Red Hot & Green, 6/17 Lawson Street, Byron Bay, NSW 2481, Australia

Everyone thinks that Byron Bay - the hippy haven of New South Wales - will be a walk in the park for vegetarians. I suppose it would be, if that park were laced with minor obstacles like rabid dogs. 

OK, so I exaggerate. It's not that sourcing out vegetarian food in Byron Bay was difficult...it just wasn't all that easy either. 

After avoiding a fish and chips restaurant, some other seafood sea shack (or something like that) and a few sharks (there were no sharks...not on land anyway) we stumbled across Red Hot & Green: a thai restaurant nestled into the nook of a car park...eh?!

We settled in to enjoy some rice, steamed veg, fresh fish (for the t-rexes) and some wine...until we swiftly realised that to enjoy a tipple we needed to BYOB: Appoint sentinels to watch the table, send out the scouts. Wine acquired, job done. 

Apparently finding wine in Byron Bay is as easy as a walk in the park. 

After a week of a very unhappy tummy, the uncomplicated ease of Red Hot & Green was just what I needed: simple food, a friendly waitress and a cool breeze. 

Price: Unknown - my uncle paid and despite an epic fight to acquire at least a glimpse of the bill I was defeated

Veggie Friendly: 3/5

Food: 3/5  

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 4/5

Kitchen Sanitarium, Riverside Centre, 145 Eagle Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Australia in April couldn't be further from the reality of Britain in September. However, my parents are about to make the trip that I made in April and because they are vegetarians (kind off) I thought it my job, as their daughter and a food blogger, to post my best Brisbane find. 

Up until finding Kitchen Sanitarium I was struggling to find places with choices, or that one option on the menu that was strong enough to be...well...the only veggie option on the menu. 

We were introduced to this place by my ever so beautiful cousin from Brisbane who works near-by. It is very much a lunch haunt with it's deli bar, minimal table service, and small outdoor eating area. It's also refreshingly kid free - or was at the time. Not that I have an issue with kids, but sometimes you need to eat without them flinging a dangerous amount of their lunch  in your direction. 

The restaurant is totally vegetarian, plus the drinks and food menus tell you how the food will benefit you. I had the lentil and five bean chilli which is apparently great for 'sustained energy, chronic disease prevention and anti-ageing'. 

The effects have worn off now...but I felt so full of beans that I almost unregistered with my GP. 

Price: $110.00 AUD (approximately £64.73) for 4 x mains, 4 x fresh juices and service charge
Veggie Friendly: 5/5
Food: 5/5 
Service: 4/5 
Atmosphere: 4/5 

Izakaya, Albert Cuypstraat 2-6, Amsterdam 1072CT, Netherlands

"I'm vegetarian, will I..."

"We have vegetables, tofu...everything. Don't worry, we'll see you tonight at 7.30." 

After a cursory attempt to dress for dinner, we left our room at the Sir Albert - a boutique hotel in Amsterdam - and avoided the rain by eating at Izakaya, the hotel's Japanese restaurant. 

The low lighting, sleek black walls and wood floors of the hotel are partially left behind. Opening up into a long row of diners, plus group tables on the side. Think Wagamama's with extra panache. 

The hostess's advice to refrain from worry did not amount to nothing. There were a suitable number of options available: a splattering in the starters and a sprinkling in the mains. 

Deliberating over wine was purposefully drawn out, interspersed by helpful tips from our waiter - a particularly jovial breed of man. 

He warned us off the tofu tempura and suggested I opt for the Mushroom Toban. Both suggestions were heeded, and the evening was the better for doing so. I like dehydrated tofu - the kind that Cauldron do, minus their marinade. The tofu that was served around me was fresh and wobbly - suitable for some, unsuitable for me. 

The mushrooms, sizzling in their clay pots, produced a watery 'gravy' that was strong in flavour. It is advisable to have rice with this dish as the meal increases in saltiness the more you eat. I don't know how this works but I was told that it's something to do with how long the mushrooms stew in the soy sauce and spices added to them.  

The evening ended with a note of madeleines with creme fraiche and marmalade; and mini meringues with strawberry ice cream, fresh fruit and small cubes of marshmallow which  I dutifully avoided - oh how I loath thee gelatin. 
Despite a belly groaning in pain from toban overload, I annihilated dessert...annihilated. 

