• February 24th, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, tony's darts away

    tony’s darts away is one of my favorite places to grab a weekday lunch. not only do they have a massive selection of craft beer on tap, but they’ve got great vegan sausages and a monday through friday lunch deal that comes with chips and salad. what more do i require?

    lunch special: vegan sausage with 2 small toppings, 2 large toppings, homemade chips and a salad. $8.75

    since we last blogged about tony’s, they’ve been tweaking their menu and have added even more vegan toppings including jalapenos, fresh salsa, and avocado lime puree (pictured above)…

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  • December 19th, 2009quarrygirllondon, more restaurants (not LA)

    one great thing about london is that there’s no shortage of all you can eat vegan buffets. on our recent trip, we hit up 3 of them, my favorite being at 222 veggie vegan. 222 has an entirely animal-free food menu, and the only non-vegan item in the restaurant is the choice of skimmed milk for coffee. by day, 222 operates as a lunchtime buffet, and by evening they are an a la carte eatery.

    the buffet menu when we went was on the simple and on the healthy side, with a large focus on vegetable-based dishes. it was a great deal for all-you-can-eat at just ₤7.50 per person, and we did eat absolutely all that we possibly could. take a look at our spread:

    starting in the upper left and going clockwise, we had a small lentil veggie patty, a slice of quiche, some stir-fried vegetables, roasted potatoes, rice and channa dal. all of it delicious. here is the same plate again from the other side:

    while i loved every single thing pictured, my two favorites were the quiche and the channa dal. i went back for multiple servings of each.

    slightly burned with a soft fluffy texture, this was definitely the best vegan quiche i’ve had anywhere.

    along with hot foods, 222 also offered a huge cold salad bar. here’s what i took away from there:

    a mix of cold soba noodles, marinated vegetables, a bean salad, and several types of leaves. this really hit the spot.

    if you are looking for a tasty, nutritious, affordable lunch in london, 222 veggie vegan is your place. this is the kind of vegan food we SHOULD be eating—vegetables, grains and noodles rather than loads of fake meat. i can’t wait to return.

    check out this dude, he liked his lunch! and lemme just say that it’s a crime this restaurant wasn’t PACKED.

    222 Veggie Vegan Restaurant
    222 North End Road
    West Kensington
    London W14 9NU
    Hours: lunchtime 12:00 – 15:30 evening 17:30 – 22:30

    PS: on a previous london trip, we had a bad dinner experience at 222. after this amazing lunch though, i can’t wait to give their dinner another try!

    Tel: 020 738 12322

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  • June 10th, 2009quarrygirlcafe flourish (closed), LA restaurants

    one of los angeles’ newest vegan restaurants, cafe flourish, is quickly becoming one of my favorites. i have had the chance to try numerous different dishes at the small mid-wilshire eatery, and never once have i been disappointed. since my first review, i have been back to cafe flourish and i think it’s safe to say the food keeps getting better and better.

    french dip, merci: porcini & shitake mushrooms with caramelized onions on french bread with a rich mushroom au jus. $10.25

    french dip, merci: porcini & shitake mushrooms with caramelized onions on french bread with a rich mushroom au jus. $10.25

    on a recent visit to cafe flourish, i tried out their french dip which comes with caramelized onions and two types of mushrooms on a thick roll. at first i thought it was bit expensive at $10.25, considering their was no meat substitute in the sandwich, but the price tag was quickly justified when i tasted the delicate and exquisite mushrooms. the caramelized onions were tender and slightly sweet, cooked up just perfectly, and much better than i could make at home. with all the awesome flavors that were goin’ on in this sandwich, it didn’t even need to substitute the beef that you would normally find in a ‘real’ french dip. the hearty sandwich also came with a side salad (not pictured). i went with the quinoa; it’s the only side i’ve ever ordered at cafe flourish, and it’s so damn good i can’t bring myself to try anything else.

    smac-n-cheese: gluten-free rice elbow pasta with a creamy cheesy sauce. served with a house salad. $9.95

    smac-n-cheese: gluten-free rice elbow pasta with a creamy cheesy sauce. served with a house salad. $9.95

    in addition to all the normal menu items, cafe flourish also has a white board full of specials you can order. so far my favorite dish ever at flourish has been the smac ‘n cheese special, gluten free pasta in a really rich, creamy and spicy melted cheese sauce. this vegan version of macaroni and cheese is so incredible, it gives all the other mac in this town a run for its money. maybe it’s the zesty hot cheese they mix it with, or the fact it gets so perfectly melty with chewy edges. rumor is, cafe flourish will be adding it to the regular menu soon. i’m so relieved, because i never wanna see this special go away.

