Global Vegetarian is located on North Road Ormond ... a bit of a low spot for restaurants. I hadn't been here before despite living in the general area for almost a decade. I think I was a bit suspicious about what a local vegetarian restaurant in such a suburban area would be like. This was compounded by it's having been the 'Food Hygiene Shop of the Year 2000'. Whatever this meant, if it was considered a major selling point for the restaurant that couldn't be a good thing, could it?
On walking in I was pleasantly surprised by the way the dining area was set up. Lots of honey coloured wood, cute pictures along with the specials on the blackboard, tables not too close together. The whole place felt quite welcoming, and despite the photo there were a number of people sitting around talking and eating (mainly near the front window).
The list of entrees was quite extensive but samosa and spring rolls had already been recommended by someone else. I thought the samosa were the better of the two. They'd been slightly overcooked leaving the outside more hard than crispy, and the filling was a little on the bland side. However, the yogurt sauce served on the side was really good, almost 'zingy'.
After the samosa I had high hopes for the spring rolls. These were again more on the hard side than crispy, and the filling was a little bland. Unfortunately the sauce served with the spring rolls wasn't as good as that served with the samosa, a little too sweet and not very interesting.
The mee goreng was a generous size and well cooked. The noodles were cooked al dente and the vegetables nicely crispy. One thing I'm not convinced about was the use of potato to bulk up the dish. Now I love potato, mashed, roasted, fried, it doesn't really matter. However I'm not sure it's a good mix with the noodles, as you end up with a dish that left me feeling heavy afterwards.
On the other hand I liked the South Indian curry a lot. It could have used more spice, and wasn't what I would call a particularly complex dish. However, it was real comfort food that I could eat and be happy.
Overall
One thing annoyed me about Global Vegetarian and it had nothing to do with the food or staff. It was the couple at the next table with two kids complaining "... if you want your food in a hurry, don't go to Global Vegetarian". The food at Global Vegetarian is cooked fresh, and my guess is I waited 10 minutes for my entrée, with my mains coming out around five minutes after I'd finished these. If you want cooked food and can't wait go to KFC or McDonalds. Complaining in a loud voice so that other patrons and staff can hear it both rude and unfair.
Some restaurants, even my favourites, are places I don't really want to eat at more than once or twice a month. Global Vegetarian isn't like that. Except for my vegetarian friends I wouldn't really recommend a special trip out to try it, but as a local eatery I could easily eat there two or three times in a week. It's moderately cheap, filling, properly cooked and easy to eat.
Verdict
Food - 6.5
Service - 6.5
Ambience - 7
Price - 7
Address
499 North Road
Ormond VIC 3204
Tel: (03) 9578 9566
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