i can’t remember the last time i was so damn excited about a dinner special. through friday, m cafe de chaya is offering vegan macaroni and cheese at both the melrose and culver city locations after 5pm. i have been wanting to try m cafe’s mac and cheese forever and when i finally got a chance to last night, it did not disappoint.

for those of you who have never been to m cafe before, it’s a macrobiotic restaurant that’s almost entirely vegan, other than some dishes that clearly contain fish. they serve mostly organic whole foods and seasonal vegetables, and their meals tend to be on the healthier side. i was excited to see what they would do with a home-style dish like mac & cheese that’s usually packed with oil, grease and dairy products. i was delighted to find my take-out container filled with light but creamy noodles, crunchy bread crumbs, and loads of vegetables.

dinner special macaroni and cheese: organic fusilli, sundried tomato, asparagus and arugula. soy cheese sauce and bread crumbs. $10.75

the macaroni and cheese came with twisted noodles, a light soy cheese sauce, bread crumbs, sundried tomato, asparagus and arugula. i can’t even begin to tell you how delicious the cheesy pasta was mixed up with the sweet tomatoes. i have never had sundried tomatoes in mac & cheese before, but DUDE, it was so good. the asparagus added a nice crunch to the whole dish and provided a slightly sour offset to the tomatoes. a perfect combination for sure. i also liked that there were tons of vegetables in the dish, so i didn’t feel like i was eating a bowl of just carbs and fat. for under 11 bucks, the portion was large as well, and it had a really fine-dining taste. you pay a little more at m cafe, but they use such high-quality ingredients that it’s well worth the extra few dollars.

i got my macaroni and cheese to go, and enjoyed it at home with a nice glass of organic wine and a side of m cafe’s broccolini pepperocini. it really hit the spot! right now the melrose location doesn’t serve booze, but the culver city one does. so if you are dining in on the west side, grab some alcohol to go with your dinner special. 🙂

if you like mac and cheese, i highly suggest you get to m cafe this week and try out their rendition of it. it’s healthier than all the other vegan mac and cheese in town, and it’s really delicious. they are only offering it as a dinner special through friday, but maybe if a lot of people order it (and bug them about it) they will add it to the menu. if any of y’all try it, let me know what you think.

i would be so happy if they decided to stock this regularly in the deli case…they wouldn’t even have to add it as a meal, but just a side salad. come on, m cafe. please?

m cafe de chaya
7119 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90046
323.525.0588

9343 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
310.838.4300

it seems like everyone is jumping on the twittering taco truck/food cart craze here in los angeles, and the border grill is the most recent restaurant to join the trend. one glance at the truck’s menu filled with things like pork, beef, fish & cheese, and there doesn’t appear to be much for us vegans to eat. however, luckily for me brittany from the vegan blog sick of lettuce got wind of some vegan offerings at the border grill truck, and invited me along to check them out.

we went to the melrose trading post, where the truck camps out every other sunday and brittany kindly paid our $2 per person admission into the flea market. as you can see, we were VERY curious about the border grill’s vegan options, enough to pay a premium just to get close to the truck. (thanks, britt).

it turned out that the only real vegan item on the menu (other than rice, beans and guacamole), was a vegetarian item that had to be modified: the avocado taco. the girl working at the truck was pretty knowledgeable and accommodating and said she could prepare the taco vegan by cooking the avocado separately and omitting the dairy from the corn relish. awesome. what we ended up with were tacos filled with avocado, quinoa, black sesame seeds, chipotle salsa, corn relish and pickled onion.

avocado tacos (VEGANIZED!): chipotle salsa, corn relish, pickled onion, quinoa and avocado.

i’m really glad i went and checked this place out, because the tacos were uniquely delicious. i don’t think i’ve ever had a quinoa stuffed taco before, and certainly not topped off with pickled onion. you can tell a lot of thought went into making this taco different, and combining unusual flavors. it all worked really well together. i also got a side of rice, black beans and guacamole (yeah, we checked all of it was vegan) to round out the experience, and everything tasted great.

so if you happen to be around town and see the border grill truck, stop by and get a vegan avocado taco. just be sure to specify you want the taco to be made vegan, because under normal circumstances, it’s just vegetarian. and another heads up, avoid the cumin fries at this place, they are cooked in the same fryer as the fish. ew.