    flourish-smack-cu

    another special worth trying, and one that would be especially good for the kids, is ‘sausage fest’, flourish’s take on the classic pigs in a blanket. the dish comes with 2 standard yves or smart dog type links wrapped in a thick doughy bread with sauces and condiments. while the hot dogs themselves aren’t anything amazing, the puffy soft blanket is really damn tasty. the soy meat gains a whole new life when slathered in vegan mayo and mustard, all enveloped in the fluffy roll. i loved it. if i had a child, i would order them this. it totally reminded me of being 10 years old.

    sausage fest: 2 soy hotdogs wrapped in a blanket with dijon, ketchup, mayo and relish. served with a caesar salad. $6.50

    sausage fest: 2 soy hotdogs wrapped in a blanket with dijon, ketchup, mayo and relish. served with a caesar salad. $6.50

    so if you haven’t been to cafe flourish yet, what are you waitin’ for? they haven’t let me down once. i am so glad we have yet another vegan restaurant right in the middle of town. los angeles is gettin’ better all the time.

    cafe flourish
    5406 Wilshire Blvd
    Los Angeles, CA 90036
    (323) 939-3932
    Mon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

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  • June 3rd, 2009quarrygirllondon, more restaurants (not LA)

    of all the places i’ve dined in london, pogo cafe is definitely one of my favorites. the small co-operative acts as a hub for activism, a book trader, and one of the city’s few 100% vegan restaurants. there are a couple dining tables in the place as well as comfy couches, computer stations, and coffee tables covered with anti-government literature. all this stuff is really rad, but the best thing about pogo cafe is of course the delicious food. i’m talking really good, cheap vegan fare served in huge portions.

    punk burger: served with cheeze, mayo, rasher, tomato and lettuce in a bun. with potato wedges and a salad. £4.95

    punk burger: served with cheeze, mayo, rasher, tomato and lettuce in a bun. with potato wedges and a salad. £4.95

    when fellow vegan blogger melisser of the urban housewife heard i was going to london, she insisted i visit pogo cafe. after finding it on the map, i was put off by how far away it was (i had to take the tube plus a 45 minute bus ride to get there), and showed up with my husband not expecting much. however when the giant portions of appetizing food arrived, we knew pogo cafe was a winner, and our lunch there ended up being one of the best on our entire trip.

    my husband ordered a punk burger, which was hearty and tasty beyond belief. the thick vegan patty came topped with cheezly, mayo, vegetables, and a meatless “rasher,” or bacon as they call it here in america. he upgraded his burger to the meal option, which means they served it with a huge pile of spicy potato wedges and side of leafy greens. clocking in at under £6, this thing was a deal and an awful lot of food.

    nacho plate: organic corn & sesame tortilla chips, with homemade salsa, guacamole, sour "cream" & melted cheeze. (GF) £3.90

    nacho plate: organic corn & sesame tortilla chips, with homemade salsa, guacamole, sour "cream" & melted cheeze. (GF) £3.90

    i ordered the nacho plate, which was an impressive mound of chips topped with fresh salsa, guacamole, vegan sour cream and melted cheezly. i was so excited when my plate arrived and it was covered in cheezly, one of my favorite vegan cheeses that is almost impossible to come by in the states. it had an amazing rich cheese flavor, and it actually melted. i seriously think this is the best plate of nachos i’ve ever had in my life, and it was only £3.90! how is it that a couple of DIY kids in a tiny kitchen can make me a lunch this amazing, but fully staffed restaurants in fancy facilities can’t turn out something half this good?

    pogo-cafe-interior

    one thing to note about pogo cafe, although it is awesome in almost every way, is that some of the staff can be snobby cunts. you see, my husband is english, and i’m american and we both placed our orders out loud. the minute i placed mine, the dude taking them turned to his fellow co-worker and started bad mouthing americans and barack obama. it’s like he was being intentionally rude and shit talking the (soon to be at that time) president, in hopes to offend me. whatever douche, i don’t care if obama is too conservative for you, i just want some fucking nachos. phew, rant over.

    all rude staff aside (and just one dude was rude, mind you, the rest of the staff were lovely), pogo cafe serves such good food you would be a fool not to eat there when in london. i didn’t get a chance to try their desserts, but i hear they are amazing as well. i can’t wait to return to pogo cafe again, i will definitely stop by there on my next trip across the pond.

    pogo-cafe-ext

    pogo cafe
    76 Clarence Road
    London E5 8HB
    020 8533 1214
    Wed-Sat. 12:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
    Sun. 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

