This native love is restless

Native Foods Westwood

If you are contemplating opening a vegan restaurant and are looking for inspiration on how to do it just right, I suggest making a trip to your nearest Native Foods. The food is consistently incredible and it has been one of my favourite places to dine out in the USA for many years.

During my Summer vacation in the States, I made sure there was just enough time to swing on by Native Foods in Westwood. Even though the Costa Mesa location is my favourite to dine in, the Westwood Native Foods is very dear to my heart as it was the first restaurant bearing the name that I ever visited.

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Shake, baby shake

A fat, gay vegan must work hard at a couple of things to qualify as a fat, gay vegan. Obviously, you have to be same-sex attracted in order to fill the gay requirements. If you want to call yourself vegan, don’t eat or wear non-human animals. To stay on top of the fat moniker, consume as many gourmet milkshakes as humanly possible.

This blog entry is a thank you to Shakeaway for assisting this FGV to stay worthy of the name.

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I know I won’t be leaving here

Josh has taken on guest reviewer duties once again following a recent trip to Glasgow. Take it away…

I am seriously impressed by Glasgow and it’s hard to know where to start.

When I found out that my job was taking me to Glasgow for four days, I immediately looked to HappyCow and was delighted to see that there was not one, not two… but FOUR completely vegan eateries located in the city plus several vegetarian places.  How could I possibly fit them all in?  Apologies in advance for the dodgy phone-photos.

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London Vegan Potluck 6 review

We did it! We moved the London Vegan Potluck to a new Central London location and many wonderful vegans and friends came out to celebrate.

The night was a delightful fusion of food, fun and fabulous people. Located just off High Holborn, the event took place in a large room generously supplied by Syracuse University London Program. Much gratitude goes out to the program for affording us the opportunity.

Potluckers had extra reason to be excited as world-class dessert chef Fran Costigan was in attendance with copies of her book and a sampling of her delicious truffles. Much love and thanks go out to Fran for taking time out of her busy schedule to visit with us tonight.

Fran Costigan chatting at the potluck
Fran's chocolate creations

The food didn’t stop with Fran’s truffles. There was plenty on offer and everything I tried was delicious. Before we get to the photos though, I must mention one thing…

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London Vegan Drinks review: September 2011

Last night was one for the history books as London Vegan Drinks steamrolled into the capital in a major way.

London Vegan Drinks

The evening was destined to be memorable. Regent Street was packed with bustling shoppers, workers and tourists as I made my way to Tibits. I was delighted to be out on a hot, London night anyway but the London Vegan Drinks attendees and Tibits staff quickly turned the outing into one of my favourite nights in recent memory.

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You’re hiding, underneath the smoke in the room

Rushing the Homegrown Smoker food truck

During a recent trip to Portland to attend Vida Vegan Con 2011, I was overwhelmed by vegan food choices. Every restaurant appeared to cater thoughtfully to my type, no matter if they were a veggie establishment or not. The picturesque city was packed wall to wall with cruelty-free dining options.

By far my favourite dining experience was the Homegrown Smoker food truck. Actually, it was so stunning I dined with them three days running. Everything I ate was tasty like I’ve never known, the staff were incredibly welcoming and I adored the concept of ordering my meal from a mobile kitchen parked up on a city sidewalk.

I must warn you the following pictures could lead to growling tummies. I make no apologies.

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London Vegan Potluck 5 review

If you missed out on September’s London Vegan Potluck 5, you are just going to have to take me on my FGV word… it was a fantastic event. Seriously.

There were well over 50 potluckers in attendance and many more dishes on offer. The food was never ending and you could find almost any type of cuisine. We had lasagna, fruit skewers, mini burgers, seitan, tofu, tartlets, cheese platters, raw spaghetti, mole, chicken alfredo, hand-crafted truffles, cheesecake, falafel, spaghetti bolognese, iced tea, vegan wines, fruit drinks, dips, crisps, home-baked bread and much, much more.

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Call me up whenever u want 2 grind

As a frequent traveler, I often rely on coffee shops for beverages, restrooms and internet access. Coffee shops can be your lifeline to friends, a much-needed hiding spot from the world outside or even just a place to replenish your bodily fluids. A coffee shop with vegan options is extremely common in 2011. You can increasingly find soy milk and other dairy alternatives such as almond or rice milk.

Having established that the humble coffee shop can be a sanctuary for the weary, vegan traveler, let’s move on to discuss how it can get better. Yes, I’m referring to a 100% vegan coffee shop. What was once a fanciful dream is now a fabulous reality in Philadelphia.

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Here we go, I’m hanging out in Camden

Camden is famous for a lot of cool, outsider culture that eventually works its way into the mainstream. The historical Camden Market is now a must-see for thousands of tourists every year, the underground music scene exploded out of the borough in the 90’s spawning the Indie craze and more recently, the tragic demise of Amy Winehouse has been inextricably linked to the area as her Back to Black album became the highest-selling release of recent times in the UK.

It is understandable when members of minorities bemoan their insider knowledge being shared with the world. To have something intimate blown up to a global scale can be extremely challenging and confronting. However, there is one alternative happening coming out of Camden that I hope continues its explosion into the mainstream… vegan dining.

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We said meh. M-E-H, meh.

After spending an entire weekend with other vegan bloggers at the Vida Vegan Con event in Portland, I am buzzing with possibility and new enthusiasm. There were so many interesting and compassionate people sharing news, views and practical advice. I personally got so much from the weekend and hopefully made a few new friends.

One of the themes of discussion I heard throughout the conference was bloggers not wanting to write negative or disparaging comments or reviews about vegan establishments. As much as I understand this approach in the writing of other people, it doesn’t float for me. Yes, I write this blog as a means to help people find veganism and also as a tool to entertain and show off my ready-wit, but I’m not going to say something is amazing when it isn’t in my opinion. I want to give my opinion and I want people to disagree if they feel compelled. It’s called open dialogue.

This is building to something. I’m just preparing you all for a rather negative review of a 100% vegan restaurant. Of course speak up in the comments if you have an opinion on the eatery. Don’t let my fat, gay mouth have the final word.

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