follow the border grill truck on twitter for more info.
and you can check out brittany’s review of the tacos here.

if you read the LA vegan sites, you’ve probably heard of jennshaggy’s recipe blog. well recently, jenn has been doing more than blogging; she’s lent a hand to fratelli cafe on melrose and has helped them design an extensive vegan menu. now the small eatery has a variety of vegan sandwiches, wraps, and salads stuffed with high-quality meat substitutes, fresh vegetables and marinated tofu. i have dined at fratelli cafe twice, and both times the food was delicious.

chinese tofu salad: marinated tofu, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, red onions, crushed peanuts and organic sesame soy dressing. $10.95

on my first visit to fratelli, they had just run out of their meat substitutes, so the only protein option they had was marinated tofu. my friend and i decided to get two entrees and split them: the chinese chicken salad (with tofu instead of chicken), and the mexican cilantro wrap. while i was a little skeptical of having tofu rather than chicken in the salad, it turned out to be wonderful. this was indeed some of the best marinated tofu i’ve ever had. it was slightly crisp and oily on the outside, then soft and juicy in the center. seriously tasty stuff. the rest of the salad was on point as well, all extremely fresh with an excellent vegan dressing.

the mexican cilantro wrap did not disappoint, either. it was filled with the same amazing tofu plus vegetables, salsa and vegan cheese. since a jennshaggy designed the menu and told fratelli which brands to buy, you can trust that things like the fake cheese and meat are truly vegan. for a cheese substitute they use follow your heart, which isn’t my favorite, but it tasted pretty good in this wrap.

mexican cilantro wrap: chicken or tofu, lettuce, tomato, salsa, red onions, avocado, cilantro dressing, vegenaise, and shredded mozzarella. $10.95

i hit up fratelli cafe again a few days later, and luckily the fake meat products were back in stock…

mediterranean salad: chicken or tofu, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, white balsamic vinaigrette, shredded mozzarella. $10.95

my friend ordered the mediterranean salad with chicken, and we were pleased to find it topped with huge thick slices of well-seasoned gardein. the only complaint i’d have about this salad, is it seemed to come with normal lettuce, not spinach like the menu indicated…and the follow your heart cheese was cut in cubes, not shredded. it impressed my omnivorous friend though, and she happily ate all of it.

pesto chicken sandwich: chicken, lettuce, tomato, red onion, non dairy pesto, mozzarella and mayo. $10.95

i ordered the pesto chicken sandwich was also stacked with gardein chicken and a garlicky vegan pesto sauce. this is my favorite thing so far i’ve ordered from fratelli. gardein is just so moist and flavorful, with stuff like this out there, i don’t understand why anyone eats meat. the pesto was also incredible, creamy and so full of flavor, the dairy was not missed one bit.

so next time you find yourself on melrose, head over to fratelli cafe and check out their new vegan menu that our local jennshaggy designed. just grab the laminated menu and flip all the way to the back for the vegan selections. yum.

fratelli cafe
7200 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 938-2233
7 days 6:30am – 11pm

“We don’t need to go looking for trouble, it comes looking for us…” – Oscar Wilde

Don’t you just hate it when you see something you like ripped off, and hard working people’s livelihoods threatened?

Back in 1991 two Israeli emgres, Nachman and Sima Milo, opened their very first Maoz restaurant in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. With a menu designed to be healthy, vegetarian, environmentally friendly, inexpensive and very tasty, the Milos quickly had a hit on their hands.

Now, Maoz has 22 restaurants globally. The outlets in London and Paris have a long line outside the door most days, and the Union Square outlet in Manhattan is often so crowded that it feels more like the subway station underneath than it does a modern eatery!

As we reported on Wednesday, we were delighted with the apparent opening of a Maoz franchise location here in LA called “Muma Vegetarian“. The similarity of menu, corporate branding, restaurant ambience and artwork implied to us that this was a Maoz location, only named differently because of its close proximity to Mao’s Kitchen, a popular (vegan-friendly) Chinese restaurant half a block away. Have a look for yourself and compare Muma’s menu with the menu from Maoz. Nearly identical.

Determined to see if there was a connection, we visited Muma again this weekend, posing as regular customers, and began to ask some questions. The conversation went something like this:

QG: “This place is great! Are you part of Maoz?”

