A good, honest feed at Hendersons

For months I've been going to the bistro part of Henderson's Cafe and buying discount sandwiches and have always wondered what the food was like in the cafe below.
Henderson's has been open for 50 years, which is amazing in a country that seems to be a little bit behind when it comes to vegetarian food. They now have two cafes, one restaurant and one bistro in Edinburgh and brilliant reputation amoungst locals and tourists.
So finally I decided to go in for a bite and see what a 50 years old vegetarian restaurant was cooking up.


Not bad. not bad indeed.

The food was simple, honest and affordable. I had a 'light lunch' deal, consisting of my choice of two salads, a choice from a selection of hot dishes and a slice of bread. I chose an asian tofu salad and a broccoli and cauliflower salad and the vegan haggis with neeps and tatties. Theres also a selections of very yummy side sauces; vegan mayo, homemade chutney and toasted sesame seeds.
And I must say, the haggis was by far the best haggis I've tasted in Scotland so far and for £6.95, I felt I had definitely got my moneys worth. 


They operate on a 'cafeteria' service at Henderson's. You grab a tray and move along the line until it's your turn to tell the lunch lady what you'd like to order and then continue to move your way along the lunch line to the counter with your food. This system gives it a really laid back, relaxed feeling, and with all meals costing under £10, I think I'd prefer to be transported back to my youth than to pay more to be served at a table.


I'm looking forward to having more visitors in Edinburgh so I have an excuse to go back and try more of their tasty lunches.

Gurkah Restaurant

On Thursday night I went out for dinner with my friend Helena to celebrate her birthday.
Indecisiveness caused us not to book anything and we headed out to Kushi Restaurant at the top of the Leith Walk with a bottle of wine and all the hopes and dreams of easily getting a table. Turns out other people have actually read The List too because when we arrived the restaurant was packed and there was no tables available.


Having counted on being able to get a table there, we were stuck with a bottle of wine in a Tesco bag and had to start the hunt for another BYO that offers vegan meals. I vaguely recalled walking past a Nepalese Restaurant down Cockburn Street the other day, so we headed off their to see if anything was available.


There's nothing better than going to a restaurant with no expectations or ideas of what it will be like and ending up having one of the best meals you've had in a long time.
Gurkah Restaurant is a cosy little restaurant serving traditional Nepalese food in a Tapas style menu. 
The staff are incredibly friendly and more than happy to point out what on the menu was vegan and what dishes they could alter to make vegan. It's been a long time since I've been to a restaurant that wasn't vegetarian and been able to choose from such a selection of dishes.


We decided on a starter of Mo: Mo Cha (Nepalese Dumplings - Steamed of Fried) £4.95 to share, which were exactly as I remembered them being, in Northen India, if not better.
Followed by a side dish of Channa Masala (Chickpeas and potatoes cooked with spices and herbs) and one of Bhindi Do Pyazza (Fried Onions and Okra cooked on masala sauce with Nepalese spice herbs), both £4.95.
A serving of plain rice £2.50 and Roti £0.95, which they kindly made for me without ghee or butter.
The entire meal was absolutely delicious, the serving sizes were generous and we left there feeling full and happy.


I definitely have to recommend anyone living in Edinburgh or passing through to book in a table at Gurkah Restaurant and have one of the best Nepalese meals I've tried outside of Asia.

http://www.gurkhacafe.co.uk/

Excited to eat my delicious meal

Cosy, warm atmosphere

Glasgow vs Edinburgh

Glasgow vs Edinburgh

I very recently got offered a job writing for a tourist information website here in Edinburgh. And when I say 'job', I use the term loosely, meaning it's more like an unpaid weekly hobby which will look awesome on my CV and has potential to give me free vouchers. 
I've been told to articles similar to what I write here about veganism and what us vegans can feast on here in Edinburgh. 


So yesterday, after having my friend Kristin from Norway stay with me for the week, aka a seven day bender, I got to work on writing my very first entry.
And it got me thinking... what on earth do I write about? After spending over two months in Spain, when I arrived in Edinburgh I was like a little kid in a candy store. 


There was so many things I wanted to eat... and more importantly, that I could eat.
However three months later and numerous forum updates about how many vegan cafes and restaurants there are in Glasgow, I'm beginning to feel as though Edinburgh is being left behind in the whole 'vegan movement'. Why is it, that Glasgow is only one hour train ride away but some how there is a decade between them?
It does make me wonder, will Edinburgh catch up eventually or do they need a little push?

Dublin's finest

Cornucopia... Dublin's finest Vegetarian Restaurant.

Earlier this week I went to Dublin to visit my friend Glen and check out how the other island lives. Of course before I left I had a wee peak online to see what us cool kids can eat there, and found Cornucopia.

Cornucopia is in the center of the city, off the main shopping drag, and it is amaaaaaaaaazing!

There was soooo much good food, I wanted to try everything. However my budget disagreed with my hungry eyes and I settled for a lunch meal costing around 7 euros (totally worth it), which included a bowl of delicious soup, a choice of two -out of many- incredible salads, homemade bread and sundried tomato and cashew pate. Yum. Followed down by a coconut and vanilla torte and I was in heaven.

Is it bad that I actually want to go back to Dublin just to eat everything on that menu?

Definitely worth a visit if you're in Dublin, or dare I say even worth travelling to if you're in Ireland full stop.

http://www.cornucopia.ie/