Canteen, 55 Baker Street, London, W1U 8EW

Pies, and mash, and gravy; Oh my! Vegetarian pies, and mash, and gravy; Oh. Sweet. Lord.

For some reason, unknown to me, I resisted Canteen despite peer pressure to give it a try. Say no to smoking, transferred into: Say no to anything anyone suggests with fervour. Truthfully, I find the appearance of Canteen unappealing – from the outside. That, and the name, make me very unwilling to go there for dinner and pay anything more than the value of Fast Food. When I finally overcame my aversion to…nothing in particular…and was pushed over the threshold, I discovered a cosy world of relaxed dining.

It draws a lot of the post work crowd coming in for food on the £10.00 for 3 courses before 7pm offer. At 21.20, it was almost empty so we were lucky enough to be seated in a booth, with hooks behind the seats for coats and bags. Our waitress was perfectly amiable, if not a little spaced out – it was almost home time after all.

My fiancé ordered the winter vegetable and dumpling stew and sides of chips and mushy peas. This dish is vegan…VEGAN! One vegan option a day is something they aspire to maintain whenever they change the menu. Impressive, especially when you factor in that Canteen aims to serve British food.  

As veggie options go, there is a respectable selection: Goats cheese and roast pumpkin tarts, a vegetarian option for the pie (which, changes everyday), Macaroni Cheese to name a few. The vegetarian pie comes with mash, greens and onion gravy. Obviously, I went for this. The taste was perfect; homely, filling and full of flavour. The appearance – it’s Pie, it’s going to look like a good time.

I was less enchanted with dessert; bread pudding with caramel ice cream. I hasten to add, the pudding was made well, I am just not a fan of candied fruit in any capacity…I take that back. I’ll eat it in anything Christmassy.

Next time, and there will be a next time, I will not hesitate before ordering pie again, unless, it is to remember and drool in preparation. I will however, go for one of the other tempting pudding choices.

Price: Approx. £45.00 for 2 soft drinks, 2 mains, 2 sides, 1 dessert and service charge.

Veggie Friendly: 4/5

Food: 4/5

Service: 3.5/5

Atmosphere: 2.5/5

Mon Vieil Ami, 69 Rue Saint Louis en I'ile, 75004, Paris, France

The Veggiesaurus’ biggest challenge ever: Paris. Actually, the biggest challenge ever would be Brazil – beef, beef, and fear of catching vegetarianism, does not a good combination, make. I’m not sure I have the resolve (or the money) to go hungry again, just yet. 

Usually, a visit to Paris yields similar results on the hunger front but, this time was very different, due to one little gem I found…ok, so it was recommended by my fiancé’s colleague.

I was almost certain that any restaurant in Paris would score poorly in the veggie friendly section. Happily, for my belly, I was wrong. 

Stepping out of the cold into Mon Vieil Ami is instantly warming. The lighting is the just the right level of dim, one of the tables is a long, high, canteen style giving it a slightly more relaxed feel while still managing to make you feel a little special, and the staff are so polite and 100% willing and able to help with all my annoying vegetarian questions asked in that embarrassing broken English (spoken with an equally embarrassing fake French accent). 

The greatest thing about Mon Vieil Ami…they have a vegetarian menu: two starters, two mains, two desserts. I chose a carrot and coriander salad to start, risotto for my main (I know but, the other option contained aubergine and I wasn’t in the mood for that) and apple tart with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

The salad looked delicious and some mouthfuls of it were. The dressing was sweet and every time I successfully foraged a bit of that, it was divine. Unfortunately, without the dressing, the whole thing was a little bit too acidic for me.

The risotto was amazing (it helps if you draw out that first syllable in amazing, to fully understand just how tasty it was) and as un-risotto like as one would expect of the French – barely any rice. The vegetables were root vegetables and chunky. The sauce had a delicate hit of some blue cheese and despite the relative absence of rice, the dish was satisfying.

Dessert, oh, dessert. How do I love thee, let me count the ways. My fiancé aptly described the apple tart as ‘the best apple tart I’ve ever eaten’. Yum. If you don’t fancy apples, my fiancé ordered the chocolate tart with pear sorbet. Another delicious dessert brought to you by the French, albeit the sorbet was raspberry and not at all pear.

