Vegan Vietnamese at Thuyen Vien

Posted by socalvegangal in Orange County, Veg Restaurant February 23, 2012

In 2007, OC Weekly gave Thuyen Vien the honor of Best Pho. This is not among vegetarian pho only – it’s out of all the places that serve pho! I can tell you from experience, their pho is very tasty (although I’ve never had conventional pho and can’t compare it to that). My trips to Thuyen Vien always come with the dilemma of ordering their amazing pho, or ordering one of their many other tasty dishes. This trip I went with the latter.

First up were the Steamed Jicama Rolls served with Peanut Sauce. I love non-fried rolls drenched in peanut sauce and these did not disappoint! I don’t remember if there was tofu or some kind of fake meat in the middle, but also included were jicama slices, carrots, and greens. Yummy and refreshing!

Steamed Jicama Rolls – $5.50

For my entree, I ordered the Crispy Soy Fish with Ginger Sauce. I’ve had this before when I dined with a large group and everyone I was with absolutely loved this one. It has an interesting texture and is covered in seaweed. I’m a big fan, but I can see why it might not be for everyone.

Thuyen Vien Crispy Soy Fish with Ginger Sauce

Crispy Soy Fish with Ginger Sauce – $7.95

I also had a taste of my fellow diner’s entree: Garlic Chicken. The chicken was chewy and the dish was a bit spicy, but all-in-all, it had a great flavor.

Garlic Chicken- $6.95

I also ordered their BBQ Shredded Tofu and Eggrolls Vermicelli with Grilled Pork (that’s a mouthful!) to-go for my vegan guy. Turns out, this one has lots of onions (something my guy avoids for personal reasons), so he didn’t eat it. I ate it the next day and thought it was just ok. This type of dish isn’t something I’m a huge fan of and wouldn’t order it on my own. The noodles were plain and the rest had some flavor, but had gotten mushy while sitting in the fridge overnight. It came with a very liquidy sauce to pour over the noodles, but it just wasn’t enough for me to really enjoy it (I’m a fan of thicker/more flavorful sauces on my noodle dishes). If you are a frequent orderer of this particular “vermicelli noodle with egg roll” type dish, then you might like it, though.

Thuyen Vien Vermicelli Noodles with Grilled Pork

Vermicelli Noodles with Grilled Pork – $6.95

Thuyen Vien is all vegetarian and mostly vegan (any non-vegan dishes are marked “NV”). The sign outside says “Pho Veggie” so look for that. The parking lot is smaller, but I have never had a problem parking in it. It is located at:

1740 S Euclid St
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 490-0242

Mon:5:00 pm-9:00 pm
Tue – Fri:10 am-2:30 pm and 5 pm-9 pm
Sat – Sun:10 am-9 pm

Yelp Page
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Valentine’s Special at Native Foods

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Orange County, Veg Restaurant February 15, 2012

I heard about the Native Foods Valentine’s Special and had to get it. Luckily, a new location had just opened at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, which is a lot closer to me than the locations in Costa Mesa or Tustin.

The Valentine’s Special included vegetable lasagna layered with tofu ricotta, roasted portobellos, greens, and a fresh marinara and topped with Native cashew parmesan. It was served with a Caesar salad and garlic bread. I loved the garlic bread – it was the best part. The Caesar salad was also good. The lasagna, on the other hand, was slightly lacking on the flavor. I found that the large pieces of portobello mushrooms and kale took over and I had wished there were more cheese and spices.

Valentine’s Special – Lasagna, Garlic Bread, and Caesar Salad – $9.95

The tiramisu wasn’t how I remembered tiramisu. Prepared with espresso soaked vanilla cake with vegan mascarpone and shaved chocolate. The vanilla cake was what I remembered angel food cake to be – kind of spongey and light on flavor. The espresso made the edges of the cake soggy – not good. The mascarpone reminded me of marshmallow fluff – thick and sticky. It was smooth, but the texture threw me off. Not creamy how I remember the real stuff to be. The whole thing was just ok. It was a lightly sweet dessert for those who like that sort of thing.

