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#223 Nice but spicy lunch at Than Thai, Kortrijk

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restaurant review #223 – Than Thai is a Thai (obviously!) restaurant in the city center of Kortrijk. We were here for lunch on a weekday, a couple of weeks ago.

Front of Than Thai, Kortrijk

Colourful interior, Than Thai, Kortrijk

The restaurant is divided into two rooms, bot facing the street, adjacent to each other. The interior is quite nice, comfortable and colourful. Staff were very friendly and welcoming.

Vegetarian dishes are mentioned seperately on the menu. A lot of them contain oystersauce though. We inquired about the possibility of vegan oystersauce, but it ws said not to be available that day.

Two dishes were said to be vegan: the tofu red curry with coconut milk (18,50€) and the garlic ‘black pepper’ tofu (17,50€). The dishes came with white rice (with fried onions on top).

Vegetarian dishes mentioned on menu, Than Thai, Kortrijk

The food was nice, big portions. The red curry is very (VERY) spicy though.

Cracker as appetizer, Than Thai, Kortrijk

garlic black pepper tofu, Than Thai, Kortrijk

tofu red curry, Than Thai, Kortrijk

with white rice, Than Thai, Kortrijk

The restaurant room is accessible, but the toilets are with stairs (very dark!) going up, and are not accessible. Toilets were clean and tidy.

Toilet at Than Thai, Kortrijk. Why do I include a pic of the toilet? Read about it HERE

interior in the first room, Than Thai, Kortrijk

Buddha statue with lights, Than Thai, Kortrijk

We had a nice lunch at Than Thai, good food, enjoyable atmosphere, although the curry was very spicy.

Note: after having posted about our visit in a local FB group, several people stepped up to share their experiences. There seems to be a lot of confusion about which dishes are exactly vegan. So best to double check. It would also be helpful if the restaurant clearly labels which dishes are vegan.

Than Thai, location
Lekkerbeetstraat 9
8500 Kortrijk
056/44 34 62

no website
Facebookpage: https://www.facebook.com/thanthairestaurantkortrijk/

city hall, Kortrijk (Courtrai)

 

#222 Dinner at vegan resto SNCKBR (Waku Waku), Utrecht (NL)

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restaurant review #222 – SNCKBR is a vegan restaurant in the city center of Utrecht, just next to the concert hall Tivoli Vredenburg. We were here a couple of months ago, before going to show at the Tivoli. A couple of weeks ago, SNCKBR has been renamed into Waku Waku.

front of SNCKBR (Waku Waku), Utrecht

A look at the Menu, SNCKBR (Waku Waku), Utrecht

front of menu, SNCKBR (Waku Waku), Utrecht

At the time of our visit, the opening hours were not correctly noted on the website. We already passed by at 4PM – expecting it to be open – but they were still setting up tables and told us it would be open at 5PM. So we returned. Although it was still early, the place soon filled up.

SNCKBR (Waku Waku) is a spacious place with a nice, newly renovated decor.
We had several reviews that service could be slow at SNCKBR (Waku Waku), so we decided not to take an entree or soup.
We ordered two mains, a the SNCKBR burger with fries on the side and a BBQ Peking Luck pizza. Luckily, the main dishes came relatively quickly.

SNCKBR burger with fries, SNCKBR (Waku Waku), Utrecht

pizza, SNCKBR (Waku Waku), Utrecht

pizza and burger with fries, SNCKBR (Waku Waku), Utrecht

The pizza was very spicy (with jalapenos). The burger was OK-ish (I’m guessing it was a storebought Fries or Gardein burger). The food was nice, although quite simple for those prices (pizza at 14,95€, burger 12,95€ + fries 5€).

As the main dishes were served within a reasonable timeframe, we still had some time before going to the show, so we decided to order a dessert anyway. But then the wait began. It took half an hour for one tiramisu to be brought from the kitchen (and it came after we asked about it, so otherwise I think we were in for an ever longer wait). What a bummer.

the tiramisu which took more than half an hour to be served … SNCKBR (Waku Waku), Utrecht

The restaurant is on ground floor, there’s just a small curb to get in.
Toilets were clean and tidy. Liked the stuffed teddy bear on the wall (no pic sorry – it didn’t turn out ok). Didn’t see an accessible toilet though (pity, since it seemed all newly renovated).