Price: Approx. 100 EUR (83.66 GBP) for 2 glasses of white wine, 2 x starters, 2 x mains, 2 x dessert and service charge

Veggie Friendly: 3/5

Food: 4/5

Service: 5/5

Atmosphere: 4/5

Punjabi Grill by Jiggs Kalra, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, B1-01A Galleria Level, Singapore

In the address above I have spelt the word 'shops' in accordance with how it is on all the signs to, from and in the Marina Bay Sands. I don't know why it has an extra 'p' and an unnecessary 'e'. Maybe the extra letters relate to the extra random things inside the shopping mall. Like a rain catcher upside down fountain thing-a-majig, or a mini canal with gondolas...or, fine dining restaurants inside a mall.  

It felt weird to dress up and stroll through a mall to get to the restaurant. But, the mall is so glossy and everyone is wearing extremely expensive clothes, so you don't feel overdressed. It still doesn't change the fact that the view you get if seated near the front of the restaurant will be of some high end shop. Maybe that's the plan: look at pretty, expensive things while you eat delicious food and maybe when you leave the restaurant you'll be so high on good food that you'll buy things that you can't afford! Luckily for me, we were seated nowhere near a view of any shop - phew! 

Once you enter Punjabi Grill, it doesn't feel like you're in a mall. It is, by all accounts, a bona fide restaurant (I had had visions of food courts). Like everything in Singapore, the restaurant felt spacious and very glossy. 

Like all the food I'd eaten so far in Singapore, the food was amazing. This was a little more amazing than the other food, so much so that I went there twice: once on the way to Australia, once on the way back. 

Whether you go for a dry curry, or a grill or even the raita, the food is rich and flavourful with very generous portions. Oh man, I'm getting so hungry just thinking about it. 

We ordered the vegetarian grill selection. It was huge! After the amuse bouche which was a fancy little vadai (lentil cake), and too much poppodam with the best chutnies in the world, I knew that I probably shouldn't eat too much of the starter...but it was too tasty, so I ate like I hadn't seen food before. 

Then came a creamy panner curry, a tadka daal, some stir fry asparagus, boondi raita, mango lassis, rice and a bread selection (naan, roti, paratha - yuuummmmm). It was so freaking tasty I forced myself to eat way more than my belly was willing to allow. Who cares, I probably won't go there again for years unless I find myself in Singapore anytime soon, and if that happened I'd do the same thing again. I'd eat, and eat, and eat, and eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, etc. 

When food is that delicious, I don't really care about anything else. Yet, despite that, I couldn't help but notice how wonderful the service was! 

I only have one thing left to say. In the vain hope that Jiggs Kalra will ever read this blog: Please open a Punjabi Grill in London. 

Price: Approx. 160.00 SGD (84 GBP) for 3 x soft drink, 1 x veg starter sharing platter, 3 x vegetarian curries, 1 x vegetarian side, 1 x bread basket selection, 1 x rice and service charge. 

Veggie Friendly: 5/5

Food: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Atmosphere: 4/5  

Giant Robot, 45 - 47 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5RS

Wouldn't it be grand if the Giant Robot had robots manning (ho ho) the kitchen or waiting on tables? Or, maybe if it had GIANT ROBOT bouncers at the door? I realise this would require leaps in science and technology that as yet National Geographic, New Scientist and MIT don't know about, but at least it would make sense...and be awesome.  

As it stands, I don't know why the Giant Robot is named as it is. There seems to be no reference to giants or robots anywhere else but the name. 

It also carries a very different vibe to its sister venue, Milk & Honey. Perhaps that's the point. 

Milk & Honey is more 1920s - 1930s (or maybe even 1940s - whenever it was that men wore braces) exclusivity, whereas Giant Robot holds onto those American roots with an American diner style menu, with a relaxed East London vibe. Most of this vibe has been lifted directly from the days that the Giant Robot was Match bar (cocktails and mocktails and the like, oh my - I miss it). 

In an attempt to resist the urge to reminisce, let's focus on the food. 

My dear cousin Senorita of the Glen and her husband: The Man Who Survived Ciudad Juarez or TMWS Ciudad Juarez for short, thought the food was fine. The Husband shared the same sentiment. 

