Restaurant review: Tyepyedong, noodle bar, Exeter [Vegan options]

Where: Tyepyedong, Sidwell st, Exeter

Between Healthy Pulses (great shop!) & Timpsons.

Style:

Small independently owned noodle bar (Chinese/Asian fusion in style) tucked inbetween the shops of Exeter’s main thoroughfare – quite easy to miss if you don’t know it!

Service:

Always polite, friendly and efficient – a young service team & the owner on duty keeping an eye on things.

Clean simple seating inside.

Food choices:

So easy for Vegans as all Vegan options are labeled V+ (vegetarian are V). Chose from starters, filling noodle soups, strifries with rice and stirfries with noodles. They are also happy to accommodate preferences if you need to change a dish slightly.

Crispy vegetable tempura with sweet chilli dipping sauce.

Nom factor:

I love this style of food and I’ve yet to have a dish here that wasn’t good. They don’t use MSG, everything is cooked fresh to order and it arrives steaming to the table in the order it’s cooked. The tempura are crisp, the Hungry monk (garlic/black bean sauce) is very tasty, I love the Yasai Yakisoba noodles and the Sweet and sour is a sticky sweet indulgence. Rice and noodle dishes alike are always perfect and the veg crisp and fresh. I even like their soups which are far better and contain far more ingredients than those served at Wagamamas (for example). [ nb the soups are a very healthy filling option if you’re watching kcals – or want to have tempura as well;) ]

Delicious veg noodle tofu soup.

How much:

The lunchtime special is fabulous value at just £6 for a very filling main stirfry dish and a drink (I always have sparkling water).

Miso soup £1.70

Tempura £4.10

Edamame (soya) beans £4.20

Main dishes and large noodle soups approx £7

Other stuff:

The tiny kitchen is open so you can see in – which is always reassuring. They are open to creating dishes to your specific requirements and have a great understanding of Veganism. Seating is bench style and some small tables for 2 in the window. They will always endeavour to seat you away from other people unless they are very busy, which is lovely. It’s clean, tables always cleared and wiped down quickly and there is one toilet which is clean and spacious.

Other comments:

This is fast becoming my favourite pitstop in Exeter because it’s such good value and consistently good. It can get extremely busy 12-2, but lunch goes on til 3 which is great and the turnover of people having a quick working lunch means that you never need to wait long for a table. You can reserve a table if you need to and people often do. Many Chinese people eat there which is always a good sign in my opinion.

Handy if you’re going to a matinee at the Vue Cinema nearby – for a meal before or a bite to eat after.

Tyepyedong means ‘a place to eat without the fuss’ – and that’s exactly what this fabulous little place offers Vegans!

If you visit Tyepyedong - please let me know what you think!

Much love

Chantal xx

Restaurant review: Jasmine Thai, Exeter - with Vegan options.

Where: JamineThai, 153 Fore st, Exeter

Style:

Probably best described as a traditional/yet contemporary Thai dining experience in the heart of the city (they describe it as Thai-style fine dining). The front of the restaurant is more brightly lit and the upper floor at the back is more dimly lit. It’s a large space and the floor is tiled with a central walkway offering quite good access.

Service:

The usual lovely smiley attentiveness you would expect of any Thai restaurant – although we hardly saw the same member of the team twice – which meant a little confusion on and double checking of our order.

starter sharing platter

Food choices:

A vast menu of varied non-Vegan dishes – but Vegan options are all marked Vg so you can hop straight to them – which is great! And there is more than enough to create a little feast from. 

We started with a mixed shared Vegan platter, followed by a Red curry (cooked with Tofu and Vegetables in a curry base containing Thai Red curry paste, coconut milk, bamboo shoots and fresh herbs), stirfry Mixed Vegetables (stir fried with garlic, cashew nuts, mushroom and peppers in soya sauce), Phad Thai noodles and 2 rice dishes (fragrant jasmine & coconut), ending with two Vegan desserts (they offer Vegan ice cream, which is unusual!).

Nom factor:

I adore Thai food and the freshness and aromatics of the flavours. I think the starters were some of the best I’ve had in a Thai restaurant – rubbery fish cakes with too much lemon grass can often be quite grim. But these little samosas, spring rolls, tempura and sweetcorn fritters were all beautifully crisp and complimented well with a trio of spicy, fruity and sweet chilli dips. High 5 on the #nom.

thai red curry with tofu

The main courses were tasty and unwittingly we created a good mix of flavours. However, for me the food was over-seasoned. (This may be due to the fact that when making a Thai curry at home now I never use salt?) I also didn’t like the tofu used in the curry – it was quite chewy and reminded me more of the tinned braised gluten you can cook with. Dave liked it but I would have preferred more vegetables instead had I known.

