• 3
• Krishna, Krishna

Mantra Lounge is directly opposite my workplace and they do some super cheap meals but I've still only ever eaten there a handful of times. Not much of a fan. Yeah, you can get a main, salad, and cake for $8 which is a steal but it's pretty average quality. The daily sabji is standard Hari Krishna fare - the veggies are cooked really soft, almost mushy and often indistinguishable, and there's an overpowering flavour of asafoetida in everything. The salad is basic mixed leaves but it's always been fresh and is served with a tasty, bitey dressing which I'd guess is nut-based. I've never actually finished a piece of the cake. The small, dry squares are served on the same plate as our mains so soak up your salad dressing. The one piece I did try was banana and had quite a nice spicy flavour but was iced with carob, which I personally hate so threw it out. I can recommend some of the other deserts. I've been back a few times for the mango slice which has an unbelievably smooth texture, balanced by tangy, fruity mango on a crumbly biscuit base. The pleasecake is similar but I find it's chocolate flavour too sweet, bland, and creamy. If the chocolate was rich and bitter, I'd eat it again. Last time I popped in there in a pinch at lunch time, they had introduced handmade sausage rolls. For $5, it wasn't dirt cheap like their other meals but it was a winner. Buttery, flaky pastry filled with substantial savoury filling - maybe tofu based? The interior is pretty colourful and stylish compared to the other Hari Krishna joints in town and they play more contemporary versions of the Krishna tunes but the tone is still clearly evangelical. Wouldn't bring a lunch date here.