Senorita of the Glen ordered a salad and a slider, and while the food was tasty it was unnecessarily unhealthy...I mean, more unhealthy than you would already expect American diner style food to be. For example, her salad was swimming in over-salted dressing and the side of green beans that we all shared was smothered in butter and garlic. Seriously, I think I heard a bean cry out for air...'please nice lady, save me from this hell...they have emptied the entire tub of butter into this bowl and my family have all perished and wilted under the weight....save me...'

If you are a raging Veggiesaurus, things will be a bit more dire. Let's face it, the reviews above weren't glowing, so the next paragraph isn't going to be good. 

There were two options, which isn't awful considering the menu as a whole is small. They also take the trouble to point out which desserts are vegetarian. This is handy considering that many a good dessert has a sneaky pinch of gelatin...though sometimes ignorance can be sugary bliss. 

The two options for mains are cannelloni or cauliflower cheese arancini (what?!). I had to order the latter as I was so intrigued. Conclusion: bleurgh. 

Remember those cauliflower cheese ready meals you got in the early 90s. I don't mean the M&S posh nosh version you get these days, I mean that really heavy, crunchy, cheese and fat heavy yet low on taste on stuff. 

Now imagine that rolled in bread crumbs and deep fried. There you have it! 

Dessert was a more pleasant affair - big portions, big flavour. 

I'll give you another plus point to end on: the cocktail list is pretty darn good and the cocktails are yummy. They even have a page of old favourites from the days of Match. 
Now, it's time to reminisce. 

Price: Approximately 108.00 GBP for 2 x cocktails, 1 x beer, 1 x ginger beer, 2 x burgers, 1 x slider, 1 x salad, 1 x veggie main, 3 x sides, 4 x dessert and service charge. 

Veggie Friendly: 2.5/5 - if we were going solely on savoury the score would be lower, but because they told us which desserts were veggie friendly they get an average

Food: 2/5

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 3/5

Il Baretto, 43 Blandford Street, London, W1U 7HF

Good reviews are always so hard to write. No opportunities for hilarity, sarcastic comments or blunt remarks...but that is Il Baretto's only flaw. 

Great Italian food, gorgeously simple décor and it's always buzzing with people - even if you plan on going on a week night I suggest booking at least a week in advance. 

I've been to Il Baretto at least three times and the menu does change, so I'll sum up my favourite dishes from all three visits - if you see these on the menu, get them...immediately:

- Asparagus and parmesan salad. It's not really a salad...it's asparagus drizzled in aged balsamic with a few sun dried tomatoes and parmesan scattered over it. Simple, flavourful, delicious. 

- Macaroni and cheese with black truffles - if this was in front of me everyday, I would eat the whole thing, feel full and still order more. Fatness is worth it for this. 

- Pumpkin ravioli - pretty much how I feel about the macaroni and cheese

- Berry Mille Fuielle - OK, French dessert in an Italian restaurant but it's so good. So, so good. 

I don't think that there is much else to say other than, I wish I was there - ciao for now! 

Price: Approx. £98.00 for 1 x carafe of red wine, 1 x bread, 1 x starter, 2 x mains, 2 x sides, 1 x dessert and service charge

Veggie Friendly: 4/5 

Food: 5/5

Service: 5/5 

Atmosphere: 5/5

Cafe Sorgenfri, Bryggetorget 4, 0250 Oslo, Norway

If you want to brave something other than American pizza in Norway, then you can try Cafe Sorgenfri. It is located in a shopping district known as Aker Brygge. Aker Brygge is by the water and kind of looks a little bit like Liverpool - kind of. 

Lets start with the best and work backwards:

- The service was excellent. Our waitress was knowledgeable, friendly and provided alternative suggestions in areas where the menu lacked veggie friendliness. 

- The food was tasty, albeit a bit on the salty side. 

- The menu had one '100% vegetarian' option in the mains which was a tasty and hearty lasagne. No chance of a vegetarian starter so we ordered a cheese board to share instead (recommendation of the waitress). 

- When seated, at eye level the restaurant is decorated beautifully: candles, dark woods, a mixture of booths and table, hearths, fireplaces etc. but...

