House of Dosas - Vegan Options

These days we are doing more and more revisiting of the places that we have enjoyed the most. I've made no secret here of our love for south Indian food and especially dosa and that is what brought us back to House of Dosas in White Rock.

Located on 152nd at 17th, parking is shit here. We ended up on 17a in what is signed as Johnson Plaza parking (which this is). Other than that, our legs aren't broken so we can walk a bit.

We first noticed a change of menu in that Rasam Vadai was no longer on the menu. Mharie had talked about this dish since the last time we were here and so was a little disappointed. We ordered the Medu Vada which in reality is similar but with less soup! A couple of deep fried lentil flour donuts complete with sambar and coconut and tomatoe chutneys. Loved this almost as much as the Rasam Vadai.

We're big fans of Uthappam as well, dosas' pizza like cousin. This pancake is made with fermented rice and lentil flour, came topped with veggies (because that was the one we ordered) and accompanied by the usual sambar and chutneys. Again, we loved it!

I'm pretty sure we ordered the Onion Rava Masala Dosa this time. To be honest, this was just a tiny bit on the greasy side (no more than fried potatoes anywhere else) but that was not troubling. Stuffed with Masala potatoes, there are too many options to mention when it comes to variations on  dosa so we will never tire of it. If I could only eat one type of food for the rest of my life, it would be dosa and south Indian food in general.

I am not sure what the distinction is between south Indian and Sri Lankan food but look at a map and you will see why they could both be offered in one restaurant. We found it a bit chilly in the dining room but it could be that they had just gotten things opened up and not yet warmed up. For the second time, we found the service to be friendly and efficient. 

Make sure you try this place!

Folke - Vegan Brunch

We are big fans of Folke. They are a completely vegan restaurant that operates with a no tipping policy but still pays a living wage. They also have a creative powerhouse kitchen that does not use (at least not to my knowledge) processed products such as faux meats. Not that I have anything against faux meats or even processed foods for that matter but anyone can cook that stuff at home if they have a craving. Folke is creative on a more impressive level transforming good old fruits and vegetables (not to mention grains, legumes , etc.) into delicious and beautiful dishes. Read about our experience with their tasting menu here... Yes! We're Eating Vegan Again!: Search results for folke. Now we are back to try their brunch menu.

Still located at 2585 West Broadway and now serving brunch from 10 to 2 on Saturday and Sunday. Make a reservation.

We met my brother and his wife a certain Sunday morning. It meant that we could all try something different and get a good cross section of the brunch menu. We started with the Potato Rostii. Crisp potato cakes served with creamed leeks, vegan sour cream and dill. Not your typical brunch hash browns but something a few notches up. Loved it!

My brother tried the consummate brunch dish, Chicken and Waffles. The chicken of course was neither chicken nor 'chick'n' but deep fried oyster mushrooms. To me eye there could have been a few more mushrooms but it was certainly delicious. It was a sourdough waffle (bonus) and served with cinnamon maple butter. Nice!

I had the Filet O Fysh and this was served as a burger, to my surprise. Again, not a processed product but celeriac and amazing. I was convinced it tasted like fish but I obviously have no idea and everyone else agreed that it did not but tasted more like root vegetable (duh). Aright, well the texture was definitely like fish. Served on a bun with melty cheese, tartar sauce, and maybe the best fries I have ever had.

My sister-in-law,  had the Shakshuka. This dish is made with chick pea tofu which I can't help thinking is made in house (otherwise, I don't know where you'd get it). Served with a spectacular focaccia and everything else you'd expect from a good shakshuka.

For a change, I remembered to ask about flax seeds (as my wife is allergic to them) and we discovered that quite a few things on the menu had them (possibly frying in flax seed oil?). One thing that she could have was the Carbonara Risotto. This was not a hardship as the risotto was excellent. The carbonara part featured ruta-bacon which is what exactly? Google results turned up nothing except vague references to rutabaga but really? So I ended up phoning the restaurant which they are clearly not keen on (being phoned that is) and learned that it is indeed, dehydrated and cured rutabaga. I still don't know how that works other than to spare a pig but still taste like bacon and contribute to a very good risotto.

You can get a cake plate for your table, which we did. There are many choices and you select them yourself! Don't get too greedy!

Obviously we tried a few things and shared around. It made an impressive conclusion to an impressive meal.

Pleasant surrounding and pleasant staff (and good conversation) made this a wonderful meal and a credit to Folke that continues to shine.

Hellcrust Pizza - Vegan Options

Sure, we've gotten pizza from Hellcrust before and blogged about it, but its pretty good pizza and they have a fairly extensive menu of vegan options and there are locations all over. Vegans should be aware and omnivores also. 

Genius that I am, I wanted to order from downtown Langley but accidentally ordered from Walnut Grove. It wasn't a huge deal. Located on 202nd just a block north of 88th, we just enjoyed the scenic tour (would not have been the case if we were in a hurry) and took a different route home.

Can't really tell one from the other in the photos but we ordered one, Vegan Maize Mania and one Vegan Hell's Crunch. They were both tasty and interesting. I did not realize that corn on a pizza was such a thing. The Hell's Crunch boasted potato chips but that was a little weak. To get a real crunch, they should use kettle chips of some kind and more of them.

The crust was nicely done. They don't have anything fancy like coal-fired ovens (does anyone?) but still both had nice leoparding. The prices are reasonable and the decent choice of vegan options, kind of make this place one of our favourites for everyday pizza takeout.

You may find out there is a Hellcrust Pizza close to you if you search.