Tiramisu – $2.95

All in all, I’m not sure if I’d order this again if it appeared on the regular menu. I am still very excited about the new Fashion Island location. There are a few new items that I am wanting to try and will definitely be back to order these.

Native Foods has been opening new locations all over the place. Check out their website to see if one is near you.

Vegan Cookies at Robeks

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Orange County, Packaged Food February 10, 2012

I had heard a few years ago that Robeks juice was offering vegan cookies. Since I never go there and there aren’t many locations near me, I never checked it out. I finally came across a Robeks and decided to try these vegan cookies. They are made by Lenny & Larry’s and claim to be a healthier cookie. You can see the nutrition information at their website. These cookies are quite big and very filling- a great steal at only two bucks.

I went with the Peanut Butter and the Chocolate Chip. Also available were Lemon Poppyseed and Oatmeal Raisin. I thought the peanut butter had an off flavor – maybe it was the peanut butter they used? The chocolate chip was much better. I didn’t taste any off flavor in this one. They both were very soft, so be careful if you are packing these guys away – they break apart easily.

Cookies at Robeks

Cheezy Pizza in Colton

Posted by socalvegangal in Inland Empire, Omnivorous Restaurant, Pizza, Veg Restaurant February 7, 2012

I love that Daiya has made it so easy for pizza places to add vegan pizzas to their menus. Cheezy Pizza in Colton has done this and more. They are not a totally vegan establishment, but their vegan menu is huge! In addition to vegan pizza, they have vegan appetizers, salads, calzones, and even desserts. I recently went and got some food to feast on with my family out in the Inland Empire.

First up was the garlic cheese bread and the potato wedges. The garlic cheese bread was a nice thick and soft piece of bread covered in Daiya cheese. It came with a small container of marinara sauce. The bread was delicious, but I wanted more marinara for dunking. The potato wedges were also delicious. They were perfectly seasoned and not too greasy. They came with a side of ketchup.

Garlic Cheese Bread – $4.60

Potato Wedges – $3.68

In addition to the two appetizers, I ordered two different kinds of pasta. Their pasta menu lets you choose a shape of pasta, pasta sauce, and up to four toppings. I ordered Fettucini Alfredo with vegan chicken and mushrooms. Their alfredo sauce is one of the best vegan alfredo sauces I’ve ever had. It’s super thick and creamy – I wish they jarred and sold this. The second pasta dish I ordered was the Penne Pesto with sun dried tomatoes, black olives, and mushrooms. At first I thought it looked dry – that the pasta baked too much in the oven – but it definitely wasn’t. The pesto had just the right amount of spices and oil. The topping of Daiya was also a great way to add more of a cheesy flavor to the pesto. I’d order this one again.

Fettuccini Alfredo with Vegan Chicken and Mushrooms – $7.99

Penne Pesto with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Black Olives – $7.99

The two pizzas I ordered were the BBQ Chicken Pizza and the Margherita Pizza. The BBQ Chicken pizza reminded me of my favorite California Pizza Kitchen pizza back when I was an omnivore. The BBQ sauce was the best part – nice and sweet with a little bit of tang. The Margherita pizza was simple, but not lacking any flavor. The fresh tomatoes and tons of basil made this pizza so refreshing. The crust at Cheesy Pizza is a one-size-fits all – not too thick and not too thin.

BBQ Chicken Pizza – $16.56

Margherita Pizza – $13.80

In keeping with the “two of each” theme, I picked up two vegan cheesecakes for dessert. These are pre-packaged cheesecakes made by a third party. The two flavors I got were Caramel Apple and Peanut Butter. Neither of these cheesecakes were very good. They both tasted kind of dry- especially the crumbly crust. The best part of these was the dollop of frosting on the peanut butter cheesecake. This was the only really creamy part of it all.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake – $4.75

Peanut Butter Cheesecake – $4.75

They also recently started bottling their ranch dressing. I hope it makes it to the stores. It is just like the “real” thing! So thick – not runny like other vegan ranches I’ve had. I dumped this stuff like crack onto my pizzas. It’s worth the drive to Colton alone.