- When you start to look around, especially at the ceiling, it's filled with...erm...stuff. I'm not quite sure if antiques is the right word. It's not the wrong word but it doesn't fully capture everything that's rammed into the place. I'm talking old rocking horses, pictures of people no-one knows, model aircraft from years gone by. I know what you're thinking: that sounds cool...and it was, if the journey into other people's past had stopped there, but it didn't. There were old manikins dressed in various things - some just heads, some heads and shoulders and some heads, shoulders and more. I found that a little creepy. I tell a lie, I found it distractingly disconcerting. So much so, that The Husband, kept saying 'it's ok if we just don't look up'. Come on - that's a line from a horror movie...or some kind of thriller at the very least!

I'm not sure how to finish so I'll go with: The Husband ordered the halibut and really enjoyed it. Plus, Cafe Sorgenfri is best know for it's traditional Danish lunches.+

Price: Approx. 800 NOK (~£100.00) for 1 x glass of wine, 1 x beer, 1 x sharing cheese plate, 2 x main, 2 x dessert and service charge. 

Veggie Friendly: 2/5

Food: 3.5/5

Service: 5/5

Atmosphere: 2/5

The Greenhouse, 27a Hay's Mews, Mayfair, London, W1J 5NY

For a vegetarian, eating at The Greenhouse is like going on a good blind date: You have no idea what you're going to get, but it turns out to be a good evening. The only problem with that is, I have spent my life saying no to blind dates because I like to have some idea of what is on the menu.

Plus, it's kind of hard to order off a menu...that doesn't exist. That's right, there is no menu for us Veggies. Instead, we're told that they can cook us anything...anything! Maybe I should have tested this by asking for an exact replica of my mum's peas and paneer curry - bet they couldn't produce that!

Ok, I know, endless choice sounds amazing but in practice, having nothing to reign in my overactive brain was one heck of a burden so I just asked them to give me a vegetarian version of the tasting menu. This still meant that I didn't know what I was getting, but at least now it was the kitchens job to decide.

Did I mention that the vegetarian tasting menu is the same price as the meat feast version?

What? Why are you so surprised? Have you never seen yam priced the same as the best cut of beef? Clearly, you must mingle with the commoners if you haven't...OK, so I took a portion of that line from The Lion King.

Whine out of the way, the food at The Greenhouse is delicious. So delicious, that my aubergine hating Husband (the artist formerly known as Fiance) actually enjoyed eating a course that was aubergine rich. 

For younger people (I think I'm still in this category), this restaurant attracts an older crowd. By older I mean richer. Seriously, it's like playing a game of lawn bowls...surrounded by the finest garments and clothing...in the world. 

So veggies, the only question you need to answer is: Is good food worth high prices and no menu to reign yourselves in?  


Price: Approximately £300.00 for 1 x bottle of red, 2 x glass of dessert wine, 2 x 7 course tasting menu and service charge. 
Veggie Friendly: 2.5/5 - I'm going to have to go with straight down the middle. Yes, they produced the goods, but I'd really rather have a menu
Food: 5/5 
Service: 10/5 - seriously 
Atmosphere: Under 40s: 3/5. Over 40s: 5/5 

Peppes Pizza, STORTORGET 2 9008 TROMSØ, Norway

So...the Veggiesaurus went on restaurant reviewing strike. But, every strike has to end and the catalyst for crossing the picket line of non-reviewing was Norway...specifically Tromso. 

You see, I lost my way...I became overly critical in restaurants  Yes, that's right, I had become that moron that you sometimes see at the next table, complaining that the Mille Feuille is one layer short of technically being 'Mille Feuille'. I forgot that the reason I was reviewing restaurants was to make life easier for the humble vegetarian. That was, until I went to Tromso. 

If only there was a one stop shop out there to tell me where to go when it is too cold to go a merry wandering through the streets, asking to be let into the inn. In layman's terms: Norway for vegetarians is a tough place. Generally things are very fish or meat heavy and everything costs the same as private health care so, if you don't want to buy yourself the equivalent of an MRI for dinner then go to Peppes. 

It's Pizza...Gangnam style. Not really, it's just a good, solid place to have decent pizza.

One word of warning, when ordering a Mocha in Peppes, always add 'Caffe' in front of the word Mocha. If not, you will end up being served some odd non-alcoholic beer which shares a minor similarity in name to the word 'Mocha'. 

All in all - a safe bet for Vegetarians. Plus, if you're lucky you might walk out and see Aurora borealis stretching over the city. If you're not lucky, book yourself on a tour - specifically, 'Chase the light tours'/'Marianne's Aurora Chaser Tours'. You get cheese sandwiches and hot chocolate - yum! 

Price: Approx. 400 NOK (~£44.00) for 1 x pint of Coca Cola, 1 x Caffe Mocha, 1 x large vegetarian pizza, 1 x dessert and service charge. 

Veggie Friendly: 3/5 - maybe 4/5 because you can pick your toppings if you want. 

Food: 3/5

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 3/5 

Regina Pizzeria, 11 1/2 Thacher Street, Boston, MA 02113, USA

"Boston's best pizza since 1926". 

A bold statement, but oh so true. Not that I've tried all the pizza in Boston but it's definitely the best pizza that I've ever eaten: thin crust, fresh toppings, a vegetarian section and maximum yumminess.

The walls are lined with old pictures of boxers, and what I can only assume is one 1920s pizza genius after another. Old signs for beer and Coca Cola fill the spaces left behind leaving very little wall on show...but who really needs to see the wall anyway?!
Booths, friendly staff and the beginnings of a round the block queue are the icing on the cake...or should I say, the topping on the pizza.

It might be a fool's dream, but I look forward to the day that Regina Pizzeria put a new slogan on their website: 'London's best pizza since 2012".


Price: $35.00 (approx. £21.98) for 1 x beer, 2 x bottled still water,  2 x 10" pizza and 25% service charge.
Veggie Friendly: 5/5
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Atmosphere: 5/5 

Figs - Beacon Hill, 42 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA

I've come to realise that the way to end a writing hiatus is to either eat really good, or disgustingly bad food. Luckily for me, my Boston experience was firmly in the camp of the former.

The past weekend has been glamourous on paper:
1. Fly to Boston on BA Miles - check
2. 3 days waking up next to the Boston Public Garden - check
3. Straighten my hair, curl it, re-straighten it, curl it again...realise I've definitely killed already dead hair, but not care because it's in the name of glamour - check
4. Walk around in gorgeous sunshine eating cupcakes on the go - check
5. Eat out and eat everything to ensure that you gain weight before your wedding - check

OK, so the above five points wasted your time, bar the exception of point number 5, the eating out and everything part....yum!

Figs, is a pizza place (which also serves some pasta and salad) and has something to do with a chap called Todd English. I don't have the faintest idea who Todd English is, but I will be kidnapping him, putting him in a room with a wood-fire oven and instructing him to make me Pizza on-demand...I'll be doing the same to the chefs at Regina's Pizzaria as well...but we'll get onto that in the next post.

I quite happily ate more than my fair share of a pizza topped with cheese, rocket, red and yellow tomatoes...and what I can only assume was a delicate sprinkling of heaven on top. I need to buy me some heaven seasoning.
It's worth noting that these pizzas are huge, rectangular beauties that are served on top of some metal, swirly stands. You can order them half and half, which is what I would recommend, especially, if you're on a date. If you order one each, one of you will be eating a pizza off your lap. 

What's the only thing that could improve the experience? I think the answer to that question should be in list format:
1. Dark wood and brick decor - check
2. A bonkers soundtrack that ranges from 90s ballads to Ibiza mad, thus being a great conversation point - check.  
3. Sam Adams - check
4. The ability to be a little fancy...but really not be all that fancy - check check check. This one was particularly important to me as we were very jet lagged...in this case: jet lag schmet lag - a woman was in there having a nice glass of wine wearing an engagement ring the size of her head (she had a ginormous head), and running shorts.

So...I guess, that will be no improvements needed then...


Price: $36.00 (approx £22.64) for 2 x 16oz beer, 1 x pizza (more than enough for two) and 20% service charge.
Veggie Friendly: 4/5
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Atmosphere: 5/5

Bacco Cafe, Pike Place Market, 86 Pine Street, Seattle WA

It's been a while since I've blogged about restaurants. That's not to say that I haven't been eating well and eating out, because I have definitely been enjoying food made better than I could ever make. 

