Vegan Shoku - Second Visit

This is Plant Curious set up a pop-up discount for Vegan Shoku, which would only last for two weeks! On our last visit, we noticed ramen on the menu and determined that we would return to give it a try. There is no time like the present!

We made the trek to Kerrisdale to take advantage of the 40% off dinner items up to a maximum of $25. Nice!

We came for the ramen but wanted to try a couple more items from the rather lengthy menu starting with the Vegan Spam Teriyaki Roll. I didn't dislike spam before I became vegan, but I always worried about what I may have been eating. With the vegan version, we know we are not eating mystery animal bits. The taste was surprisingly like the canned meat but was crispy thanks to a thin tempura coating. With the Teriyaki sauce added, this was a great roll!

Next up was the Crunch Roll, which was essentially a deep-fried California Roll! I still can't figure out the pearls even after getting an explanation from our server. Strawberry-ish with an interesting berry-like skin. I ate all the garnish on this plate!

I hate to disparage what has become a breakthrough vegan joint in Vancouver, but the soup was just not the best we've had. The Chicken Ramen had very tasty chicken, which could have been seitan, and we loved it. I got my tofu for the day and there were other nice additions, but the butternut squash broth was a little low on flavour. Could it have just been a matter of salt? We did add some soy sauce and that helped

The other ramen that we chose was the Tempura Ramen. Same problem with the somewhat bland broth (we like the idea of butternut squash broth but it needs to be tweaked). The noodles of course, suffered the fate of needing salt as well but we liked the texture and there was a decent amount in the bowl. This one came with a side dish of 2 vegan shrimp and 2 yam tempura, which we took the liberty of dipping  in the ramen. Very nice!

VS offers a few desserts, including the Mango Mousse Cake, This was very tasty and featured different textures and components. The drizzle in the photo was not chocolate as you may guess but was more of a soy sauce savoury kind of thing. It made an interesting contrast to the sweet cake but I really can't decide if this was an intentional thing or a mistake!

Despite the less-than-stellar ramen, we still love this place as one of the most creative and enjoyable vegan places in Metro Vancouver. The staff were once again so friendly and helpful. We'll be back!

Feel free to search this blog for tales of our first visit.

Food                         4 out of 5

Vegan Options          5 out of 5

Comfort                    4 out of 5

Service                     5 out of 5

Vallue                       4 out of 5

                 

Viet Family - The Vegan House

On a busy rainy Saturday, we parked in the first spot we could find on Commercial Drive, prepared to walk a fair distance. As we approached Viet Family, which we had visited a couple of years previously, I was looking specifically at the west side of the road, where I recalled it being. Suddenly, my wife said, "There it is," while pointing to the east side of the road. Of course, this caused some questioning of my cognitive function which I realize is ever less impressive as the years go by.

It's worth noting that this is another This is Plant Curious stop for us.

This place was busy as warm soup is probably the first thing many thought of when they saw the rain this morning, but we got a table right away. I confessed to my server about my thinking the restaurant was on the other side of the road but she assured me that they had moved to these new digs for the extra space! Existential crisis averted! Let's eat!

We started with the Fried Dumplings. If I didn't know better, I would think we were eating pork dumplings. They were quite tasty and I'm glad they were deep-fried. We loved the sauce and spent a lot of time trying to figure out what it was (not that tricky...garlic soy sauce etc.).

We also had the Beef Pho which was perfect for this rainy day. They use an 8-hour broth which is quite impressive. The good stuff in the soup made it a hit. Lots of faux beef, both slices and meatballs were also quite excellent. We loved the noodles and toppings and even good old tofu.

The hit of our lunch was the Bahn Hoi Heo Quay or pork-belly platter. Just look at the vast quantity of herbage! We made lettuce wraps with noodles, vegan fish sauce cucumber, thai basil and a Vietnamese herb that translates to Vietnamese cilantro but really isn't anything like cilantro. 

The pork belly itself was insane. Our server described the general process (it is their only in-house made "meat") for the 3 separate parts of the pork belly: the skin, the fat, and the flesh (it sounds disgusting as I type, and I'm glad it's not real flesh). All I remember is that Vietnamese bread is involved in making the skin. Anyway, it was an impressive faux meat.

We decided to go a little dessert crazy and actually ordered 2. It's been a long time since I had Afflogato and coconut ice cream is completely suitable for this. Loved it!

Second dessert up was a Pandan Sticky Rice and ice cream. It has a much more interesting Vietnamese name but the description is the same either way. Wonderful!

