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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Here is the Subway UK thread with this post having full ingredient lists.
Here in the US only the plain Italian bread is vegan, because the wheat has honey, but there is no mention of that in the listing for the UK. You lucky people. I ask for an extra tomato, no cheese, veggie delight with usually plain oil and vinegar for dressing (do you call it that in the UK?) but the "sweet onion dressing" is also an option .
They could possibly reformulate or use different ingredients by country but so far all reports about the veggie patty used in only some locations is a no go for us.
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
The veggie patty isn't vegan up here either, which is a big pain in the bum!
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Does anyone know of any updates of Frankie & Benny's menu suitability? I checked their website but couldn't find any nutritional info, couldn't find an email address either - anyone been recently? :o)
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Quote:
KayJay
Does anyone know of any updates of Frankie & Benny's menu suitability? I checked their website but couldn't find any nutritional info, couldn't find an email address either - anyone been recently? :o)
I ate there over the summer whilst out with students on a summer scheme, the staff there knew what a vegan could have and offered the baked potato skins with bbq dip as a starter and the pizza with lots of veggies on as a main, they checked and said the base was vegan. They also offered egg free pasta with tom and basil sauce. Ive taken scheeze in the past which they will add to a pizza, personally I like Pizza Express pizzas more, but i did find food to eat. The nutroast does have egg in it. There was an open kitchen, I did have a look and saw they were preparing my and other vegan member of staffs pizzas on a different board to others.
Quote:
Buddha Belly
Thats a good site thanks:)
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Brilliant thanks guys that's a great help
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Hi got the following reply to what is vegan at Nandos?
Hi Ross,
Thanks for contacting us.
As you may expect, choices in Nando’s for vegans are rather limited! Your best bet is to order a veggie burger or pitta, but you need to specify “no mayonnaise” as mayo is a standard ingredient. You can have any baste as these are free of meat, egg and dairy products.
Please note that Nando’s are not vegetarian restaurants and do not imply in any literature that we are. However we do take specific steps to segregate our vegetarian product from chicken products as follows:
- A separate area of the grill is defined for the exclusive cooking of vegetarian and bean burgers.
- A separate spatula is always used with vegetable products.
- Separate bottles of the Nando’s bastes are used exclusively for basting the vegetarian products.
- Chips are the only deep fried product, and therefore there is no risk of cross contamination.
Full ingredient listings are available in all of our restaurants if you wish to explore further! Ask to see the “Food & Menu Specifications” booklet.
Kind Regards
Dervla McConville
Customer Care
Nando's UK
1st Floor Erico House
93-99 Upper Richmond Road
Putney
SW15 2TG
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
i don't know how to paste on this properly. I am even worse at photos!!! sorry!
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Very interesting thread. I haven't tried eating in any national chain since becoming vegan but am thinking I may now give F&B's a go. I used to occasionally get a veggie delight from subway but gave up as I got fed up asking them every time to change their gloves and knives.
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Quote:
brucie-g
Very interesting thread. I haven't tried eating in any national chain since becoming vegan but am thinking I may now give F&B's a go. I used to occasionally get a veggie delight from subway but gave up as I got fed up asking them every time to change their gloves and knives.
... and their bread.
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Quote:
Risker
... and their bread.
Have I missed something? I thought their plain bread was ok? Actually perhaps I don't want to know! :eek:
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
^ Nothing to do with it being vegan or not, it's just that it tastes like crap.
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Phew had me worried there! Have to agree they are not the best tasting sandwiches however it was convenient if desperate for something to eat...
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
The Spaghetti Napoli at Bella Italia is apparently suitable for vegans : )
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Quote:
KayJay
The Spaghetti Napoli at Bella Italia is apparently suitable for vegans : )
Sadly, it is no longer on the menu and I can't seem to find anything that is vegan.