The present question: To blog in arrears or to not blog in arrears. 

Though I'm not a huge fan of serious time lapses when it comes to post-dining judgement...who am I kidding, I love to judge. 

As Bacco Cafe is not brilliantly fresh in my cluttered mind, I will refrain from commenting on anything other than vegetarian options, of which there were only a few. Surprising for Seattle. However, in true Seattle form, the options present were simple and good. I had a grilled cheese sandwich and it did what God intended a grilled cheese sandwich to do: fill me up and lightly coat the inside of my arteries. 

Was it tasty: Yes
Would I go there again: Probably not. With all the vegetarian options out there in Seattle, it doesn't make a huge deal of sense to limit myself to a few. 


Price: Sandwichy - in truth, I cannot remember and I can't find the bill but from their website I would say approximately: $15.00 (£9.50 at today's rate) for a light main and a coffee.  
Veggie Friendly: 2/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Atmosphere: 3/5 

Roast, The Floral Hall, Stoney Street, London, SE1 1TL

Before starting this blog I never imagined that Lord of the Flies would be so relevant, but as this will be the second time that it rears its ugly head, I guess that I should just accept that for me, all bad food experiences are synonymous with this book...or at least some reminder of it...wait, scratch that last bit. You'll find out why in a moment. 

I fully understand that for a vegetarian, venturing into a place called 'Roast' and expecting a plethora of choices is somewhat similar to a midget trying to buy clothes at Long Tall Sally. 

With that in mind lets review the choices that they did offer:

At first glance the list looked impressive - 3 starters and 3 mains! Monsieur, with 6 choices you are really spoiling us. 

Sadly, Monsieur was not spoiling anyone. 

The 3 starters on offer: chilled mint pea soup, asparagus with hollandaise or tomatoes on toast. 

The 3 mains on offer: Summer vegetable salad, Somerset organic spelt and herb salad (so...that'll be the salad for you then, Madame) or mushrooms and egg on toast. 

At least have the decency to combine the last starter with the last main and just give me breakfast!

Maybe it would have been bearable if the food was tasty, OK even. Unfortunately, I think mine must have fallen into a mound of salt somewhere between the kitchen and the table. 

However, the sides of mashed potato, carrots and chips were pretty good, and warranted the price. 

I should also note that meat fiends were extremely happy...those bastards. 

On the upside, Roast had a good show of puddings: sticky date pudding gets a thumbs up, as did the Eton Mess. 

I also really liked the ambience: live music, mellow, airy. 

With good pud and an atmosphere like that, Roast was close to finishing on a higher note...until I spotted the severed pigs head. That's right...a severed pigs head, just chilling out on the counter facing the room. That's not 'we like meat', it's more 'we probably killed ants with a magnifying glass and pulled our cats tails far too hard'. 

Being veggie, I can't handle any food with a face...but even the strong stomached T-Rexes found the display of savagery a touch creepy. 


Price: Approx. £300.00 for 1 x bottle of red, 6 x mains, 4 x sides, 3 x dessert, 1 x cheese platter and service charge.
Veggie Friendly: 1/5 (unless you really like salad, in which case it's a 2.5/5)
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 4/5
Atmosphere: 2/5 (Loss of major points due to the severed pigs head) 

Trattoria Pomo D'oro, 9 Arany Janos Utca, 1051 Budapest, Hungary

The best penne arrabiata in the world is in Mexico City at a restaurant whose name I forget.

Thankfully, some of the other amazing Italian food is in Trattoria Pomo D'oro in...er...Budapest.

Our hotel told us that Pomo D'oro was casual. They lied. 

With all the open brickwork and heavy wooden tables they're definitely going for rustic charm. The clientèle dining on the Saturday night of Jubilee weekend may have had all the charm in the world, but there was nothing rustic about them: unless you call perfectly applied makeup, properly adorned bling and men in pink shirts, blue blazers and espadrilles rustic. 

Due to the impressive masking properties of the colour black, we just about managed to look like we belonged...sort of.  

Once again, we were blessed by a little Hungarian humour (who'd have thought), and fresh, well-prepared food. 

There were plenty of pastas and pizzas available for veggies - so many, that I have forgotten just how many. 

