Brighton Beach and Lentil As Anything

The weather was gorgeous, so we decided a beach adventure was needed. We still hadn't checked out Brighton Beach with its famous bathing boxes, so that was the obvious choice for the afternoon. The bathing boxes are now privately owned and used to store beach supplies, change clothing, or just hang out on the beach, but they hail from the Victorian Era and have been kept in that same style. We rode the train and walked down to the beach where we saw our first glimpse of the bathing boxes along with the Melbourne skyline. We were impressed by the vivid colors, and as we got closer we enjoyed the painted designs on some of the boxes. The water was wonderful to wade in on such a hot day as well. 

Eyeing a map it didn't look too far to walk from the bathing boxes to St Kilda, so we continued our walk along the shoreline. It turned out to actually be 7.1 km (about 4.5 mi). Which wouldn't have been too bad except for some annoying flies along the way. 

In St Kilda we stopped at Lentils As Anything. Both our host and our friend Stephanie had recommended this restaurant to us. There are six locations around Melbourne, and it's a donation based vegetarian restaurant. So, you order your food and then decide how much to pay into an anonymous donation box depending on your need. If you can't afford as much one time, you can pay more the next time you go. It's supposed to be an honor system that supports a community. There are recommended donations to help you determine an appropriate amount. For example: 

$10 = covers most costs, but volunteering is suggested if you are a frequent customer
$15 = covers your meal, electricity, restaurant costs, wages, etc. 
$20 = pays for your meal and helps cover someone who can't afford a full amount. 
$50 = covers your meal and helps train an employee and provide skills for the workforce

You can read more about Lentil As Anything here. 

We didn't know what to expect in terms of food. I envisioned just being given a bowl of lentils. Brandon assumed it would be take out from a deli case. We were both wrong. We were seated and someone took our order from a small menu. We had the options of Korean pancakes, Asian salad, lentil burger, Thai curry, Sri Lankan curry, and vegetarian lasagna as well as a few drinks, like chai tea, hot chocolate, and coffee. We ordered a vegetarian lasagna, lentil burger, and chai tea. So, how was it? Amazing! It was so good, and it wasn't just because we had walked so far. We were so impressed that I really want to check out their cookbook, but it's only available at certain locations. So, we'll just have to go back. 

I'm still thinking about our delicious food from Lentil As Anything!