'Lentil as Anything' is a not-for-profit pay-as-you-wish restaurant in a variety of locations across Melbourne and Sydney.
People from all walks of life come together to eat there every day of the year.
Manager of 'Lentil as Anything' in the Sydney suburb of Newtown, Nicole Khoury [[koo-ree]], says all their food is delicious, but the curry plate is a customer favourite.
"We're famous for our curry plate. It's been a staple since the beginning. It's made by our chef Chandra, she's one of the people that was here from the very beginning, she's from Sri Lanka. She cooks curry almost twice a day Monday to Friday, and so I think she's perfected her curries and so that's always a staple."
Ms Khoury says the restaurant's volunteers serve around 600 meals a day, all of them vegan.
"It's vegan because it's the most inclusive diet that we know of. So it doesn't discriminate against your religion. It also doesn't discriminate against your philosophy on animal welfare or your ideas about the environment."
A vegan diet is devoid of all animal products, including meat, eggs and dairy.
Many people choose to follow a plant-based diet because they have concerns for animal welfare or over the effects farming can have on the environment.
Australia is the third-fastest-growing vegan market in the world.
'Lentil as Anything' Manager Nicole Khoury says she's noticed a particular rise in the number of young people open to trying vegan food.
"Sometimes it's because they're curious about the vegan diet or wanting to eat less meat, they can see the impact that it causes (to) the earth and themselves. There's also, I've noticed over the years, there's a lot of younger people who are more inclined to decide to go vegan or to just have more vegan food."
An international campaign is challenging people to try a vegan diet for the month of January.
'Veganuary' - as They're calling it - started in Britain in 2014 and provides participants with vegan meal plans, nutritional advice and tips on eating out.
Animals Australia spokeswoman Lisa Chalk says it's a fun way for people to try a new way of eating.
"You just need to sign up online and the team at Veganuary will do the rest. They'll guide you through it day by day. It's a fun and positive way to dip your toes in the water (try it), see what Vegan food is all about while being part of an exciting global movement towards a more sustainable future."
Noting the potential health benefits of a plant-based diet, dietitian Nicole Dynan does caution anyone planning to try a vegan diet for the first time to check they're getting all essential vitamins and nutrients.
"There are some nutrients at risk on a plant-based diet: they might be things like protein, iron and zinc, even omega 3s (fish-sourced fatty acids) and most importantly B12 - that's a vitamin we can only get through animal foods."
Ms Dynan also recommends new vegans limit the number of faux-meat products they incorporate into their diet.
"They can definitely be incorporated as part of the diet but I wouldn't rely wholly and solely on them because they can be quite high in salt, or sodium. So they can be detrimental to your health in the long term. Mostly having plants and legumes, more wholefoods like that is the way to go."
With more vegan products available than ever before, activists are encouraging Australians to join around 300,000 people already making the 'Veganuary' pledge in 2019.
Animals Australia's Lisa Chalk says there's never been a better time to give it a go.
"Since Veganuary began in 2014 we've seen a 92 per cent increase in the number of vegan products launched in Australian supermarkets, which really just shows that there's never been a better time to try vegan."