So the new location is bigger but just as busy! I can't imagine that all these people are vegan.  They must just realize that plant-based food can be delicious and maybe they don't mind that nothing had to die in the process!

Food                                 5 out of 5

Vegan Options                  5 out of 5

Service                             5 out of 5

Comfort                            4 1/2 out of 5

Value                                5 out of 5

Burger Crush - Vegan Options

We have been to Burger Crush in Victoria. There, we ate everything on their menu that was vegan. This past Monday night, we went to Burger Crush at the corner of Howe and Nelson in Vancouver before seeing the Kim Mitchell Band at the Commodore Ballroom. We ate exactly the same thing that we had in Victoria but have no regrets about it!

It was a rainy night in Vancouver and we forgot to bring an umbrella so we were glad that Burger Crush is in the downtown core and close to the Commodore.

So the Vegan Cheeseburger was OK. We have had some amazing vegan burgers lately and this one was not quite on the same level. Good bun, good cheese and decent toppings and the patty is housemade. I usually prefer that to a commercial patty but this one was a bit soft and could have used a bit more char. Still, I love a cheeseburger which is not something we eat all that often. This one was definitely worth while.

The best word to describe the Vegan Crush Fries other than delicious is messy! Obviously anticipating my inability to get food into my mouth, they provided us with lots of napkins. Over this bed of very crispy fries were vegan cheese slices which were well melted, fried onions which were well carmelized and so sweet, and their vegan Crush Sauce which was a little along the lines of Big Mac sauce (hopefully they don't take offence with that). Wonderful and to my mind, a bigger serving than we got in Victoria!

With our Vegan Nuggets, we ordered the house hot sauce which resembles the Crush Sauce but with a little heat. The nuggets are tofu and fried crispy in batter. I am not a big fan of large plain tofu chunks. I feel like these could be smaller or maybe flavoured with a spice mix or a marinade. Still, I think most people would be happy with the crispy and sauce part of the dish and we certainly aren't complaining.

This was a great vegan milkshake! They have quite a few flavours including orange. It reminded us a lot of a Creamsicle!

Burger Crush in Vancouver is quite a bit bigger than the Victoria cafe. It is comfortable, and the staff is friendly. Briefly, I whined to myself that there weren't more choices on the menu, but the fact is that there are more vegan items on the menu than there are omnivore options! It's nice to know that there is a good old-fashioned fast-food burger and some sides downtown in addition to the usual slime choices at the usual fast-food joints.

Food                         3 1/2 out of 5

Vegan Options         4 out of 5

Comfort                    3 1/2 out of 5

Service                     4 out of 5

Value                        3 1/2 out of 5

Satya Asha Vegetarian Restaurant - Vegan Options

Occasionally, I have attempted to wade through a study of the eastern religions (Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Jainism etc.) to determine who is vegetarian or vegan and why. Like with all types of religion, there are so many exceptions and differences between groups (and I'm not saying that's bad) that not everyone fits into the mould that I would like. Many are governed by the concept of Ahimsa, which is the principle of kindness and non-violence towards all other beings, which is wonderful. I would argue that the dairy and egg industries inflict great violence and suffering on its animals and therefore all of these faithful should be vegan but it is certainly not up to me.

That being said, when I reached out to Satya Asha on Instagram, they were enthusiastic about guiding us through their menu to vegan choices. Even our server did not require my little tutorial but was familiar with veganism.

We arrived at Satya Asha which is at 72nd and 128th Street in Newton at about 4 pm on Saturday and were surprised at how busy they were! Cleary that was a good sign!

Every time we have dosa, I feel like it has been too long since we last had dosa! This is one of the most underrated great foods found anywhere. It is naturally healthy and so delicious!. Rava Dosa is made from semolina rather than lentil and is more lacey and crispy than the lentil version. Sometimes it is made with ghee so it is not always vegan, This one came with a couple of chutneys and sambar so just what we were missing. If you have never had dosa, you do not realize what you are missing.

Often we order Idly and Vada as a side or appetizer for our dosa but this time we tried their Idly 65. This was a bit of a stew of chillis, peppers and spices. The idly are perfect sauce carriers and this was also delicious!

This is not the first time we have seen the little robot waiter. I believe that it's more of an amusement than a labour-saving device. Don't worry that your server job is in jeopardy due to advancing technology. The restaurant itself is quite comfortable and still has pandemic dividers between some of the tables. I guess they will serve as privacy dividers until the next pandemic (sorry. was that out loud?).

We also got a couple of dishes to go. The first was at their recommendation (from my Instagram exchanges) and called Dhokla. I admit that I had never even heard of it but it was amazing and very different from the usual dishes we order. This is apparently a steamed cake made of fermented ground rice and lentils. It was a little like a variation on cornbread but with both spicy and sweet toppings. We will definitely be ordering this again!