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Hiya, does anyone know if the "Giraffe Restaurants" chain does anything vegan?
http://www.giraffe.net/
I think I'm going there tomorrow; I've emailed them but I doubt I'll get a reply in time so I was just wondering if anyone here has eaten there before..? There's some stuff on the menu that sounds nice & looks promising, although it seems as though a lot of cheese-omitting would be in order.
x
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Just to reply to my own post: Giraffe did indeed reply on time; first thing this morning, and were actually very helpful.
They sent me two charts; an Allergy List, which has a "Vegan" column indicating which items are vegan as they are on the menu, and then a Modification Chart, which shows how you can modify various items to make them suitable for your dietry requirement.
Already in the "Vegan" column, are:
Marinated Olives
Edamame
Daily Soup
Powerfood Salad
Herby House Dressing
Skin-on Fries
Potato Wedges
Broccoli, Butternut Squash and Beans
Mexi Green Rice
Salsa Picante
Green Tomato Salsa
Wok Fired Veg Stir-Fry
Judes Sorbet
The modifications chart gets a bit more complicated, as it has a dairy-free column (which seems to also mean egg-free?) rather than a vegan one, so lists items which contain meat, however I suppose it isn't rocket science! Here are some things which I *THINK* are vegan, please don't take this as gospel though as I've just worked it out using the charts.. best check for yourself:
Falafel Burger minus Tzatziki & cheese
Pasta Margherita minus Cheese
Farmers Market Burrito minus Feta & Cheddar
Goats Cheese Flatbread Pizza minus Cheese
Veggie Brunch minus Eggs
Topped Wedges without Cheese or Sour Cream
Crunchy Nachos Melt without Cheese or Sour Cream
Mezze without Tzatziki, Naan or Halloumi
Healthy Feta Salad without Feta
Little Caeser Salad without Dressing
I'm sure they probably have copies of these charts in their restaurants, or if you'd like your own copy just fill out the Contact form on their website.
Hope this helps someone.. it looks like quite a good place because, with a few alterations, there is actually quite a big choice of stuff for vegans to eat; you can go there with omni chums; they do lots of different types of food from around the world, so if you're in a group there'll be something for everyone; they're supposed to be very child-friendly; there are branches in some of the airports; they do lots of alcoholic drinks & cocktails; it may only be a sorbet, but they do a vegan dessert; the salads are 'proper' filling salads, so you could actually construct a pretty decent, varied meal just using a selection of sides, salads and sharers..
Obviously the proof is in the eating though, so I'll see what it's like tonight :)
There are 39 branches of Giraffe:
Basingstoke, Brighton, Bristol, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Exeter, Guildford, Heathrow, Heathrow Terminal 5, Lakeside, Manchester Airport, Manchester Spinningfields, Manchester Trafford, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Oxford, Portsmouth, Reading, Walton on Thames, Weybridge
London: Battersea, Belsize Park, Brunswick Centre, Chiswick, Hampstead, Holland Park, Islington, Kensington, Marylebone, Muswell Hill, Richmond, Southbank Centre, Spitalfields, Victoria, Wimbledon.
Sorry this post was so long! :eek: xxx
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Nice work Bex! I've seen Giraffe all over the place but perhaps I'll try going in one now:)
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Soya milk now available at Bagel factory. This was pictured at London Bridge - AFAIK it is being rolled out chain-wide (it is on their new online menu board).
http://twitpic.com/12htqh
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Bar Estilo:
(Camberley, Richmond, Esher, Teddington, Birmingham.)
http://www.barestilo.co.uk/
Appetisers & Tapas:
- Marinated Olives
- Basket of Bread, Alioli & Olives (request with oil & vinegar instead of alioli)
- Moroccan Spiced Hummus & Pitta Bread
- Potato Bravas with Spicy Tomato Sauce*
- Crispy Potato Skins with Guacamole*
- Chickpeas with Spinach, Peppers & Feta (minus the feta)
- Tempura Vegetables with Sweet Chili Dip.
