Vegan in Orihuela Costa

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Jenny
A beautiful blue sea

During the pandemic, my mother abandoned the gloom of Manchester for the Spanish coast, and you probably don’t need me to explain why. She gets to walk by the sea and enjoy the sunshine every day (well, almost every day – it does rain occasionally, much to her distress). The good news for me is that I now have a very convenient getaway destination when I too need some sea and sun! However, the Orihuela Costa where she lives is quite different from my usual holiday locations. She lives in a small town with a lot of retirees from the UK, Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavia. Transport connections are quite poor (there isn’t even a trainline!), and there is no real vegan scene to speak of. But still, the sun, sea, and my beloved mother are enough to lure me over, and we have managed to find a few good meals.

Deep fried chicken on a skewer with fries, a small skewer of roasted veg, and some coleslaw

The Hen’s Teeth in Villamartin is one of the few places I’ve seen with mock meat on the menu, so this was pretty exciting. They had very clearly labelled vegan options and sections on their menu, and I felt very confident ordering here (this will not be a common trend here, alas). It was a deep fried chicken skewer, which I enjoyed very much. The chips were also nice and crisp, and the roasted vegetables were a fun touch. I’d recommend this place. However, if you don’t have a car and aren’t staying in this area, it may be a bit of a mission to get there – it’s a little tricky to find accurate information about bus routes and times.

A burrito sliced in half filled with vegetables and grains, served with a dollop of guacamole, some tomatoes, and some crisps

There is a fully vegetarian restaurant in Torrevieja, one of the bigger towns in this area. Beet Vegetariano has a few vegan dishes on the menu, along with some veganisable ones, and it’s another of the few places in this area where I felt confident that they did understand what vegan means. I got a burrito, which was nice and quite filling, with lots of vegetables and some good guac on the side, but it all felt a bit underseasoned. Everything was fine, but I wish the food had been a bit more special. Nevertheless, I’ll be back, because there’s not much competition and it’s good to support a meat-free eatery. As a bonus, Torrevieja is one of the places it’s a bit easier to get in and out of, because it’s quite a hub and so there are more buses to other towns in the area.

A big breakfast plate of toast, two sausages, a pile of fried mushrooms, a pile of halved cherry tomatoes, a pot of beans, a hash brown, and a sliced avocado

Makai Cafe in Playa Flamenca has a few vegan options on the menu, including a full breakfast and a wrap. I’ve had the full breakfast, which came with some non-vegan butter, so definitely check before you tuck into that in particular. In the absence of any spread, I fashioned myself an avocado toast, which worked really nicely. It was a hearty breakfast – not mind blowing (you may be noticing a theme here), but very pleasant after a long walk on the beach. A second hash brown would always be welcome, but no major complaints.

Two crispy fried spring rolls on a salad garnish
A big bubbling plate containing chunks of tofu along with onions, peppers, broccoli and other vegetables

Zenia Garden Asian Restaurant in Playa Flamenca doesn’t have any labelled vegan options, but the staff have told me before that some of the vegetarian dishes are also vegan. The vegetable spring rolls are vegan, and they’re always good and crispy. All the dishes listed under “vegetarian dishes” on the menu are also vegan, so I’m told – I always go for the fried tofu with mixed vegetables. The tofu chunks are really nice, and there’s usually quite a good variety of vegetables. It is quite an oily dish, and quite generous too, so I usually take half home with me for the next day.

A wrap cut in half filled with falafel and salad, along with a handful of crisps and a pot of coleslaw

You can find some labelled vegan options at Willow Café in Playa Flamenca. I’ve been told they occasionally do vegan cake, though there was none when I visited. I got the vegan falafel wrap, which would have been great except that there were quite large bits of chilli in (you can see a few pieces in this picture). It was significantly more ferocious than I would have liked! Also, I wasn’t convinced that the coleslaw would be vegan, so I avoided it just to be safe (though the menu did mention vegan mayo, so it may well have been fine).

Surfers and swimmers in the sea, sunbathers on the beach

While it can be a bit of a struggle when eating out, vegan options are plentiful in the supermarkets. There’s a big Alcampo in Zenia Boulevard which has lots of great food – there’s plant milks aplenty, including Oatly Barista sometimes, and quite a few Heura mock meat products in the chilled section (along with things like tofu and a few other brands of meat-free products). There’s Alpro yoghurts and ice cream, and vegan Magnums too. So if you have a kitchen, you’ll definitely be fine.