Finally, another one of our standby favourites, Veg Manchurian. Again, this dish is usually vegan, but you have to verify, as sometimes there is ghee instead of oil. This one was obviously vegan and quite delicious.

So we are now fans of Satya Asha, and since it is near Mharie's kid's place, it is highly convenient. There is much more for us to try here. Thanks for the quick and detailed communication on Instagram!

Food                          4 1/2 out of 5

Vegan Options           4 1/2 out of 5

Comfort                     4 out of 5

Service                      4 1/2 out of 5

Value                         4 1/2 out of 5  

Hyatt Ziva Cabo - Vegan Options Part Two

Just to be clear, we did more than just eat at Hyatt Ziva Cabo. We spent a fair bit of time floating in the various beautiful pools, enjoying the beach, working out in the gym and even watching my workmates participate in a poolside beer-drinking contest (but only as an observer). We also walked into lovely San Jose del Cabo (a vigorous 45-minute hike) and enjoyed the little town.

But back to eating! The specialty restaurants were generally open for dinner only. On our first evening, we made a reservation as a group for Bon Vivant, the resort's French restaurant.

There were 2 items on the menu that were either vegan or vegan-friendly and obviously, I ordered them both. The appetizer was an asparagus thing with a balsamic drizzle. Again healthy like the buffet vegetables but this was pretty impressive and delicious!

Next up was another roasted vegetable stack on cous cous. More of the balsamic but this time with some good olive oil. Again, it was tasty and substantial enough. I don't whine that there was no souffle for me. Of course, there was no dessert either. This was a beautiful room with French-style service so no complaints!

I had high hopes for El Molino, a Mexican restaurant in a resort in Mexico. Despite my cliched idea of refried bean Mexican rice and tortillas, there was nothing vegan or vegan-friendly on the menu. Still, the hostess encouraged us to come by and see what they could do for us. Thank goodness for salsa and guacamole!

We left the chef to his own devices. He used a portabello mushroom as the basis for his creation and the result was another healthy stack of vegetables, which was fine. People assume that I do this for my health maybe, but I really just wanted something Mexican at this point. This dish was a little bland but it could have been rescued by a nice mole sauce. I'm pretty sure Mole can be vegan. It depends on whether they fry it all up in lard before blending it. I resorted to covering this in the salsa from the previous photo. Still, I appreciate the effort. 

We did our best at Dozo which was a pan Asian restaurant. I started with a pretty basic sushi roll, not unlike what I had eaten at the buffet earlier in the day but it was nicely presented.

They had 2 more dishes on their menu which were vegan-friendly so I ordered both because who knows when I would eat again. The first was a Yellow Curried Tofu which was possible the best thing that I ate here all weekend. It could have had a little more heat but I understand that we are catering to the tourists and there was some nice flavour there.

The other dish was Fried Rice which really hit the spot. I guess the simple carb levels in my blood had been a little lacking and this was full on vegan comfort food. I am happy to report that I left here fully satisfied but even before that there was dessert!

This was not offered as a vegan dessert. It was grilled pineapple on ice cream but I asked if I could have just the grilled pineapple! It arrived but with a coconut sauce which made it a nice fruity concoction!

This was another nice room just as all of the restaurants here are. If you are wondering about my wife, she is not vegan and therefore had her choice of fine meals but the purpose of this blog is to make vegans and omnivores alike aware of what cruelty free options are available or not. The other restaurant here and open during renovations was the Hacienda Baja Grill but we gave it a miss. The meat case inside the doorway gave away the premise although even here, I was assured that the chef would put something together for me.

Worthy of honorable mention was the poolside smoothie bar which would whip something up for you from a whole menu of healthy concoctions. I showed up there a few times.

Overall, I did not starve and the various food service folks did there best to keep me fed and happy. As the world in general steers a little more towards the necessity of becoming a more plant-based world (I am sure progress will slow significantly during the next Republican presidential term in the USA) it behooves resorts like Hyatt to include the 5% or so of people who are already vegan in their plans. How are they doing? I think management could try a little harder with food choices.

Still we got  the sun and sand that we came for!

Hyatt Ziva Cabo - Vegan Options Part One

Many thanks to my employer, Bert's Electric (2001) Ltd, for once again splurging on its foremen and managers! A week ago, a group of us and our spouses were whisked off the Cabo for 5 days of warmth and relaxation!

