The sophisticated vegetarian palate no longer needs to miss out, writes NikkiFisher.

WHEN trainee book editor Jane Winning first stopped eating meat eight years ago,she was motivated by a concern for animals and the way they died. Today it isaway of life for Winning, a keen cook who lives in Melbourne`s inner north andshopsfor fresh produce regularly at Footscray and Preston markets.

More recently, she has become aware of the toll that meat consumption takes onthe environment. She says that after being a vegetarian for a couple of years,she discovered the work of Australian ethicist Peter Singer, who wrote the influentialbook Animal Liberation and later co-wrote The Ethics of What We Eat.

"After reading this book, I felt even stronger in my conviction to not eat meat,knowing that by doing so I was greatly reducing myCO2 emissions (less land-clearingfor cattle), reducing the amount of pollution going into waterways through animalwaste, reducing the amount of water required to produce my food (many animal farmsuselots of water) and not contributing to the degradation of our oceans through harmfulfishing practices," she says.

Winning typifies a growing awareness of how our food choices have a global impact.Coupled with the health benefits of reducing meat consumption, it is changingperceptionsof vegetarian cuisine and who eats it. The mung-bean-munching whiff of hippiedomhas gone; today`s vegetarians match pinot gris with terrine of baby heritage tomatoesand sage and goat`s cheese mousse. And they satisfy their consciences to boot.

Restaurateurs have changed their attitudes too. Meat-free dining has even become,dare we say, alluring.

For those who have made the change or are moving towards it, the sophisticatedvegetarian palate is well sated. Take Jacques Reymond`s restaurant, for example,where you might sit down to azucchini flower spiced with Japanese sancho pepperand cooked in lighter-than-air tempura batter, enhanced by the contrasting texturesand flavours of cauliflower and horseradish dressing and sweet, slightly acidicbeetroot glaze. Or perhaps tender white asparagus paired with green pea and mintpuree and citrus emulsion.Hungry?

Reymond describes his love of whipping up exquisite vegie morsels with an almostpoetic passion, relating how much he missed them on a recent trip to France. "They(the French) just don`t do vegetables; in restaurants you are served meat, novegies,a bit of salad," he says. "They don`t even really do vegetable side dishes."

Reymond says 15 to 20 per cent of diners at his Prahran restaurant now choosevegetarian dishes, prompting an increase in dedicated courses from five to seven."The quality of produce has definitely improved over the years as there are manymore small local producers," he says. "It`s also wonderful to have Australiantruffles."

At Vue de Monde, Jacques Reymond`s only Melbourne peer in the three-hat category,a 10-course vegetarian gastronome menu may include new-fangled creations suchasliquid cep "gnocchi" with mushrooms, zucchini flower, tarragon emulsion and shavedManjimup truffle; or vegetarienne "bouillabaisse", five-minute vegetable stockinfusedwith coriander and fennel seeds, basil, thyme,shallots, star anise, tomato andcarrot.

Vue de Monde marketing manager Anna Augustine says 5 to 10 percent of dinerschoose a vegetarian menu. "We consider vegetarian food to be part of what we do,not something separate," she says.

One of the challenges in creating a good, thoughtful vegetarian menu is in makingsure the diner sees the value in the courses they`re served. "If a table is havingthe 10-course gastronome menu with matched wines at $250 and only one person isvegetarian, a lot of thought goes into ensuring there is a complementary flavourstructureto the courses - the vegetarian diner has to see the value when ingredients suchas caviar and venison are not on their plate," Augustine says.

Stephen Mercer, chef and co-owner of Mercer`s restaurant in Eltham, also putsa lotof thought into catering for vegetarians.Dishes include baked eggplant katifiwith vegetable and Persian fetta gratin, or Milawa goats cheese crumbed in ashand polenta served with candied walnuts and beetroot relish.

"I think a lot of vegetarians baulk at the idea of eating out in high-end restaurantsbecause they still think there`ll be limited options or no options at all," Mercersays. "I`d have to say the vegetarian dishes take the most thought."