It does seem like the vegan options are slowly increasing in the two years I’ve been visiting – so hopefully there’ll be a part two of this coming soon with some more exciting options. But for now, there are enough options to get by!

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Vegan in New York: Franchia Vegan Cafe

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Jenny
A very hot stone bowl filled with vegetables, rice, tofu, and seaweed

Franchia Vegan Cafe was one of the many places in New York where I wish I’d arrived hungrier so as so try some starters as well…but we ate so much good food on our trip that I’m not sure I was ever actually hungry! I had actually heard that their sister restaurant, Hangawi, was the number one vegan Korean spot in New York…but I also heard that you have to take your shoes off and sit on the floor, which was not appealing to people who were on the go all day. We were in the mood for proper chairs!

I ordered the duck stone bowl, picture above. This differed from the bibimbap version in that the bowl is piping hot, so the rice around the edges gets beautifully fried. That rice had a really great texture, and the mushrooms and duck were really flavoursome. It all came with a tasty ginger sauce as well. I almost didn’t order it because the dishes were served so hot they’re still noisily crackling as they are brought to the table, and I don’t like to draw attention – but happily Dr HH talked me out of my foolishness.

A large plate of noodles with red peppers, herbs, and some fishy chunks

Mother HH cannot resist Singapore noodles wherever she goes, so she ordered the Singapore curry angel hair and was very impressed. It was nicely spiced and included some lobster balls – I cannot confirm their authenticity, but they were very fun.

A hot pot filled with a thick golden stew containing vegetables and fishy chunks including some deep fried chunks

And Dr HH chose the spicy Korean hot pot, which contained fishy pieces. He reported that it was very good, and as promised, very spicy. The fish pieces were delightful!

And so we have arrived at the end of our trip to New York. We truly ate the best food on this trip, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I already wish we could go back for more, but I will satisfy myself with all of these happy memories.

Is sitting on the floor at a restaurant ever worth it? Have you got any recommendations that will convince me to plan another trip to New York?

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Vegan in New York: Screamers Pizzeria

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Jenny
Four slices of pizza on paper plates on a tabe

Pizza by the slice is a rare find in the vegan circles I find myself in, so I was extremely excited for the opportunity to go to Screamers Pizzeria, which is an all vegan place. There are two branches, both in Brooklyn, and we went to the Crown Heights location where I found myself quite spoiled for choice. It’s quite a small place with a few tables, and it’s not too cramped, which is always a treat. They also appeared to be doing a roaring takeaway trade. For anyone else who has had few opportunities to indulge in pizza by the slice, I’ll explain the process – we ordered at the counter, then the staff slid our slices into the pizza oven to heat them up, and then we collected them from the counter.

We had a few different slices between us. I limited myself to two, which was more than enough for lunch – pepperoni, which I can never resist, and the screamer, which was cheese and mushroom (the bottom two in the picture above). Pepperoni and mushroom are my favourite pizza toppings, so I was very happy indeed. Part of me wonders if I should have been bold and got the mac and cheese slice, but I think these were smart choices.

A slice of margherita pizza

Mother HH played it safe with a simple margherita, which she said was really good. She’s still not a big lover of vegan cheeses, so we’ll call this a win!

A slice of pizza topped with artichoke and meaty crumbles

Dr HH of course tried three different slices. The spicy nona (the square slice in the top left corner of the top picture) had a good thick crust and a different texture than the other slices we had. It contained cheese, pesto, and chilli oil, so he was very happy. Next to that one in the picture up top is the buffalo, which had tasty buffalo cauliflower florets on it. And pictured just above here is the artichoke, which combined pesto, artichoke, and crumbled meaty bits. He was happy with everything, though the buffalo was his favourite.

Ms HH smiling at the camera in Prospect Park, with some daffodils bursting into life

We had worked up our appetite for the pizza with a morning in Prospect Park – though it’s also in Brooklyn, it is not near the pizzeria, unfortunately. We had a lovely time wandering around and spotting the early signs of spring, along with some birds, of course.

Two turtles on a log in the pond at Prospect Park

And we saw some chipmunks and turtles as well! As someone who only knows chipmunks form the famous Alvin, I had no idea they were just freely scuttling around in public. It felt very exotic! We read that there are guided birdwatching walks every weekend, so it’s a shame we didn’t have our wits about us to attend one of those. But even as clueless amateurs, we were pleased with what we spotted and ready for our pizza reward.