Vegan alert – a lot of this food was dairy free…go wild. 

I enjoyed the whole experience, and it certainly is nice, to know that somewhere in Paris, I will find food. Bon Appetit.

Price: 95.00 EUR (approx £81.00) for 2 glasses of red wine, 2 starters, 2 mains, 2 desserts, taxes and service charge.

Veggie Friendly: 3/5

Food: 4/5

Service: 5/5

Atmosphere: 5/5  

Swan & Edgar, 43 Linhope Street, London, NW1 6HL

So...I know that I hate it when the only vegetarian option is Risotto but when it comes to this place...I'm sorry to say, I don't mind. It's not that the risotto is out of this world - it is very, tasty - it's more that this place is so, so cute, and the staff are so nice. Imagine something you dislike...like white socks worn with sandals. Now, imagine them being worn by Ewoks...see, it's not so laughable now! It's cute!

Suffice to say that I'm a regular to the Swan and Edgar and although I'd love to have the vegetarian option not be risotto the quality of the food (especially, the puddings) is lovely. My last visit was this week and I wanted to save room for pudding so I ordered the beetroot salad, which is a starter, with a side of mash potato and a side of buttered spinach. Pudding was croissant and butter pudding with custard. The desserts that I've had here are worth saving room in your belly for. 

The atmosphere is excellent. It's relaxed, so it is a great place for a casual meet up with friends. At the same time, I think it is a fabulous date destination. The books add a genuinely quirky feel without being try hard, the lighting is dim without being too dark and the venue is big enough to hold a decent amount of people without being overcrowded. It manages to give you privacy and make you feel completely cosy at the same time. 

This is one of my favourite places in London and, according to a certain Magazine, I'm not the only one to think that. 

Price: Approximately £40.00 for 1 starter, 2 sides, 1 main, 1 glass of red wine, 1 dessert and service charge.
Veggie Friendly: 2/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Atmosphere: 5/5

Polpo, 41 Beak Street, London, W1F 9SB

After a lot of eating in Malaysia I thought I'd continue to do so by eating lunch at Polpo with my fiancé and sister. 

I'd carefully written all of my thoughts and order information down on a napkin which, I've just as carefully lost. Losing napkins at 7am is not fun. Acquiring a cup of tea is - yum.

I've never been to a Venetian restaurant so it was quite the experience. 

There was plenty of vegetarian selection which, the waitress kindly marked off for me on the menu. when the food arrived it was hearty and tasty. The spread we chose was mainly vegetarian with a couple of meat plates (for my fiancé). I hear that the meat dishes ordered were seasoned well, and full of flavour,  as were the vegetarian options apart from one - the grilled polenta...I don't know what happened to that other than it was devoid of flavour. 
I recommend the arancini. I've had arancini once before - courtesy of my friend's Italian mother- and the arancini at Polpo was on par with her cooking. Trust me, that is an excellent thing. 
I also particularly liked the Pizzeta bianchi and the beetroot and hazlenut salad together. The simple flavours of both complimented each other - and, one of your five a day. It's surprising, sometimes, how difficult that can be for a vegetarian to achieve. 

The waitresses are very helpful and they look so cool that it made me feel a little cooler - you know, the geeky kid at school who has been allowed into the inner circle of awesome, type thing...apart from in school the inner circle is usually a bunch of close minded people with plebeian faces. 

Located in Soho, the atmosphere and look of Polpo, matches the staff - trendy yet relaxed. I would definitely go again, especially because it makes me feel like I'm all dramatic eyeliner, bleach blonde hair, skinny red trousers cool.


A little note to bear in mind: They don't take bookings (sometimes they do, I don't understand how it works), it's queuing all they way which, is ultra chic don't you know...all the kids are doing it these days. 

Price: Approx £55.00 for 1 large glass of red, 1 small glass of red, 1 soft drink, 3 cicheti plates, 1 bread, 1 meat, 3 vegetable, 1 dessert and service charge.