Main Courses:
- Baked Enchiladas (request without goats cheese of parmesan)
- Vegetarian Paella
Side Orders:
- Chunky Fries*
- Roasted Carrots & Parsnips
- Spanish Rice
- Mixed Salad
- Chickpeas & Spinach
- Marinated Olives
*fried in a fryer that may have also been used to cook non-vegan products such as halloumi cheese.
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants?
Quote:
Jamie
Great idea! :) the only problem is we get screwed everytime the menu changes :(
Wagamama (Sept 06):
Vegans can enjoy the following as is, from our menu
Raw salad
Grilled asparagus
Edamame (both with salt and chilli garlic salt)
Miso soup and pickles
Yasai itame (main dish)
Yasai gyoza
All other vegetarian dishes would need noodles subbing for rice or rice noodles and / or the egg omitting – our server would be more than happy to help although please do be aware we cannot wholly guarantee that our products are 100% suitable and would ask that you double check before eating.
I know this is quite old now but thank you for posting this, I'm not sure I trust the vegan menu on their website as it lists things with egg in as vegan
*edit: actually I hadn't read this part "the following items can be modified to meet your dietary requirements. please speak to your server and explain your requirements before you order" oops
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Re: UK: Eating in chain restaurants
I have found Wagamama (or at least the branches I've been to) quite good in that the waiters seem to have been properly briefed as to what modifications need to be made to things to make them vegan - and they then seem to track that the modifications are actually made, if you see what I mean.
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Re: UK: Eating in chain restaurants
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Re: UK: Eating in chain restaurants
^ Me too. Last time I was in the Wagamama in Canary Wharf, I said I was vegan on the way in and that I would like to check the file, so he just gave it to me to peruse at my leisure!
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Re: UK: Eating in chain restaurants
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Local restaurants and chains
Hi,
Just wandering how caring you find local restaurants and chains towards your food choices.
Today I met a friend for lunch, I have been trying to eat more raw but knew going out to lunch there may not be many options. We went to a chinese buffet place and there wasn't any salad...only tinned fruit and orange segments as expected. I at least hoped for some rice, a veggie (no dairy) dish, and spring rolls. In fact they only had spring rolls and chips that I could eat...Luckily the chef cooked me a veggie option and rice but at twice the price (not including chips and spring rolls at the buffet). It would have been nice to have the veggie option and rice on the buffet instead of numerous meat dishes.
Just wondering if you go to these types of places and do they cater for you. My friend had also finished eating by the time I got my meal. :(
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Re: Local restaurants and chains
I've only had one negative experience when asking for my food to be adapted, and that was somewhere we'd booked weeks in advance and had a phone conversation with!
Other than that my experiences have been more than positive. I went to a Chinese buffet where they waited on me hand and foot and brought me more freshly cooked vegan food than I could eat in a week!
Even the local carvery prepare me "special" plates of veggies and roast potatoes, keep vegan gravy in for me and have now labelled their condiments.
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Re: Local restaurants and chains
That's annoying, Vegan bellydancer.
In answer to your question, I usually do OK - my needs are modest, and how hard is it to produce a salad :D? Whenever possible I do try and phone ahead to explain what I would like, or just go to places that I have already established can produce a decent meal.
The main problem with trying to do it on the spur of the moment is that waiters don't always understand what you want and if they're busy they don't want to take the time to figure it out. If you've primed the kitchen beforehand it's usually OK.
ETA we're really lucky to have a local Chinese place where the proprietress understands all about avoiding animal products (let's give them another little commercial, it's called Chinese Tonight in Putney, SW London). Maybe you can get yours up to speed if you're a regular.
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Re: Local restaurants and chains
I'm going out for dinner this weekend so I think I will phone a selected restaurant before heading out.
Went to Harvester recently as well..and the salad bar was great though the only thing suitable on the menu was soya and mushroom sausage which I've had twice now. The waitress wasn't sure about the pasta..but they have pasta at the salad bar anyway..they were busy as well so don't think they had time to create a meal for me.
I have been to a couple of good restaurants though...Chimmy Changers mexican (sp) were good.
