Lucifer's House of Heat - Vegan Options

A few years ago, a friend gave me a taste of a ghost chili pepper sauce. I was unafraid! It turned out that I should have been afraid. I literally spent the next 30 minutes on the ground, curled up in the fetal position and drenched in sweat. There was talk of calling an ambulance. The next day, I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. Since that time, I have been quite a bit more cautious when it comes to heat. I still like it, but I'm not out to set any records. When the same friend sent me pics from Lucifer's House of Heat, I was intrigued, especially as they have a vegan section on their menu.

LHH is located on Davie Street near Bidwell. Its a nice little shrine to hot sauce including more bottles  than I even owned myself during a period I spent as a collector (which got a little ridiculous) and Hot Ones style events.

Unfortunately we arrived at a time when their plant-based menu was being retooled so my carefully curated order (from the website) was blown up and we started from scratch. The Lucifer's Rice Bowl has several protein options of which we chose the plant based one, roasted chick peas. I suggested that they should really offer seitan as an options as they could call it Lucifer's Seitan Bowl which would be perfect. It was a decent bowl but seriously, we've all had rice bowls..

We ordered a couple of sandwiches starting with the Toon's (didn't ask who Toon is) Chipotle Black Bean Burger. This was a delicious albeit messy sandwich that we ended up needing a fork to finish. I questioned the brioche bun and they assured me it was animal product free. Nice chips on the side.

We also had the Holy Duck Chicken but a vegan version. I can't seem to find the option on the website or on the instore menu so I assume it is part of the new menu. Holy Duck refers to the chili oil and the chicken was plant-based. The bun on this one looks a lot more gluten-free which we would never intentionally order but it didn't matter as we loved the overall sandwich. Both of these had some real heft!

So if you're into hot sauce this is a place to try. You can have a plant-based lunch and spend a fortune on hot sauces to take home. Apparently on Hot Ones (the You Tube show) some guests enjoy vegan wings (Ricky Gervais for example) and I was told that Lucifers has vegan wings as an option but I didn't see it on the menu. We had a nice time at Lucifers and found the staff and the surroundings to be pleasant.

Little Vegan Treats / Lore Market - In Person Shopping Event

A few years ago, I happened to be in Seven Oaks Mall, in Abbotsford, probably picking up something or other for my Mom. I spied a vending machine near an exit and to my surprise, it was labelled Little Vegan Treats!

I bought a Moo Free Chocolate Bar and wished the machine good luck as it happened to be stuck smack in the middle of unapologetic dairy country, and I doubted it would survive long. I also did not slip on the recently washed wet floor!

A couple of weekends back, Little Vegan Treats hosted an open house at their warehouse, buried in the industrial area of Mission's waterfront. We decided to pay a visit.

There we met Lori  (proprietor) and Moriah (warehouse manager). We learned that Little Vegan Treats is more of a labour of love than a big profit concern. Lori said that she didn't want her daughters to grow up in a world where veganism and compassion for animals are nowhere to be found. Wonderful! This is a form of activism, and her motivation is similar to my own, but her's requires an investment of time and finances while my endeavour just means writing some blog posts that no one reads.

They have a fairly extensive selection of treats in their machines, but I believe their main business is online. Check them out. I, being terribly cheap, was drawn to the Too Good To Go pack as well as a marked-down chocolate bar, while my wife (less of a cheapskate) spied Very Cherry Candy Kittens. Of course, I paid for all this before our discussion with Lori about her tight budget situation. I felt bad enough that I bought a chocolate bar from her machine (at full price!) the next time I was in Sevenoaks.

Sometimes, vegan specialty items are pricey because they cannot be cranked out in huge volumes and may require specialty ingredients to replace dairy. Until they are the norm and people choose cruelty free items instead of items that cause suffering to animals, conscientious persons need to support the industry. So I'll do better next time. That being said, it would be terrible for delicious things to be thrown out because they were past date and could not be sold.

When we got home and cracked the bag of goodies, we were delighted! Everything was great, even if we did get a little too much sugar for a couple of days.

Also at the open house, We met Uha who is the creator of Lore Market and some amazing cookies. So in case we didn't have enough sugar to go, we grabbed some cookies as well.

Admittedly, these three cookies would keep us safe from any kind of calorie deficit for a good long time but it was worth it. On the left is the Kitkat Cookie made with Tripp Bars, a vegan version of the aforementioned Kitkat. In the middle is the Dubai Chocolate which was rich, rich, rich with just a bit of crunch thanks to shredded pastry bits. Finally, the Peach Cobbler Cookie, the thought of which is making me salivate 2 weeks later. You can order these on line as well. You should!

Thanks for your service and commitment to the dream of a world free of animal exploitation, Little Vegan Treats and Lore Market.

