to wonder why many vegetarian menu options

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have very little to do with vegetables?
If I wanted pasta or risotto I could order those, but mostly these seem to be the only choices, unless in a "real" Italian, where you could order aubergine or a Greek or Turkish place, where there are stuffed vegetables.
I am very fond of potatoes, but even these don´t feature very often. Of course, they are vegetables LOL
Anyone else feel like this?
Disclaimer: I do eat meat and fish, but I do not always feel like it

Imagine walking into a restaurant and being handed a menu with only two options on it - that's what it's like to be a veggie. Sometimes there's only one! And just like there are meateaters who don't like liver and onions or scallops, there will be veggies who don't like eg mushrooms. So there may be no option.

As we're recommending places I'd like to recommend Michael Caines restaurant at the Abode hotel in Exeter.

DP and I went there a couple of years ago for a weekend away without children. I mentioned being veggie when we booked as it said vegetarian food was available on request but TBH wasn't expecting much as chefs (esp. some celebrity chefs..looking at you Gordon Ramsey) often turn their noses up at vegetarians.

Anyway, when we came downstairs to the restaurant for dinner the Maitre D' led us to our table and produced a menu for DP and a separate veggie menu for me -there was actually a choice!! The dishes were varied, used fresh seasonal ingredients and were delicious.

Obviously not a place you'd go to everyday but great for a special occasion.

I went to a very smart restaurant a couple of years ago - the chef had come from a Michelin starred joint across town. I'm veggie and the only veggie option was........ pesto and pasta!

The waiting staff were very sniffy when I asked if that really was the only veggie dish.

We haven't been back.

And have you noticed that a lot of pesto (well the jars you buy anyway) isn't vegetarian?

I think it's the cheese. Like parmesan isn't usually veggie either,

NotGeoffVader Of course Wagamama - must take DS soon.

catgirl1976 I'll also give Heathcotes a try.

Roast dinner - I'd rather just have potatoes, vegetables, veggie gravy and not be overcharged. Lovely yorkshire puddings and cauliflower cheese what I have at home.

Another recommendation for anyone going on holiday in west Wales - LouLou's in Newport Pembs. The main 'special' is nearly always veggie, and generally something that you really wouldn't cook yourself, IYKWIM. She's also very good at switching stuff around, DH can't eat cow dairy so wherever he goes always has to quiz about butter, cheese etc.

Mou-fucking-sakka. My heart sinks whenever I see it on a veggie menu as it always ends up like over-cooked mush.

I had the misfortune to go to Coal a while ago, the only veggie choices on a huge menu were greek salad and a mousakka-y thing with 'potato dauphanoise' (sp?). It was a few huge chunks of oily aubergine with some salty, cheesy lumps of potato dolloped on top. I couldn't finish it. I did e-mail to complain but never heard back so I won't go back there again!

Gourmet Burger kitchen is expensive (IMO) but their veggie burgers are delicious. And Wagamama is always good, at least 4 choices IIRC.

Getting away from the context of the question a bit but I'd thoroughly recommend going on holiday to India. Even in relatively meat-eating Rajasthan, veggie is the default option, so unless at one of the many pure veg restaurants, you get the menu and the non-veg menu - what a wonderful turn-around! Lots of choice, lots of vegetables and the wonderful possibility of ordering anything you like, without really knowing what it is but knowing it will be ok.

I found eating out when pregnant almost impossible as lots of veggie meals are cheese-based. Normally this isn't a problem as I love brie, stilton, goats cheese, etc. But when you can't eat blue cheese, or soft rind cheese, suddenly the options are much more limited. Mind you, on the whole, the options are much better than when I became veggie 21 years ago. Then, if a menu even had something suitable, it would always always be veggie lasagne. I hated it for years.

I went on a works night out recently, where the restaurant had asked us for choices in advance. They also specified that only vegetarians were allowed to choose the vegetarian option . How weird is that??? I suspect they saw vegetarian food as a weird thing that they didn't really want to have to do at all - this suspicion was compounded by the veggie starter being almost the same as the veggie main . Starter was something like roasted vegetables topped with goats cheese and main was something like goats cheese tart accomanied by roasted vegetables.

How incompetent can you get? Having a similar starter and main is a particular bugbear of mine, when there is only one veggie choice in each!

Oh, and don't get me started on the pubs that put lots of effort into their steaks and homemade meat pies, but veggies just get something from the back of the freezer.

This is a real bugbear of mine. DH and I eat meat occasionally but will only buy high welfare/free range, so eat veggie probably about 50-60% of the time anyway. Being an animal welfare volunteer, most of the people I know are either veggie or vegan, as are quite a lot of our family. Veggie/vegan food can be healthy, delicious, sophisticated and luxurious, so why do pubs/restaurants make such a balls up of it?

A particular gold star must go to David Bann in Edinburgh - they are fabulous. We ate at a Korean restaurant in Cardiff over the weekend, and actually it was possible to eat a really nice vegan meal there since there was a wonderful selection of vegetable dishes, dairy free and lots of really gorgeous tofu dishes (not something I can say with conviction very often!!). Also a particular shout out for the Watershed in Bristol - they do great food, which is local and seasonal and are happy to make anything vegan or gluten free on request. I've been impressed whenever I've eaten there. See, it can be done.

Oh, and YY to Pod in London too. Tried them on a recent visit after DH was raving about them. Great.

Isnt most cheese vege these days or am I feeding my vege friends something horrific?! As a non vege v rare meat eater I dont mind either way, but my vege and pescetarian friends would!

