Looking for a cheap place to go in Melbourne? Don’t have any money and literally want the cheapest but best food money can buy? Sick of Mickey D’s?  How ’bout Lentil As Anything? The vegetarian, Middle Eastern/Indian/Asian/Moroccan style restaurant designed with the poor backpacker/artist/musician/vagabond in mind.  Its delicious food, in generous portions served to you by volunteers.  (kinda sounds like a soup kitchen doesn’t it?)  You can order anything off the menu…freshly made coffees and teas included, and then you only pay for as much as you think your meal was worth.

I know its kind of blurry, but this was the sign on every table.  It basically said this place ran off of donations and volunteers.  It was created so people who might not have much money one week, could still come out and eat, drink and be social.  They would pay whatever they could, and then many another week, when their bank account was a little fuller, they would pay a little more–all balancing out in the end.  

Me, Ruth, Kristina, and the 2 German girls that we now live with tried it out on Saturday night.  None of us had too much money, so it sounded perfect.  And it was.  It was a great, friendly little atmosphere, with pretty good food:

Mixed Vegetable Curry

Pumpkin Curry

Okinowanaki (?)–potato, cabbage, onion, other stuff pancake

The Germans–Hannah, Debbie, and Kristina

Best news of all…this isn’t the only restaurant of its kind in Melbourne! Whoever thought of this brilliant idea, mad mad props to them.