Eating out?

[nunya515]

This has probably been done already..but I'm newly vegan and have a hubby that loves to eat out. I'm really having a hard time finding things on regular menus..unless I bring my own goodies from home...ie: salad dressing, soy milk, sweeteners etc. Any ideas?

[Yoggy]

I don't mind eating out for breakfast, because I enjoy things like oatmeal and fruit plates. But lunch and dinner are much harder. If I'm going out with a group, I always try to persuade them to eat at an Indian restaurant, because they always have lots of vegan choices (dhal and other curries are my favourite). I also eat at Chinese restaurants because they usually have veggie fried rice or stir-fried vegetables with steamed rice. A last resort, if my companions are stubborn, is a "regular" restaurant where I order pasta with plain tomato sauce and no cheese, or fries.

[fiamma]

The few times I've asked chefs to veganise veggie dishes they've been more than happy to do so. I was in an Italian restaurant in Edinburgh (not my choice :D but the food was great) and they had a strawberry risotto. I asked if it could be veganised and they were very obliging. Asking costs nothing, and you might be surprised at the results. Or ring ahead and see if you can speak to a manager about veganising stuff.

[kickylemat]

Has anyone any ideas for both chinese takeaways and Indian. Not sure what to order. Sorry if this has already been a thread.

[redberries]

My experiences with eating out are not good. I try to avoid eating out unless it's a vege restaurant. There have been way too many times where I've been sitting there eating my meal and I've found chunks of meat in it. This happens particularly with pizza places where they use the same slicer to slice every pizza. Meat gets stuck to it and ends up on my food. This has also happened with chinese resturants and I'm sure it's because they don't separate pans when cooking. I've yet to have it happen at an Indian place. The worst is when something looks completely vegan on the menu, but then they add cheese without telling you.

I don't make a scene. I just don't go back.

[kickylemat]

Thats awful redberries. I also wonder when asking for a vegan dish in a resturaunt if it really is or if they are just humouring me. I suppose i am just cynical and if you worried about every little thing you would drive yourself mad. I find also that a lot of places have no idea what a vegan is.

[DancingWillow]

If I'm going out with a group, I always try to persuade them to eat at an Indian restaurant, because they always have lots of vegan choices (dhal and other curries are my favourite). I also eat at Chinese restaurants because they usually have veggie fried rice or stir-fried vegetables with steamed rice. A last resort, if my companions are stubborn, is a "regular" restaurant where I order pasta with plain tomato sauce and no cheese, or fries.

that's pretty much what i do too. thai food is another option, but i'm personally not a big fan of thai food.

i noticed that you live in s. california nunya, and as far as i know there should be quite a few veggie and vegan friendly options. is your hubby open to going to vegetarian restaurants?

depending on what city you're in, there are also online guides to vegan and veggie friendly places to eat.

[Lorrs]

One thing you have to watch with restaurants is that although they might cook in vegetable oil, it could have been used earlier to cook something else.

My local chippy use vegetable oil but they use the oil to fry the fish and then they use it again on the chips. After hearing that I started asking chinese and indian places if they used the same oil to cook meat and animal products to cook vegetable meals and alot of them do.

Lots of Indian take aways (where no restaurant is attached) they get their meals sent to them frozen and are unable to alter any ingredients because they just heat them up.

I tend not to trust chinese restaurants because even when I've called beforehand and spoken to them again in person on the night, something always goes wrong. I usually find some prawns or bits of chicken in my meal.

I've found indian restaurants to be much better, I usually get a dahl lentil curry or aloo gobi saag which is a cauliflower, potato and spinach curry. You ask them not to cook with ghee and to cook in vegetable oil but again, it could be a bit hit and miss.

Italian food is my favourite but I can't go to the majority of what used to be my favourite restaurants because most of them use egg pasta. However, if you call in advance you might be able to get them to use a different pasta.

Sometimes all it takes is a bit of research - I found that a tapas place near me do a nice wee selection of tapas suitable for vegans. A pub I go to in Glasgow, their veggie burger is vegan if you ask for no mayo on it. I've found various noodle places that are suitable. It's a case of making phone calls and sending emails, many places will be happy to help and others will be no help at all but if you don't ask, you don't get.

