The Gasometer Hotel

This weekend I decided to let others cook for me! On Sunday the bf cooked an amazing pile of roasted veggies, garlic asparagus and some kind of chili-mushroom concoction that was soo yummy. On Saturday, after a few drinks at the Gem bar, we decided to head over to the Gasometer for dinner. (My last experience with dinner at the Gem involved paying $16 for "stuffed roasted red peppers" - the only vegan thing on the menu - a dish which turned out to consist of one bland, overpriced stuffed pepper. I'm now boycotting them as a dinner destination.)

At the Gasometer, we were lucky to get a table straightaway, as the place filled up very, very quickly - and were surprised to find a new (waterproof!) menu. They are still sticking to the American food theme  and really going for it, with some crazy foods not found elsewhere this side of the Pacific!

I had the vegan chicken & waffles, with sides of mac & cheese and potato salad ($21 for the plate), and also got a basket of fried pickles with "ranch" sauce ($10 for eight) for everyone to share. I'm not usually a fan of sweet & savoury on the same plate, but I had missed getting to try chicken & waffles on my last trip to the US, so I felt obligated to order them. These chicken and waffles were so yummy and so filling, and the sides were great as always. (I ended up taking home two chicken pieces and half the waffle, the portion was so big.)

But my favourite part of the meal was the fried pickles. Let's just say I had a dream last night starring those pickles and I will be returning very soon for some more. (I am also wondering where the hell they got Vlasic brand pickles from! If anyone knows where to buy these in Melbourne, please let me know!)

The only downsides of last night's visit was the time between when me and my bf got our food and when the rest of the table did. We only ordered a few minutes apart, but it looks as if another few tables somehow squeezed in between. And also, my friend's main (the buffalo tofu salad) only came with one side and she was told by our server it only comes with one, which wasn't mentioned on the menu nor by the person who took her order. So, that was weird and kind of annoying, but otherwise, I am really impressed with how the Gasometer has done for itself - it was so busy in there, and it's always exciting to see what is new on the menu/on the beer taps - and, being the only pub outside of Brunswick where half the menu is vegan, I'm glad they're only a short walk from home!