Creamy Ranch from Cheezy Pizza – $6.50

The biggest downer of Cheezy Pizza is that I only found out about it after I moved away from the area. Everything Cheezy Pizza makes is fantastic. A note about their vegan sauces: apparently they prepare these on Mondays. I came on Monday and got the last bit of vegan alfredo. If you are making a special trip on a Monday, I’d recommend calling ahead to make sure they have the vegan sauce that you want.

Cheezy Pizza

Cheezy Pizza is in a random area (in my opinion). The neighborhood is mostly residential and a block away from an elementary school. It has easy parking and is not too far from the freeway. There is seating inside for about 20 people.

Cheezy Pizza is located at:
299 West Olive Street
Colton, CA 92324
(909) 370 -2644

Sun-Thurs: 11AM – 9PM
Fri-Sat: 11AM – 10PM

Au Lac in Fountain Valley

Posted by socalvegangal in Orange County, Raw, Veg Restaurant February 3, 2012

I recently went with a group to Au Lac in Fountain Valley. This restaurant is great, because it has a huge menu with Vietnamese style cooked foods and extravagant raw foods. It is also great for people living in Orange County, because it is centralized within the county.

I started off with the BBQ Pork Rolls with rice paper, barbecued soy pork, chive, pickled daikon and carrot, and served with a peanut sauce for dipping. This thing was stuffed with fake pork, so don’t order it if you aren’t into the fake meats. I liked that it was sliced for sharing (I was with a group, after all). I love peanut sauces, and this one did not disappoint (although I do wish they gave a bit more). As for the roll, itself, I liked it, but I actually think I would have liked a tofu-based roll instead. It was too fake-meaty for me.

BBQ Pork Rolls – $4

For my entree, I ordered the Stir-Fried Soy Seafood Noodles with yellow noodle, soy seafood, stir-fried bok choy, snow pea, napa cabbage, and shiitake sauce. The menu declared that the noodles were crispy, but I guess I wasn’t expecting the “bird’s nest” style noodles. Luckily, after sitting in the sauce for awhile, the noodles softened up. I like that this dish is not just vegetables and not just fake meat but a hearty combination of both. I still wish it was a soft, non-fried noodle, but the flavor was still excellent.

Stir Fried Seafood Noodles – $10

Because I was with a large group, we ended up ordering a few desserts and sharing them. All of their desserts are raw and all are perfectly sliced for sharing. Our group went with Choconut X-tasy, Donut Holes, and Rainbow in the Sky. The Choconut x-tasy was my favorite (it’s also the one I always order when at Au Lac). It is described only as pecans and cocoa powder, but I’m sure there is more to it than that. It is served slightly cold and tastes like a kind of creamy ice cream-type dessert. The donut holes were a recommendation by a friend and contain a healthy dose of spirulina, coconut, and macadamia nuts. I personally liked them, but I can see that they might not be for everyone (maybe on the account of the spirulina taste). It’s a doughy ball with a gooey chocolate filling and coated in a very fine coconut sugar. The advice given to me before eating this was to not inhale when putting this ball into your mouth – as the fine coconut sugar will get stuck in your lungs. Lastly, the Rainbow in the Sky might have been my least favorite, but still very good. It contains blueberries, spirulina, jackfruit, raspberries, dates, and pecans. I’m less of a fruity dessert type of person, which is why I liked it least.

Choconut X-tasy (Raw) – $7

Donut Holes (Raw) – $7

Rainbow in the Sky (Raw) – $7

Au Lac is in a small complex with a hodge-podge of businesses. It looks very generic from the outside, but inside they have renovated it to be very sleek. They have gone with a black and red theme with modern porcelain tableware and low lighting. Once inside, it’s a very sexy place to take your date. Some of my group are mostly raw in their personal diets and they raved about the raw menu here. Au Lac also has a large elixir menu to help fix any of your aliments. The parking is very easy and the location is close to the 405 freeway. A definite must for anyone in the Orange County area.

Au Lac

Au Lac
16563 Brookhurst St
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
714-418-0658

Tuesday-Sunday
Lunch 11:33 am – 3:33 pm
Dinner 5:33 pm – 9:33 pm

Hugo’s Restaurant in WeHo

Posted by socalvegangal in Los Angeles, Omnivorous Restaurant, San Fernando Valley, Veg Restaurant January 27, 2012

My favorite thing about Hugo’s Restaurant is the huge selection of vegan options. For an omnivorous restaurant, they certainly cater to vegans. Even a lot of their non-vegan menu items can be made vegan. Another great thing about Hugo’s is their monthly specials. This trip to Hugo’s was no exception.