Manager: “That’s the third time I’ve heard that today. Look, there are places like this on every corner in Israel, OK?”

QG: “We were wondering because this place is identical to Maoz, except for the name. Who owns the restaurant?”

Manager: “Err… it’s three people who own this restaurant.”

QG: “Would you be kind enough to give us contact details, we’d like to know if you’re part of Maoz and have plans for more openings?”

Manager: “I don’t know about Maoz, and what’s in it for me if I give you the ‘phone number of the owners?”

QG: “Well, there’s nothing in it for you personally, but I’m sure they’d like to talk to us about their future plans.”

Manager: “Why would I do that? Are you trying to sell me something?”

At that point the manager was getting very defensive and a little loud (he even stepped out from behind the counter and led us to a table where he sat down so that the conversation could not be heard by others in the restaurant). Fearing that he might ask us to leave, we said “OK, no problem – was just wondering if you were part of Maoz. That’s all.”.

Shortly after, we noticed the manager in the back room. He was glaring at us through a window in the door while engaged in an animated ‘phone call – we guessed it was with one of the three owners. Just as we were finishing up our meal he came from around the back of the counter and gave us a portion of pumpkin hummus and warm pita bread. He said: “Please accept this on the house. We make it here and call it Smashing Pumpkins.”. We wolfed down a few bites and left the restaurant right away.

As soon as we got home, we posted THIS COMMENT on the original post, and sent an email to Maoz corporate in NYC to enquire about the legitimacy of this outlet. Our comment sparked a few more in the same vain, and then this morning, we received the following response from the COO of Maoz USA:

“Thank you for your email. We have nothing to do with this restaurant. I was shocked to read your review and to find out that someone took advantage and copied the Maoz Vegetarian concept. By leveraging our brand values and look and feel they are creating confusion with our chain.”

We were, frankly shocked as well. Muma appears to be shamelessly copying Maoz in great detail.

Almost identical menus at Maoz Vegetarian & Muma Vegetarian

From the look and feel of the food down to near-pixel perfect copies of their menu items, artwork and corporate identity.

Menu artwork is almost identical at Muma Vegetarian & Maoz Vegetarian

While we were originally impressed with the food, we wonder why anybody would want to eat at a restaurant owned by people with such a lack of integrity that they would brazenly steal another company’s entire identity. If they are that shameless, we’re sure the quality of the food is also suspect.

The Maoz Falafel vs The Muma Falafel

Until Maoz deal with Muma (and we’re sure that there are plenty of intellectual property issues here that I’m sure lawyers would love to get their hands on), we’d advise potential customers to stay away. After all, we can’t support such acts now, can we?

muma vegetarian
7275 melrose avenue
los angeles, ca 90046
323-936-7697

UPDATE: it appears the owners of muma have serious integrity issues and have completely ripped off another restaurant. please read this post before you eat there. i myself will be staying away!

hey los angeles vegans, i have some pretty exciting news for you. if you are familiar with this blog and our travels, you may know that there has been one non-LA restaurant we can’t get enough of. maoz vegetarian is an animal-free and almost entirely vegan falafel shop/salad bar with locations all over the word, and i will go out of my way for their food whenever i visit london or nyc. for years i have longed for maoz to open up a storefront in los angeles, and i think i may have finally gotten my wish.

salad muma meal: salad box with falafel balls, eggplant, hummus and salad bar, plus a fresh juice. $9.50

muma vegetarian opened up yesterday on melrose, and in every way i see it, they are identical to maoz. the logo is similar, the menu is the same, the interior design is the spitting image, and of course the FOOD is tantamount to the ridiculously delicious stuff i remember. i asked the girl behind the counter if muma was related to maoz, but she didn’t know. muma is the newest vegan food to hit los angeles, and also definitely some of the best as far as i’m concerned. i urge you to go check this place out before it gets crazy popular and crowded.

so here’s how it works. muma has a bunch of meal options, the main ones being a sandwich or a salad box. for both of these menu items, muma gives you a simple base of food which you expand on by adding whatever you want from the exceptional salad bar. hot sauce, carrots, crispy broccoli & cauliflower, cabbage, salsa, tahini and more are all at your disposal…and you can take as much as you can cram into your box.