Toilet at SNCKBR (Waku Waku), Utrecht

interior, SNCKBR (Waku Waku), Utrecht

All in all: a nice dinner (but on the expensive side). Nice decor. Very friendly service. Bummer about the long wait for the dessert.

SNCKBR, location (now called Waku Waku)
Vredenburg 28,
3511 BC Utrecht,
Nederland
+31 30 310 72 28

website: https://wakuwaku.nl/

See our lists of restaurants where vegans are welcome in the menu section of The Bruges vegan! List restaurants in Bruges and outside  Bruges.

From across te road, SNCKBR (Waku Waku), Utrecht

 

#221 Lovely dinner at The Gate (Islington), London

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restaurant review #221 – The Gate is vegetarian restaurant in London. Actually there are already three The Gate restaurants in London (Islington, Marylebone, Hammersmith), and in March 2019 a fourth one will open (St. John’s Wood). We had already been to the one at Marylebone (see review here), so this time we went to the one in Islington. This was during our stay in London for VegfestUK, in the Fall of 2018 (see post here).

The Gate at Islington is a spacious place, and nicely renovated. A combination of old and new. There’s a restaurant room at ground level, and a room in the back which is up a few steps.
I had made a reservation online, and we were warmly welcomed and took place in the ground floor restaurant room, with a view at the bar.

Front of The Gate, Islington

Interior, ground floor, lookingat the bar, The Gate, Islington

Everything on the menu at the Gate is vegan, except for the non-vegan options labelled as such (NV = not vegan).

menu, The Gate, Islington

We had a lovely dinner. Mezze platter (£22) to share as a starter. Mushroom risotto (£16) and tortillas (£15) as mains, with sweet potato wedges on the side (with aioli, £4) and chocolate dish (£8) as dessert. Delicious!

Fresh juice, carrot apple ginger (£4) The Gate, Islington

Mezze platter (to share), The Gate, Islington

Mushroom risotto, The Gate, Islington

Tortillas, The Gate, Islington

side dish, potato wedges with aioli, The Gate, Islington

Chocolate dish, The Gate, Islington

Food was served very swiftly and service was friendly.
The ground floor of the restaurant is wheelchair accessible, and there’s an accessible toilet on the ground floor (clean, but a bit shabby though).
When the bill came, a bit surprised to see a service charge of 12,5% automatically added to the total amount.

Accessible toilet on ground floor, The Gate, Islington. Why do I include a pic of the toilet? Read about it HERE

Interior, The Gate, Islington

All in all: we had a lovely dinner. Nice food, friendly service, nice decor.
A bit on the expensive side though (but it is London …).

The Gate Islington, location
370 St John Street
EC1V 4NN London
United Kingdom
020 7833 0401

website: https://thegaterestaurants.com/islington/

See my lists of restaurants where vegans are welcome in the menu section of The Bruges vegan! List restaurants in Bruges and outside  Bruges.

Pumpkins at Covent Garden

 

 

And then this happens … Bacon!

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And then this happens …

Something is posted on social media about veganism, a poster, meme, or a vegan campaign, or about the living conditions of animals in agricultural industry, or maybe you just posted a comment about your experiences while dining out, and comments like ‘mmmmm, steak!‘, ‘I’ll be putting some more on the BBQ tonight‘ or – like in the meme – ‘Bacon!‘ appear. Or someone posts a photo of a hamburger, hotdog or sizzling animal flesh.

‘A vegan posted on facebook. Better coment bacon.’ I did not make this meme. Found it online but don’t know who originally made it.

