Vegan in Milan: Pasticceria Nepa

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Jenny
Two milky hot drinks and two cinnamon rolls on a table

Finding eateries that open for breakfast during actual breakfast hours (i.e., before 10am) is such hard work. I appreciate why most places don’t open early, but those that do are welcome to take all my money – especially if they’re an all vegan pastry spot, like Pasticceria Nepa in Milan!

This place is really close to the central station, and has both indoor and outdoor seating. When I was in Milan with my mum in June, we stopped by every morning for a delicious breakfast.

Two crisp looking croissants with small amounts of pistachio green piped on top

These pistachio croissants were a big hit with both of us. The croissants themselves were really crisp on the outside and fluffy inside, just as they should be. They were generously filled with a really delicious pistachio cream. This was a beautiful breakfast!

A crisp looking pain au chocolat

The pain au chocolat deserves similarly high praise. The chocolately glaze helped keep it crisp and increase the flavour, and there was a decent amount of chocolate inside. The texture inside could have been a little better, but it was still excellent.

A big, fluffy cinnamon roll

And the cinnamon rolls were delicious! They were so soft and fluffy, and not too sweet, I wish I could have had more of them! I will say though that they really differed in size, as you can see in the picture up top. Fortunately I got the big one on this occasion.

It’s worth noting that the breakfast pastries are only available early in the day. We popped by one afternoon to collect some for an early train the next morning, but they had nothing left.

Besides these pastries, there are also a few savouries. We tried the mini pizzas, but I forgot to get a picture. They were small but filling, with a really rich tomato sauce and plenty of cheese. They weren’t too greasy either.

There’s also an incredible selection of desserts with cream and pastry, that I wish we’d had an opportunity to dip into but it never quite worked out. All the more reason to plan a return visit soon!

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Vegan in Berlin: Dervish

Posted on September 2, 2024 by Jenny
a table with various plates for sharing, including a kofta, dumplings, salad with a yoghurt dressing, and flatbreads with dips

I’ve been stuck in a very delicious rut when it comes to Berlin eateries – everywhere I’ve been in the past is so delicious that I just don’t feel tempted to try any new spots. It’s a shame to take that attitude when the vegan scene is thriving so much. So when Dr HH and I visited in June, we decided to make space in our eating itinerary for one new place, and we chose Dervish, which is an all-vegan Uzbek restaurant. I’ve never had Uzbek food before, so this was an exciting opportunity to try something completely different. And generally, it was a success.

A bowl of piled up dumplings garnished with dill

We ordered the potato manti plate (dumplings), but were told shortly afterwards that they were short of potatoes so we only got a couple of potato ones and the rest pumpkin, which was another option on the menu. Running out of potato before 6pm on a Saturday seems like an unpopular move! Sure enough, the pumpkin ones were a little too sweet and otherwise bland for our tastes. The potato ones also included onion and were much tastier, so it’s a real shame we didn’t get more of them. The dumplings were quite large and nicely steamed. They were garnished with dill, which I’m not crazy about, but it worked. It was served with a salad which was absolutely swimming in yoghurt. I’m not crazy about salad, so that’s certainly one way to improve it.

A large kofta sitting in a red sauce, garnished with bean sprouts and fresh herbs

We also shared a kofta, which was sensational! The kofta itself had a good texture with a nice crispy shell and a well-packed, meaty inside. The tomato sauce was really rich and flavoursome. I would definitely order this again.

Two large semi circles of filled flatbread, with four small pots of dip in the middle of the dish

And we also shared the qatab plate, which is these stuffed flatbreads. One of them was filled with spinach, and was a little dull and under seasoned. The other was filled with potato and cheese, and was totally delicious. The important takeaway from this dining experience is that potato is the best filling – as if we didn’t already know! The dips and sauces in the middle were a little underwhelming, to be honest. The vegetable pot at the top was quite good, but again a little under seasoned. The hummus was disappointingly bland, and needed more seasoning. The yoghurt dip was fine, and the tomato one was again a little bland.

Overall, it wasn’t an all-round hit like many of our other Berlin spots, but I think we’re both intrigued enough that we’ll go back again for another try. There are some fried breads on the menu that we somehow overlooked this time, so we’re really keen to try them. And hopefully we’ll get lots of koftas and potato manti, now that we know what’s good!

One negative point is that it was cash only, so make sure you are prepared for that. Service was great, and the interior is really nicely decorated. I’d been a little worried to see in a Happy Cow review that there were low tables that required you to sit on the floor – it turns out there are some tables like that and some ‘regular’ tables and chairs. If your creaky bones could not handle sitting on the floor for an hour or so, make sure you get yourself a table and chair!

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Vegan in Manchester: Maki & Ramen

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Jenny
A bowl filled with clear brown broth and thin noodles, topped with bok choy and lots of slices of vegan bacon

Our other stop for vegan ramen in Manchester was Maki & Ramen, which is a chain with several branches around the country. The Manchester branch is quite central, and had enough vegan options (several ramens, along with katsu and noodle dishes) to lure us in.

An open bao bun with a fried vegan chicken patty inside, drizzled with red and white sauces, along with some garnish.

We started with the vegan bao, which has a surprisingly vague description on the menu – it doesn’t tell you what the bao contains, merely that it’s vegan. We were pleasantly surprised then to learn that it was filled with a crispy mock chicken patty. You can see in the picture how well fried it was, it had a fantastic texture. It tasted and looked good too – much more visually appealing than the bao at Shoryu Ramen. My only complaint is that the patty was actually far too big for the bun, making it a messy dish to eat.

A bowl filled with clear brown broth and thin noodles, topped with bok choy and lots of slices of vegan bacon

Dr HH and I both ordered the black garlic tonkotsu ramen, which I’ve never seen on a menu in Prague. It didn’t quite live up to the name for me – I was expecting a proper smack of garlic, but it didn’t taste strongly garlicky at all. I was also expecting the broth to be a bit thicker, based on my (admittedly limited) understanding of tonkotsu, so I was a little disappointed on that front, but I can accept that I simply don’t know what a tonkotsu should be like. Nevertheless, it was a good savoury broth that we both enjoyed, even if we weren’t fully dazzled. The noodles were good. Alas, there’s bok choy, but it was fine. It came topped with vegan bacon, but we both ordered extra for ours, so these pictures do not represent the normal ramen. The bacon did not have what I remember as a very bacony texture, but it was meaty and flavoursome, and I absolutely loved it. I’d definitely order extra again in the future, because it really was the highlight of the dish.

I find the ramen spots in Prague have a lot of what I consider to be filler for the toppings, particularly loads of sweetcorn, so I enjoyed that both of the spots we tried in Manchester didn’t waste our time with the filler. The toppings were good, and the broths were generally more exciting than what we get in Prague. Even if you’re used to getting good ramen, I’d recommend Maki & Ramen!

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Vegan in Manchester: Shoryu Ramen

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Jenny
A big bowl of creamy broth topped with seaweed, large slabs of tofu, tenderstem broccoli, and bamboo.

Regular readers will know that I’ve been exploring all the vegan ramen dishes in Prague lately. My quest for good ramen is not limited to this city though, and when I was in Manchester earlier this year I squeezed in not one but two dedicated ramen restaurants with vegan options. Shoryu Ramen is very conveniently located at Piccadilly Gardens, right in the city centre, and has a few labelled vegan options.

Two bao buns sitting in a steamer, each containing a big slab of tofu with some lettuce and cucumber visible underneath and red sauce on top.

We started with the crispy tofu bao buns. As the name promised, the tofu was good and crispy. However, the accompanying lettuce, cucumber, and tofu watered everything down a bit too much for my taste. Additionally, they just didn’t look that appetising. I would have liked a bit more care with their appearance, like a drizzle of sauce rather than a blob, and shredded lettuce rather than big leaves. Ultimately, they were neither the best nor the worst baos I’ve had, and I felt like the crispy tofu deserved more.

A big bowl of creamy broth topped with seaweed, large slabs of tofu, tenderstem broccoli, and bamboo.

I ordered the vegan white natural ramen, which is not a ramen I’d ever encountered before. The broth was creamy and savoury, and I absolutely loved it. There was a generous portion of noodles. The toppings were unfortunately a little boring – two good slabs of tofu but no flavour to them. The broccoli was an improvement on the usual bok choy, buy the long stems meant that it was a little tricky to eat.

A big bowl of creamy light brown broth topped with seaweed, large slabs of tofu, tenderstem broccoli, and bamboo.

Dr HH had the vegan spicy natural ramen, and found again that it lived up to its name with a good kick to the broth which he loved. The toppings and garnishes were the same as on mine above. We both felt that our broth was the most exciting element of the dish by some distance.

We really enjoyed this spot, not least because when a dish is ready to serve the staff ring not a bell but a gong, which lends a suitably dramatic feel to the occasion. It was a popular place on a week day lunchtime, but not too crowded, and service was still fast and friendly. The broth makes it well worth a visit!

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Vegan in Manchester: The Allotment (Afternoon Tea)

Posted on August 12, 2024 by Jenny
A three tiered afternoon tea stand filled with food

I can’t get enough of afternoon teas, as regular readers may know, so when I was back in the UK for my birthday this year, I couldn’t resist finding another one. I’ve been to The Allotment various times during its existence in Manchester, but the afternoon tea is a fairly new offering, just in the last year or so, and I hadn’t tried it before. I’ve found that The Allotment has changed quite a lot as there have been some significant changes in the kitchen, and it is no longer a must-visit for me when I’m back in Manchester – it started out as quite fine dining with a really innovative chef, but has become a bit more of a regular restaurant to me with a bit less creativity in the dishes (I’m not blaming them for changing their approach, it’s a tough industry). But I was feeling optimistic about the afternoon tea…until I read the reviews on Happy Cow, which were generally not glowing. I’m glad I hadn’t read the reviews before I booked, as they might have deterred me, and we would have missed out on a real treat!

As you can see above, it’s arranged slightly differently than a typical afternoon tea as there are two savoury plates and just one sweet, which was not the best omen for somebody as sweet-toothed as me. But again, I needn’t have worried!

Three finger sandwiches on white bread, one with salad leaves poking out and the other with visible avocado and tomato

The bottom tier was all sandwiches, which were regrettably very dull – there was a cream cheese one, a hummus one, and an avocado one. They didn’t taste bad, but it was a shame not to see a bit more innovation and flavour. They looked a little rustic too, not quite the elegant bites you might get at a fancier (and admittedly more expensive) spot. There is a lot of scope for creativity in the savoury plate, and I’m always disappointed when it doesn’t come to fruition.

A bowl of cauliflower coated in a crisp looking batter and a small pot of orange dipping sauce

However, there was one very exciting savoury element, which was the cauliflower wings. These are a staple on the menu at The Allotment and we’d all tried them before at least once, so we knew this was going to be a winner. It was absolutely delicious. The cauliflower was really tender, the batter was crispy and well-seasoned, and the sriracha mayo was perfect. I was thrilled that we each got our own little bowl – I was expecting it to be a really small portion, and this exceeded my expectations.

A plate containing two scones, a pot of cream, a pot of jam, two slices of brownies, and two red velvet cakes.

Because the cauliflower wings got their own tier, all the sweets and scones were crammed onto one plate.

Two halves of a scone spread with cream and jam

There was one scone each, and they were generously sized. The cream was high quality, not too coconutty or greasy as they sometimes are, and the jam was simple and fruity. The scones were a really good bake.

A triangular slice of brownie and an individual red velvet cake which is sandwiched and topped with a white cream.

The cakes, a brownie and a red velvet, were also well baked. I don’t think the menu specified what the cakes would be, but it looks like these are the regular ones, from other reviews. The brownie did not have the perfect texture, but it was decent, and good and chocolatey. The red velvet cake was top notch. The sponge was really light and moist, and the amount of icing was just the right balance. I’ve not had a lot of red velvet cakes since going vegan, and this was a good one.

It was £16 for this spread, which feels pretty good to me after forking out a lot for some in London in recent years.

I will say though that, even though we had booked in advance, service was quite slow and it took us a long time to get our afternoon tea. It seemed like they were a little understaffed, so I can believe it was just a bad day. But when the food did arrive, it looked and tasted impressive.

Overall, I found it good value for money and mostly a real treat. If they livened up the sandwiches, this would be a total winner!

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Vegan in Prague: Linh’s Vegan Corner (Ramen Quest)

Posted on August 5, 2024 by Jenny
A bowl of watery looking brother topped with mushrooms, beansprouts, red onion, sweetcorn, tofu, and half of a vegan hard boiled egg

Linh’s Vegan Corner has rave reviews, but the dishes I’ve tried there haven’t really worked for me – and unfortuantely, that includes the ramen.

