Mushroom. Fucking. Risotto.

[CompleteBarstool]

We're on a rare trip away, been looking forward to it for ages especially about having some lovely food.

Now I discover tonight's veggie option is mushroom risotto. Mushroom. Fucking. Risotto.

What's the meal that makes your heart sink?

🤮

Mine is quiche.

I like mushroom risotto!

Extra veg sides and garlic bread?
When I first become vegi way back the vegi option was usually a cheese salad!!

With you on the mushroom risotto. I hate everything about it, colour, flavour and texture and especially smell.

I like mushroom risotto (though it is an uninspired choice). For me it's the only veggie option being goats cheese.

Quiche because nobody ever puts enough cheese in, so it's invariably a slab of thick, cold, solid egg.
Spinach and ricotta anything, because there's too much spinach, not enough ricotta and it needs extra cheese as well.
Veggie lasagne- usually like a tin of Heinz veg soup poured between pasta sheets.

What would you like to see on the menu, OP?

I’m not being goady. We occasionally host a veggie friend and it’d be nice to have a few new ideas. No goats cheese though, that’s their ‘always the veggie restaurant option’ nemesis.

@HPLikecraft

I like mushroom risotto!

I don't hate it but its just so boring. A plate of rice and mushrooms, every mouthful is the same texture ....the same sloppy, mushy texture.

Ooh that really sucks. I mean, I don't mind a mushroom risotto, but it's not something I would choose at a restaurant, because I can make one that's usually just as good.

Tell them you have an intolerance to mushrooms and ask if they have any other options available.

You clearly haven’t ever had a good risotto ai funghi 💁🏼‍♀️

It might be EPIC. [Hope over experience]

Something pasta for me. The sauce will be cautiously flavoured and the pasta floppy and over done. The parmesan will be a bit low end and the giant pepper mill, flourished wildly, will be set to fine not coarse and will sprinkle over my pudding cutlery accidentally, mmmm peppered semi freddo later, again. Heart sink.

@HPLikecraft - I like mushroom risotto!

Yes, but are you veggie? I used to like mushroom risotto. But then someone issued an edict to all restaurants that the veggie option must be mushroom risotto.

Obviously there are restaurants than serve nice veggie options but you're nearly guaranteed that a meat focused restaurant will have that as their "vegetarian dish of the decade day"

@30degreesandmeltinghere

Extra veg sides and garlic bread? When I first become vegi way back the vegi option was usually a cheese salad!!

Or an omelette, if you were lucky!

Where are you staying where there's only one vegetarian option and do you have to eat there?

Can you tell them you hate mushrooms and see if they can offer something else? What are the meat eaters' options, they should be producing something of the same variety and standard.

@BalladOfBarryAndFreda

What would you like to see on the menu, OP?

I’m not being goady. We occasionally host a veggie friend and it’d be nice to have a few new ideas. No goats cheese though, that’s their ‘always the veggie restaurant option’ nemesis.

Something with a bit of spice maybe, something with different components to the meal (so not just one mushy texture) , something with a bit of colour ....

eg. something Mexican, selection of tapas, or something involving roasted Mediterranean veg or even a decent veggie burger (halloumi, roasted peppers etc) with homemade chips and coleslaw on the side

I made mushroom truffle risotto during the second lockdown. This would be my dream dish

Veggie burger. We went out for a treat meal yesterday, veggie option was cauliflower wedges - sounded nice but that is what I had for dinner at home the night before. Other option was veggie burger. I had salad - a nice salad, admittedly, but I still begrudge paying £15 for a salad. I've been veggie for a long time. In some ways, there is more choice now, we've moved on from the days of vegetable lasagne being the only option. However, there is really not enough choice.

I'm not vegetarian but have been in the past, my bugbears are where they don't say what it is, you just have to take the vegetarian option as if you're just grateful to be fed and don't care if you enjoy it.

Or tomato pasta when the meat choices are much more interesting.

I love mushroom risotto.

Mushroom risotto is really difficult to cook welll, I find. And I'm a decent cook.

And yes, quiche out of a packet. Tastes like cardboard in my book.Home made is good.

You'd think being vegetarian was still fairly rare & 'new fangled' when you see some veggie options. I'm not vegetarian myself but sometimes don't want meat or fish but the options might only be bloody goats cheese & sodding beetroot, risotto or uninspired pasta.

Anything with goat's cheese or butternut squash (any kind of squash, actually).

It's not that I dislike any of these things per se, but they are very much the lazy kitchen's go-to for veggie/vegan options and I am DONE with them.

@BalladOfBarryAndFreda

There are so many other choices!

The majority of meat dishes can't be made veggie, by swapping out the meat with tofu, veggie mince, lentils, soya chunks, veggie sausages. There's so many good alternatives these days. (We currently enjoy the 'this isn't xxx' range)

So, casseroles, soups, savoury crumble, Bolognese, fajitas, roasts, curries, soups etc all easy to make veggie.

As well as all the stuff that is easy to make veggie by omitting the meat (pizza, pies etc)

Plus all the stuff that is inherently veggie...shakshuka, ratatouille, falafel etc

...can be made veggie*

@BalladOfBarryAndFreda

What would you like to see on the menu, OP?

I’m not being goady. We occasionally host a veggie friend and it’d be nice to have a few new ideas. No goats cheese though, that’s their ‘always the veggie restaurant option’ nemesis.

It's easiest if you look to different cuisines, not British 'meat and two veg'.

As well as Mexican or tapas, you've got Italian - endless pizza or pasta choices, Mediterranean mezze selection, hummus, falafels, breads, salads, grilled aubergine, halloumi, pastries etc etc, Indian - absolutely loads of choice there involving pulses, paneer and vegetables.

No meat at all required in any of them, but if you have people who expect meat, in all cases you can do a couple of vegetarian options, salad, carb and bread and then just do something with chicken and you have all bases covered and everyone can have most of the food.