Vegan Diet Guy

One Less V-F Restaurant

Perhaps it’s because there are so few vegan-friendly restaurants to begin with, or maybe I’ve got a case of vegan selective attention, but it sure seems that restaurants catering to vegan/vegetarians fail more than traditional restaurants.

Recently, I was describing London’s critically acclaimed vegetarian diner “Eat and Two Veg” to a house guest. Ebullient with memories of discovering the restaurant during a business trip to the UK, I went online to retrieve their amazing menu of comfort foods including Rendang Curry, Moroccan Tagine, and my favorite, Crispy Aromatic Luck (a seitan version of Peking Duck).

Wishfully thinking a “Page Not Found” response from E&2V’s website was a temporary glitch, I did a search and learned the restaurant had closed down last December, after 6 years of operation. Although I live in Tokyo, and don’t know when I’d get to eat there again, E&2V was nonetheless an institution for vegans and omnivores alike. My 3 meals at E&2V were among the highlights of my London visit (see “London-Vegetarian Heaven“) and a must-go for my next visit.

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Being away from home can make business travel and vacation challenging and stressful for anyone who’s trying to eat healthily. This is particularly so for new vegans who are still trying to adjust to a diet without animal products but may have fewer alternatives than usual.

However, given the fact that business travel is often necessary for our jobs, and most people enjoy going somewhere new for vacation–at least occasionally–how does the vegan or aspiring vegan deal with eating away from home?

Below are some tips for business and vacation situations:

1. Business travel–Eat as much healthy (whole-grain, low-fat and minimal refined sugar) vegan foods you can at those meals where you have the most control over the venue. For me that’s breakfast, because lunch and dinner are often spent with colleagues or clients, and you’re less likely to have a say over the restaurant chosen or the menu.

Breakfast buffets at hotels are quite vegan-friendly, and as a result they are probably the safest places to eat while away from home (provided you don’t give in to temptation to eat 80 percent of the food that is non-vegan!). (more…)

Crispy Aromatic Luck

I’ve mentioned a few times the challenges of dining out as a vegan, especially if you’re eating a vegan diet for health reasons ( rather than just to avoid animal products).  For example, it may be healthier to order grilled fish rather than eat vegetables, grains, etc, that are either not fresh, or not prepared in a healthy way. Of course, given a choice, I would select restaurants where I can enjoy a meal that is both meatless and healthy.

However, London must be one of the best cities in the world for vegans to eat out, given all the restaurant alternatives available. Indian food is generally tasty and healthy, and there are Indian restaurants everywhere (one I would recommend is Punjab in Covent Garden). Although many popular Indian dishes, such as saag panir are made with cheese (Panir means “cheese” in Hindi), and Indian food and sauces often contain yogurt, there are usually many vegan-friendly dishes, as well.  Regardless if you’re vegan or vegetarian, you want to be careful to order foods that contain minimal amounts of oil, and ask the waiter to reduce oil, wherever possible. (more…)