AIBU to hate the veggie option?

[BabooshkaKate]

It's always halumi.

Why? Why must it always be halumi?

How many different ways can you do halumi?

Why do restaurants never think outside the box?

Festive menu just through my door. The go-to place for local small-town Christmas parties. Christmas menu. Starters: Butternut squash soup or goat's cheese salad. Main course: gnocchi with butternut squash.
New Year's Eve menu. Starter: goat's cheese tart. Main course: butternut squash risotto.
It's almost funny. I'm glad I won't be going, though.

Blimey, I'm really surprised they're not also including pumpkin pie. Made with butternut squash, of course.

We are going to the 'Faine Dining' gastro pub up the road for New Year's Eve.

I am still waiting for the veggie option menu - and would love to know what they are going to replace the bacon butty at 1am with - maybe a cheese toastie?

Cheese toasty? In a faine daining plarce?

Surely you mean a panini my dahre? