Restaurant Review: Shojin in Los Angeles, CA

Can you believe I've never dined at Shojin, the premiere vegan sushi restaurant in SoCal?! I can hardly believe it myself! I was finally able to get there for lunch on my birthday last weekend. Shojin is all vegan and offers organic Japanese cuisine. Besides being vegan, many of their items are gluten-free and they can cater to other food allergies as well. It has two locations - the one I visited is in downtown LA, the other is in Culver City. The interesting thing about the one I visited in DTLA is that it is inside a Korean shopping mall! Once we parked in the adjacent parking structure (Shojin will validate for 2 hours, parking gets a bit pricey after that), we wandered past karaoke bars, Korean BBQ places, Daiso, etc. before heading up to the third floor where Shojin is located.

Restaurant Review: Ramen Hood in Los Angeles, CA

Vegan Ramen at Ramen Hood in DTLA - yes, that "egg" is 100% vegan!

Ramen Hood is one of the most buzzed about new restaurants, located in downtown Los Angeles' Grand Central Market among many other food vendor stalls in an airy, industrial-style building. Ramen Hood is the brainchild of Top Chef winner Ilan Hall, and while the chef isn't vegan, everything on the Ramen Hood menu is. I have been dying to try this place for a few months now. I mean, I cannot remember the last time I had vegan ramen - I know several places offer it (many of the Asian vegan restaurants or those with vegan options offer a vegan ramen), but the only vegan ramen I've had recently is instant ramen. So you can imagine my excitement when a legit vegan ramen place opened up! Finally, I can get my slurp on!

Food Review: Gardein Sweet and Sour Porkless Bites

It is just so darn cool how easy being vegan has become! Pretty much any kind of food is available in a vegan version nowadays, and more and more people are choosing compassionate meals! Gardein is a huge contributor to making being vegan so easy with their plant-based, protein-packed vegan meats! Gardein has been a favorite ever since they hit the market a few short years ago, and they keep amazing me with their products. Their newest product, along with their Crabless Cakes [review] is their Sweet and Sour Porkless Bites.

I have tried these before at Expo West (where they made my top 10 list!), and have been impatiently waiting for them to hit stores. I finally found them at Ralph's grocery store (they also are carrying the new Crabless Cakes!) this past October and did a happy dance! I loved these at Expo, and couldn't wait to sink my teeth into these cruelty-free bites again!

Restaurant Review: Vegan Nirvana in Huntington Beach, CA

Jackfruit Limeade at Vegan Nirvana!

Over the weekend I finally got around to checking out Vegan Nirvana, a new vegan restaurant in Huntington Beach. Ok, new-ish vegan restaurant since they've probably been open for about 6 months! Even though it's only 20 minutes away from my house, for one reason or another I just hadn't made it over to Vegan Nirvana, even though I was keen on checking it out due to its eclectic decor as well as the raves it kept getting from vegan friends. It's got a unique space-hippie vibe, with its decor featuring UFOs, aliens, chakra-Jesus and its menu items have very enlightened names that sound like they are named after yoga poses. All that only adds to its charm, though!

Restaurant Review: Vegan Cuisine in Fountain Valley, CA

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

I've said it before and I'll say it again - we are spoiled with vegan food places here in Orange County! We are so spoiled that in my 6+ years as a vegan I haven't even been to all of them yet. Shocking, right?! Plus, new ones keep popping up! I'm definitely not complaining, it just means I have oodles of options when it comes to dining out!

A new vegan restaurant called "Vegan Cuisine" opened up within the last two months in Fountain Valley, California, less than 10 miles where I live. After some friends posted pics on Instagram, I knew I had to check it out! This is another restaurant that serves vegan Asian food, but they also have some good old fashioned Americanized comfort food like fried chicken, burgers and even lasagna on weekends!

Restaurant Review: Au Lac in Fountain Valley, CA

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

I apologize for the long absence, readers! I've been busy with the day job and have just been so exhausted lately...so exhausted, in fact, that I actually came down with a nasty flu bug, which is why I actually have some time to write now! However, I do plan to make more time to write because I have lots and lots of posts to share with you!

First off, I wanted to share with you the lovely birthday dinner I had at Au Lac restaurant in Fountain Valley, California (way back at the beginning of January...that is how far behind I am, yikes!) with my Mister Spooky. Au Lac is a vegan and living foods restaurant that focuses on Asian food. All of their items are vegan and they have a separate menu for their "living foods" or raw foods. They also carry many teas and health elixirs as well as a variety of desserts. It is considered a higher-end vegan restaurant, and their Chef Ito is world-renowned.

