This non-profit vegetarian restaurant has an innovative payment system: “Pay as you feel”, i.e. pay as much as you want at the end of your meal. In this way a homeless person, a hipster or a trader can all eat their fill, contributing as much as they can afford. As a guide, you should pay a minimum of 15 dollars per meal. It has been a generally successful concept, in spite of some people taking unfair advantage of it. An example of this occurred is February 2015, where the Abbotsford restaurant lost 4,000 dollars in one evening after serving 1,500 people who had just participated in the Rainbow Serpent Festival. The revellers left an average of just 2.75 dollars per person. This scandalous behaviour shocked Melbourne and elicited indignant reactions, none stronger than the article Stop stealing food from Lentil as Anything, you huge jerks. Asides from this isolated incident, this restaurant, nestled in the Abbotsford convent, is an oasis of tranquillity on the banks of the Yarra. It’s set up like a self-service, so you bring your plate and pick and choose among the various dishes. It’s not exactly haute-cuisine, but it‘s honest, nourishing and the menu varies often. Lentil as anything, a Melbournian institution, has just opened three new establishments in addition to its three founding restaurants (one of which is in Sydney). Healthy eating, a pleasant location and the opportunity to do some good in the world all at the same time: a real recipe for success.
-37.802039
145.003205
Lentil As Anything 1 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford, VIC 3067
