Whilst in Costa Mesa I traveled up to Redondo Beach, where our good friends Nathan and Randy live. It is a great town on the beach and I had a great time with them. There are plenty of Thai places around which offer various vegan options. Also, Mexican and Chinese places abound. There is a little gem of a place in Redondo Beach called Happy Veggie.
Happy Veggie is located on the PCH at 709 N. Pacific Coast Highway in Redondo Beach. It is in a small strip mall and you could miss it if you are not looking. It is a small place, but the people who run it are very friendly and knowledgeable about vegan fare. I had a vegan Thai Iced Tea which was SOOO good. They had some excellent appetizers, which included Soy Chicken Dumplings, Spring Rolls, and Golden Tofu to name a few good ones. They had vegan Pho which I did not try, but am told it is very tasty. As for entrees, I do not know where to begin. I had the Szechuan Chicken Strips which came with onion, brocolli, and a fantastic Szechuan sauce. The Curry Chicken was also amazingly tasty. In a previous visit I had the Green Beans and Chicken which had a nice, light vegan brown sauce. Other staples are their Pad Thai, House Special Chicken, Grilled 'Fish' Dinner, and Kung Pao Chicken. They had an incredible array of desserts which includes a vegan Flan. Yep, a vegan Flan. They were out of it while I was there, but the idea is great. They have a few other cakes, I had the Almond Mocha Whipped Cake and it was superb! This place is a definite for any vegetarian anywhere near Redondo Beach. Go there now! http://www.happyveggie.com/
We drove up on Mulholland Drive, and descended back into Hollywood for lunch the next day. There is a great vegan Thai restaurant on Melrose.
Bulan Thai Vegetarian Kitchen is located at 7168 Melrose Ave in Hollywood, but has a second location in Santa Monica as well. This place was incredible. The selections were diverse and they were very friendly and accomodating. I started again with a vegan Thai Iced Tea, which was very good. It is essentially a typical Thai place, but everything is vegan; so if you have a favorite Thai dish, they have it. We had their Hot Wings appetizer, which was awesome. (It came with vegan ranch, but once again I tried it and did not like it, but that's just me) They have Dumplings, Fritters, Spring Rolls, Fried Tofu, and many other appetizers. I had their Dried Chilis with Cashew entree with veggie chicken and beef. It was amazing and tasted very fresh and authentic. We also tried the Orange Chicken, which was great if you like deep fried things. (which i definitely do) Some of their specials sound really good. Crisp Fish with Green Apple (crisp veggie-fish with apple, cashew, onion, chili, and house special dressing), Busaba Pumpkin (pumpkin sauteed with tofu, garlic, chili, basil, and house special sauce), and several version of Fried Rice top the listings for innovative Thai vegetarian cuisine. If you are ever in Hollywood, take a journey over to Melrose; do a little shopping and stop in to this place for an amazing lunch or dinner. www.bulanthai.com
No comments:
Post a Comment