Not until the morning after our arrival did we realize that our room faced due east and right there started a ritual of sunrise watching both from our balcony, or from the beach. Myself, I've never been south in Mexico, of Tijuana, so this was as much a life experience as it was a vacation. But would a vegan survive for 5 days in an all inclusive? We were anxious to know.

Of the 6 restaurants and cafes that were open (there was some ongoing renovations which did not bother us at all) we admittedly spent more time in the buffet than anywhere else. Each day the lunch buffet changed a little bit and there were clear (albeit tiny) labels as to what was vegan, vegetarian, gluten free etc.

If I had anything to complain about at La Plaza, it was that everything labelled vegan was also a little too healthy. I think I ended up coming home in better shape than when I left as the vegetables were roasted, there was almost always tofu somewhere and that to get anything deep fried on my plate, I had to resort to the tortilla chips (loved the guacamole)!

Still, there was salad and pasta, and always a vegan ceviche as well as other things to tickle my palate.

Of course, the fruit was amazing (above, I snuck some coconut from the ice cream bar for topping), as were the staff, whom we got to know from showing up there every day. I know that this is a resort, and people make their living by being courteous and friendly, but we always felt genuinely welcome.

On our last full day and lunch at the buffet, I asked our server if they could make me some tacos. Of course, there was a taco bar in here but it was basically a meat fest as even the refried beans were omnivorish (probably lard, which is authentic and in a past life, I would have approved). One of the chefs appeared at our table a while later, and he was proud of his creation! I was delighted as grilled vegetable tacos came as close to Mexican cuisine as I experienced this weekend. Very nice!

In part 2, I will look at the specialty restaurants at Hyatt Ziva Cabo and what they offer as far as vegan eats are concerned.

Stay tuned.

VeganZza Pizza / Club Kitchen - Vegan Options

Well, this is fun! Thirteen restaurant kitchens in one location. Place your order at the MacDonalds-style kiosk (one of the staff hovered over me, assuming that since I was old, I would not get it) from any or all of the kitchens, pay once, and have your food delivered to one place! I noticed Veganzza on Instagram, a new local place for vegan pizza and with help, figured out that Club Kitchen was the place! So off we went to the corner of Cambie and Expo Blvd.

I stepped up to the kiosk (the person helping me was really just trying to be helpful, so I shouldn't be flippant) and ordered everything vegan from the 13 menus. I realize that is a little sad, and I would have hoped for more. I think that Thai Away Home might have some dishes that are vegan, but they are not noted on their menu. We really came for Veganzza, so anything else is actually a bonus.

We ordered the Vada Bao from Indi Co. This was a tasty Indian spiced mashed potato ball inside a bao. A couple of good chutneys, some onions and grilled chillis which nearly blew my head off. Very tasty except it seemed a little expensive at $15.75. ! I have since noticed that Indi also offers a vegan protein option (Madras chickpeas) but it's a little hard to know where to fit them into a vegan dish (i.e. they offer Biryani or a rice bowl with a choice of proteins but is the rice bowl animal product free?). 

Dragon Bowl is also represented among the kitchens, offering a Vegan Bowl with three sides. This was a relative bargain at $12.88 for the medium-sized bowl. You start with your choice of base (brown rice for us) and sauce. We ordered the black pepper sauce hoping it is vegan (no indication on the sauces or the sides and the combo offer comes with a braised egg and soup so there are limited guarantees). For sides, we chose shredded potato, lotus root and edamame, and bean curd. This was a decent offering for sure.

Personal sized Teriyaki Shan Tofu Pizza was our first choice from VeganZza Pizza.These are not cheese pizzas, but each has a unique sauce that makes you realize that you don't miss the cheese. This one had chickpea tofu and chickpea sauce and of course teriyaki, The crust was outstanding with the requisite "leoparding" (not an animal product) and we were impressed.

Next up was the Seoul Food Pizza. Again with a great crust but this time with sweet potato, red cabbage, green onions and some gochujang. The chickpea sauce was again present and made us not miss the cheese. Some places use soy or cashew based cheese but we really didn't mind this alternate type of sauce. At $13 for the personal-sized pizza, we found this to be a pretty good deal. There are 8 different pizzas on their menu!

There are a few tables inside and quite a bunch of tables outside. We saw quite a few people getting food to go or delivered and considering we are in a densely populated area, it is a perfect place for vegans and omnivores. We are sold on VeganZza but wish more of the kitchens would step up their vegan options game.

Food                      3 1/2 out of 5

Vegan Options       2 1/2 out of 5

Comfort                 3 1/2 out of 5

Service                  4 out of 5

Value                     4 out of 5