I always wonder why they post this. Is it simply because they have nothing meaningful to say? Do those posting such comments really think it adds anything to the conversation (or do they simply not think at all 😛 )?  That they can somehow ‘win’ the meateaters on their hand? Or do they think it’s funny and a way to provoke vegans? (who then even write a blog about it, tsk 😉)

I think it may point to some form of anxiety to think these issues through. Not daring or not willing to think about the ethical issues surrounding eating animals. And the environmental and health aspects. Falling back on the secure, the familiar and known, transpiring a fear for the unknown. Doubling down: ‘my meat’ and nobody is going to take that away from me! Consciously on uncousciously there’s a conflict of conscience: eating animals somehow feels awry, but one doesn’t want to think about it, talk about it. Don’t go down that road!
Whether or not I will reply to such comments depends on the context. But most of the times I will just leave it for what it is. Or post a witty remark, while at the same time trying to plant a small seed, to make them think about their inner conflict. Or post this blog.

How do you react to such comments. Ignore of reply?  

Previously posted in Dutch on my other blog Graswortels.

#220 The Beyond Meat Burger at Greenway, Leuven (3)

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restaurant review #220 – Greenway is a Belgian vegetarian brand (restaurants and products) and was founded in the mid nineties. There are three Greenway restaurants in Belgium: in Ghent (it’s been ages since I was there!), in Louvain and in Antwerp. There’s also a Greenway foodstall at the train station of Gare du Midi, where we had a nice lunch before boarding on the Eurostar to London (previous reviews of Greenway here).
In 2018, Greenway announced that all it’s restaurants would become fully vegan!

Interior Greenway, one side is with high barstools and tables, Greenway, Louvain

This is from a visit at the Greenway in Louvain a couple of months ago (end of 2018). We’ve been to the Greenway in Louvain several times before, but on this occassion, we went to try the Beyond Meat burger, a new vegan burger that has been getting quite a few headlines lately for its supposedly ‘meaty’ taste and texture.
Greenway in Louvain is in the city center, next to the Oude Markt (Parijsstraat).

street sign for Beyond Meat burger at Greenway, Louvain

chalkboard in restaurant with menu options, Greenway, Louvain

The Beyond Meat burger does live up to its reputation: it does taste really meaty! For some vegans this might be a deterrent, for others precisely the thing they are looking for! Mixed feelings here: I didn’t really fancy The Beyond Meat burger, my husband really liked it.
It came with potato wedges on the side and melted vegan cheese. At 13,50€ a bit steep, especially since the burger is rather a small burger.
We also shared a speculaas cake, which was lovely!

Beyond Meat burger at Greenway Louvain

speculaas cake at Greenway, Louvain

The interior at Greenway Louvain is spacious, modern, although not so comfortable seatings (no real chairs, but benches and bar stools, two sofas at the front though). The entrance at restaurant level is accessible, toilet is not.  Toilets are downstairs, and they have been painted colourfully painted, which makes a bit more bright.  Toilets were clean, with paper towels to dry ones hands.

toilets at Greenway Leuven, Why do I include a pic of the toilet? Read about it HERE

front seating, with look at front terrace, Greenway, Leuven

We are climate changers, text written on wall inside restaurant, Greenway,Louvain

Glad to have tried the Beyond Meat burger! Great addition to the menu at Greenway.
I wish a Greenway restaurant would open in Bruges one day 😉

Greenway, location
Parijsstraat 12
3000 Leuven
016/30.97.35

website: http://www.greenway.be/locations

See our lists of restaurants where vegans are welcome in the menu section of The Bruges vegan! List restaurants in Bruges and outside  Bruges.

Leuven, houses on Market

#219 Lunch at the beach promenade: Toi, moi et la mer, Ostend

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restaurant review #219 – Toi, Moi et la Mer is a traditional restaurant on the beach promenade in Ostend. The restaurant serves mainly dishes with fish. I had already asked several months ago whether they would be prepared to serve a vegan menu, and was told that is possible, if one asks it two days in advance.
So we did! This review is from a visit a couple of months ago, in the Fall of 2018.

Toi, Moi et la Mer is located on the beach promenade of Ostend, not so far from the Casino Kursaal.

