If you're in or near the city and wondering what to do, Melbourne is a place with numerous options. However one of the city's more unique experiences lies in Abbotsford Convent, an alluring place that makes one feel as if they're far away in a quaint country town. Located by the Yarra River, thriving gardens and communal farmland, the convent houses a number of therapeutic businesses, including the novel restaurant Lentil as Anything, which lets the consumer decide how much to pay for their experience.
Part of a chain that began in St. Kilda and extended to Footscray and Abbotsford, Lentil as Anything was started by former Sri Lankan law student Shanaka Fernando back in 2000. Promoting human dignity above profit, the restaurant aids inexperienced and marginalized workers, helping them gain skills while making the transition into Australian life easier. The result is a unique community set amidst medieval-style French architecture, a big city sanctuary that many Melburnians could now not do without.
Creative Community Activities in Melbourne
The restaurant also promotes the arts, hosting live music most nights, including folk, world and cabaret. Old movies, cartoons and artworks are typically on display, revealing the rich undertone of creative community spirit characteristic of Melbourne. And for a place where you decide how much to pay, the service, food and atmosphere is of a surprisingly high standard, putting to shame many of its city counterparts with notably higher price tags.
On a typical afternoon at Lentil's, one can find themselves eating Alfresco amidst the fading light, sitting in earshot of talented musicians that play at appropriate dining volumes. Here one can sup a wine (the restaurant is BYO) in one of the more eclectic restaurant scenes you're likely to experience, as Lentil's seems to bridge that gap of disparate personality types through its "cater for all" ideology, which is terribly hard not to love. This restaurant is something every big city should have.
Unique and Cheap Food in Melbourne
Not only is this a notable cheap eat Melbourne establishment, its absence of sycophantic staff (as profit isn't the main concern) makes for a refreshing change and unique community atmosphere. Here vegetarian food sits in large self-serve smorgasbord-style containers, consisting of roughly half a dozen hot dish options, several salads and a desert. And at the end of the service line lies the 'magic box', where the consumer pays what they think their experience was worth.
Lentil's not only uses this money to run its establishment, but to support new migrants entering Australia's workforce. And with nothing but donations to pay for the table service of hot cafe-style beverages, Melbourne is fortunate to have such a place. It's the city utopia that never was, a place where people care about more than just themselves. There's also a rumour that if you break a plate or glass, you're compelled to sing a tune for at least two minutes.
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Andy Tope - Andy is a freelance writer and photographer based in Byron Bay. He is available for copywriting, travel, food and SEO projects.