I was in the mood for pancakes one sunny afternoon in December, but didn’t know where to go. I knew I wasn’t in the mood for any of the pancakes served at the infamous vegan thai places in LA and most other restaurants serving vegan breakfast foods weren’t cooking them this late in the day. Luckily Hugo’s serves breakfast items until 4pm. I ordered a December special: Orange Cranberry Pancakes. This consisted of three fluffy pancakes infused with almond, orange, ginger & cranberries and topped with toasted slivered almonds and organic powdered sugar. Also served with a chunky agave sweetened ginger-orange cranberry compote. I love how nice and thick Hugo’s can make their pancakes without leaving the center of the pancake mushy and uncooked. The pancakes were delicious and very filling. I wasn’t too thrilled with the compote, though. I’m a girl who loves her pancakes covered in maple syrup and I thought the agave in the compote clashed with the flavor of the maple syrup.

Orange Cranberry Pancakes – $11.50

My vegan guy (not into the sweet stuff) got a veggie burger. The Hugo’s veggie burger comes with onion, lettuce, tomato and Vegenaise. It is served with a choice of crispy fries, house made potato chips, house salad or caesar salad. You can also choose three additional toppings. My vegan guy opted for sauteed mushrooms, avocado, and ranch (on the side) and a side of fries. I had a bite and thought it was wonderful (especially to curb the sweetness of my pancakes). My vegan guy thought he’d had better veggie burgers on prior visits to Hugo’s. Maybe there was a new cook? The one thing we both agreed on was the ranch. We thought it was too runny. It barely stayed on the burger. It was definitely more of a dressing for a salad (if that) than a spread for a burger.

Veggie Burger with sauteed mushrooms, avocado, and ranch – $12.50

All in all, though, Hugo’s Restaurant is a must visit for those who don’t mind eating at an omnivorous restaurant. You can check out their monthly specials and recurring items on their menu (vegan and vegan-options are clearly marked). You can choose from their two locations: each with a small parking lot adjacent to the building.

Hugo’s Restaurant West Hollywood
8401 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 654-3993

Hugo’s Restaurant Studio City
12851 Riverside Dr
Studio City, CA 91607
(818) 761-8985

Monday – Friday
^{7:30 AM to 10:00 PM}
Saturday – Sunday
^{8:00 AM to 10:00 PM}

Leaf Cuisine in Culver City

Posted by socalvegangal in Ice Cream, Los Angeles, Raw, Veg Restaurant January 24, 2012

If finding a place that has both raw food and cooked food has been difficult for you, then look no further than Leaf Cuisine in Culver City. This mostly raw restaurant has some cooked food for non-raw-foodists to try. They now have table service, which my vegan guy and I did not know about, so we ordered at their counter instead.

Leaf Cuisine

For an appetizer I got the Cashew Kreme Cheeze with corn chips. I almost loved this dish. I liked the corn chips and I liked the Kreme Cheeze, but I didn’t really like them together. I would have preferred some plain chips. I also would have preferred less herbs in the Kreme Cheeze. I’m a huge fan of raw cheeses made with nuts and I felt that the abundance of herbs took away from wonderful flavor of the nuts. The texture of the cheese was divine, though – smooth and creamy.

Kreme Cheeze with Corn Chips – $6.50

For an entree, I got the Vegan Victory Burger (cooked dish) prepared with a grilled veggie patty and topped with house made mayo, tomato, sprouts & romaine on a sprouted grain bun. I also added vegan cheeze to my burger for an extra $0.99. I loved this veggie patty, but I thought there was too much bun. I wished the patty was thicker (because it was so good!). It came with some sauerkraut and a side salad with a nice house made dressing.