A 1995 National Nutrition Survey, published by the Bureau ofStatistics, found3.7 per cent of Australians, mostly women, chose vegetarian lifestyles. This includedvariations such as vegan andovo-lacto vegetarian, vegaquarians (fish-eating, non-meateaters)and those who didn`t eat red meat. Comparative figures are unreliable,butaccording to Roy Morgan Research data in 2006, 9.1per cent of Australians surveyedsaid "the food I eat is all, or almost all, vegetarian".

Anecdotally, the environment is a factor in people`s vegetarian choices.

A report in the medical journal The Lancet last year quoted health experts sayingglobal meat consumption should be reduced to 90 grams per person a day by 2050to reduce significant greenhouse gas emissions created by livestock. In developedcountries, meat eaters consume about 240 grams a day.

Similarly, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation report Livestock`sLong Shadow (published 2006) says global meat production is projected to morethandouble from 229 million tonnes in 1999-01 to 465 million tonnes in 2050.

The report also details the impact livestock production willhave on deforestation,land degradation, pollution and biodiversity.

Paul Mathis, who opened Soulmama in St Kilda in 2002, has seenbig changes inthe business, especially in the diners at his dedicated vegetarian restaurant."We get big, brutish men coming innow; we didn`t have that six years ago," hesays.

Mathis believes environmental concerns have sparked the shift."Reasons to eatless meat are becoming clearer to more and more people through the general media,and I`d say it is the environmental reasons driving men around the corner," hesays.

Beh Kim Un, chef and co-owner of Carlton`s Shakahari, attributes the restaurant`ssuccess over more than three decades (it is the only vegetarian restaurant consistentlyincluded in The Age Good Food Guide) to its light-hearted approach to vegetarianism and food that balances vegetarianprotein and texture in a mainstream way.

"Today 80 per cent of our customers are non-vegetarian; they come to Shakaharito supplement their meat diets," he says. This includes more men and people withenvironmental concerns.

Un brings produce from his organic farm outside Kyneton to the Shakahari kitchen."If you have a good apple or beans you don`t have to do much, and you don`t craveanything else when you eat nutritious food," he says. "The food touches people`spsyche and they don`t know why it is so good."

He cites Ronnie Di Stasio, who has been buying takeaways at Shakahari for 20years."He said to me, `I don`t even know why I like your food but it makes me feel good`."

Passionate foodie and author Flip Shelton believes her vegetarian cookbook Green was embraced by readers with varied motives, but she is adamant about the environmentalneeds to make farming sustainable. "I don`t necessarily think everyone shouldbea vegetarian, but farming needs to be more sustainable and there`s plenty of evidenceto show that many meat-eaters need to reduce their meat consumption."

Book editor Winning agrees. She says she knows several peoplewho had been vegetarianfor environmental reasons but now eat kangaroo meat and free-range organic chickenbecause "the farmingof these animals doesn`t have nearly as negative an effecton the environment as the farming of cattle does".

She also says that eating out as a vegetarian today doesn`t mean missing out.In the mid-range she nominates Otsumami, in Northcote,for simple, authentic Japanesefood. And for somewhere special, she recommends Shane Delia`s Middle Eastern MahaBar and Grill, for its"decadent and delicious" vegetarian banquet.

THE VEGETARIAN GOURMET

ANNIE Winton has not eaten meat for 21 years. Winton moved toMelbourne from theGold Coast 15 years ago and travels interstate regularly in her national roleaspromotions manager for Mix-FM and Gold 104.3. "Vegetarian food doesn`t get betterthan in Melbourne,"she says.

A bayside local, Winton is a regular at St Kilda`s long-running Bala`s and LentilAs Anything and votes Amici in Chapel Street for the best vegetarian breakfast(scrambled tofu with fetta, tomato and basil). "Unfortunately some vegetarianrestaurantsgive vegetarian food a bad name by serving bland food with no texture,"Wintonsays."I wouldn`t expect my friends, who all eat meat, to goto a vegetarian restaurant- even a good one - so I go to a lot of non-vegetarian restaurants and wish theirmenus were more balanced."

Winton cites gastro-pubs as being the worst offenders for offering the vegetarianlittle beyond a bowl of chips. "I`m fairly strict about my diet and don`t wantmy only choice to be fried food."

THE ENVIRONMENTALIST

MARK Doneddu became a vegetarian 16 years ago after reading about the amountofland it takes to produce meat compared tograin.