Can you get vegan pizza by the slice easily? Does it encourage you to make bolder pizza choices?

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Vegan in New York: Willow

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Jenny
A cookie skillet topped with a huge portion of chocolate ice cream and drizzled with peanut butter

While planning our week in New York, I encountered the classic problem: there were more eateries I wanted to visit than meals to account for during our stay. When it was getting down to the finer details of planning it, I had about five restaurants competing for the two final spots on the itinerary, and when I put it to a family vote, Willow just squeaked through. And I’m very glad it did!

An elegant portion of pasta in a creamy sauce, topped with some mushroom pieces and herbs

The main attraction for me was the “scallop” cacio e pepe dish. I’d only had cacio e pepe twice before, it hasn’t really made it as a veganised staple yet as far as I can tell – but those two instances were enough to make me a big fan. In fact, one of my culinary goals for the year is to master a vegan cacio e pepe recipe, so please share any tips you have! Obviously I had high hopes for this dish, and it did not disappoint. I was hoping the scallops would be big chunky ones, like we once had at a fantastic restaurant in Dublin, but they were chopped. Still, they were made from oyster mushrooms and added a nice bit of texture to the dish, so no major complaints. And they weren’t the main attraction, after all. The sauce was creamy and cheesy, and the pepper seasoning was perfect. I was worried it might be a bit too mild, but I was very satisfied indeed.

A big portion of nicely cooked mock meat, with a sticky glaze, served with broccoli and a portion of sauce

Dr HH was somewhat less satisfied with his BBQ ribs. The ribs were seitan and were nicely made, with a good sticky glaze, but his verdict was that the dish was quite samey – just a big plate of meat. While it wasn’t a bad dish, it didn’t quite deliver what he wanted, and he probably just chose the wrong dish because it is hard to resist ribs. The accompanying chips (pictured below), however, got a rave review.

A burger and portion of chips

Mother HH agreed on the chips, and was also very pleased with her burger. We didn’t make a note of exactly what burger she got and I can’t find a suitable option on the menu now, but she really enjoyed it, so go ahead and gamble if you see a burger on their menu!

A cookie skillet topped with a huge portion of chocolate ice cream and drizzled with peanut butter

Willow was also one of the few occasions when we got dessert on this trip. We ate so much that we just didn’t really have room for that many puddings, but this was an occasion when we all made an exception because there was a cookie skillet on the menu. This is one of those dishes that seems so American, you just can’t turn down an opportunity to try it. And it was everything I’d hoped for! For any readers who are also new to this dessert, brace yourselves. It’s a really soft cookie, with the chocolate chunks still gooey from the oven. It’s topped with chocolate ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce and a good sprinkling of salt, making it like a really decadent baked Snickers. I was in no way hungry when I ordered this dish, but I ate every last bite – and so did Dr HH. We might have to buy our own little tiny skillets to recreate this at home, because I’ve never seen this on a menu in Prague or my regular haunts in the UK. Not pictured here is Mother HH’s bowl of vanilla ice cream with (at her request) no sauce or additions. She loves a simple vanilla ice cream. I always support someone who knows what they like, but I didn’t think it was worth photographing. You’ve seen a bowl of vanilla ice cream before.

So the food was a definite winner. The restaurant itself was a little bit crowded (in keeping with our general feeling about restaurants in Manhattan), with the tables very close together and some noisy neighbours. But service was still sharp and we would definitely return for another meal – and I’d order exactly the same two courses again!

Have you got the perfect vegan cacio e pepe recipe for me to try? Or cookie skillet? Help me recreate this magic!

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Vegan in New York: Bodhi Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant

Posted on July 24, 2023 by Jenny
An array of dim sum dishes serves on plates and steamers with sauces on the side

Don’t let the name fool you, this place is 100% vegan and I was very excited about having an extensive dim sum menu to choose from. It’s always a thrill to have lots of small dishes to share, though truthfully I’m not sure any of our party knew enough about dim sum to choose the best dishes. Still, we ordered a good amount of food and we really enjoyed sampling so many different things.

Practicalities first: we were given a piece of paper with all the dim sum items listed and a pencil, and we went through and indicated which dishes we wanted to try (and how many portions, though we only got one of each). Then after the server collected the paper, everything was brought out as and when it was ready.

