Get ready: a brand new vegan eatery is opening on St Kilda Road next month and boy does it look good.
The Alley will be serving up 100 per cent plant-based, fast and casual food for the masses. Think signature house made burgers, gluten free pastas, salads, cold pressed juices, vegan ice cream and even a few baked sweets. The best part? It’s all vegan. Winner winner, faux-chicken dinner.
According to The Alley’s founder Alexandra Pyke, the one thing to look out for on the menu is the Hawaiian Burger, which will be made with jackfruit and pineapple. Vegans are probably well aware that jackfruit makes for a pretty convincing meat substitute – bonus points because it’s damn delicious too. “You could swear that it was a meat-based burger,” muses Pyke.
So how will it stand out among the rest of the veggie-friendly eateries around town? Pyke hopes The Alley will lead the charge for affordable, fast and healthy food in Melbourne.
“I just don’t think it really exists here yet, a place where you can have affordable burgers,” she says. “You normally go out for a burger and it’s $18 or $19, and a vegan or vegetable burger will be around $22.” As a result, The Alley is offering meals that are accessible and fast (they’re promising a ten-minute turnaround for meals), with a focus on baking over frying. “And it’s inexpensive, so everyone can afford to eat well.”
Pyke spent the past nine years in New York City cultivating her taste buds and vegan street smarts at vegetable haven The Fat Radish, where locally and sustainably sourced food reigns supreme. The mentality behind The Fat Radish was to put vegetables at the centre of the plate, rather than the protein, an ethos Pyke is hoping to bring to The Alley come March.
In her words: “You don’t have to miss out on yummy tasting food just because you’re eating things in their natural form.” Too right.
The Alley is set to open on the second week of March at 417 St Kilda Road.