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• Dependable vegan fare

Iku is about the only chain vegan place I know of in Australia (Melbourne has Lord of the Fries, but it's only vegetarian with vegan options). And for that reason alone I think it's worth supporting. Just imagine if every Australian town had an Iku? We'd never go hungry. Given that it's a chain, Iku's menu is a little predictable. It has some very dependable options though -- there's a miso and caramelised onion tart that I just love, and the bancha cakes are also good. I've been to the one in Glebe and in Rozelle, and both have a very different 'vibe', so I imagine that people's experience of Iku depends where they go (my sense of it, for instance, was certainly not "pretentious" -- the staff are very friendly). My family are not so keen on Iku, because they find a bit bland and "70's vegetarian". I think they just haven't tried the right dishes. Their house salad dressing is delicious, and can be purchased by the bottle. But I find their dessert tart (now is it cheesecake or a lemon tart? I can't remember) a little tofu-y. The Chai tea is very nice, but they don't do coffee (at least not at the Glebe store).