studio city is just a short drive from my house, and usually right off the freeway on my way home from most places in los angeles. so naturally, i am always on the prowl for nearby vegan eats in the valley. recently i was reading up on vegetarians in paradise and noticed a vegan-friendly restaurant very close to my stomping ground. friedel caribbean cuisine is a cute little diner on ventura blvd, offering up tastes from the tropics with an entire section of the menu dedicated to vegan food. yelp reviews of friedel are positively glowing, so i think my so-so experience there suggests i probably picked up dinner when they were having an off night.

vegan curry chicken: Soy chicken cooked in spicy Jamaican curry sauce w/ butter soft gold potatoes. served w/ rice & peas, cherry tomatoes, and plantains. $9.75

when we arrived at friedel there was just one dude working there. he was the host, the waiter, the cook and the cashier…holding the tiny little restaurant together all on his own. he seemed pretty stressed when we walked in the door, but was friendly and helpful when we told him we were vegans and hoping to order an appetizer. it turns out, friedel normally offers vegan rasta rolls, but on this night they were out of the eggless wraps. i felt pretty relieved, because the guy seemed to know his shit—it made me more comfortable ordering from the vegan menu.

my husband and i split two entrees to-go, the first being the vegan curry chicken. while it ended up being delicious, i have to say i was disappointed when i first opened up the take-out container. the menu advertised gold potatoes, peas and cherry tomatoes…none of which came with my meal. the side of plantains was also pretty pitiful. there were literally THREE PLANTAINS! three little ones. dude, that is NOT a side. that is a TASTE. total jip.

other than that, the curry chicken was spectacular. the runny sauce was so flavorful and a tad spicy, and the thick strips of soy chicken had the perfect texture. the rice was delightful as well, chunky, well-seasoned, and mixed up with big red beans.

vegan kung pao beef: spiced soy beef wok fired with peanuts, chili peppers and scallions. served on a bed of white rice with plantains. $9.75

we also ordered the vegan kung pao beef, which was not nearly as tasty as the curry chicken. the soy meat itself was pretty good, but there was no sauce to mop up…so the whole dish was a bit dry. the peanuts and vegetables were lovely, but again the side of plantains was a joke. i don’t think i’d order this again, although i didn’t HATE it. it’s just that the awesome curry chicken put the kung pao beef to shame.

my last grouse about this place is that the wait time for our food was absolutely unreal. i mean, i know there was just one dude there working on his own, and i felt pretty sorry for him—but we waited for our dinner for FIFTY MINUTES. and it’s not like it was a large order or anything. 2 dishes, come on! he should have at least warned us that the window seat in this little caribbean restaurant would be our new home for a large part of our evening.

when you add everything up, this would seem like a pretty unpleasant experience. there was a long wait for the food, there were no vegan appetizers, our dishes were missing items that were advertised on the menu and the serving of plantains (which i was so looking forward to) was disappointingly small. however, i gotta say i REALLY FUCKING LOVED that curry chicken. even with the crappy plantains and lack vegetables, that dish was damn near perfect. when i look back on my dinner, that awesome taste overshadows all the hassle.

so i probably will be back to friedel caribbean cuisine at some point, although i’m in no rush. if you are ever in studio city, i suggest you hit them up. i am hoping i got them on a bad night when they were short-staffed. let me know if your experience is any different.

like every other vegan-friendly restaurant i’ve been to in studio city, friedel is located in a strip mall…so don’t accidentally drive by it. oh man, you just gotta love the valley. 😀

so…this sunday i went on a wild drinking binge until i felt so ill i wanted snuff it. and by “wild drinking binge” i mean, literally 2 beers. yeah, the ipa at this deathtrap otherwise known as the red car brewery makes me sick every time i go, and i always attribute my pain to some poor undeserving factor. well, never again. you heard it here: the red car brewery ipa is fucking toxic. don’t drink it. if a serious lush like me wants to crawl into bed with a sick sack after just two pints, it has no business being behind the counter.

luckily for me, on the way home from my sunday bender, i passed the veggie grill and decided to give it a try…in spite of my ailment.

and boy, was i grateful! while i may not place the exact same order again, i will definitely return to the veggie grill.

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