Three large, gelatinous looking white slabs, served on a plate

I thought I remembered that I liked pan fried turnip cake from my time in Hong Kong – alas, I was wrong. I quite liked the gelatinous texture, but it had a slightly bitter taste. This was the only thing Mother HH wouldn’t even finish, and it fell a bit flat for all of us.

Three deep fried rice dumplings on a plate

The fried sticky rice dumpling had a nice texture but was unsurprisingly a little bland. We should have chosen something a bit more exciting, but there are so many buzzwords (fried! sticky! dumpling!) we were powerless to resist.

Three small triangular pastries topped with sesame seeds

I will always order pastry, so we shared the veg meat pastry dish. The pastry didn’t disappoint, but the meaty filling was a little sweeter than we would have liked.

Three crispy spring rolls

You can’t go wrong with a fried spring roll, can you? These were crisped to perfection, and the vegetable filling was nicely seasoned – often a spring roll is all about the crunch while the seasoning is bland and the filling virtually nonexistent, but these were good all-rounders.

Two rolls covered in bean curd and sitting in a sauce, served in a steamer

Mother HH thought these looked a bit too weird, but the veg chicken bean curd rolls were very much my cup of tea. I love a bit of bean curd, and these had a really fun texture.

Four white steamed dumplings served in the steamer

We tried the steamed veg shrimp dumplings hoping they’d have quite big pieces or shrimp in them, but unfortunately that was not the case (and presumably if we were dim sum aficionados we would have known that). Still, there were pleasant little morsels.

A plate with small chunks of ribs - a pale and chewy centre between two darker, crispier edges

And this was the real dish of the day: veg ribs with salt pepper. I’ve had vegan ribs in various places before, but never anything remotely like this. The texture was completely foreign to me (I’m not sure I ever had ribs before I went vegetarian as a child), and it was incredibly more-ish, really chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside. It tasted meaty and salty. It was absolutely joyous. I would have happily ordered another plate, even though we were in no way hungry after all of this.

While the food was very good indeed, we had a strange and unpleasant experience with our first server. I was going to say that she was a bit too physical with us, but really, there should be no level of physical contact, should there? I’m not sure anyone who works in hospitality has intentionally touched me since 2020 (if ever). But she was all over us. Rather than just setting the pencil down on our table, she grabbed Dr HH’s hand and forced the pencil into it, then held his hand over the paper to indicate how we should mark our chosen items. Then she kept pawing at Mother HH, trying to massage her back or arms. It was baffling stuff. Everyone else who brought us our food or settled our bill was perfectly normal, so perhaps there’s just one extremely handsy woman who we were unlucky to get. She also had some very sexist comments to make about gender roles and described herself as hot. We were just not a good match for whatever material she had, I’m afraid.

Even with the risk of encountering her again, we’d be back though. The ribs are worth the social discomfort – and really, is there any greater compliment than that?!

What’s your dim sum of choice? And have you ever seen vegan ribs like these ones?

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Vegan in New York: Eleven Madison Park

Posted on July 17, 2023 by Jenny
A small bread bun with beautiful layers, seasoned generously with herbs and salt

At first, I felt a little ashamed to tell people I went to Eleven Madison Park, so much so that I considered not writing this post. It feels outrageous to spend over £300 on a meal (for that is how much it costs), and we went back and forth quite a bit over whether or not to go. But you know, people spend that much money on sports events and travelling somewhere to attend a concert. Loving food isn’t a crime, whatever The Menu may have told us! So, I’m going to own it: yes, we paid an obscene amount of money for a very good dinner, as a once in a lifetime experience. And it was great!

Dr HH and I first learned about Eleven Madison Park during the pandemic – it’s a three Michelin starred, best in the world restaurant that went vegan a few years ago under the direction of chef Daniel Humm. We watch a lot of Masterchef and are always jealous and annoyed that the fine dining eateries of the later stages are off limits to us vegans. But the tide is slowly turning. A few of the fancy restaurants in London do vegan menus now (Pied a Terre has a vegan menu, while Gauthier Soho is now all vegan), which we have enjoyed for around £100 per person. Could three Michelin stars really justify tripling the price? Could the food really be three times better than what we’d had in London? The answer was…maybe?

One area where New York definitely had London beaten was the service. I mean, service is good in those restaurants in London but on another level in New York. It was attentive without being obtrusive, which is quite a fine line, and everything was synchronised and appeared effortless. Service was also quite friendly – one of the servers was from the same area of the UK as us, and this caused a lot of excitement amongst her and her colleagues. A huge bonus was that the servers described the dishes to us at a decent volume so we could catch all the details, unlike in some other places where we’ve strained our ears to hear everything.