 

Phad Thai with rice noodles

The Phad Thai rice noodles were quite chewy too, but sticky and sweet and quite enjoyable none-the-less, but the rice, though fragrant with jasmine and coconut was over-cooked I thought and past its best.

vegetable stirfry with soy sauce, garlic & cashews

The vegetable stirfry wasnt exactly as described - mushrooms but no peppers and repetition with broccoli and cauliflower (as per the curry).

pineapple fritters with Vegan ice cream

I rarely eat desserts in Asian restaurants, really because I’m an English pud kinda gal – but on this first visit, and on a special occasion, I thought… why not?! I had Pineapple fritters with Vegan icecream. OKish, but the pineapple was non-descript and I’m sure the batter was tainted by having been cooked in the general purpose fryer. Something to be aware of if, as a Vegan, you prefer to have food cooked separately – because I’m worried this doesn’t happen here. 

Dave opted for Banana in hot coconut milk – which was….well… banana in hot coconut milk! Not something worth paying for in a restaurant, as I could have knocked it up for him when we’d got home if he’d been really desperate!

How much?:

An eye watering £83 including 4 drinks (2 Badgers Ale and 2 Becks Blue). Although admittedly we had 3 courses (not forgetting Vegan mints at the end), I couldn't help feeling that although I did enjoy it – I would have enjoyed a 3 course meal at my local just as much for half the price and with twice the atmosphere – which was disappointing really.

NB a single portion of rice will set you back £4.25! [sharing platter £14.90, main dishes approx £10.95, desserts approx £5.95]

Other stuff:

The toilets are spotless, with cubicles that you can actually get into without clambering sideways over the loo. Always a bonus.

As I booked last minute we could only get in at 6pm and were seated at the front of the restaurant only to have a family with 2 young boys put literally right next to us. As they began screaming over where to sit and pulled out their electronic game consols my face must have said it all and a waitress did rush over to us and ask if we would like to be moved. This wouldn’t have made for a lovely quiet 'meal a-deux'! If I owned a restaurant I have to say I wouldn’t have sat us/them there in the first place and also would probably not allow parents like these in… but what do I know – I spent most of the time taking pictures of the food – which I know restaurateurs just love! ;)

*danger note* they flambe some dishes at the table and to do this pretty much run from the kitchen to the table with a ladle full of flaming oil! As one customer had to quickly dodge a waitress and another such high flame melted some of the hanging ceiling decorations above a table I couldn't help but wonder whether Health & Safety officers have ever visited!!!

Comments:

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but Jasmine Thai just didn’t do it for me. 
I really really wanted to love it because I knew beforehand that the owner is in fact Vegan! They certainly do have a good understanding of and variety of suitable food. But something is missing. Maybe it’s the atmosphere? I found it a bit 'office party / large family dining' for me, and as they label themselves 'fine dining' (with prices to match) I guess I just expected something a little bit more special.

Still, I woofed the food merrily and felt perfectly satisfied – if a little thirsty on the way home…

Would I go again? 
Hmmm I’d rather try somewhere else new first…. And perhaps not be tempted into a place on the sheer ‘merit’ that they do some Vegan food…

Still much foodie love though... Chantal xx

Vegan food review: veggie cafe: Summersault - Rugby, UK

Boo! HNY (well late I know...)

Either I'm just getting better at finding great places to eat out now or maybe vegan food really is making it into our bars, restaurants and cafes more and more? Whatever, it's great!

For 2014 I'm opting for a new style of food review posts - I'm sure you don't need to read all about my lovely day out & how I met my girl friend and how we talked about the usual stuff - you know diets and men...! So I'll cut to the chase - what was the cafe, the service and the Vegan FOOD like?!

Enjoy! much love Chantal xx

Where: Summersault - Rugby, UK

Outside, with strange windbreaks?

Style: 

Organic Veggie Restaurant Cafe & 'emporium' - classy eclectic, yet cohesive decor, filled with beautiful home furnishing trinkets. Beautifully done & with dining on a glass roofed top floor which is lovely. Far better than the usual messy 'rustic' eclectic 'style' of veggie cafes......

Service: 

Warm greeting, friendly, helpful & knowledgeable about Vegan options.

Inside looking to front...

 

Inside looking to rear...

Fresh salad bar 12 options.

Food choices: 

6 veggie hot dishes on the day, sadly all with cheese! Only hot Vegan option was a lentil veg soup. 12 different salad bowls to chose from though (8 Vegan) + 3 different homemade breads + plenty of cakes/bakes - 2 of which were Vegan.

Soup, bread, salad & lemonade!

Nom factor: 

Eating in: The soup was like a thick hearty casserole & absolutely delicious! Huge chunk of sundried tomato bread was also incredible (and they have Vegan margarine). I had 4 salads - Quinoa & herb, butter bean, tomato & cucumber & bulgar wheat with veg - sadly all of these lacked any flavour - some more herbs, dressings, spicing & seasoning would have made all the difference.

Drinking: I drank Fentimans lemonade & didn't try the coffee, although I'm assured it's good.

Salad plate, quite expensive for what it was.

Took away: Some rich fruit cake - packed full of flavour & cherries (my favourite) - it was soooo good! The date flapjack slice I had a corner of (yes, really) was also lush - if a little crumbly.

