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Posts Tagged ‘Vegan’

Whole Earth

Posted in Food, Restaurants, Vegetarian/Vegan, take out, burgers, Singapore, Food Stalls, Thai, Peranaken, Tanjong Pagar, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 24, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Dear Whole Earth Singapore,

I love you.

xx Laura

Whole Earth

Whole Earth

I was taking a graphic design short course in Tanjong Pagar when I found this vegetarian place that specializes in Peranakan and Thai cuisine.

A main with brown rice after tax and service charge was $24, so it’s not particularly cheap. It is, however, healthy and delicious with nice interiors. I even experienced good service.

Penang Redang

Penang Rendang

Brown Rice

Brown Rice

If you are a vegetarian but have always wondered what some of the classic Asian dishes taste like (hello shark fin soup), you must go here. My penang rendang was made of pan-fried mushrooms and had an amazingly meaty texture with the perfect blend of spices.

I took a look at the dessert menu and passed in favor of a green tea ($1.50) at the nearby divey but vegan Loving Hut. Excellent tactic as tea to go at the nearby western coffee stands was $4-$6. People, it’s just hot water and a tea bag I’m after.

Loving Hut

Loving Hut

I figured I was on a roll so the next day I gave Loving Hut a chance.  This was a much less exciting experience. The vegan ocean burger was, shall I say.. disgusting. The lemon ice tea was full of sugar. Why do people pre-load sugar? I really wish they would stop. Singapore does indeed have a sweet tooth that I am missing.

In summary, in two days I had good vegan food and not so good vegan food near Tanjong Pagar.

OMG I just found out that you can get Whole Earth delivered.

Whole Earth is located at 76 Peck Seah St (Tg Pagar MRT Exit A) 

For Reservations:  Tel: 65 6323 3308    

Open Daily.  Operating Hours: Lunch: 11:30am to 3pm (last order at 2:30pm) Dinner: 5:30 to 10pm (last order at 9:15pm

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Vantra

Posted in Cheap Eats, Food, Restaurants, Soho, Vegetarian/Vegan, tagged , , , , , , , on April 1, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Vantra.

11-13 Soho St

London W1D 3DJ

www.vantra.co.uk/

 

After our experience at Leon, Molly and I decided to add Vantra to our list of places to try.

Vantra is a casual restaurant in Soho that specializes in raw, vegan and gluten-free foods. The cafe is open and inviting with large wooden communal tables and an organic food bar.

“So how does this work?” I asked Molly.

“You can either pick from the foods behind the counter and pay per serving or you can get a takeout container and fill it up completely from another bar yourself and pay per box.” she explained.

“Kind of like Luby’s but healthy and minus the take-out option.” I reasoned.

The take-out self service option starts at £4 for a box and is available Tuesday through Friday. The food bar offers many selections for £1 to £2 per small bowl. In addition, you can grab crackers and dips, dim sum, kale chips and truffles for dessert.

Choices.

After struggling a bit with the process, getting the attention of the staff,  and making our choices, we finally settled down to a table in the back. Some of the items were better than the others, but most were tasty. At £1 or £2 per item, it’s OK if you get something that’s not your favorite. You load up with different curries, vegan stroganoff, vegetables, noodles and salads to try and go for it.

My choices

Molly's choices

mmm... Smoothie.

We decided to try some of the vegan raw truffles. I want to say they were great, but honestly they were just OK.

Raw vegan truffles

I love this concept and am grateful for this option. During my visit it was obvious that there were still some kinks to be worked out, particularly when it came to the staff. Vantra is still new and going through an adolescence phase. I will be back regularly to check on it’s progress.

11-13 Soho St
London W1D 3DJ
Area: Soho
Nearest Transit:

Tottenham Court Road (Central, Northern)

Leicester Square (Northern, Piccadilly)

Oxford Circus (Bakerloo, Central, Victoria)

Hours:

Mon-Sat 12:00 – 23:00

Sun 12:00 – 21:00

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Wagamama

Posted in Cheap Eats, Food, Restaurants, Vegetarian/Vegan, tagged , , , , , on January 26, 2011 | 2 Comments »

For years I heard about the Wagamama chain. When we lived in the U.S., Husband told me this was a top choice for broke university student night out food in London. Wagamama is all over London, so it’s surprising that it took me this long to try it.

I understand why it’s an old standby. Wagamama is healthy and affordable. The atmosphere is casual and it is a comfortable spot for solo dining. Staff approach you at long benches or booths on the side of the restaurant.  It’s style is dining out for the masses, albeit well designed.

The dish was standard issue but the warm broth and noodles in my Saien Soba were comforting on a cold day. I left utterly stuffed.

Saien Soba: whole wheat noodles in a vegetable soup topped with fried tofu, bean sprouts, courgettes, asparagus, red onions, leeks, mushrooms, mangetout and garlic. Garnished with spring onions.

