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Tag: vegan (page 6 of 6)

Loving Hut

 

Before you think that I have begun eating meat… Last night, we visited Loving Hut for dinner. There’s something so charming about this place! The servers were wonderful; one of them even asked us if we wanted to avoid onions and garlic in our meal. The menu selection is plentiful and the ambience is cheery. I have to say, this place seemed to be filled with Sattva.

We went with J & J and ordered an assortment of items. The Fabulous Pho soup was wonderful! It had rice noodles, vegan ham, green onions, lots of basil, mushrooms… MMM. I have to admit, I am squeamish around the fake meat and avoided those huge floating soy chunks. The soup was wonderfully flavored and it filled me up in a really warm and satisfying way. P ordered the Wonton Soup and he adored it. Cilantro, sesame, rice wontons, shredded carrots… wonderful! J ordered the daily special – Rainbow Soup. She has a very sensitive palate meaning not much stuff makes it past her attention when it comes to food, preparation, spices, etc. And she loved the soup!

The BBQ sticks were nice too with a generous garnish of sesame seeds. Again, it took me a while to get past the sight but once the sticks made their way to my mouth, I was fine.

I hardly ever turn down dessert – we got the Chocolate Mousse. It was sweet without being cloying, light and heavenly! Who’d think it’s vegan???!!!

Loving Hut’s philosophy permeates everything – the ambience, the servers, and the food. Living gently on this earth, consuming what’s needed, respecting life in all its forms… how can I not love a place like this one?

Loving Hut
6835 Spalding Drive
Norcross GA 30092
678-421-9191

www.lovinghut.us

Cafe Sunflower, Buckhead

Cafe Sunflower is one of my favorite eating places in the city. Here is a place where a vegetarian can eat in peace with no fear of any meat cross-contamination. Did I mention that I love the decor of this place? Vibrant colors, lovely lamps, cosy ambience and lovely food – I should also mention that I love their business cards too! Minor detail but it was so attractive (think shades of orange-saffron, clean font in basic colors) that I couldn’t help mentioning it.

I have been to Cafe Sunflower a bunch of times, and the last time we went happened to be the eve of Dad’s birthday. What did we order?

We got the Fried Green Tomatoes and Jamaican Limbo Plantains. The tomatoes were nice and crispy. I loved the Jamaican plantains that came with a black bean dip. If not for the dip, it could have passed off as Pazham Pori, a popular snack from Kerala. One bite and I am transported to an earlier age of summer vacations to Kerala, cups and cups of coffee from vendors, gorging on spicy cucumber salad from railway stations in Andhra Pradesh, and finally alighting at Thrissur station, so happy to be home!

Mom wanted Dad to have a taste of dumplings and so we also placed an order for Steamed Dumplings. They were fairly decent – as good as dumplings could possibly be, I guess!

For the entrees, we ordered Orzo Eggplant Lasagna, Fajitas, and Walnut Crusted Tofu Cutlet. The portions were generous and the spread looked fantastic! I have to mention that these folks do such a wonderful job of plating the food. Yeah, watching Top Chef has developed my food vocabulary quite a bit… 🙂 I have ordered the Walnut Crusted Tofu Cutlet before and it’s one of my favorites. The tofu-walnut combination has a nutty flavor but be prepared to share – the dish fills you up. The collard greens served as part of the dish didn’t really register for me neither did the bean sprouts.

The Fajitas featured grilled garden soy steak with other accompaniments. I wish it were more flavored but again, put together with the peppers, tofu, salsa, etc. it was quite good.

About the Orzo Eggplant Lasagna, it isn’t my most favorite dish in the world. But it is an interesting combination of ingredients – ricotta, red pepper, eggplant, roasted asparagus (yum!) – definitely worth a try.

Since it was Dad’s birthday the next day, we got a slice of the vegan chocolate raspberry mouse cake. Generous slice, absolutely melt-in-the-mouth delicious, fabulous combo of raspberry-chocolate. I think this could work with orange and strawberry also.

Next time I go, I’ll take my Canon Rebel for the pics.