Vegan Egg-no-egg Ramen

Broth: 1/5. It was extremely bland, and looked totally insipid too, like murky water. There’s no creaminess, no depth of flavour, nothing going for it.

Toppings: 3/5. There was lots of tofu, which I loved, and loads of mushrooms too, which helped to give it some flavour. The egg looked like it would be a fun twist and it had the texture right, but it did not have the flavour of an egg at all. Not even a hint of black salt. I may be wrong, but I assume the purpose of an egg on a ramen is for the yolk to run into the broth and enhance the flavour. This egg did not enhance the dish at all. It looks like a fun novelty, but was style over substance.

Noodles: 3.5/5. Dr HH thought they were a wee bit underdone, but they were fine for me, so I’m splitting the difference.

Overall: 7.5/15. There are presumably much better dishes on the Linh’s menu than this, so I’d encourage visitors to explore the wider menu and go elsewhere for a ramen.

This is the final post in the Prague Ramen Quest series – for now! Hopefully ramen options will continue to appear in the future. Pastva was my winner, though I’m looking forward to doing more research at Miska Ramen too. And if you are looking for a good bowl of noodles and broth in Prague, Chi Xiao Mian is probably still your best bet!

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Vegan in Prague: Takumi (Ramen Quest)

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Jenny
A bowl of almost orange broth topped with bok choy, tomato wedges, sugar snap peas, two fried croquettes, and various other garnishes

Takumi is a chain which has two vegan ramens in its Prague branch – the menu differs in other countries though. Dr HH and I each tried one of them.

A bowl of almost orange broth topped with bok choy, tomato wedges, sugar snap peas, two fried croquettes, and various other garnishes

Vegan Signature Tan Tan Ramen

Broth: 5/5. It was creamy and flavoursome, with a nice bit of heat to it. Really delicious.

Toppings: 2/5. I had been very excited about the croquettes on top, but unfortunately they just did not work for me. The filling reminded me of bland veggie fingers from the 1990s, mushy morsels with no texture or flavour. And of course, they were really soggy from sitting in the broth, which reduced the texture even more. The other toppings were the classic bok choy, bamboo, and bean sprouts, which were all fine. But I did not appreciate the sliced raw tomato at all, it felt very uninspired.

Noodles: 3/5. They were good, but the portion was possibly a little too large for me. I never though I’d say it!

Overall: 10/15. It’s such a shame about the toppings, because the broth was spectacular.

A bowl of beige broth topped with four crispy fried gyoza, two big chunks of fried tofu, lots of sweetcorn, and various other garnishes

Vegan Gyoza Miso Ramen

Broth: 3/5. This was a different broth from the one above, and it was not so mind-blowing, unfortunately. Generally quite unremarkable. (Is this typical of all miso ramens?)

Toppings: 3/5. The gyoza were nice, but were not well suited to being a topping – they got a bit soggy, much like the croquettes above. The tofu was excellent and the sugar snap peas added a nice crunch, but there was a lot of sweetcorn which was a shame.

Noodles: 4/5. Plentiful and tasty.

Overall: 10/15. It needed a bit more flavour and excitement.

Takumi was quite a small and crowded restaurant – the tables all seemed very close together. On all their social media and websites they claim not to take reservations, but this turned out to be false. We were asked on arrival if we had a reservation, and other tables had been reserved. I would recommend a reservation if you plan to visit, because it was jumping on a Friday evening.

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Vegan in Prague: Pastva (Ramen Quest)

Posted on July 22, 2024 by Jenny
A bowl of dark brown broth topped with tofu cubes, sweetcorn, enoki mushrooms, chilli, a wedge of lime, lots of beansprouts, and various other garnishes

Pastva is one of the few all-vegan restaurants that was open when I moved here 9 years ago and is still going strong now. Their evening menu includes a ramen, and it’s a good one!

Ramen

Broth: 5/5. It was a really flavoursome broth, with some depth to it and some Japanese flavours (which have not been present in all the others).

Toppings: 3/5. There were no big pieces of bok choy, which is always a positive for me. It was quite heavy on sweetcorn, but generally there was a good mix of toppings and some mushrooms. There was chilli on the top, but it was easy to remove if you prefered. There was a lot of cubed tofu, which is good, but it all seemed unseasoned, which is a shame.