You can either order the full ten course tasting menu, or a shorter bar menu. We decided if we were doing it, we might as well do it properly, so we went for the full ten courses.

A small cup containing brown tea

The first dish we received was this radish tea, made from daikon and green radishes with coconut and lime leaf. My expectations for a radish tea were pretty low and it looks quite unremarkable, but this was actually the second best dish of the evening. I’m not sure I would have called myself a radish fan before this, but now I’m converted. At least once a week, Dr HH and I reminisce about this tea.

A small dish containing a small dumpling topped with overlapping circles of green radish

The tea was kind of accompanied by this little bite – it arrived a bit later, but not later enough to be a separate course. It was a steamed dumpling topped with confit radish, served with a lemongrass chilli oil. Again, this non-radish lover was impressed!

Artfully arranged slices of radish and fennel in a cream sauce

At the start of the evening, our server asked us if there’s any food we don’t like, and it’s just as well I never said radish, because the next course was radish salad. The radish was accompanied by fermented mint, fennel, lemongrass oil, and something creamy, which we didn’t catch. It was a fresh and tasty course.

Three crispy tostadas topped with artfully arranged beettoor slices
A red plate with artfully arranged beetroot slices and quenelles of a seaweed black cream and a white horseradish cream

Finally a deviation from radish! In the middle of the table were these tostadas (one each) topped with beetroot, then we each got our own plate with some additional pickled beetroot, horseradish cream, and some kind of seaweedy-flavoured black cream. Horseradish is another thing I could have listed as a dislike, but I gave it a go. Truthfully, this dish was not for me. We slathered on the white and black creams as instructed, and the tostada had a nice crunch, but these were just not my favourite flavours unfortunately. My companions enjoyed it more than I did.

A small bread bun with beautiful layers, seasoned generously with herbs and salt
A portion of butter shaped like a bulb or clove, with a darker, garlic flavoured centre

The bread and butter course was much more like it! I cannot even begin to describe how good this bread was. It was basically beautifully laminated pastry, not bread, so it was flaky, crispy and buttery. The butter was made with confit garlic. Together, they were absolutely incredible. This was honestly the most decadent and sumptuous course of the night. If Dr HH and I reminisce about the radish tea once a week, we reminisce about this bread once a day. After we’d finished eating, we were offered a second round and greedily said yes. I’m not sure Dr HH will ever forgive me for turning down a third round – it was for the greater good that we didn’t totally fill up at this stage, but we know we’ll never have bread and butter that good again. Just sublime. If you go, I’d recommend ordering that third round and trying to sneak it into a bag to takeaway.

A clear broth with small leeks and spring onions

We moved on to a soup with silken tofu with charred leeks and onions, which was nice but obviously a bit of a come down after the bread.

A large chip topped with black truffle shavings

This was more fun, though it’s hard to see here. It was essentially a big Yukon gold potato chip topped with black truffle, aioli, and corn masa. The texture was really fun and it was well flavoured. The truffle was not overwhelming at all.

A volcano shaped potato, sitting in a broth and topped by large shavings of black truffle

We had been looking forward to this course because we’d seen other tables around us being served. A trolley was wheeled to each table for the plating up and it was all a bit theatrical, which we love. It was a yukon potato again, this time hollowed out and filled with truffle cream. It was served with ginger oil, potato and mushroom powder, potato broth, and black truffle shavings. Alas, the truffle was too much for me and Mother HH this time, which was a shame because the other flavours were really good but got a bit lost when combined with the truffle. Dr HH enjoys truffle more than we do, so he enjoyed this dish.

Three mushrooms on small wooden skewers, grilling on a hot stone in the centre of the table
A large dish containing a circle of rice topped with slices of poached mushroom, with two small dishes on the side containing a fingerling lime and a dollop of pesto

The last savoury course featured shiitake mushrooms two ways. Some were grilled (still grilling at the table, as you see), and others served poached atop a bed of rice. It was served with shiso pesto, fingerling lime, and yuzu broth. I’m a big mushroom fan, so this was a real winner.