Veggie Friendly: 4/5

Food: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 4/5

Bijan Bar & Restaurant, 3 Jalan Ceylon, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

For me, Bijan is nothing to write home about. Yet, here I am, at home, writing about it. We were directed to Bijan by our hotel, who assured me that when it came to veggie food, Bijan was the bees knees and it was traditional Malay cuisine. As it was the penultimate night in KL (and Malaysia) we wanted something decent. The taste didn't have to blow me away, like Sao Nam did. It just had to be...nice. 

When you walk into Bijan it's all dim lighting and deep purples and red. The opulent setting had me doing some quick mental maths on how much Rinngit I had left.  

There was one vegetarian starter on the menu - only one. No fish sauce, no shrimp paste...just one! And, (sorry primary school teacher) no mains. I could however have this standard vegetarian platter which was only 25 MYR. Odd when all the meat dishes were priced considerably higher. 

The vegetarian options sounded fine and, well...I didn't have any other option so I tried it. My friend ordered a fillet of Pomfret and a side of garlic prawns and beans. The waiter kindly agreed to make this sans prawns so that I could share. 

Lets start with my friend: 

Though she did not like the actual taste of the pomfret, she did think it was cooked beautifully. The sauce it came with was tasty as were the beans. Due to her personal preference to pomfret, she said that she would return to Bijan and order something else. 

I, on the other hand, left hungry. The veggie platter was this busy, mesh of strange curries that did not really blend well together, and did not really taste decent eaten alone. I was not expecting Indian food but, I was hoping for something akin to a Thali - a mix of veg food that complimented each other. 

As there was no other option for me to sink my teeth into I would not return. 

Price: 260.00 MYR (£52.00) for 2 aperitifs, 2 glasses of white wine, 1 starter, 1 veggie platter, 1 fish main + rice, government tax and service charge.

Veggie Friendly: 1/5

Food: 2/5

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 4/5

Sao Nam, Bukit Bintang, 25 Tengat Tong Shin, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Oh. Sweet. Lord. If you're ever in KL you must eat at Sao Nam. 

I've never had Vietnamese food before, so I appreciate I cannot judge on authenticity, but if this place is anything to go by, then Vietnam is my next holiday destination. Did I say holiday? I meant, I'm moving there tomorrow. 

The decor is simple and unassuming, the vibe is relaxed, and veggie options have a page unto themselves.

My friend and I shared the vegetarian spring rolls - light, full of flavour, and the delicious caramelized coconut sauce was a nice touch. 

She ordered coconut lamb with rice for her mains and once again, fell into the silence of good food. 

I ordered the vegetarian clay pot. One more time: Oh. Sweet. Lord. It was good...it was very good. I might even go as far as to say, that it was one of the best dishes I've ever eaten. 

Pudding was frozen banana with coconut milk and chocolate - less amazing, but an alright finish. That being said my recommendation would be to go to Sao Nam hungry, order too many starters and mains, devour everything then waddle to somewhere else for dessert. 

Price: 155.00 MYR (£31.00) for 1 starter, 2 mains, 2 glasses of white wine, dessert, government tax and service charge.

Veggie Friendly: 5/5

Food: 5/5

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 4/5

Spice Garden Imperial, Chulan Square, 92 Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

After a swell (swell!) time in Langkawi we boarded a plane, flew through some nasty turbulence and landed hungry in Kuala Lumpur. We then proceeded to walk, and walk...and walk through the colossal, never ending space that is KLIA. 
After over an hour of being stuck in KL traffic and arriving at the hotel at 22:30 our hunger had turned into something more volatile - rage. Rage at each other, rage at KL and rage at the world! Luckily for the world, our hotel managed to find a non-fancy restaurant that served until midnight - London take note. 


The only down side about The Spice Gardens is that it looks like a school canteen (kind of like Saravanaa Bhavan - but not cute) and the staff, though perfectly sweet, are a little vacant. However, the dodgy decor did not reflect on the food. The food was...amazingly tasty, real, North Indian food. Hmmmm...Garlic Naan and Paneer in a sauce I want to marry. My friend verified that the fish curry was perfect by remaining, for the large part, silent as she focused on her food. The only unauthentic thing about this place - no Delhi Belly. Amen to that. 