Front of Toi, moi et la Mer, Ostend

interior, Toi, moi et la Mer, Ostend

When we arrived, we were the first for lunch. But afterwards more and more people came in for lunch.

This is what we were served.

  • as a small appetizer, a little dish with Swissh Chard and red beet
  • then another small appetizer followed: a mousse from chervil, carrot and scorzonera
  • the entree was falafel, scorzonera crips and beet carpacio
  • as a main dish we were served a homemade lentil burger, with haricots salad mix and quinoa

The falafel beet appetizer was 4,5€. The main dish 18,5€.

small appetizer, Toi, moi et la Mer, Ostend

small appetizer, Toi, moi et la Mer, Ostend

entree, Toi, moi et la Mer, Ostend (sorry, a blurry photo :-/ )

main dish, Toi, moi et la Mer, Ostend

Unfortunately there was no vegan dessert. When we asked, the waiter did suggest a sorbet, but we didn’t fancy that.

Coffee (3,5€), no vegan cookie, with cow milk on the side. Pity. Toi, moi et la Mer, Ostend

Toilet was clean and very colourful and plentifully decorated with businesscards, posters and plants.
Comfort in the restaurant was OK.
Service was very friendly, although at times a bit nonchalant.
Note: Toi, Moi et la Mer is a traditional ‘fish restaurant’ so the presence of non-vegan products (food, but also decoration) can be confrontational.

Toilet at Toi, moi et la Mer, Ostend, clean, and very colourful and decorated with business cards. Why do I include a pic of the toilet? Read about it HERE

interior, Toi, moi et la Mer, Ostend

We enjoyed our lunch at Toi, Moi et la Mer. The small appetizers and entree led us to expect a bit more of the main dish, which was good, but culinairy not so fancy.
All in all, a nice lunch. Good to have another place in Ostend added to the list.

Toi, moi et la Mer, location
Albert I Promenade, 68
8400 Oostende
059/80.66.13

website: https://www.toimoietlamer.be/nl/

Looking for more restaurants?
See our lists of restaurants where vegans are welcome in the menu section of The Bruges vegan! List restaurants in Bruges and outside  Bruges.

the front terrace room, Toi, moi et la Mer, Ostend

Beach of Ostend

Beach promenade and view at Casino Kursaal, Ostend

 

#218 Two vegan pizzas from Domino’s, Bruges

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restaurant review #218 – Domino’s is part of an international pizza chain. There are also several locations in Belgium. The Domino’s in Bruges is located just outside the train station.
Domino’s is not a restaurant for elaborate dining, but more a take away place (there are a handful of seating places, and also a small terrace outfront). Domino’s also offers delivery in the Bruges area.

Front of Domino’s Brugge

Since 2018, Domino’s has two vegan pizzas standardly available: the pizza margaritha (12€) and the vegan spicy (13€).

Two vegan pizzas standardly available. Screenshot from website, Domino’s.

vegan pizza margaritha, 12€, Domino’s, Brugge

vegan pizza spicy, 13€, Domino’s Brugge

The pizzas were nice, but with a soft chewy crust though.
They are made on the same counter as the non vegan pizzas, so if you are allergic, I think there might be cross contamination.

Domino’s Brugge, location
Stationsplein 8
8000 Brugge
050/300.315

website: https://www.dominos.be/nl/winkel/be-brugge-31196

Looking for restaurants?
See my lists of restaurants where vegans are welcome in the menu section of The Bruges vegan! List restaurants in Bruges and outside  Bruges.

The House of Meat. What would you do?

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On a night out with friends, Eric tries a new restaurant. The waiter welcomes them and says ‘we take the dining experience full circle‘.
‘Set in a not-so-distant, dark future, three friends must slaughter the animals they order for dinner at a high-end restaurant’ Read More

#217 Ethiopian lunch at Kokob, Brussels

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restaurant review #217- Kokob is an Ethiopian restaurant in the city center of Brussels. I have seen it mentioned on social media several times over the years, as a place where vegans are welcome.

