Vege Thai

Venue: Vege Thai
Location visited: 3272 SE Hawthorne, Portland OR 97214
Website: http://vegethai.com/
To Visit? It's more than just your greens :]




I know the blog hasn't been very vegetarian friendly, because face it, I love food too much to limit myself to anything, and it just so that there are more carnivorous venues out there.  However, upon deciding what to have for lunch one day, my co-worker suggested VeGE Thai. It's a a smaller restaurant, simple front with a handful of tables, occupied by patrons eating away, lips smacking.


All of the dishes here are pretty much vegan if not vegetarian. There are no fish sauce, oyster sauce, or shrimp paste. All the Asians are probably cringing about now, but really, their sauces are amazing! Did I mention they were also MSG free, and their dishes all come high in protein, choice of brown or white rice, and spice level to your liking? Yay for options! 







Of course, while I was snapping away at pictures, my co-worker had already ripped off the wrapping on his chopsticks and getting anxious to chow down.  I was able to try his yakisoba noodles made from wheat flour, and stir fried with soy chicken, soy shrimp, and assorted veggies. Though the sauce on this dish was light and aromatic, the soy shrimp could have used a slightly more chewy texture since it seemed to just break apart within the first two chews. My dish, on the other hand,  was the Choo Chee fish. With a name like that, if it wasn't fun and delicious, it wouldn't have done food names justice! The name and the dish delivered. The curry sauce was creamy and seasoned with your taste buds in mind, and the tofu fish was a great consistency, comparable to original pescean form. The bell peppers were cooked just to softness, and the bamboo shoots mixed in with the basil leaves added wonderful texture while soaking up the sauce. *excuse me while I wipe off some drool*


In my attempt to eat more healthy (including but not limited to: healthier but tasty ingredients, expanding cuisine variety, and drinking more water...), I've decided lots of small meals in my day is best to keep metabolism going, and if one of the meals happen to be from Vege Thai, well then, I should get bonus health points.

India Oven

Venue: India Oven
Location visited: Their new location - 3450 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97214
Website: listing from urbanspoon w.menus
To Visit? Richly flavorful

Indian Oven was one of those places that I would keep driving by, quiet but always someone there, and looked welcoming with a nice wafting smell of food through the entryways. It is now a place that I would definitely return to for my occasional Indian food craving. It has to be done right, and it has to be packed with rich flavors, not too thick, and not too watered down. This place does it. And yes, it's VEGAN FRIENDLY. Their dishes range at about $12 and very worth it. Vegetarian, clay oven skewers, soups, rice dishes, and all sorts of curries. If you like lamb or chicken, then definitely give this place a try. I knew there were lots of ways to prepare chicken and lamb, but I didn't expect to find so many at one location. Also contrary to belief, as an Asian American food consumer, rice is not of that importance to me, but when I do get around to eating it, it should be done right. None of that dry sand grainy pellets that seem under cooked or overcooked. None of that overly boiled into borderline oatmeal or porridge consistency. The rice here is a slightly longer grained rice cooked just to readiness. When paired with the dishes such as the lamb curry, the whole spoonful is a burst of flavor, and the rice becomes naturally softened by sauce to perfection. I ate all my rice. ALL of it. Mostly because I didn't want the sauce to go to waste after all the meat and veggies were picked from it, but even still, the rice was good. Nothing was there that didn't belong. The portion sizes are a healthy amount too. Just enough to get you hitting the full mark on a regular night out. No bagful of to-go-boxes to lug around, and just enough room for a dessert venture ...