Price: 85.00 MYR (£17.00) for 1 lemonade, 3 curries, 1 portion of garlic naan, government tax and service charge. 
Veggie Friendly: 5/5
Food: 5/5
Service: 2/5
Atmosphere: 1/5 

Tang Lung Seafood Restaurant, Lot 1697, Mukim Kedawang, Teluk Baru, 07000 Langkawi, Malaysia

What is a veggiesaurus doing at a seafood restaurant I hear (assume) you ask? I have no idea but when Casa del Mar say jump, I leap...and rightly so, because they were right. 

Though there is nothing vegetarian on the menu itself (uh-oh), the guys at Tang Lung are extremely good at accommodating for veggiesaurs with off the menu options which, incidently would work for Vegans too. The amount of times he checked whether I coud eat dairy was impressive.
I chose sizzling tofu with thai style fried rice while my friend chose fillet of barracuda (eek!). We shared a pak choi with roasted garlic and cooled down from the humidity with Tiger Beer - hmmmm.

 The food was tasty, the decor was rustic - thatch roof, chinese lanterns, as far off the tourist track as is possible in Langkawi and, free restaurant transfer (yeah, I didn't get it, but it seemed to be common around there).

My only, minor quibble - they and we would be a little feduddled if it rained! In this context, feduddled is being substituted for a word that can not be used on a public forum accessible by kids.

Price: 80.00 MYR (£16.00) for 3 curries/stir fries, 2 portions of fried rice, 2 beers, government tax and service charge.

Veggie Friendly: 1/5 if you don't open your mouth and ask, 3/5 if you do.
Food: 3/5
Service: 5/5
Atmosphere: 3/5

Le Sal at Casa del Mar, Jalan Pantai Cenang, Mukim Kedawang 07000, Langkawi, Malaysia

In the words of Isaac Entry; "I want to go home, I want to go home to Malaysia"...apart from, Malaysia is not my home. It is, however, a country I've just returned from. Question: Is it worth it for The Veggiesaurus to review plane food? Probably not.

Enough of my inane ramblings, onto the juicy, well cooked part. A friend and I stayed at this lovely, LOVELY boutique hotel during our stay in Langkawi. The staff are uber nice. I mean it. They manage to ask you how your day is and sound like they genuinely do care. They are able to engage in conversation and read you well enough to know when you're in the mood to have a full blown 'my friend is late for breakfast and I'm hungry and bored' or 'I just went Island hopping and mentally I'm still hop-hopping all over the show...shhhh'.

I ate at this place over a week ago and my notes inform me that I enjoyed the experience. My memory is pretty spiffing and I can inform you with confidence, that my notes are correct.

Food was good, staff were amazing, options were limited but present (they gave us free chocolates - a box each at the end of the meal so who cares), atmosphere is out of this world - it's by the water...you're in Malaysia, everyone is happy; if you don't think that the atmosphere is wonderful, then you're a silly prune.

Bring it home Isaac; "I want to go home....to Malaysia".

Price: Equivalent of £60.00 for 2 mains, 2 glasses of white wine, government tax and service charge.

Veggie Friendly: 2/5

Food: 3.5/5

Service: 5/5

Atmosphere: 5/5

Fine Burger Co., 1st Floor, O2 Centre, 255 Finchley Road, London, NW3 6LU

The quest for the perfect vegetarian burger may have ended before it even had the chance to crawl. Seen as I like a good quest, I may just keep it going by using Fine Burgers yummtastic veggie burger (named 'The Veggie', which we can all see must have taken days to come up with)  as a benchmark against all others. 

To makes things even better, there is another veg option called 'The Swiss Shroom' and a good handful of vegetarian sides. I'm talking old school chunky hand cut chips, skinny fries, onion rings and salads. 

I have it on good authority, from a few meat eating beasts that the beef and chicken is also 'gooooooood'.

If you do decide to venture into this place, go totally teenage and order an oreo cookie milkshake. For weight conscious veggiesaurs: the calories are worth it and it doubles up as pudding. 

And because my primary school teacher loathed sentences that started with 'and', I'll end here...thinking about how on earth a soy burger could be so juicy and tasty. 