I had homemade green tortellini stuffed with spinach and ricotta, served with walnut and gorgonzola sauce...it was so good that I'm considering using D-Licious to describe it, but even this would not do it justice...the only way to capture the taste is to confess that I closed my eyes (just a little) to savour the flavours...

Pirate Mole had a veg ravioli - I forget what was in it (maybe it was pumpkin) but, I know that she too loved her main...as did Stubborny, who had wild mushroom tagliatelle...mmmm...tagliatelle...

Fiancé had some sort of meat feast pizza with white asparagus: Meat feast pizza: 1...white asparagus: 0.

The amazing food was washed down with equally amazing wine...which was washed down with a bloody good pudding of hot chocolate cake (it was really just chocolate fondant)...which was washed down with damn fine coffee...which was finished of by a really good sleep. Peace out. 

Price: 23, 646.61 HUF, (Approx £65.00) for 3 x glasses of red wine, 2 x starter, 4 x main, 3 x dessert, 3 x coffee and service charge/
Veggie Friendly: 4/5
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Atmosphere: 5/5

21 Magyar Vendeglo Hungarian Kitchen, 21 Fortuna Street, Budapest, H-1014, Hungary

As a vegetarian, I feared that I would be hungry in Hungary.

As a literate human being, I fear that hungry in Hungary will leave you awkwardly silent at how bad that last line was.

Moving ever so swiftly on, Budapest had been on my 'list of things to do before I'm 30' for quite some time...quite some time clearly not being longer than 29 years...boy am I rambling today. Anyway, Budapest is awesome, as was 21 Magyar Vendeglo: Friendly and witty staff, dark wood décor, but ... hardly any veggie options. By hardly any...I mean one...Asparagus soup...with a random boiled egg yolk 'decorating' it.

Thankfully it was really tasty, and the bread and cheese dip skaplungle (it's a word) that it came with was D-licious which, should be the name of a rapper...or a wannabe rapper.

D-licious was also fully involved with dessert, of which we ordered an array of: Hungarian chocolate cake - as intense and flavourful as it sounds with layers of white and dark chocolate, some cottage cheese pudding which was a cross between cheesecake and mousse, and last but not least, something simply called 'sponge cake'...what a deceptive title for something that involves rich, dark chocolate, ice cream and cream. If this is sponge cake, then slap a hat on my head and call me Gloria. If this is sponge cake in Hungary...then Hungary is where you'll find me. 

Price: 22, 180.94 HUF (Approx. £61.00) for 4 x coffee, 3 x hot chocolate, 3 x starter, 1 x main, 4 x dessert and service charge. 

Veggie Friendly: 1.5/5

Food: 4/5

Service: 5/5

Atmosphere: 3/5 - would probably be a 4/5 in the evening - twas a twidge (also a word) too quiet at lunch

Odette's, 130 Regent's Park Road, London, NW1 8XL

Canada was visiting for a few days, so we chose to spend the time catching up and being posh (pronounce that 'o' as if in 'oh my, this white wine spritzer is just what I needed after a long morning shopping, redoing botox injections and strolling in the park).

Remove the bit about botox, and you pretty much have the day I spent with Canada, pretending to be ladies who lunch. Fortunately, for the purposes of childish sniggering and being wowed by huge, sparkly rocks, we were surrounded by actual ladies who lunch. I can safely say that three of the said ladies had enjoyed the exact same day as us, inclusive of Botulinum toxin...Toomuchinum facein! 

Facial paralysis and Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor diamonds aside, Odette's is delicious...and expensive, but so worth it. We went a la carte, hence the price below, but they do have a lunch menu that's three courses for approximately £20.00. 

I'm not a huge fan of runny eggs, but the crispy duck egg starter (crispy on the outside, soft on the inside) was pretty darn tasty, as was my main of blue cheese gnocchi. Again, un-melted blue cheese and I don't always get along, but Odette's did the whole dish so well (complete with tenderstem, perfectly cooked broccoli) that I was left with little to grumble about...ok, one thing to grumble about, I could have still done with a little less blue cheese - that stuff is so overpowering!

Dessert was blackberry soufflé with vanilla ice cream...D.I.V.I.N.E...which stands for Deliciously Incredibly Veritably Indulgent and Nicely Executed. Besides being 'eyes-shut and rolling' tasty, the portion of 'give me more souffle' was generous...so I should keep my waist slim(ish) and refrain from asking from more souffle...however, if you have any spare...