[coconut]

I don't eat out that often but if I do it's rarely a problem since Bristol is filled with places that serve vegan food. If I'm with a group and we go to a place I don't know, the results can be mixed. The last Christmas work party I went to was held at a bar/restaurant I'd never heard of. I asked them in advance if they could provide something vegan and it wasn't a problem. It's becoming more common for restaurants to have a policy to cater for 'special diets.' They may not have anything vegan, wheat-free etc. on the menu, but they can make something on request. I had a huge red pepper stuffed with couscous and vegetables. It was fine. On another occasion I went to a work party at a Chinese buffet, and I ended up with some very watery bean sprouts and very little else. As Purplerose said, it's a good idea to do some research.

[eclectic_one]

Here's a thread that might help too...
http://veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6328

Also, as far as Thai, Chinese, etc., you have to be careful about what's in the sauces. I've found out the hard way that they sometimes put chicken broth, fish sauce, oyster sauce, mayo, etc. in sauces/dressings even though it's in the "vegetarian" section and isn't mentioned. With Indian places, you have to worry about ghee. I called one Indian place (I always call ahead and talk to someone b4 I bother going to a restaurant) and asked if they had any dishes that did not have meat or meat broths, dairy, or eggs. The man said, "yes, yes." I asked if that included dishes w/o ghee and he said, "everything has ghee." Well, since ghee is clarified butter, that's dairy, but he obviously didn't "get" it. Italian restaurants also occasionally slip in chicken broth, butter, or cheese in their tomato-based sauces, so you always need to ask (I again call ahead first) and sometimes the fresh pasta has egg in it:(

[harpy]

Here in the UK I believe some Indian places now use "vegetable ghee", which fortunately for us is cheaper than the dairy kind.

[Hemlock]

Prepare to eat horrible food at exorbitant prices while the restaurant owners gather in a corner and mutter profanities at you whilst giving the evil eye!!!

Brighton is ok, most places here are used to vegans - in fact we're eating out in Brighton tonight.

I tend to send the fruit plate (usual vegan dessert) back to the kitchen though - I don't go to fancy restaurants to eat fruit!

[Lorrs]

I wanna move to Brighton

Glasgow is not bad for eating out, there are 2 exclusively vegan places and various places that do just veggie/vegan food. The hard part is convincing your pals to come along. The last excuse was "I need a real meal, otherwise I'll get lightheaded". :confused:

[flying plum]

purplerose - heh heh :) i often get that kind of rubbish from my boyf. in fact, last night i met him and his sister, and we needed someplace quick to eat in covent garden, so i suggested food for thought. he was a bit 'erg, don't want VEGGIE food', but his sister was well up for it. veggie lasagne later and very full and happy, he had to eat his words *l* he always moans a bit, but always enjoys it in the end. men, i ask you.

amanda

[Mr Flibble]

I find also that a lot of places have no idea what a vegan is.

Where in cumbria are you? Zeffirellis do takeaway (inc pizza) in Ambleside. The lakeland peddler do takeaway in Keswick.

[Cherry]

Yes, there are some great veggie places in Cumbria, but generally speaking Cumbria isn't very ...urm, 'understanding' of veggies or multicultural. I've even been into places as a veggie and been told 'we don't get them up here love' at which point I wish I had a Cumbrian accent and could tell them I'm as Cumbrian as they are and that eating sheep isn't pleasant!

Sorry :o Anyway, there's also The Quince in Cockermouth. As far as ordering from Indian and Chinese places go, I'd say you DEFINITELY have to ask what is vegan, and double check for dairy/egg/meat/fish ingredients. What is vegan in one restaurant might not be vegan in another.

[kickylemat]

Strangly enough we were at Zeffirellies last Sunday night. I had lentil something and bf had chilli. Both meals were lovely and then we went to see Premonition in their cinema. A good night. Love the Lakeland Peddler and the Quince but Quince unfortunately is quite expensive

[Cherry]

hehe - we went last Saturday, but went for pizza and Hot Fuzz :D