Price: Approximately £30.00 for two combos plus one extra filling and one oreo cookie milkshake

Veggie Friendly: 2.5/5 (I must rein in the urge to allocate half marks)

Food: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 3/5 (Play the quiz and accept just how pathetic your general knowledge is. 2/5 if you don't.)

Automat, 33 Dover Street, London, W1S 4NF

Last weekend was clearly the weekend of not cooking at home. Which means, that this weekend should be the weekend of only cooking at home...shame I'm not here for that. 

Anyway, dinner at Automat is the topic right now. As veggie options go, you can choose from one starter and three mains. I've had the veggie burger here before...lets just say my quest for the best veggie burger is still on. 

The Macaroni and Cheese is one of the other options (the other being penne arriabata - I doubt this one is worth trying). Mac and cheese is a good time and this one proved no different. I ordered a small with spinach. It was filling, hearty and a total cheesefest. However, for £8.00 I'd be better off just making it myself...or going to the canteen at my office and having an even better one for £2.00. I feel like the mac and cheese at automat is missing...something...maybe breadcrumbs. Mmmm....breadcrumbs. 

At Automat the service is always good. Perhaps, in part, this is some of what you pay for, the rest being atmosphere. Some people may think that it's trying too hard or that it's a little pretentious to stick, what is essentially a diner, in Mayfair and amp up the prices for it, but I think it's actually kind of nice to have hearty food in a nice, cosy setting. 

I've been three times and all three times my meat eating counterparts were extremely happy, so it's likely that creating a mac and cheese worth £8.00 is impossible...whereas the burgers are worth the price. 

I'd say it's worth a try if your group is predominantly t-rex, you're ok with limited choices and you're all in the mood for a  little ghetto chic. 

Price: Approximatey £38.00 for two mains, two beers and service charge

Veggie Friendly: 2/5

Food: 3/5 (only because meat eaters love it it would be 2/5 on vegetarian food alone)

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 4/5

Saravanaa Bhavan, 403 Alexandria Avenue, Rayners Lane, Harrow, HA2 9SG

This review is going to be short, sweet and simple - check out the sibilance. 

I have been to Saravanaa Bhavan on Rayners Lane a fair few times. I've also had the pleasure of going to the one in Scarborough, Toronto. I love it. Yesterdays lunch was no different.

It's obviously made for vegetarians so warn all your meat eating chums that, for once, there is not one measley option for them. Despite this, all t-rexes that I've taken there have adored the food and left completely satisfied. It's also very, very cheap. The setting is nothing special whatsoever. The idea is to come here for the food. If you like South Indian food that is truly authentic then you must go there...right now!

Price: £47.05 for 8 people; 1 x chilli paneer, 2 x Gobi 65, 4 samosas (2 portions), 3 x paper roast, 2 x paneer dosa, 1 x rasa vada, 2 x paper masala, 1 x salt lassi, 3 x mango lassi, 1 x mango kulfi, 2 x gulab jamun, 1 x gulab jammun with ice cream

Veggie Friendly: 5/5

Food: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Atmosphere: 5/5 (if you went alone this would be 2/5) 

Pesantissimo, 57 Regents Park Road, London, NW1 8XD

After a misty Bonfire Night with questionable firework safety on Primrose Hill, we decided to walk to Regents Park Road with the hope of going to Odette's. Unsurprisingly, the staff were lovely but the restaurant was full on a Saturday night. In hindsight, this was probably a good thing as all the beautiful people were out and they definitely did not look like they had been stood on The Hill in the almost rain. 

Eventually, we ended up at Pesantissimo. I was a little reluctant to go, as my fiancé and I had been once before and the service was as chilly as the winter of 2010. However, verging on hungry angry and left with limited options (eat at Pesantissimo or walk/tube to somewhere else) we went in and found ourselves greeted by the same gentleman. This time, instead of being frosty towards the customers, he was Mr Charming - friendly, chatty, welcoming, attentive. Either the first time we saw him was a bad day, or he really loves Bonfire Night. 

My fiancé ordered the lamb ragu while I opted for the penne arrabiata. I LOVE arrabiata. Ever since being introduced to Italian food as a teenager I've loved this dish. Since falling in love with arrabiata I've been on the hunt for the perfect one...which, I found - YAY, ... in Mexico City - booooooo. 