I will check out that chinese restaurant next time I'm in Putney :satisfied:
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Re: Local restaurants and chains
Yes, the temptation is to keep going back to the ones that you know are vegan-friendly, and there's a lot to be said for rewarding those ones, but I suppose it's also good to pester the ones that haven't thought about it yet ;)
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chain restaurants and their vegan options
do we have an up to date list of these? could be handy to have them all together!
wetherspoon - veg curry with extra popadom instead of naan
wagamama - yasai chilli men
pizza express - giardinero(sp) pizza minus the cheese and pesto
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Re: UK: Eating in chain restaurants
Hi Hel. I think there are quite a few potentially vegan pizzas (i.e. if you ask them to leave things off) at Pizza Express but the trouble is they keep reformulating things every five minutes and don't even have the same menu at all their restaurants - so it's probably better to check on the night really. Same applies to Wagamama, there was some discussion of them having de-veganised something lately but I can't find the thread.
A list of chains that can identify vegan or potentially-vegan options on their own menus might be very handy though!
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Re: UK: Eating in chain restaurants
Quote:
harpy
Same applies to Wagamama, there was some discussion of them having de-veganised something lately but I can't find the thread.
Thanks to our friend Mr Robb Man via the medium of Facebook, that seems to be the 'Yasai Itame'.
Whatever that is :bigsmile:
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Re: UK: Eating in chain restaurants
Oh yes, thanks Gwydion. It's a noodly thing (what a surprise) that can be vegan if you get them to change the type of noodles - applies to quite a lot of their stuff I think. But as previously discussed they are pretty good about digging out the details if you ask.
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Re: UK: Eating in chain restaurants
Adding to the list of chains, if it's not already up-thread, Las Iguanas staff in Leicester have been very good about finding vegan options on the menu. I've had some nice meals there.
They've got a note on the menu about mentioning dietary needs, so I imagine other branches would be equally helpful.
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Re: What can we eat in chain restaurants? (UK)
Today i ordered from taco bell, and the woman who made my food said "are you vegan? i can tell"
haha.
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Re: UK: Eating in chain restaurants
Chiquitos were not very helpful when I went. I don't trust the server. There is loads of stuff on the menu that looks fine if asked for without cheese, sour cream etc but I have no official information.
Ketchup (the burger chain) were also useless. They have five veggie burgers on the menu and the first time they told me that the only burger that was vegan was the portabello mushroom (without anything else, pesto etc on it) but that the rolls aren't vegan so I got it wrapped in a lettuce leaf. And was charged full price! The sweet potato wedges are nice though. The second time she told me they were all vegan because they are bound with coconut milk instead of egg?! Who do you trust?
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Re: UK: Eating in chain restaurants
I just checked the Subway nutritional info - I thought their sweet onion sauce was vegan but they must have changed it :( I had one last night as well.
http://www.subway.co.uk/menu/nutritional.aspx
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Re: UK: Eating in chain restaurants
Quote:
kikifromscotland
Ketchup (the burger chain) were also useless. They have five veggie burgers on the menu and the first time they told me that the only burger that was vegan was the portabello mushroom (without anything else, pesto etc on it) but that the rolls aren't vegan so I got it wrapped in a lettuce leaf. And was charged full price! The sweet potato wedges are nice though. The second time she told me they were all vegan because they are bound with coconut milk instead of egg?! Who do you trust?
I'd be tempted to send them some feedback - http://www.socialanimal.co.uk/Glasgo...menu.php?id=57 - it doesn't look like any of their "kind to animal" burgers are dairy free, surely it would be easy enough to cut out the cheese from at least one of their recipes! I wouldn't trust anyone who said coconut milk was used as a binder in a bread roll either! I can't believe they charged you eight quid for a mushroom, that's totally outrageous!
Edited to add: Or did she mean the burgers were bound with coconut milk? That still doesn't make sense, and doesn't look very likely from the descriptions on the menu.