It was my first time at Au Lac, and while it is in the middle of a weird little strip mall that doesn't really make you think "vegan haute cuisine", the inside was pretty cool. The dark red walls, red lighting and Asian decor made it feel opulent. We had reservations and were seated quickly. I felt like there was some confusion as to who our waiter was initially, but that was soon cleared up as we had a very helpful and friendly waitress.

Wild Orange Blossom Tea

Restaurant Review: Bodhi Tree Vegan Cafe in Huntington Beach, CA

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

For one reason or another, I had never been to Bodhi Tree Vegan Cafe in Huntington Beach, though it is on the busy Main Street and I must have walked by it a dozen times! It is tucked into a row of storefronts slightly up from the hustle and bustle of the Main Street and offers a welcome respite from the crowds and traffic. Mister Spooky and I went on a Sunday around lunch, and we were the only ones there.

We were greeted by a friendly hostess and seated. I was surprised how large it was on the inside with lots of tables, plus outside seating as well. This would be a perfect place for large groups and/or meet ups! The ambiance was warm and inviting, even peaceful (despite the Christmas music still playing). Maybe it was just that we had the whole place to ourselves or that our hostess/server was so welcoming, but I felt totally relaxed there.

Food Review: Trader Joe's Chickenless Mandarin Orange Morsels

Here's another reason to love Trader Joe's! So far this year they have released a lot of new vegan products, and I've been slowly trying to sample them all. One of these is their Chickenless Mandarin Orange Morsels. In my pre-vegan days I used to love TJ's mandarin chicken, so I was sooooo excited to try their vegan version.

I found the chickenless morsels in their freezer section priced at $2.99 per 9.25 oz. bag. Wow! What a great deal! This seems like an amazing price, especially considering the price of some other faux meat vegan products.

The morsels (they look like McDonald's chicken nuggets) can be prepared either in the oven or pan-fried, and I've tried both with equally delicious results. Both preparation methods yield crispy, mouthwatering morsels! The addition of the mandarin orange sauce complements the crispiness with a perfect mix of tangy and sweet. Surprisingly, there is enough sauce to coat ever single morsel (one of my pet peeves is when products don't include enough sauce). Thanks, Trader Joe's!

I like these chickenless mandarin orange bites served over brown rice with some sauted veggies, but I imagine there are lots of different ways to enjoy these. They would even be delectable on their own, using the sauce as a dipping sauce and turning them into vegan chickenless nuggets!

It has been a while since I discovered a mock meat product that I really loved, but these Trader Joe's Chickenless Mandarin Orange Morsels are really amazing! Even the carnivorous Mister Spooky loved these, and said they very closely resemble chicken in texture and taste.

Trader Joe's Chickenless Mandarin Orange Morsels are easy to make, are low in cost and, most importantly, are one of the best-tasting faux meat products I've enjoyed! I highly recommend you pick some up at your friendly neighborhood Trader Joe's.

Restaurant Review: Loving Hut - Huntington Beach, CA

Loving Hut is a vegan chain I’ve been meaning to try for a long, long time. According to their website, "Loving Hut Restaurants are the fastest growing international vegan fast food chain in the world"! Each location has their own unique menu, but no matter where you go they are committed to offering up the very best and fresh vegan dishes. For some reason, though, I'd never made it to one of their SoCal locations before...until last week!

I visited their Huntington Beach location one sunny afternoon and was greeted by a small but bright and clean restaurant with very friendly service. I ogled the menu a bit (doncha wish you could just order one of everything sometimes?) and finally decided on the Pad Thai (I know, tame!) and Thai iced tea (OMG, I haven’t EVER seen vegan Thai iced tea and this was the first time since going vegan that I got to have it! I was stoked…) while Mister Spooky went with the Sweet and Sour Divine. For an appetizer, we ordered the spring rolls. The prices were all very reasonable and the food plus drinks came in at under $25!

The spring rolls tasted very fresh and on a warm day were perfectly refreshing! Mister Spooky and I both loved the peanut dipping sauce that came with the rolls, too. Next were the main courses…my Pad Thai was a huuuuge portion. It had those strange tofu shrimp throughout (my first time trying these…didn’t dig them too much). Besides the odd vegan “shrimp”, the Pad Thai was spicy, flavorful and really hit the spot. Especially when paired with my Thai iced tea (OMG, how much I missed thee!!). My boyfriend's Sweet and Sour Divine (think a vegan version of sweet and sour chicken) was really tasty and while it wasn’t a big portion he said it was still satisfying (and he usually has an insatiable appetite!). 

By the end of the meal, we were both stuffed and even had leftovers to take home. I was tempted to try some of their delectable-looking desserts, but they would have to wait until my next visit. And let me assure you, I will definitely go back to Loving Hut...which may be my new new go-to vegan place! 

Check out my review on YELP!