The Happy Herd Farm Santuary - Dinner With The Animals

This fundraising event at the Happy Herd Farm in Aldergrove raised money to feed, house and care for a small 'herd' of beings who have been rescued from suffering and certain death at the hands of factory farms and situations where they had been mistreated. We enjoyed dinner, music, good conversation, entertainment, met some new friends and listened to some inspiring people talk about their work protecting those who can not protect themselves.

Chili was one of the stars of the evening. Born with kness fused, she gets around more like a kangaroo than a goat. Sheer determination (and some physiotherapy) has her moving and socializing with the rest.

As our hosts Dianne and Stephen addressed us towards the end of the evening, Chili had found her way to a take-out container of food (hidden behind her) with intentions.

Its not just about goats here, but Noodles gets a lot of attention also. Born with motor skill impairment, he also gets around in his own way but likes to have a wall beside him for stability.

Dinner for the evening was provided by Veg Out, who happen to be among our favs.

We are always content with a Buffalo Chick'n Burger and fries, although the milkshakes seemed to be suffering from the heat like the rest of us.

I think dessert might have been baked in-house, but also possibly came from one of the many impressive vegan bakeries in the area.  I never really asked but I am always a sucker for a chocolate chip cookie.

Entertainment was provided by David Ibister and friend (I am so sorry but I never did get the name of the guitar player who was quite excellent). Additionally, David chaired the even and provided entertaining patter including many terrible Dad jokes (by his own ambition). In addition to being a talented singer, David is a longtime vegan and world travelling Youtuber along with his partner, Natalia. We had a conversation with them especially as my wife won 2 hours of tattooing as a door prize. Check out @veganeverywheretravel.

Not sure how many people were here...60 to 80? I guess I should pay more attention but really, we came for the animals.

See you next year!

Udupi Adda - Vegan Options

So I know that I suffer gravely from recency bias. Whatever and wherever I have just eaten is my favourite of all time. This time, though, it may be more true than usual. Udupi Adda is a destination stop for vegans (and you other people should go also).

Located on Douglas Crescent between 204th and 206th in Langley, it came to my attention in the usual way by sniffing around on Google Maps. UA serves South Indian food centered around the cuisine of the city of Udupi. It is vegetarian but specifies which items on the menu are (or can be) gluten free, vegan and even Jain. You'll have to look up Jain for yourselves but they are a people that practice ahimsa (look that up too) to the ultimate degree.

On this visit (and of yes, there will be more visits) we tried some of our favourites to sort of set a base line. The Sambar Vada may be the best we have ever had. They were crispy and light. Served with sambar, coconut and tomato chutneys as they always are (and as all the dishes were), what's not to love?

Uttapam is something we have had less often but were familiar in advance and had our expectations. A type of dosa, it is a little thicker than the crepe type dosa (coming up next). This one was topped with gunpowder, a spice mix usually made of roasted lentils, chilis and curry leaves. It was slightly warming and a little crunchy and we loved it.

Finally, we ordered the Paper Masala Dosa which came rolled as a cone. The presentation was spectacular if a little difficult to photograph.

On the inside was a tasty potato masala mixture that we enjoyed with crispy but still pliable enough for scooping, dosa pieces. Amazing!

We ordered a couple of dishes to go for later including the Idli Manchurian. I was not aware that combining the Idli with the Manchurian sauce was a thing but it worked for us! The rice pillowy dumplings soaked up the rich sauce like champions!

Finally, we ordered the Kara Bath, mostly because I didn't even know what it was. This was semolina cooked with veggies and spices and made a comforting side dish. 

There is a lot here that we need to come back and try including a vegan dessert! The staff were very friendly and kept track of us. This is the first restaurant that we know of serving Udupi cuisine and we recommend it highly! If I was still doing the ratings, they would get 5s across the board!

 

 

Cardamom The Indian Kitchen - Vegan Options

Before I start this, I would like to ask you: Do you read this thing? Maybe occasionally? Just look at the pictures? I have been posting since January of 2018, and I really do it for myself. I neither make money nor does it cost me money. Over the last 3 years, I have posted completely about our vegan adventures and consider it a form of activism, if only by making known that there are tasty vegan options out there. That being said, if no one reads what I write, then maybe my interest has run its course. Please let me know. Message me on Insta if you like. Thanks

Aldergrove has another new Indian restaurant, and this one has items marked 'vegan' on its menu. That's my favourite kind of menu. A lot of Indians are vegetarians, and so vegetarian items are not rare, but they often don't recognize or prepare items without dairy. That is what makes the 'vegan' label special!

Cardamom is located in the Freshco Mall. Aldergrove is small enough that that is all the description that you need. There was a Chinese restaurant here for years. Anyway, we ordered food for takeout but they do have a decent-sized dining room here.

Gol Gappe is one of those dishes that come to order regularly when dining on Indian food. Rather than trying to assemble it and take a picture, here you can see the components. Break a little hole in the crispy ball, fill it with spicy potatoes and top with the tangy water, and you have a tasty bite. If you have never had this, you need to.