Three white popsicles with a green stripe on top, sitting on a bowl of ice

Next came a palate cleansing popsicle – tonka bean, with apple and maple. It was fun and refreshing, and actually better than the real dessert…

A small dessert dish with a glossy orange disc covering the dessert below

It was not a winner for us, though Mother HH enjoyed it quite a bit. What you see here is an orangey disc that was balanced on orange ice cream, and there was some apricot and almond in there as well. The orange was a bit bitter for me, and ultimately I always want a more decadent dessert. If it doesn’t contain chocolate or cream, is it really a pudding?

Three delicate chocolate covered pretzels hanging from a stand

The finishing bite was actually far superior – this was a chocolate sesame pretzel and it was beautifully crunchy and moreish. It was served with some vermouth, which it turns out I really do not like. There was a non-alcoholic drink option as well.

There are a few things to be aware of if you’re considering a booking – you have to pay in advance, when you make your reservation online, and there are no refunds if you can’t attend. So, probably don’t book it for the day you’re arriving in New York, in case your travel plans go awry. Service is not included, so you should budget to pay a tip as well as your drinks bill on the night. And if you’re a tourist who travels light, there’s no dress code to worry about – some diners were informally dressed, others were dressed up, but there was no awkwardness around it.

If you’re on the fence about making a booking, honestly, the radish tea and the bread and butter course were pretty much worth the fee. They were absolutely sublime. I certainly won’t expect to be back in this restaurant any time soon, but for a one off treat it was really delightful.

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Vegan in New York: Saravana Bhavan

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Jenny
A gigantic dosa with a few dipping accompaniments

We were in need of a place to quickly refuel between two scheduled museum visits, and Saravana Bhavan ticked all the boxes. It was very much a cheap and cheerful lunch spot chosen for convenience, and it wouldn’t be somewhere that featured in my ‘must-visits in New York’ list. The Happy Cow reviews indicated that vegan options were labelled on the menu, but I could not see any such labels. I’ve since been assured that they are there, they’re just hard to see. We all ordered dosas, as I remembered that the other Happy Cow diners had eaten those so they seemed like a safe bet. I’m always thankful to people who keep Happy Cow up to date!

I absolutely love a dosa, and this was a pretty good one, nice and thin and crispy. I ordered mine with a potato and onion filling, and found the potato a bit greasy and the onion disappointingly raw when I’d expected it to be fried and softened. Still, it was tasty enough and it fuelled me up for the afternoon. I wasn’t sure which of the accompaniments would be vegan, so I stuck with the dahl, which was pleasant but unremarkable.

A selection of brightly coloured minerals in a display case in the American Museum of Natural History

This restaurant is close to the American Museum of Natural History, so it’s very convenient for a lunch break from there. As always, we did not have time to explore the museum in its entirety so we prioritised our favourite sections: minerals and dinosaurs. The Natural History Museum in Vienna really got me into minerals, to Dr HH’s frustration and delight. Delight because his chemistry background is in minerals, and frustration because he took me to a mineral exhibition on our first date and I had totally forgotten it! Still, better late than never when it comes to developing an interest in minerals.

Dinosaur skeletons in the American Museum of Natural History

Nobody needs convincing to love a dinosaur exhibition though! It was a really fun and quite extensive collection – though, unsurprisingly, much busier than the mineral hall. Justice for minerals!

Are you a dosa fan? Or, more importantly, a minerals fan?!

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Vegan in New York: Modern Love Brooklyn

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Jenny
The Modern Love Brooklyn restaurant photographed from the street

As a big fan of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s cookbooks, I was giddy to finally have the chance to visit one of her restuarants, Modern Love Brooklyn. The menu (which you know I studied thoroughly in the weeks leading up to our visit) was extremely tempting, leaning towards classy comfort foods.

A glass filled with chocolate milkshake with chocolate sauce swirled around the inside of the glass and cream on top

One of the things I was most looking forward to was having a milkshake. For some reason I’d got it into my head that having a proper, decadent milkshake was a crucial component of the trip. And Modern Love truly delivered! There were a few milkshake options on the menu, and I got the chocolate one. Full disclosure, Dr HH shared this with me because we suspected (quite rightly, as it turned out) that it would be too much for me on top of all the food. It’s wise to recognise one’s own limits. It really was decadent, creamy, chocolatey, and exactly what I’d hoped for. There’s one place in Prague that has recently started serving a vegan milkshake, but it is just not the same.