Wagamama on Urbanspoon

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Rootmaster

Posted in Cheap Eats, Food, Restaurants, Vegetarian/Vegan, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 13, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Rootmaster's Routemaster

Elys Yard
The Old Truman Brewery
Hanbury Street
London
E1 6QL

07912 389314

http://www.root-master.co.uk

I was stumbling around Spitalfield’s Market and was getting very hungry. I wasn’t sure I wanted to actually eat inside the market as it seemed noisy and separated from the sun. I exited the market and headed slightly northeast, combing the streets for interesting shops and affordable restaurants.

In my search I spied this double decker bus serving food with a sign that read “Rootmaster.” Back home, the funky converted buses, cargo containers and trailers converted into restaurants is the best place to experience street food ranging from simple to gourmet.  Food trailers are found there grouped in parks together, alone, tucked away behind or in between bars and parks, and with their own movie theaters. It’s quite the scene.

I was very excited because I hadn’t seen many of these type of things around London. I took a seat on the makeshift patio and had a look over the menu. Wow, what a great vegetarian friendly menu with gyozas, chickpea dishes, paninis, pastas and curries.

I settled on a Rootmaster burger. I typically avoid veggie burgers as they are often the cliche token vegetarian option. I had successfully avoided them for so long that one actually sounded appetizing! The Rootmaster burger was described as a flame grilled savoury bean burger served in a wholegrain bap (that means roll, y’all) with lettuce, tomato, bus made mayo & tomato sauce and served with organic potato wedges.

I asked the server as I ordered “That’s bean burger only, right? No beef or meat or anything?”

“No, this is a vegan restaurant.” She looked at me sideways waiting for my reaction.

“Score!” She smiled back with a slight bit of relief. That was random luck to stumble on a vegan restaurant in a double decker bus.

Rootmaster Burger

The burger, bap and potatoes were delicious. The bap was slightly toasted. The burger was homemade instead of prepackaged. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. The plate in all was a mere £6.50

I felt a little like I should have branched out and tried some of the other menu items as I saw wonderfully looking plates pass by me and make their way to other tables. I have had my bean burger for the year so I’m ready now to try other things.

Boyfriend later explained to me that the name of the restaurant, Rootmaster, was  a play on words. Routemaster is the type of double decker bus and was in production from 1958 until 1968. Root as opposed to Route is a nod to it’s vegan cuisine.

Molly at the Particular Kitchen informed me of a similar Routemaster turned vegan restaurant in Soho. Vegan Routes is not affiliated with Rootmaster and is at the moment closed.

Bottom Line: Yummy affordable vegan food in a funky converted double decker bus.

Rootmaster on Urbanspoon

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Saf Restaurant & Bar

Posted in Food, Restaurants, Vegetarian/Vegan, tagged , , , , , , , on August 18, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Photo Courtesy of Saf Restaurant and Bar

http://www.safrestaurant.co.uk

152-154 Curtain Road
Shoreditch London EC2A 3AT
+44.20.76130007

The Barkers Building 1st Floor
London, UK W8 5SE
+44.20.73634555

After hearing loads about Saf, a top end vegan and raw food specializing restaurant, I decided I had to try it.

I was meeting my architect friend, Ryan, near Kensington High Street for lunch and remembered that the restaurant was on the top floor of the  Whole Foods just down the street. I suggested we check it out.

I could tell that Ryan was a little weirded out. I lived mere blocks from the flagship Whole Foods in Austin, Texas for years and would often drop in to the restaurants dotted throughout the store. It had become a quite normal way to dine, but I could see that the concept was uncomfortable to Ryan and I began rethinking bringing an architect there. This was understandably so. The flagship Whole Foods in Austin integrates the restaurants into the store giving their presence an organic and natural feel while the one in Kensington corals them onto the top floor. While the interior design is modern, sleek and nice, you can’t escape the disappointing vibe of an indoor shopping mall food court.

I dismissed the disappointment when the server arrived with the menus. Oh my,  everything sounded amazing. The smoothies and drink section were a vegan foodie dream. The menu was dotted with mentions of cashew butter, tempeh, greens, mushrooms and other plant based treats.

After some deliberation, Ryan chose the Buddha Plate and I went with the lunch special of wild mushroom crepes. When our food arrived, the server made sure to explain all of the different items on Ryan’s plate. I can see how someone who isn’t used to eating this particular way could find items like kimchee intimidating. Luckily, Ryan is a cultured and open minded dude. He was totally game. I didn’t hesitate to chow down. In fact, I finished every single bite of my plate and even entertained the dessert menu.

Wild Mushroom Crepes

We decided to skip dessert in the end. The dessert and smoothies will definitely give me something to come back for, although next time I’ll visit the actual restaurant near Old Street. Perhaps I’ll treat myself to one of their Monday through Saturday £19.50 3 course lunches or a vegan Sunday roast.

Bottom Line-

Saf delivers amazing vegan and raw food.  For a quick pop-in, Whole Foods will do. If you have the time and money, consider visiting the actual restaurant.

Saf on Urbanspoon

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