for instance, here is how a salad box starts out…

then you go for an intense round of food shoving at the salad bar…

and you end up with this…

muma salad box (fill it up as high as you want!) $7.95

or you can make it a meal with some fresh juice…

same goes for a sandwich—it starts out really simple with some falafel in a pita…

and you end up with a massive thingy stuffed with billions of vegetables, hot sauce and tahini.

muma falafel with salad bar. $4.95 (you can also add hummus and eggplant)

it’s pretty fucking awesome. oh, and everything at muma is vegan, other than the eggs and feta cheese. so feel free to fill up on the creamy green sauces and marinated vegetables…it’s all safe. muma also offers some fine house-made beverages like the refreshing jalapeno lemonade (pictured way up top), plus a pumpkin hummus blend. i tried both of these strange concoctions, and they were completely unique and delicious. i will never get enough.

check out muma’s menu. i can recommend….everything (other than the egg and feta):

click to enlarge

in addition to incredible food and a fill-it-yourself salad bar (am i the only one who gets super excited about that?). muma also delivers and has free parking. and you never have to worry about your falafel or pita being grilled with meaty nastiness…the whole places is non-meat!

so what are you waiting for? LA’s newest vegetarian restaurant is a must visit as far as i’m concerned.

muma vegetarian
7275 melrose avenue
los angeles, ca 90046

323-936-7697

for vegans in hollywood who are looking for some quick, cheap and decent fast food…astro burger is your place. located on the corner of melrose and gower, the legendary burger joint has been around since the 70’s and has a really impressive vegetarian menu, with vegan items clearly marked.

i hit up astro burger for the first time with one of my vegan homies, and we both left stuffed and feelin’ happy. most of the vegan items at astroburger are provided by gardenburger; they offer several of their products including the chik’n grill, bbq riblets, flame grilled burger and more. while the food is mass-produced store-bought stuff and isn’t exceptional, it’s really well-prepared at astro burger and pretty inexpensive. (everything costs around 5 bucks)

chik'n grill vegan sandwich with no bbq sauce, + mushrooms, + onions, + avocado

my friend ordered the chik’n grill sandwich and (being the astroburger pro that she is) got it modified with from average to delicious by adding extra toppings. she shared some with me and i was wishing i had ordered this for myself as well. the chik’n grill normally comes with lettuce, tomato and bbq sauce…but she got it without the sauce, plus grilled onions, mushrooms and avocado. absolutely wonderful. the chik’n patty was really thick and juicy, the onions and mushrooms added tons of flavor, and the avocado provided a cool and creamy texture that complimented the cooked vegetables perfectly. it may have been falling apart, but it was one of the better vegan fast food sandwiches in los angeles, for sure. it would have been much more boring with just lettuce and tomatoes on it.

flame grilled vegan gardenburger

i ordered the vegan flame grilled burger which came with lettuce and tomatoes, and tasted like a standard store-bought gardenburger. not much to really describe about this one, it was lightly grilled and didn’t have much flavor…next time i am totally gonna add some onions and mushrooms.

vegan chili fries

we also split an order of vegan chilli fries, which were excellent. i was expecting the chilli to contain fake meat and probably be out of a can, but instead it was just beans with a really thick sauce, sliced round carrots, and huge chunks of chillies. the crispy fries were absolutely covered with it, and it was all topped off with a load of fresh chopped onions. i really, really dug the chilli fries and would definitely order them again. between the two of us, not a single fry or bean was left behind.

so there you have it, astro burger is definitely a place to grab some vegan fast food if you are hungry in the hollywood area. they have a parking lot and a drive thru, which is super convenient but they are cash only, which is not so convenient. they also have an atm inside the restaurant if you don’t mind paying a buck fifty surcharge in order to buy a burger.

oh and don’t get this astro burger on melrose and gower confused with the one in weho on santa monica blvd. i think they are owned by the same people, but the vegan menu at the melrose/gower location is much more extensive. and yes, the vegan items are cooked on a separate grill with separate utensils, it even says so on their website. enjoy!

astro burger
5601 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 469-1924

let’s just set the record straight on what us vegans can eat at the kogi truck…because the information presently available is confusing to say the least. here goes!

if you live in los angeles, i’m sure you’ve heard of the latest food craze to sweep the city…the kogi bbq truck. kogi serves up korean/mexican fusion food on the cheap with a menu full of tacos, burritos, and daily specials. the little truck has gotten so popular in just a few months, that it has been known to draw crowds of hundreds and even run out of food. i have been wanting to try their tofu tacos since forever…so imagine my excitement when i saw on vegguide.org that they were in fact vegan.