In the first month of his conversion, Doneddu - who is presidentof the VictorianVegetarian Network - says he did crave meat. "Youget addicted to food that youeat regularly," he says. "After the first month I stopped craving meat and begancraving plant foods. I feel healthier now than when I was 20 years younger."

The Victorian Vegetarian Network was started in 1998 and is run by volunteerswhose main purpose is to educate people about the benefits of a balanced plant-baseddiet. The network website`s list of vegetarian restaurants in Melbourne has grownfrom 30 to 50 in the past few years.

www.vnv.org.au

THE VEGAQUARIAN

SINCE giving up meat four years ago, comedian Dave Hughes says he has grown usedto being the odd one out at some social events."Barbecues are bit awkward," hesays. "But you bring your non-sausage along and put on a bit of sauce and everyone`shappy."

To compensate at home, Hughes - who eats fish - has recently taken up cooking.Mushroom risotto is a current signature dish."I`ve started to discover risottois more than soggy rice. I enjoy the process of dissolving water into rice; allthat stirring is actually meditative." His tip for new vegetarian cooks? "Don`tcook vegetables twice. I steamed some vegies the other night and then added themto a stir-fry - the whole thing turned out like baby food."

Hughes says his motivations for abandoning meat were health and the environment."I read that red meat can be linked to bowel problems. I haven`t studied all thescience, of course,but it made sense to me. Some of my family members had issueswith bowel cancer... once I get something in my head I just go with it."

THE NUTRITIONIST

SAMANTHA Gowing traces the change in her diet and lifestyle to1991, the yearher father died of cancer. Gowing abandoned her career as a successful publicanand restaurateur to become a clinical nutritionist, wellness lecturer, cookingteacher and Pilates and yoga instructor. "Most weekends after dinner service we`dleave Gowings Restaurant and go to Supper Inn to eat chilli quail, lap chong (Chinesesausage), barbecued pork and Peking duck pancakes, washed down with lots of wine,"she says, laughing at the memory of her former life.

Today Gowing, who runs Gowings Food and Health, has a strong interest and expertisein Japanese and South-East Asian cookery and chooses vegetarian or fish dishesover meat.

Research shows a plant-based diet rich in nuts, seeds and legumes reduces therisk of many types of cancer, heart disease,stroke and diabetes. "I`m no puristthough," says Gowing. "If Ifeel like I need to eat some meat, I do." As a healthpractitioner she advises anyone changing their diet to learn about meat substitutesand food combinations. "Tofu is not the only source of vegetarian protein - nuts,seeds and legumes are all good sources,"she says.

THE "ETHICAL" MEAT EATER

CARMEN Bateson, part-time food co-ordinator at Friends of theEarth cafe in Collingwood,eats meat occasionally, but it must be wild, organic or biodynamic. Together withfood co-ordinator Beth Cameron and a team of volunteers at Friends of the Earth,Bateson creates one of the tastiest, best-value, organic, vegetarian lunches onMelbourne`s menus. Cameron, who has worked at Friends of the Earth for 18 years,says: "We have so many food choices compared to 20 years ago ... and more thanever we have to do what`s sustainable for this country. There are so many peopleover the world who live well without eating meat."

Finer Dining

- Jacques Reymond, Prahran, seven-course vegetarian degustation,$115.
- Mercer`s Restaurant, Eltham, six-course vegetarian degustation $77 or $112with matched wines.
- Shakahari, Carlton.
- Vue de Monde, Melbourne, 10-course vegetarian gastronome menu $250 with matchedwines.

Cheerful and cheaper

- Friends of the Earth Cafe, Collingwood.
- Soulmama, St Kilda.
- Sweet Basil, South Yarra.
- Vegetarian Nirvana, Richmond.
- White Lotus, West Melbourne.
- Gopals, Melbourne.

Books

- World Vegetarian, by Madhur Jeffrey
- Vegetarian Collection, by Delia Smith
- The Moosewood Cookbook, by Mollie Katzen
- Cooking with Kurma, by Kurma Dasa
- The Cranks Bible: A Timeless Collection of Vegetarian Recipes, byNadine Abensur
- The Melbourne Veg Food Guide 2008-2009, edited by LisaDempster