the main reasons why I turned my nose up at vegan food is that they often try to fake animal products instead of allowing vegetables and fruits to speak for themselves. The sound of 'imitation beef' or 'no-meat steak' was quite off-putting to me, because being as familiar as I already am with tofu, I simply don't think they pass off as meat. However, the repetoire of vegan chefs have expanded well beyond soy products, so it's time to give vegan food a fair try.  Let's start with 'mylk'-based d