Front of Kokob, Brussels

interior, Kokob, Brussels

We were here for lunch on a Sunday, and were greeted warmly.
Kokob has a very cosy interior. I loved the artwork on the wall, which was from ARI Graphic art. Chairs were rather uncomfortable though.

There are several vegetarian dishes mentioned seperatedly on the menu. We specified that we wanted vegan (no dairy, no eggs, etc) and that was said to be no problem. The waiter sounded very reassuring.
The waiter suggested a mixed platter, with a selection of 6 dishes, at 26€ per person, and this is what we had.

part of menu of Kokob, Brussels

part of menu of Kokob, Brussels

We were served a small appetizer with lentils as an amuse gueule. To me, this tasted a bit monotone.

lentils as an amuse geule, Kokob, Brussels

Soon afterwards, our main dish was about to be served. As the waiter wanted to put the large plate on our table, he noticed it was not all vegan (with cheese – apparently the kitchen had taken the order for one vegan and one vegetarian). He returned with the plate to the kitchen. After a couple of minutes, he came back and served our platter.
He explained how to eat the food with your hands (scoop up with a piece of pancake) and that we should offer the first scoop to each other.

shared platter for two, 26€ per person. Kokob, Brussels

We were already into halfway the dish, and then noticed pieces of cheese around and underneath a scoop of lentils on one side of the platter (I can now see on the photo that it was probably already noticeable from the beginning, but it was rather dark in the restaurant, so we hadn’t seen untill well into the dish).

unfortunately with traces of cheese under and around the lentils, Kokob, Brussels

We mentioned when the waiter came. The staff apologised, and offered warm drinks to make up (which we declined, wanted to catch the train back home). I guess the kitchen staff just wiped the cheese of the pancake – not very thorough though – and replaced it with lentils.
Not nice 😦
The food was otherwise lovely, but this was very careless, and could be really dangerous for people with allergies.

Accessibility: there’s one step to get in. Toilets are downstairs (steep stairs), didn’t see an accessible toilet. Toilets were ok.

Toilets at Kokob, Brussels. Why do I include a pic of the toilet? Read about it HERE

interior, Kokob, Brussels

All in all: Nice place, nice food, friendly service. But the cheese incident was a real bummer.

Kokob, location
Rue des Grand Carmes
1000 Brussels
02/511.19.50

website: https://www.kokob.be/nl/

See my lists of restaurants where vegans are welcome in the menu section of The Bruges vegan! List restaurants in Bruges and outside  Bruges.

 

Fancy a vegan pancake (or two, or ..)? LEO pancakes, Louvain

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LEO pancakes is a coffee/lunch house in the city center of Leuven. And as the name suggests: they serve pancakes!
We were here a couple of months ago, in the Fall of 2018.
It was a nice sunny afternoon, and we could sit outside (small terrace in front).

Front of LEO pancakes with terrace, Louvain

The menu mainly consists of pancakes, and a handful of lunch options (one vegan bagel available). Vegan options are clearly labelled.

The menu, LEO pancakes, Louvain

We had the Chocolate drops pancake (8€) and the Fruit circle pancake (9€) and some tea and lemonade.

stack of pancakes covered in fruit and chocolate sauce

Chocolate drops pancake, 8€, LEO pancakes, Louvan

stack of pancakes covered in fruit and maple syrup

Fruit circle pancake (9€), LEO pancakes, Louvain

Unfortunately it took a very long while for our pancakes to be served (more than half an hour), which was a real bummer. Especially since the outdoor chairs are not really comfortable.
The pancakes eventually came, and they were great! Loved it! Huge portions and as we already had lunch shortly before, we could not finish all of it.

Note: Interior is wheelchair accessible (ramp to go in – didn’t see an accessible toilet though).

LEO Pancakes, location
Mechelsestraat 45
3000 Leuven
0484/46.04.66

no website
facebookpage: https://www.facebook.com/LEOpancakesleuven/

Tea on the terrace, LEO pancakes, Louvain

Statue Fonske, CityHall in the back, Louvain