Nukkad Indian Street Eats - Vegan Options

I messaged these guys as their Instagram and web site menus confused me. They assured me that they had vegan items on their menu. It seems like a lot of people don't understand the difference between vegan and vegetarian, but these folks understood it.

We found Nukkad Indian Street Eats at McArthurGlen on Sunday afternoon. I think this is their regular haunt but you should probably check before trudging out there. Their clientele showed some enthusiasm so that reassured us.

The Chole Kuche was amazing. The kulcha was an tasty soft bread, nicely grilled, that we dipped in a flavourful chickpea curry. The gentlemen who gave us our food made sure that we knew to squeeze the lime into the curry. So good!  

The Mr. Potato Burger was also amazing. If you think you need meat for a burger (even faux meat) you are sadly mistaken. The potato patty was crispy and fragrant with Indian spices.  Hold the cheese to make it vegan but it is all about the condiments. I can't remember if they had to hold the mayo as well as it is house made. Once you add in the pickled jalapenos and fresh veggies, you are good to go. This was served with fryums which texture wise are a little like shrimp chips (not the flavour) and are  made basically from starch and deep fried. This was new to us and interesting.

Finally, we had the Veg Fried Momos. We are big fans of momos and you can order them steamed if you plan to eat them every day but for us...nah. We love them deep fried and served with some heat.

There are a few other vegan options at McArthurGlen but other than that, don't come for the shopping. It is a wasteland of overpriced and overhyped brand names. Does a brand name on your clothes make you an important person? Come for the food especially at Nukkad.

Richmond Night Market - Vegan Options

So we've been to the Richmond Night Market several times over the years. I'm not a huge fan, as the crowds can be overwhelming, the merchandise for sale is mostly junk, and the entrance fee has crept up year by year (we paid $8 each this year).

There have been a couple of times that I have been here and sort of enjoyed myself. One time my brother flew into YVR on a Saturday night and wanted to do the night market. It was near closing time so the crowd had thinned and the stalls were clearing out their food at reduced prices. Fun! And its a sin to let food go to waste! This visit also, the second to last night of the year, it was on the chilly side so that led to small crowds also. I guess that is what makes the biggest difference for me.

So I went looking for something that a vegan can eat. I didn't expect to see it, but there was the "vegan" Label at Aroy Go!

I'm always down for Mango Sticky Rice (starting with dessert first)! South East Asian desserts kind of lean towards sweetened and condensed milk but at this stall they use coconut milk which is equally sweet but much less cruel!

The reason there was a big line up here (actually a small line compared to past market visits) at Big Beard Super BBQ  is that they had a $2 coupon out there and everyone loves to save $2! At the far right of the menu you can see that they had BBQ Seitan but I did not notice it at the time as there was a bigger sign for BBQ Tofu sheets.

The BBQ Tofu was actually very good even if my photo is not. In my omnivorous days, I used to love cumin lamb ( how could I eat those cute little guys?) and this had the same spice taste (obviously cumin). At $10 for 10 it was even a pretty decent deal!

For hydration purposes, it was not hard to find non dairy beverages, like the coconut-mango thing that we got at One Coconut.

And of course, the Hurricane Potato has been available at every market that we have ever been to. How can you go wrong with a big spiral French fry (be careful what spice mis that you choose).

Conspicuous by their absence was Burma Betty, the food stall where I have gotten very good vegan eats in the past. I'm not sure if they were just done early for the year or if they weren't here this season. I thought they had a brick and mortar place in Burnaby but their website doesn't seem to work and their social media posts are over a year old so I guess...

Still, the vegan didn't starve. Not my favourite thing but a lot of people enjoy the Richmond Night Market so sometimes, you just have to go.

Din Tai Fung - Vegan Options

We finally got to Din Tai Fung in Vancouver. We were excited that it had arrived, as we had been to DTF (an unfortunate abbreviation that I will not use again) in Seattle and were very impressed. As I refuse to cross the border for anything optional during the next 3 1/2 years, it is good to have them here. 

Located on Alberni Street near Thurlow, we a reservation but arriving when they first opened at 10:30 am on Sunday, it was not necessary. It is a large place but I have no doubt that they get very busy and so reservations would usually be a good idea. We were able to order 5 dishes that we did not try on our previous visit and I think there is enough left to try for a third visit!

The Soy Noodle Salad was a great place to start. Although they are known for their in house made wheat noodles, these noodles are actually cut from soy sheets. In addition there are julienned carrots and celery and a refreshing vinegary dressing. Excellent!

More noodles but this time the wheat kind and made with JUST Egg. This was Vegan Noodles with Sesame Sauce and it was amazing! The noodles being fresh are an exquisite experience compared the the dried ones we eat at home. A sesame sauce, peanuts, chili oil and green onions complete the picture.

A couple of Vegan Buns provided a small bit of contrast. The filling of tofu, glass noodles, greens, mushrooms and jicama was tasty enough and the steamed buns themselves were pillowy and pleasant. 

Next the cross between the buns and the noodles and this is what people come for, Vegan Dumplings. The greenish hue is spinach water by the way. The filling is the same as the buns and the noodle wrapper was delicate and the same as the noodles. You can watch these being hand crafted in the kitchen if you like. 

The triangle inside the circle made me think of recovery, unity and service which is an inside joke for anyone who is a friend of Bill. We had the Sesame & Mochi Xiao Long Boa for dessert and these were pleasant but not overly sweet or heavy. It's not everywhere that we can get a vegan dessert. I read somewhere that the XLB are made with the golden ratio of 18 folds but the ones we counted didn't quite add up to that. We did not send them back! 

Although some of the dishes seem simple and almost plain, you can spice them up as you like with the excellent chili oil, soy sauce and vinegar at your table.

This is a beautiful space and the service is very attentive. Although it is not a vegan restaurant, they have made it accessible for all kinds of people. We are always impressed with that. This is a place you could bring people from out of town but remember that there may be a Din Tai Fung near where they live also.

We'll be back anyway.

Tina Vietnamese Cuisine -Mostly Vegan ?

Formerly known as V-Cafe (which explains why I could not find my previous blog post), we have enjoyed this Vietnamese, almost vegan restaurant.

I am not sure if it is still true, but in the past, there was an egg or something somewhere on the menu, but the servers would steer you away from it if you were vegan. Located at the corner of 8th and Carnarvon, it is right at New Westminster Station.

We started with a couple of Salad Rolls. This was vegan Barbeque Pork and Citrus Spare Rib. They were both excellent and came with a delightful peanut sauce. 

I meant to order the Vegan Beef Stew Noodle Soup but my brain had other ideas and I ended up with the Vegan Curry Noodle Soup. This was not a mistake. It was tasty and rich and solved my protein needs for the day. I would mistakenly order this again gladly.

Mharie decided on the Vegan Seafood Noodle Soup. It was also very flavourful and oceany. I'm not sure what all the seafood was but probably commercially available vegan seafood. Lots of veggies that were perfectly cooked (i.e. not too soft). Very good!

I didn't take a dinning room photo which was odd but there is probably seating for 2 dozen here. The Buddhist vibe is not overwhelming here but it reminds us that ahimsa can be a central principle of life. We'll be back.