Despite being compared to my version of perfection in Mexico, this arrabiata held its own, and according to my fiancé, so did the lamb ragu. It wasn't mind-blowing by any means but it was good food, and all for very reasonable prices. For example, the arrabiata was under £7.00 and the portion was ma-hoo-sive! 

The dessert was forgettable...so much so...that I've completely forgotten what we ordered. I know it was something chocolaty and cold, covered in hazelnuts. 

The rocket and parmesan salad was a little dry - but perfectly edible. 

As veggie options go, Italian can be a pretty safe bet, with a couple of pastas, a couple of pizzas, and a sprinkling of sides and starters. It's also the only cuisine where it's perfectly justified to have a veggie option as risotto. 

The decor of this place is simple and pleasant, and the mood was equally so - though I suspect that this may have been a one off due to the assortment of people in the area that had been drawn there post (lack of) firework display. 

Overall, the food plus price plus experience equalled a good night but I'd be hesitant to make it a regular haunt until I've determined whether the waiter is usually Mr Frosty or Mr Charming. 

Price: Approximately £50.00 for two mains, one side, one pudding, one large glass of red, one small glass of red, one amaretto on the rocks, one dessert wine and service charge.

Veggie Friendly: 4/5

Food: 3/5

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 4/5

Oscar Bar & Brasserie, Charlotte Street Hotel, 15 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 1RJ

This was my second visit so I'm clearly already in favour of it.

On my last visit I went there with a friend, around 10pm. We were both justifiably very hungry by that point so we went for all three courses. Yum! 

This time, I was eating at the more sensible time of 20:30 and my belly could only handle two courses - still equally yum! 

The service was good (phenomenal the first visit) and the food was pretty, darn tasty (both times). There were at least two vegetarian options to start and two for the mains - one being a risotto (seriously - why does this dish follow us veggies everywhere). There was also the option for a vegetarian Caesar Salad to be specially prepared...but, I don't know about you, but a salad costing £15.00 for my main is not worth my time or money. 

My meat eating friend ordered pork rib with crackling and apple sauce, followed by warm orange Bakewell tart with clotted cream for dessert. She looked pretty happy as she devoured both dishes. I have it on good authority that the pork was juicy and flavoursome, however the apple sauce was chunky (and neither of us could figure out whether it was intentional or not - either way, it was tasty). I dove in for a little bit of the Bakewell tart - a double thumbs up from both of us. 

I chose cavatappi with wild mushrooms and roasted red onion for my main, followed by a blueberry and white chocolate tiramisu. The cavatappi was so tasty, absolutely packed with flavours. I often find that big portions of Pasta are initially tasty but due to the nature of the dish, the flavour is exactly the same all the way through, and so, unless a side has been ordered, it can get a little boring. However, despite the fact that we did order green beans and the roast pumpkin as our sides, the cavatappi would have held it's own without them. Just the right amount of mushroom, onion and parsley meant that every mouthful was deliciously different. 

I was less impressed by the Tiramisu. It was adequate, nothing I can really identify as the reason I was indifferent to it. That being said, the Bakewell tart was great and on my previous visit I'd ordered the chocolate fondant with blackberry sorbet which, was to die for - but the tiramisu...take it or leave it. 

One last thought about the food; the last time I dined there I ordered the red lentil and roast garlic soup to start. Order it! Now! Do it - it's incredible! 

The thing I really like about this restaurant is that, though it creeps into the fancy restaurant category it manages to maintain a clever balance between formal and relaxed. The staff are dressed in a manner reminiscent of the Orient Express but there are no white tablecloths to highlight just how messy an eater you are. As the restaurant is adjacent to the bar the vibe is buzzing and the space is filled with chatter, but not so much that you cannot carry on a decent conversation. On top of all of that, they use Miller Harris hand soap and lotion in the bathroom - yay! Citrus freshness! 

All in all - I look forward to my next visit there. It's a great 'go to' place, for when you feel a little fancy but you don't want to be too serious about it. 

Price: Approximately £50 each for a £37.00 bottle of Malbec, main, dessert, two sides and service charge

Veggie Friendly: 3/5

Food: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 4/5