• June 12th, 2009quarrygirlchango, LA restaurants

    it’s been a good couple weeks for los angeles vegans, as it seems daiya vegan cheese has hit the ground running. the amazing product that stretches and melts just like real cheese, is already at 2 awesome pizza joints, and now you can find it on sandwiches at chango, echo park’s vegan-friendly coffee shop, as well.

    vegan grilled cheese sandwich with daiya vegan cheese.

    vegan grilled cheese sandwich with daiya vegan cheese.

    i got the chance to sample some of the delicious sandwiches that chango just started serving up yesterday, and they were off the chain! i make a pretty damn good grilled cheese at home using daiya, and i can tell you chango’s version blew mine out of the water. it had the perfect amount of insanely melty cheese, and the bread was rich, moist and perfectly pressed.

    chango-daiya-sandwich-cu

    JUST LOOK AT THAT PICTURE. look at how that cheese is melting, you know it belongs in your fucking face. i can’t stress this to you enough: if you have never had a daiya grilled cheese sandwich, you NEED to go get one at chango. the cheddar daiya is far superior to the mozzarella, and its actual flavor it a lot closer to real cheese. the alternative to going to chango if you wanna try this stuff, is to order it online and pay an enormous shipping cost plus an extra fee to have it sent in a cold bag. totally not worth it when you can roll over to echo park and pick up one of these.

    the grilled cheese at chango also comes with a pasta salad (not pictured) which consists of colored bow tie pasta, olive oil seasonings, tomatoes, olives and daiya mozzarella shreds…absolutely creamy and delicious. it will all cost you $7.50, well under 10 bucks, which is pretty reasonable for a vegan sandwich & side in this town. you may want to call chango to make sure they have these before you drive over there. because they are new and all, who knows how popular they will be.

    chango coffee house
    1559 Echo Park Avenue
    Los Angeles, CA 90026
    (213) 977-9161

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  • May 18th, 2009quarrygirlchango, LA restaurants

    in the mood for a huge, hearty, warm, melty, fake-meaty vegan sandwich for under $10? look no further than chango coffee house in echo park. the hipster cofee shop/art gallery is located at echo park avenue and delta street, a spot that locals have dubbed “chicken corner,” and has recently added two unbelievably tasty vegan sandwiches to their menu. i had the chance to try both over the weekend, steak & cheese as well as chicken pesto, and each one brought a kind of sandwich satisfaction that isn’t available anywhere else in town.

    vegan steak and cheese sandwich. $7.50

    vegan steak and cheese sandwich. $7.50

    the vegan steak and cheese sandwich is basically a vegan version of your typical “philly cheesesteak,” with thick soy steak strips and dairy-free mozzarella, along with sauteed onions and mushrooms. chango toasted the sandwich when i ordered it, so the bread was warm and crispy and the soy cheese was perfectly melty. for the steak chango uses gardein, and for the cheese they use teese from chicago soy dairy…each being the best replacement out there for its animal-product counterpart. i can tell you, this steak and cheese sandwich was so amazing, even a meat-eater would fall in love with it. not since doomie’s or the vegan spot (both are closed down now) have i had such a great vegan sandwich.

    vegan chicken pesto salad panini. $7.50

    vegan chicken pesto salad panini. $7.50

    the vegan chicken pesto sandwich was equally impressive, with thick chunks of gardein protein, creamy cheese-less pesto sauce, fresh basil, crisp lettuce and juicy tomatoes. the pesto was really garlicky, just the way i like it, and the bread heated up to be perfectly toasty and crunchy. where else can you buy a big chunky chicken pesto sandwich that’s vegan in los angeles?!? …that’s right. nowhere.

    the thing i love about chango’s new sandwiches, are they are unlike the normal “vegan” sandwich options you can get just about anywhere. rather than just some grilled vegetables and maybe tofu on a bread roll, chango take its vegan sandwiches to the next level with fake meats, soy cheeses, and incredible homemade pesto sauce. plus, they are really well prepared, perfectly assembled with just the right amount of ingredients, and toasted to absolute perfection. you aren’t gonna get any other sandwich this good for well under 10 dollars, i guarantee you.

    chango-int

    the atmosphere is also great at chango, it reminds me of a hip seattle coffee shop with its bohemian customers, shelves full of books to peruse, and bright art adorning the wall. seriously, it’s the perfect place to sit back and relax with a cup of caffeine and a huge vegan sandwich. get your ass over to chango asap and see what this food is all about. the vegan items are listed right now on the “specials” chalkboard to the left of the counter, not on the main board.

    chango-ext

    chango coffee house
    1559 Echo Park Avenue
    Los Angeles, CA 90026

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