Price: Approx. £70.00 for 2 x white wine spritzer, 1 x starter, 2 x mains, 1 x dessert and service charge.

Veggie Friendly: 2.5/5

Food: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 5/5

The Quilon,41 Buckingham Gate: Take Two

It's still delicious...that's all I have to say.
Oh, and if you're going later on in the evening, pre-order bibinca...I'm not the only one who loves it so. 

Earle, 4 Cecil Road, Hale, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA15 9PA

It's created by the same genius behind Greens, so the quality of the food is on the same level...for those of you who have been unlucky enough to stumble upon my insane ramblings but are not frequent readers, Greens is one of my favourite, all-veg restaurants.

The veg options served at Earle is pretty much a smaller selection of what is on offer at Greens, can't complain there. 

The decor was similar to that of Greens, apart from the space was much bigger. Despite the increase in size, the space still retained some of the 'cosy feeling' I like at Greens. 

As a veggie, I will always opt for unlimited choices at Greens, over limited choices at Earle. However, if your party's food preferences are mixed, then I suppose bottling your selfish desires is necessary. If you don't give two hoots about bottling anything when it comes to food, then I fully support you...unless it's soup. Always, bottle soup.


In short - find my review for Greens to find out more about Earle...feeling lazy today!

Price: Approx £100 for 5 x soft drinks, 3 x starters, 5 x mains, 3 x pudding, 3 x coffees/teas and service charge. Sunday set menu
Veggie Friendly: 2/5 on the set menu, 3.5/5 a la carte.
Food: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Atmosphere: 5/5

Browns Bar & Brasserie Leeds, The Light, The Headrow, LS1 8EQ

After a spate of so-so venues I was feeling pretty so-so myself...until Browns.

Good food, good choices, good service..well actually, the choice was average but the food was tasty for Meaties and Veggies alike.

Fatty Meaties ordered an array of interesting dishes which bored me, but pleased them no end. Father had flat bread with roasted peppers, aubergines, courgettes and mozzarella - simple and delicious.

Snooty (whose name I am considering changing to Stubborny) and I had a filo pastry parcel filled with minted peas (GOLD minted...not really), courgettes and ricotta. I think there may have been something else in there too, but I forget what it was...either way it was yummy. So yummy, that I wanted to stay for dessert, at the risk or missing the show we had waited months to see...Carousel.

After putting it to the vote, Carousel won out, because apparently my family are staunch believers in democracy - the cheek of it!

Price: £100.71 for 5 x soft drinks, 1 x starter, 7 x mains and service charge.

Veggie Friendly: 2.5/5

Food: 3.5/5

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 3/5

Monkey & Me, 114 - 115 Crawford Street, London, W1H 2JQ

Imagine someone shrugging their shoulders, bending their arms at the elbows and turning their palms face up and saying 'eh'...that was my reaction to the vegetarian dishes here. 

There were only two items on the menu with a 'v' next to them, both in the starters section. Everything else is at risk of fish sauce, oyster sauce and 'begone veggie you can't eat this' sauce. 

Fatty meaties seemed to enjoy their pork ribs and pig backsides while veggies have to pick through the menu constantly asking the question 'does this have fish sauce or anything like it'? 

The curries are an absolute no no as apparently it is not possible to make these veggie friendly, so your best bet is to stick to stir fries and accompaniments...and ask for them to be made without the aforementioned sauces. 

By the end of this exhausting ritual you'll probably be as disheartened as I was...and that's also when you're most likely to notice that the red plastic seats at Monkey and Me hurt your bum something special. 

Luckily for me the night ended on a high as we went to see The Avengers which was nothing short of hilarious...though it did leave me with a hankering for a vegetarian sharwarma and a realisation that I miss The Hulk as a TV show....and the A Team...especially that drunk episode with Boy George...

Price: £65.00 for 1 x beer, 4 x soft drinks, 2 x starters, 1 x noodles, 4 x curries/stir fries, 3 x rice and service charge

Veggie Friendly: 1/5

Food: 2.5/5

Service: 4/5

Atmosphere: 2.5/5