Monday, May 20, 2013

A Vivacious Brunch at Veggie Galaxy

On my recent trip to Boston, I dined at one of my favorite Vegetarian diners, Veggie Galaxy. The fun and futuristic vibe of the restaurant went hand in hand with the decadent food they served. My dad decided to order something sweet, while I ordered a savory dish. This may seem odd, but the dishes really complemented one another and left my mouth full of an array of flavors.

My dad ordered the Silver Dollar Pancakes with mixed berries & whipped cream ($8).


The pancakes were fantastic. They were light and fluffy and not too sweet. They had a lovely buttermilk flavor, despite that they lacked dairy. The mixed berries added a slight, natural sweetness while the coconut whipped cream was airy and had a subtle tartness.

For my dish, I had the "Road Not Taken", a build your own omelette. For my fillings, I opted for roasted tomato, seitan chorizo, and the housemade vegan cheese ($8.50). The "egg" was made vegan by using a tofu egg.



I loved the omelette. It didn't taste exactly like it's non-vegan counterpart in that it lacked the "eggy" sulfuric taste, but I preferred it that way. Instead, it had more of a chickpea flavor, which I attributed to the use of garbanzo flour, which I am sure they used. It was also very light and had a similar consistency to a pancake. The fillings were fantastic. The tomato was sweet and oily and was a great contrast to the savory, slightly spicy seitan chorizo. The housemade vegan cheese was almost an exact replica of dairy cheddar and retained a similar salty flavor and was so creamy and luscious. The omelette was accompanied by a crispy piece of toasted bread coated in vegan butter and home fries that were cooked and seasoned to perfection.

Overall, the food was fantastic. Everything was tasty and made me feel nostalgic for the diner food I grew up with. Nevertheless, this was such an improvement from the grease and cholesterol laden food that made my stomach feel ill after eating. I was so happy to enjoy such delicious food and feel uplifted afterward. We used a $10 for $20 Groupon voucher that significantly reduced the cost of our meal (we also both ordered drinks). I cannot wait to return to Veggie Galaxy on my next visit to Boston.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

A Vegan Frappy Hour Week

This week, Starbucks is having their much anticipated, much loved Frappy Hour! As long as I can remember, I have been addicted to the decadent coffee flavored milk shakes, so I am excited that I can continue to enjoy them all week as a vegan for half the price (from 3-5 pm).


I have already gone once so far and ordered the soy mocha frapp. While the frappuccino was perfectly frothy, chocolaty and decadent, I do have a few complaints. First, the soy milk is no longer complimentary, although with the deal it is 30 cents, rather than the standard 60 cents. Secondly, despite that I didn't get any whipped cream (sadly there's no vegan whipped cream option), the barista still did not fill up the drink to the top. This made me feel a little ripped off, since the cup is already so small. Nevertheless, I will still be back to get the caramel frapp and coffee frapp.