kogi truck roja!

i ate the tacos and pretty much raved about them in a review i posted this morning. my party was ruined, however, when a very informed commenter named louise left the following in reply to my post:

Sorry to break it to you, but you just ate a mouthful of pork fat. The tortillas Kogi uses have manteca (lard) in them. That’s one reason why the BF (vegan) never eats their regular tacos. The only vegan one they have is the one wrapped in shiso leaf.

um…so the tofu tacos aren’t even vegetarian? that can’t be right. i messaged the kogi truck (who knew about my blog post) via twitter telling them i found out that there was in fact lard in the tortillas. they immediately replied, “U are mistaken. Im the roja manager steve. Come take a look anytime. We use canola oil” and i was like, “are you sure there’s no lard in them?” and he said, “yes.”

to follow up on the matter, we emailed the chef and told him we’d been hearing conflicting stories about the lard, and that the truck manager was saying the tacos were vegan friendly. it’s then that we got the sad, sad news from the kogi’s very own chef roy:

our tortilla itself contains hints of Manteca although we use canola oil…but we have a vegan taco with sesame leaf as the “tortilla”

alright dude, thanks for being honest. but that’s fucking so nasty that i ate something containing “hints of lard”. almost immediately after i received that email, the kogi twitter account deleted its tweets saying that the tortillas contained no lard, and sent me a direct message via twitter:

aLL the homemade corn tortiLLas are made with a touch of Manteca. The fLour tortiLLas aren’t. Hey! You can order an eggLess burrito! ^__^ (and cheeseless)

so that settles it. what a shame. those delicious fluffy tofu tacos topped with sesame-chili salsa, romaine lettuce and cabbage tossed in korean chilli-soy vinaigrette, and cilantro-green onion-lime relish were wrapped in a tortilla contaminated with piggy fatz. as louise put it in an email to me, “It’s kind of stupid that they don’t make it a point to tell you. I don’t see the point of a tofu taco if it’s wrapped in lard. The tofu taco would have been a great option for vegetarians, but now it’s just, ‘Haha, just kidding guys. No tacos for you.'”

sad tacos. they taste so good and vegan in the middle, but are wrapped in lard. 🙁 🙁 🙁

so to take something good from this situation, at least we now know kogi does have some stuff that is vegan-friendly. i will definitely return to check out their lettuce-wrapped tofu taco, as well as their tofu burrito…minus eggs, cheese, and anything else unvegan.

for those of you vegans who aren’t phased and want to give this inventive cuisine a try…but don’t feel like queuing up and want to drink alcohol while you eat your korean/mex, kogi has taken over the kitchen at the alibi room in culver city monday-saturday from 6pm to midnite. their vegan stuff is available there as well, and if you call in advance, they say they can whip you up some extra vegan specialties.

in fact, lex over at vegan-la has talked to the chef and even arranged a “vegan drinks” session with alcohol and loads of kogi food at the alibi on march 28th. for more info on that, check out the vegan drinks site.

the way kogi seasoned their tofu tacos was nothing short of incredible…they truly blend flavors to create a really unique and delicious taste. i’m willing to bury the hatchet and try something that i know is vegan for sure, from the chef’s mouth.

for up to date times and locations of the kogi trucks, and for just some all around entertainment, follow kogibbq on twitter. also check out their website for more info.

hit up kogi when you can, and get there early to avoid the lines! i know i will be back. just don’t eat any fucking corn tortillas!! YUCK. oh, and don’t believe everything you read on vegguide or on twitter.

i love london and would move here in a heartbeat, but los angeles has got one thing that i would always miss…pure luck. it’s without a doubt my favorite restaurant of all time, and when i think about it, i really do wish i was at home.

torta: sauteed jackfruit "carnitas", plus pinto beans, lettuce, tomato, onions, tomatillo salsa, sliced avocado and vegan mayo on a grilled rustic roll. with a side of potato pals. $9

pure luck is a one of a kind vegan eatery, definitely the best in los angeles, serving up quality junk food and tap beer in a laid-back and non-pretentious atmosphere.

