Vegie Hut Vegetarian Restaurant

During one of my many annual visits to rellies in Melbourne, my aunt and cousin brought me to Vegie Hut for a wholesome vegetarian dinner.

The place was simply decorated with earthy colours and was bustling with diners.

I enjoyed the variety of flavours present in the Oriental Entree Platter ($24.10).

I laughed myself silly at the thought of ordering a Veggie-Fin Soup ($5.40). Talk about not supporting shark fin soup!

The Braised Chinese Mushrooms on Vegetables ($15.10) was a simple dish. I liked the juiciness of the mushrooms.

The Honey Veggie-Prawn ($17.80) was crispy and my young nephew, little Kevin, absolutely loved it. Kids and fried stuff, sigh.

I was surprised that imitation meat/seafood would cost more, just like the real deal. A plate of Steam Fish with Enoki Mushrooms set us back $19.60. Hm, a little pricey, in my opinion. It did taste very fishy, though.

Ah, and complementary tong sui always tastes sweeter. ;)

Vegie Hut Vegetarian Restaurant
984 White Horse Road, Box Hill, VIC 3128, Australia
Tel: +61 3 9898 2287, Fax: +61 3 9898 9419, Email: yvonne@vegiehut.com.au
Wednesday to Monday 12:00pm to 3:00pm, 5:30pm to 10:00pm

Pei Shin's wedding

It has been a long time since Dad had a reunion with all his siblings. I have not seen some of my uncles, aunts and cousins for some time, too, especially the Beijing ones. One of the reasons I enjoy family reunions is the feeling of belongingness. There may be negative undercurrents and such but hey, we are still family and nothing beats that. 

One thing I have to mention is that everyone on Dad's side are artists of some sort. Take for example my uncle who runs a jewellery shop in my hometown of Temerloh. He is a wonderful watercolour painter (below is one of his paintings). My aunts in Melbourne and Beijing, are oil painters. If I could for anything, I am a self-professed colour pencil artist *sheepish grin*.

One other pretty big reason is the food that comes with reunions - my aunts are great cooks and so...

... yes, spoilt for choice! One aunt is really good with her baking while the other cooks up main dishes - perfect combo! It was also refreshing to have home-made Mojito, the first of anything that is edible (or drinkable, I should say) from my Beijing cousin.

Now, this reunion had a purpose. We were all in Melbourne for a special occasion - Pei Shin's wedding. Pei Shin is my pretty cousin, the one who could easily have won Miss Malaysia if she ever took part in it. On my dad's side of the family, she is the first of my generation to be married. This made it a little awkward for me during the (not so) traditional Chinese tea ceremony, as it was my first experience giving out angpaus.

The wedding itself took place at Fergusson Winery [Wills Road, Yarra Glen, VIC 3775, Australia; Tel: +61 3 5965 2237, Fax: +61 3 5965 2405; E-mail: info@fergussonwinery.com.au]. Yes, it was at a vineyard for all you outdoor vineyard wedding fans. And before I go into the photo feast, please allow me to boast a little about my talented family, again. Haha... the flower arrangements and all decorations, including the bows were made by my aunt and cousin. All of them. The only things that the winery provided were the location and furniture. Oh, and of course the food and drinks. But everything else was self-made.

We then proceeded into the restaurant for the wedding reception. There was another set of stationery for guests to be creative with indoors. Again, all decoration on the pillars, tables, you name it, were prepared by my aunt and cousin. 

Even the wedding cake was made by my aunt! Amazing or what? And no, she is not a professional pastry chef or what not. Not bad for someone who refers to online forums, baking magazines and Youtube.

These sugar crafted orchids looked real to me...

The emcee for the night was Matt's uncle, who also gave a little intro to what our little girl was getting herself into... I think he makes a fine comedian. Wonder if he has the same sense of humour when he is on duty (he is a policeman).

From our side of the family, we were represented by Uncle Aaron...

I only bothered to take photos of the appetizers; the honey chilli prawns and the potato gnocchi...

And as all other receptions end, the newly wedded couple happily cut the wedding cake and then proceeded to the dance floor for the customary wedding dance.

Pei, Jing Jing Jiejie is so happy for you. May you and Matt have a blissful marriage. I know it is a little too early but I really look forward to seeing your own little ones who would call me 'yiyi'. :)