That is, I eat meat very rarely, not that I eat it very rare :o

Most supermarket cheese in the UK is vegetarian - made with vegetable rennet - but not all. You need to check the labels.

Imported cheese, particularly, as I have mentioned upthread, stuff like parmesan, often is not vegetarian.

Even in the case of vegetarian cheese, the dairy industry is not a kind one. Cows can only give milk if they have calves regularly, and the calves are taken away. The calves are taken away very young and are used for meat (well the male ones definitely are). Therefore a lot of vegetarians, like my DH, feel uncomfortable about eating too much dairy as they feel the dairy industry is a cog in the wheel of the meat industry. DH often says he could be vegan but it would make things too difficult for me which I think is bullshit as we have a DC who can't eat eggs or dairy and I just get on with it

Male calves are usually shot.

I resent:

Lack of choice.
Don't charge me the same as the meat course, when you've removed the meat and left me with a few artfully arranged leafy bits on the plate.
Risotto.
Parmesan cheese is not veggie - yes you Heston at the Mandarin, Gordon Ramsey (yes I know you hate veggies, but it doesn't stop you taking my money), and many many more 'top' chefs, who I would expect you and your head chefs to know about rennet.
Phoning up when booking to check you can do a veg option, then on the night get served up something half arsed.
Risotto.
Veg on puff pastry - very very lazy.

I love food, I am willing to pay for food, who will take my money - for good food...

I've always found Asian & Meditteranean restaurants know what to do with veggies far more than other European styles.

this reminds me of when DH and I were in a restaurant in a French backwater. I'm veggie, he's not. When the menu came, there was NO veggie option on it at all. DH, however, had the choice of about 8 different meats including kangaroo and ostrich. My meal? Mashed potato, chips and potato croquettes.

In another restaurant in the Dordogne, I asked about the veggie options and was told the that chef would rustle something up for me. Silly me, I was quite excited at the prospect. Cue a plate of a few steamed veg and one piece of, what looked like, beetroot. I ate it all with mayonnaise (there was no sauce, no nothing) and the 'beetroot' turned out to be a pear poached in red wine (that's right, they were so stuck for a veggie main, that they shoved a bit of pud in there too). DH's meal looked glorious and even included vegetarian dolmades .

Having re-read this I am now craving stuffed vine leaves! I've also been inspired and will be making chickpea/kidney bean burgers for tea. :)

Oh yes, France is another story again. Even at the worst British pubs people usually have some idea what vegetarian means. Many French restaurants have nothing suitabable and feel very rejected on behalf of their cuisine if you ask. I've seen a few menus where they're really making an effort, listing 'veggie' options... which are mostly fish. Plat des legumes it is!

I had a similar experience in Ireland ten years ago. Salad with lots of raw onion, nuts and strawberries. Total incomprehension to the point that their incredulity (ok, I was vegan at the time) was quite endearing. It was helpful incredulity rather than the dismissive kind. It think I ate a lot of potato and salad.

I have managed reasonable veggie meals in France and even a vegan one (vegetalienne) by discussing it in advance. It is getting better, slightly!

Our DS2 invited a 'friend' round for tea this Saturday and told us she doesn't like eating meat - so not a strict veggie as such. Had already told our youngest DCs would be having homemade pizza for Saturday already - so we did - made up the dough and everyone could make up their own pizza and the veggie was topped with goats cheese LOL.

Anyway 'friend' is now officially the girlfriend (ah...) - actually she was very nice and coped with being asked about all sorts of questions about Star Wars and Jesus from the two younger boys (DW away at the weekend).

Anyway - do have lots of cook books and do veggie about once a week or so - just to make a bit of a change - more for DW and I. Looks like I may have found a good excuse to buy HFW Veg Cottage - been watching some of the repeats and found the food very appealing.

I'm surpriased in some ways that the chefs don't like the challenge - when I did a bit of a stint heping out in a bistro many years ago I enjoyed coming up with ideas for the specials - doing the same menu day in day out is boring!!

I wonder what % of he population are veggie...the behaviour of the restaurants implies its a tiny number.

About 10% I think and other people do choose veggie food sometimes, if it's good!

Some chains have grasped that if you have an acceptable veggie option then groups containing one veggie will dine with you rather than going elsewhere.

Same applies to mass catering, where many caterers used to producing the same dishes in large volume seem to struggle. Yet, if the caterer for a friend's wedding couldn't accommodate her vegan bridesmaid they'd have lost the whole contract for 80 people.

Related to that I've found eating at and organising food for meetings and conferences really frustrating. As a vegan, letting people know in advance, on average half the time I did not get lunch at meetings. Either the person ordering the lunch had failed to communicate or the caterer sent the wrong thing (e.g. Gluten free ham salad), nothing or just didn't understand. Then there was the baked potato. The one with no filling and an undressed salad that i had to sit and eat with a knife and fork while everyone else stood and mingled with finger food. The really annoying thing is that I don't go to work meetings to talk about lunch or draw attention to a personal choice, I just want to be fed, unobtrusively, like everyone else.

I once organised a conference for 100 people 10% of whom had a special requirement (vegan, gluten free, nut free - veggies were accommodated in the main buffet). We paid about £10 a head to include a dessert selection. None of the desserts offered were suitable for these 10 people, so we had to pay extra for some fruit. And yes, all 10 were given the baked potato, no filling, undressed salad. For £10 each. Otherwise a good venue. I'd never use them again.