i would argue that the crazy-tasty torta is the best thing on pure luck’s menu. it’s got their signature “carnitas” (marinated jackfruit that is so creepily good, even meat-lovers drive across town to eat it), plus ripe avocado, spicy salsa, plump pinto beans and juicy vegetables. stack all that goodness on a roll of world famous la brea bakery bread, and you got the best sandwich ever. i say “world famous la brea bakery” because now that i’m in the UK, it has proven to be true. even all the way over here in london, there is a familiar la brea bakery outlet and i’ve been living off their rolls from tesco. nothing is quite as good as eating it at home, though. and nothing comes remotely close to pure luck.

for all my awesome LA homies…when you order the pure luck torta, the menu gives you the side options of salad, rosemary fries or sweet potato fries. please, bypass that crap and beg your server for some potato pals. you won’t be sorry. the crispy fried and lightly-peppered gnocchi are the perfect compliment to any meal; none of the other sides compare. plus, they bring it out with a magical dipping sauce that tastes like a cross between vegenaise and bbq. totally insane.

if you are lucky enough to be in LA today, get your ass over to pure luck. they aren’t open on sundays, so you better hurry. or hit them up next week at the very least. i would give anything right now for a couple of vegan tap beers, some potato pals and a torta. mmm.

for ages i have been meaning to check out bulan thai. it’s this all vegetarian thai place where most dishes can be made vegan, serving up food from two locations—one on melrose and one in silver lake. the melrose location is kinda near to my work, and it always looks so clean and inviting…for so long though, i was just never able to resist the urge to grab a panini or burger from m cafe instead. plus, on any given day of the week i’m probably already asian-fooded out, what with the ten million vegan thai places with the word vegan in the title, hawking their wheat meat and salty noodles on every major street in los angeles.

bulan vegetarian is different though, it doesn’t adhere to the same rules as all these other thai vegan clones. there are no cowboy burgers, no wraps and no salads swimming tahini dressing. nope, none of that westernized stuff at bulan. the standard vegan cookbook that the other thai places have adopted, bulan completely ignores. it’s so refreshing to visit a thai food restaurant with food that both a.) is authentic and b.) i can trust. bulan is just that place, and i love it.

the husband and i hit up bulan recently and decided to get a full on feast: 2 main dishes and an appetizer to share. we started with the summer rolls. so simple, but so exquisite.

summer rolls: baked tofu and fresh vegetables wrapped in clear wrappers, served with vietnamese dip. $8

i’ve had rolls similar to this at a million thai places in the past, but none have been this good. the summer rolls were tiny and tightly packed with the freshest and most delicate of vegetables. the peanut sauce was also supberb and went down well with several spoons of chili powder. i would definitely order these again. the somewhat hefty price tag was made up for with the finest ingredients, great taste and beautiful presentation.

we also shared the broccoli with dried chili and tofu. It turned out to be the perfect mix of greens and protein.

broccoli with dried chili plus tofu: broccoli sauteed with dried chili and choice of protein in house sauce. $8

this was a great light dish for 2 to share. the broccoli was fresh and crunchy, while the tofu was moist and well seasoned. the chilis provided some definite heat, but not enough for us. we of course had to drown our plates in spoonfuls from the hot sauce carousel. it was so tasty. plus, i love any thai restaurant that brings an impressive selection of hot sauce to the table.

lastly, we split an order of the pad kee mao or “drunken noodles”. these were probably my favorite.

pad kee mao "drunken noodles" plus veggie chicken: pan-fried flat rice noodles with carrots, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, basil, chili and choice of protein. $8

the drunken noodles were thick, fried and slathered in the most impressive sauce along with nicely cooked vegetables and scrumptious “chicken” chunks. there was nothing about this not to like. everything was moist, crispy, and full of flavor. bulan really shows what quality thai is all about.

i really can’t wait to go back to this place. the menu is simple and traditional, but truly outstanding.
plus, who doesn’t want to eat at a restaurant with a sign as awesome as this posted on the window?!??!!

you really ought to check bulan out asap.

bulan thai vegetarian kitchen on melrose

and for all you drunken vegans out there, as an added bonus, the village idiot is right across the street. this slick gastropub offers my all time favorite vegan lager, craftsman 1903 at the fair price of 5 bucks a pint. a few beers and some vegan food is just way too good to pass up. head to melrose now.