Noodles: 4/5. Good generous portion.

Overall: 12/15.

This is not an all-ramen spot, or even all-Asian spot, like some of the other places I’ve reviewed, so it’s perhaps a good option if your dining companions don’t all necessarily want ramen and are happy to visit an all-vegan place.

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Vegan in Prague: Veganio (Ramen Quest)

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Jenny
A bowl of vivid yellow broth garnished with seaweed, bamboo, mushroom, red onion, chilli, and lots of coriander

Veganio is mostly a Loving Hut-style buffet restaurant, but also has a few items on its fixed menu, including a ramen which lured us over. You need to order at the counter. We didn’t see an English menu there, I think it’s just the menu board in Czech that you can refer to. If in doubt, you can check on the Wolt delivery app for the English menu options, because they’re always translated there.

A bowl of vivid yellow broth garnished with seaweed, bamboo, mushroom, red onion, chilli, and lots of coriander

Curry Coco Ramen

Broth: 4/5. It was a really tasty broth with lots of flavour and good chilli warmth. The flavours were predominantly lime and coriander (with some coconut, but not overpoweringly so – we’d expected from the name that it might be more coconutty), which made for a tasty broth…but it didn’t feel very Japanese to us.

Toppings: 3.5. I gave this 4/5 because there was a really generous portion of tofu and mushrooms. However, there was a lot of bamboo in it, and Dr HH marked it 3/5 because he got some bamboo that was too tough to chew through. Generally, we liked the variety of toppings. For me, the seaweed was a bit out of place.

Noodles: 4/5. Good portion size, no complaints.

Overall: 11.5/15

Four crispy tempura prawns with a wedge of lime and a pot of sweet chilli dipping sauce

It’s an all vegan restaurant, so there are plenty of other things you can try here too. We shared the tempura prawns which were very slow to arrive (we were halfway through the ramen already), but were absolutely fantastic.

It’s not a huge spot, but it was efficient and pleasant. If you want a tasty bowl of broth and noodles, this is a good option. But I’m not sure it’s really a ramen per se.

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Vegan in Prague: Miska Ramen (Ramen Quest)

Posted on July 8, 2024 by Jenny
A bowl of light brown broth filled with thin noodles, sweetcorn, tofu, beansprouts, and other garnishes

Prague Ramen Quest continues! Miska Ramen Bar specialises in ramen and has four vegan options on the menu, all clearly labelled. We tried two of them.

Vegan Miso Ramen

Broth: 3/5. It had a nice creamy texture with a pleasant hint of miso wafting through it. It wasn’t particularly complex, though I think that’s the general problem of ordering a miso ramen.

Toppings: 3/5. There was lots of corn (boo!), bean sprouts, and greens. I was pleased that there were no giant bok choy, because I always find them tricky to eat. There were four pieces of tofu, which is good, but it seemed to be unseasoned, which is a real shame.

Noodles: 4/5. Good and plentiful.

Overall: 10/15. It was a promising dish, but I think I choose poorly and should have gone for one of the more exciting ramens. Such as…

A bowl of brown broth filled with thin noodles, sweetcorn, tofu, bamboo, beansprouts, and other garnishes

Vegan Tan Tan Ramen

Broth: 4/5. It had a good heat to it, though it actually smelled a bit more flavoursome than it was, somehow.

Toppings: 3/5. Unexciting tofu and vegetables. There were enjoyable elements, especially the bamboo and beansprouts, but nothing really wild.

Noodles: 4/5. A good amount of noodles.

Overall: 11/15. It was a good spicy broth with hearty noodles, slightly let down by the unexciting toppings.

Five fried gyoza with a small pot o dark dipping sauce

There are also vegan gyoza on the menu, which we found to be very good indeed. There was lots of tofu and vegetables in them, and they were cooked really nicely – to be honest, I find a lot of the gyoza in Prague quite bland, so these are a cut above.

This is a small, pleasant restaurant that was doing very good trade on a Friday evening, so I’d recommend booking, and I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a good vegan ramen. The staff didn’t speak much English, but there’s an English menu so you can easily muddle through with a bit of pointing. And they serve meat dishes as well, so it is potentially a good option if you’re dining with omnis.

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