Vegan Victory Burger – $9.99

My vegan guy got the Mushroom Rawsagna prepared with layers of rawcotta, squash noodles, spinach, portobellos and rawmesan. It is also served with some sauerkraut and a side salad with house made dressing. I had a bite and really liked it. Normally raw Italian inspired dishes use a lot of zucchini in place of pasta (which I hate). This dish had none of that. The rawcotta layer was super thick and the texture was very creamy. I’d definitely order this one again.

Mushroom Rawsagna – $12.99

And finally for dessert, I got their frozen soft serve. Let me first explain how excited I was when I heard Leaf Cuisine was offering soft serve. It is so hard trying to find vegan soft serve – which one would think would be a common offering in this warm California climate. Leaf Cuisine offers both vanilla and chocolate flavored raw soft serve. I got half and half topped with their chocolate sauce. I ordered it to be eaten on location, but they packed it to-go anyway. Because it got smashed from the lid of the container, it just looks like one blob of melted ice cream. I think I may have been too excited by this offering and raised my expectations too high. The soft serve was a bit grainy – something I’ve tasted when eating other raw, vegan soft serves. The flavor was nice, though, and the chocolate sauce was delicious. It is still a very nice treat for someone following a raw or whole foods based diet.

Soft Serve – $9.99 for 13 oz. (pictured) or $3.99 for 4 oz.

Leaf Cuisine has a small parking lot and is located at:

11938 W. Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 397 0700

Hours of Operation
Mon – Fri 10 AM to 9 PM
Sat – Sun 11 AM to 9 PM

Vegan Chinese at Happy Family

Posted by socalvegangal in San Gabriel Valley, Veg Restaurant January 20, 2012

One of the best places to get some vegan Chinese food is Happy Family in Monterey Park. This restaurant is not to be confused with the Happy Family chain in Rowland Heights, Costa Mesa, and Loma Linda. Rumor is that these two businesses were once one actual happy family, but parted ways some time ago. I could be wrong. Either way, these businesses have a similar menu, but are not the same company.

My vegan guy and I started off with my favorite – hot and sour soup. I absolutely love this soup, but it’s so hard trying to find one that is tasty and vegan. Luckily, Happy Family has it and it is wonderful. I could eat bowls and bowls of this stuff in one sitting (and have many times). It has a very flavorful broth and is filled with tofu, bamboo, mushrooms, and carrots.

Hot and Sour Soup – $5.95

Next up were the crispy oyster mushrooms. These mushrooms are fried, but not greasy. They are subtly seasoned and are not served with any sauce (you don’t need one). I thought they were very good, but prefer the similar dish at the other Happy Family. The oyster mushrooms at the other Happy Family have a bit more flavor, but I would still recommend ordering it here.

Crispy Oyster Mushrooms – $9.50

Our last dish was the special fungus with deep fried tofu (can you tell we like the fried stuff?). It sounded better than what was served. This was my least favorite. The tofu did not seem deep fried. The soft tofu had a thin layer of fried batter that had gotten mushy from the sauce. As my guy said it, “It’s not very flavorful, but it’s also not flavorless.” I couldn’t have said it better.

Special Fungus with Deep Fried Tofu – $8.95

There are many other dishes at Happy Family that I’ve had and loved. Their menu is huge! They have lots of fake meat items, too. I’d highly recommend making the drive out to Monterey Park – it’s worth it!

Happy Family

Happy Family Restaurant

500 N Atlantic Blvd
Ste 171
Monterey Park, CA 91754

Parking structure is connected to shopping plaza.

Here I Go!

Posted by socalvegangal in Uncategorized January 18, 2012

There are certain blogs out there that I just love to read. I have bookmarked many recipes from these blogs, dined at restaurants they’ve reviewed, and used their ideas in my own life. Recently, one of those blogs called it quits and I was somewhat dramatic about its end. When my vegan guy suggested that I should start my own, I thought, “Yea. Why don’t I start my own?” So here it is. I hope to bring you the latest news about vegan events, products, and eating establishments here in Southern California. If you would like to share some info, thoughts, or comments of your own, I’d love to hear them! Comment on my posts or send me an email to share.

Please enjoy what’s about to come!

Oh and as for that blog that called it quits? Thankfully, she’s back to blogging in a lovely condensed version of her previous blog.

So Cal Vegan Gal

Author Archives: socalvegangal