Vegetable ke karare pakore was next. I'm not sure what all that means, but we love pakora. Not sure if the tamarind dip was for this or something else, but it definitely worked!

We ordered a couple of dishes that came with rice on the side (on top was us). This was the Amritsari Chole, and I could eat this all day, every day. Chick peas are kind of a theme in our lives, and put them in a rich sauce, and we are set!

Also very good was Double Tadka Daal Fry. Not sure what the long name means. We often order Dal Tadka, but this one was very good, and maybe it has to do with the 'double' and the 'fry. I will ask one day.

Finally, we loved the Veg Manchurian. This is one of our Indo-Chinese favourites, and they do a good version here. There are a few more things to try here, and we will definitely be back.

There is a decent-sized dining room (I might have mentioned that, but there is just no way to check) and room for you and a few friends. Our server was very friendly, and the chef (I assume owner) also came out to greet us, and we liked his attitude! There is vegan Indian food available in Aldergrove at a few places, and we like them all, but we're keen on Cardamom, The Indian Kitchen!

Vancouver Ice Cream Festival - Vegan Options

No fun, Vancouver? I beg to differ! What could be more fun in the summer than the Vancouver Ice Cream Festival? Even more fun is the fact that more vendors are offering vegan options than in the past. We only touched a few this year, having visited others last year.

Just south of Robson on Homer is the interesting little place, Le Parfait. This is a Lebanese Creperie serving Lebanese dishes, waffles, crepes and other sweets. Worth a visit and offering vegan options for the VICF!

This was the Trio Fruity Cup, 3 scoops of different fruit-flavoured ice creams with a cotton candy topping. Loved the cotton candy! Well, loved the ice cream too, but we rarely get cotton candy!

This is not like a vegan paradise or anything, but at least there are a few vegan ice cream flavours.

On Water Street just west of Carrall, we checked out Chocolat Favoris. We became literally kids in a candy store here. This is not just an ice cream place (they have vegan soft serve) but they have all kinds of sweet treats for now or later.

We enjoyed our treat outside on this sunny at one of the little tables set up by CF.

This was an Ice Cream Float, and we chose Mango and Pink Lemonade Sorbet. It was a perfect cool treat. We had to slurp slowly to avoid brain freeze.

We've reported on Level V Bakery/Whisk Matcha Cafe before, but not in the  Ice Cream Festival sense of the word. Located in the vegan triangle on Kingsway near 8th, it is one short bus ride from Main Street Station. This place is a vegan paradise in the truest sense.

Their first featured item was the Matcha Matsuri Set. This is housemade matcha banana bread creme brulee toast with a side of ube soft serve. More than a little tasty and an impressive presentation, especially with the splash of gold leaf.

The second featured item was the Softi Floatie. This was an iced latte with more ube soft serve. We could have had it with matcha soft serve. This was all very delicious, but keep in mind that if you are eating purple food, you should probably wear a bib. I'm just saying.

They are not just about ice cream and lattes here. There are enough savoury and sweet baked selections at this all-vegan establishment that even the pickiest eater can be satisfied. We also scarfed down a Crunchie Sandwich, which featured avocado and soy floss. The soy floss is a unique ingredient similar to pork floss that is often used in Chinese dishes (but no one gets murdered). Delicious, and we have to figure out where to buy it.

The only thing that they really need here is more space and tables. The staff are pretty efficient at handling the lineup up but at peak times, they can get backed up. Great place.

Please let me know if you read this blog.

I am feeling like my blogging days have run their course. I have never made money off of it, but I feel like now that I have become vegancentric, it serves as my weak form of activism. Still, if no one reads it, there is no point in my getting stressed out.

Rogue Kitchen and Wet Bar - Vegan Options

Well, we've walked through Waterfront Station a million times and noticed Rogue Kitchen and Wet Bar, but one day I decided to check out their menu. Sure enough, they had a few vegan options and therefore made my list!

Finally, we got there before catching Much Ado About Nothing at Bard on the Beach, which by the way was very enjoyable! We got there right at 11 (opening time) in order to order eat and transit to Bard. No problem as we had our choice of tables in this quite beautiful restaurant.

We started with some Dumplings. Veggie gyoza with passionfruit ponzu and Korean beet vegan aioli. These were pretty good!

The Tofu Bao were also pretty tasty. The tofu was crisp and served with Char Siu sauce. There were mushrooms, pickled carrots, pea shoots and a Kimchi aioli on the side. Nicely assembled on a vegan bao. Well done!

We had the Vegan Beet Burger, not listed on the plant-based menu but on the burger menu...Glad we found it just the same. The house-made beet aioli is what gave it the name, and it was pretty good. A decent vegan patty and an overall good burger. Excellent fries on the side.

This is a beautiful restaurant, and we even had a street view, which is entertaining if not pastoral or anything. Our server was great, and I'm sorry but I've forgotten his name. We haven't tried everything vegan on the menu. This is a good place for vegans travelling with a herd of omnivores.