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  • February 16th, 2009quarrygirlLA restaurants, mani's bakery (closed)

    so the economy sucks and lots of people are out of work. that’s a fact. businesses are closing, personal savings are being depleted, and the unemployment rate is skyrocketing. we all know and love people who have been laid off…maybe we even are those people in some cases. but wtf mate, the tragedy has officially now come home for all los angeles herbivores and started to affect local vegan/vegan-friendly restaurants. within 2 short months we saw the shutting of the vegan spot and of doomie’s home cookin’, arguably the best 2 places to get a meat-free sandwich in la. both closures were untimely and undeserved…so vegans, please, let’s go throw our moneys at some of the local restaurants that need our help, starting with mani’s bakery on fairfax.

    the long-standing los angeles institution is nearly as old as i am, and is still being threatened by the crappy economic climate. in a recent plea on their blog (which i saw via eater la), mani’s tells its customers,“Unfortunately, we face the very real possibility of not making it through 2009, unless we can modify our business to function more efficiently in today’s environment.” they go on to add, “December was the weakest sales Mäni’s has ever had. At this level we will not be able to continue.” ummm…i dunno what you make of that, but to me that sounds like some fatal-apocalyptic-scary shit meaning, buy our food if you want us to be here in the morning. well, it worked on me. i hit up mani’s as soon as i read this, and i gotta say, i will feel pretty bad and dead inside if they do go out of business. their vegan food is really, really, really good. i’ve posted before about mani’s ENORMOUS VEGAN SELECTION…and let’s just say on this return visit, i was even more impressed.

    chocolate dipped chocolate chip cookie. $3.50

    chocolate dipped chocolate chip cookie. $3.50

    i’m gonna work in reverse on this post because the dessert is the best thing that mani’s offers. the menu is absolutely huge, and all the vegan/veganizable items are clearly marked. almost everything can be made animal-free, and this is extremely handy when it comes to the desserts. vegan truffles, breakfast bars, almond rocas, cakes and pies are just some of the decadent treats that mani’s has in store. my husband and i split a chocolate dipped chocolate chip cookie on our last visit, and we could barely finish it. it was so rich and tasty, i think any vegetarian would be fooled by it.

    but not just the dessert items at mani’s are awesome…there are also tons of vegan-friendly appetizers and entrees. on our recent visit and attempt to save mani’s from bankruptcy and decline, i ordered the pesto sandwich.

    the pesto: vegan pesto spread on rosemary bread with fresh mixed greens, avocado, tomato and marinated tofu. with a vegan caesar salad. $11

    the pesto: vegan pesto spread on rosemary bread with fresh mixed greens, avocado, tomato and marinated tofu. with a vegan caesar salad. $11

    of course i got the vegan version (with tofu instead of meat) and everything was divine. the pesto was thick, oily, and slightly greasy in a really good way. the tofu was grilled but still soft in the middle, and it was all stacked with fresh vegetables on really soft and spongy bread.

    manis-pesto-sandwich-cu

    my husband got the california club, which was also excellent. the sandwich came in neatly chopped pieces, all stacked high with vegan cheese, vegetables, crispy tempeh bacon and crunchy breaded seitan. there was nothing to complain about. i mean seriously, with the vegan spot and doomie’s both totally gone, i don’t know where else to obtain such a hearty and satisfying vegan sandwich in this town.

    the california club: layered bread, breaded seitan with tempeh bacon, vegan cheddar, lettuce and tomato. $12

    the california club: layered bread, breaded seitan with tempeh bacon, vegan cheddar, lettuce and tomato. $12

    yeah, yeah, yeah, mani’s is a bit expensive. but so fucking what?!?! where isn’t at this point? it’s as good a deal as pure luck or m cafe, plus the menu is like 90x bigger. they also have the best vegan bakery and pastry selection in town. if they do shut, i know i will feel the same way as if a beloved relative has died—totally wracked with guilt, torturing myself over every lunchtime or coffee break i could have spent in mani’s company.

    in my opinion, the vegan scene will suck a lot more hardcore if mani’s goes away. let’s ensure that doesn’t happen. please go eat there as soon as possible…um, it may be your last chance. 🙁

    mani’s bakery
    519 S. fairfax avenue
    los angeles, ca 90036
    (323) 938-8800

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  • April 1st, 2008mr meanerhealth, vegan stuff

    I have a busy office life. There’s always some lunch meeting to sit through, usually with the requisite pizza, Quiznos, Chinese food or (horrors upon horrors) KFC being delivered to tide ‘us’ over. Compounding that, I rarely get the time to go out and pick up a healthy snack for lunch so I’m often left to my own devices. I’ve learned over the years that desk drawers can be put to much better uses than holding files and the usual crap (cell ‘phone chargers, staplers without staples, boxes of staples that don’t fit in the aforementioned stapler etc.).

    MY desk drawer (real picture):

    Vegan Desk Drawer

    …contains a life support system for the busy office vegan. The things that meat-eaters dread (carbs and sodium) don’t really matter to us vegans as much since we tend to be less fat and have lower blood pressure through a lack of meat intake.

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