Seitan wings covered in buffalo sauce, with some vegetables and ranch dressing in the backgorund

On the food front, we definitely over-ordered. Dr HH and I wanted to share the buffalo seitan wings so we ordered one portion – but it was so gigantic we thought the waitress must have misheard and brought us two. But no, this is a single portion of a starter. What a country! The mock meat texture was really enjoyable, though again I found it a bit denser than the seitan I’m used to in Europe. The buffalo sauce was pleasantly fiery, without being too overwhelming, though the pot of ranch dressing was absolutely necessary. These were extremely filling, and to be honest, together with the milkshake, they would have filled me up. But we kept on going!

A large helping of deep fried mushrooms, a huge dollop of mashed potatoes covered in gravy and a portion of coleslaw

Dr HH stayed on the meaty theme with his fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and slaw. The chicken (crispy mushrooms) were sensational, and he enjoyed the mash and gravy too, but reported that the slaw felt a bit boring alongside it.

A large dish containing Greek salad including some creamy looking feta and a pot of dressing

Mother HH had her wits about her and ordered a lighter meal in this Greek salad. I always feel a bit anxious when a non-vegan companion orders something with a very veganised component, such as the feta here. But Mother HH is very open to these substitutes and she liked the cheese and found the salad as a whole tasty and refreshing. Phew!

A huge plate of creamy pasta, two giant slabs of tofu fried chicken, and two slices of garlic bread

No such light bites for me, of course. My eyes were once again bigger than my belly as I ordered not only a massive pasta dish, but also an additional helping of tofu fried chicken. This was the pasta alfredo, which is one of the recipes from Superfun Times which I can never wring a lot of flavour out of, so I was excited to experience it done properly. I also felt that this was too American a dish not to order. I’ve only ever encountered alfredo in American popular culture, and I was keen to see what it’s supposed to be like. The pasta was good and the saucy was creamy and rich, but to be honest I still found it quite mildly flavoured. The garlic bread on the side was nice, and the tofu chicken was crispy but wholly unnecessary for me. Still, no regrets! It was a really fun evening trying American dishes that I’ve seen recipes for or heard about on TV, and it was great to get to try them.

And the restaurant as a whole was really nice. Service was super friendly, and it was quite a spacious place, not as cramped as most places we visited (a commenter let me know that it’s more of a Manhattan issue than a Brooklyn one, so this checks out).

A pond in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden with a Japanese gate and cherry blossom in bloom

Brooklyn in general was a nice change of pace from Manhattan. The lack of skyscrapers meant we could actually see more of the sky and feel the sun on our bones, which was pleasant in early April. We could walk along the street together rather than pushing through the crowds in single file. Quite the treat! We particularly enjoyed the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which I can’t recommend highly enough. The Japanese garden was our top priority so we could see the cherry blossom – well worth it.

Trees in bloom at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

The rest of the gardens had plenty to offer as well, including the greenhouses and hothouses. It was a great time of year to visit as everything was in bloom. So pretty!

A basketball game in progress in the Barclays Arena

And for something completely different, after our meal we went to the Barclays Arena to see the Brooklyn Nets in action (basketball, to anyone else who doesn’t really follow American sports). We could not be described as basketball aficionados, so it didn’t seem worth paying the small fortune required to see the Knicks play in Manhattan. This was a happy alternative, and we had a great time. Sports with the national anthem, cheerleaders, and a jumbotron felt like an essential part of our American experience – right up there with the milkshake! It was really interesting to me that the arena was playing music and prompting chants and cheers from the crowd throughout – it didn’t really feel as organic as watching football in the UK, when it’s really about the connection between the players and the crowd and how they more organically rile each other up and groups of fans start a chant themselves. It kept the atmosphere positive, which certainly differs from some of the quieter crowds and duller football games I’ve experienced, but it felt a bit like cheating to me!

Is there a culinary experience from another country that you’ve seen on TV and are keen to experience yourself?

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Vegan in New York: Spicy Moon

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Jenny
A plate piled high with deep fried salt and pepper tofu, with some vegetables.

I added Spicy Moon to our New York itinerary on a bit of a whim – it was listed in a vlog about the best vegan eateries in the city and Dr HH had been talking to me a lot about Szechuan pepper, so I just went ahead and booked it. Closer to the day, I became a bit concerned that the restaurant’s name was a clue that the food might be too spicy for Mother HH and me. I don’t think I’d had Szechuan food before, and it occurred to me at last that I might not like it. Happily though, it was a gamble that paid off. It was one of the culinary highlights of the trip for all three of us.