How much?!: 

Soup & bread £5.30

Each salad £1.40 

and 5 pieces of cake for £11.00 + a mint tea bag for 20p

Other stuff: 

Child friendly (we had a babe in tow), didn't visit the loos (constitution of a camel), made me want to buy home furnishings (could make it expensive), would travel just for the fruit cake (which makes me a fruit cake - but who cares...).

Comments:

Wish they'd use less cheese!

Go for the cake. (Yes it disappeared without a photo...)

Live your life by the sign propped up against the bar ;)

Restaurant review - tibits, Heddon St. London

tibits

Regular readers will know that I have a bit of an issue with some vegetarian restaurants - in that most of them are not that 'contemporary'. Fabulous tasty food - yes, but decor (and sometimes service) that appeals to the omnivore masses? - no.

outside tibits - a little oasis in the City

So when I was kindly asked if I would like to dine at tibits and write a review, I was very excited indeed!...

tibits is situated in a fabulous location - in a leafy little oasis just off the hustle and bustle of Regent Street. It's a haven of plant-based deliciousness.

With modern Swiss styling, yet a warm and welcoming vibe it did not disappoint. Ahhhh! Bliss!!!! 

Even worth leaving my Devon oasis for...

 

fresh, funky & unusually contemporary - hurrah!

It's bright, clean, tidy and set over 2 floors with plenty of eclectic seating and room for special events if you need to hire a great space. When I was there it was lovely to see such a mixed clientele and that even on a Monday lunchtime it was buzzing. 

The service was relaxed, friendly and efficient.

a boat of vegan food you could just sail away on!

The format is a help yourself buffet - with salads, soups, hot dishes, breads, desserts & fresh juice options - all set out in an eye catching boat-shaped island! I'm not usually a fan of the buffet scenario (yes, really!) but given that vegan choice is usually quite limited - to suddenly be presented with masses of it (80% of the 40 daily dishes) all clearly labelled as vegan, it was like being the proverbial 'kid in the sweet shop'! 

Decisions decisions.....

Now you WILL want to try everything. And indeed I'd recommend that you do take small morsels of everything that takes your fancy! Why not?!

Here were just some of the day's dishes when I visited:

My 'starters plate:

My 'mains' plate: 

There's just a teensy catch though...

You pay for your food by weight.

[no, not your weight - if that was the case I'd have been in serious financial trouble!] The weight of the food you've taken. I've never come across this before, and admit to some trepidation at having my food weighed! I'm unsure as to the business reasoning behind this, but given the tendency for many to overindulge at a buffet it does actually prevent you from taking too much, and consequently eating too much and possibly wasting too much?

And little samples of several different dishes does make for a varied, yummy meal experience. And tasty it was! I found plenty of variety, everything tasted different, all was well seasoned and flavourful. One more note though - go easy if you want to make it to pud! And you should. My combination of sticky toffee pudding, passion fruit 'cream' and fresh pineapple was inspired, if I say so myself.

Dessert:

Some other typical dishes on the menu:

Mulligatawny soup

Oven roasted veggies - shallots, carrots, pears, figs

Glazed chestnut, pupkin, sesame tofu avocado & dried bean salads

 

black hummous with olive bread

Pricing: My starter plate weighed in at approx £5.00, main at £8.50 and dessert at £4.50 - incredibly reasonable for London pricing and indeed for good food anywhere!

So what else can I say about tibits?

Well, to me, it's the ideal place for brunches, lunch dates, dinner dates, business lunches, food on the go and casual 'I can't be bothered to cook tonight' dining .

Obviously if you're veggie or vegan it's a joy to just go and eat free from worry and the need for a magnifying glass to read small print. But I adored the fact that a non veggie/vegan would still love it too. tibits champions all that's great about meat-free, plant-based foods - the infinite colours, flavours, tastes and textures - all presented in a style for 2013.

THIS is what's needed. Something that omnivores can be tempted by, try and love. As a passionate vegan advocate, yes of course I'm looking for 'converts' - I make no secret of it - and tibits is now one of my secret (peaceful) 'weapons'. TYTYTY! Keep up the great work guys.

p.s. Please open a branch in Exeter!

Chantal x

Next up! I shall be reviewing the first tibits cook book! Stay tuned for my recreations of some of their favourite dishes at home.

Details:

Vision:  tibits was founded and is run by three brothers - Reto, Christian and Daniel Frei, together with business partners Rolf and Marielle Hiltl, who run Hiltl, the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world, which is located in Zurich.

tibits

12-14 Heddon Street

off Regent Street

London W1B 4DA

Phone +44 (0)207 758 4110

Fax +44 (0)207 734 0428

info@tibits.co.uk

Opening Hours:

Monday to Wednesday
9am – 10.30pm

Thursday to Saturday
9am – midnight
Sunday
11.30am – 10.30pm
Food served until 30 mins before closing.

Disclaimer: Whilst I was a guest of tibits on this day for lunch, my review, is, as always, entirely without bias and reflects my honest opinion.