Six small fried vegetable dumplings with three pots of soy sauce

If you really want to go, I’d recommend booking – we were at the East Village branch and it was very small, with only a few tables. Service was extremely friendly and efficient, even while they were busy doing a roaring trade in takeaways. There was a lunch menu where you could choose from a couple of starters and a few mains to get a cheaper meal deal. We all got the fried vegetable dumplings for our starters, and received two per person. They were piping hot, and quite tasty. We all chose different options for our main.

A big bowl of mapo tofu in a vibrant red sauce

Let’s start with Dr HH, the budding Szechuan enthusiast. He was a little concerned about ordering the mapo tofu because it was labelled as very spicy. Our server reassured him that it was more the tingling kind of spicy than the burning-your-tastebuds spicy, so he went for it and was very glad he did. He paid a bit extra to get Beyond Beef crumbled in it and plain rice on the side too. He has been raving about this dish every since. The texture of the silken tofu was lovely, and the sauce was so flavoursome. I braved a taste, and found it very pleasant. We are hoping to recreate this dish at home this summer!

A large bowl of fried rice with some small vegetable pieces stirred through

Mother HH ordered the vegetable fried rice, which was less spicy and which she also raved about for the rest of the trip. Where she lives it’s quite difficult to get good fried rice so she was absolutely ready for this. It was a very filling dish too.

A plate piled high with deep fried salt and pepper tofu, with some vegetables.

If there’s salt and pepper tofu on the menu, I will usually order it, and this was no exception. And it was incredible! The tofu was so crispy and everything was coated in tasty spices. As well as the vegetables, there were little scraps of batter and fried chilli and garlic, and it was all just so delicious. I would have really loved to go back and have another meal here, but alas, we just had too many places on our wish list! This is definitely one of my top tips for New York vegan meals now.

Have you tried Szechuan food before? Or recreated a dish that dazzled you in a restaurant?

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Vegan in New York: JaJaJa

Posted on June 19, 2023 by Jenny
A quesadilla with salsa and sour cream on the side

Sometimes I forget that Prague, while a capital, is just a small city. If we rolled into a restaurant at 6pm, it probably wouldn’t be jumping yet. But when we arrived at JaJaJa in the West Village for an early dinner, it was already busy and people were making merry all over the place.

To be honest, I’m not sure why I added this place to our itinerary. I like the idea of Mexican food, but I’m not sure I’ve ever been to an all Mexican vegan restaurant, or ever had a really good Mexican dish even. I’m not a Mexican food aficionado and I have no idea what’s good to order, so it’s possible I was setting us up for failure.

A large burrito smothered in stripes of red, white, and green sauces

Mother HH was not dazzled by the chorizo burrito. The filling itself was quite nice, she reported, with good rice, guacamole and, of course, chorizo. But she didn’t enjoy that it was covered in sauce. Maybe this is a common serving style, but I just haven’t been to that many Mexican restaurants in my life. The menu did describe it as “smothered” in sour cream and salsa, but we still weren’t quite expecting it.

Enchiladas covered in mole sauce and drizzled with sour cream with rice on the side

Dr HH was similarly not bowled over. This was the enchiladas mole, which had a kind of meaty filling and the classic mole sauce, but he found it a bit samey and unexciting.

A quesadilla with salsa and sour cream on the side

I was the most satisfied customer with the coconut queso quesadilla, which contained some lovely pesto, mushrooms and cheese. It packed a decent flavour punch, and the cheese was good and gooey.

Central Park

All in all, this place fell a bit flat for us. We probably were not enthusiastic or savvy enough about Mexican food to make the best choices, and we were honestly exhausted – getting back to the hotel for an early night was extremely tempting after a long day on our feet. We’d spent the afternoon wandering around Central Park, which you may have heard is rather large. As well as enjoying the general pleasantness of some peace and quiet in the middle of the city, we also indulged in some birdwatching, which I have become a huge fan of since the pandemic hit (though I still barely know more about birds than I do about Mexican food). I hadn’t expected this to be a holiday with lots of nature, but we saw some really exciting birds unlike what we get in Europe. In particular there were blue jays, American robins, and northern cardinals, and we even spotted a bird of prey perched on a branch.

Is there a cuisine that you think you should like, but have never really got into? Are you also becoming a birdwatching enthusiast in the post-pandemic world?

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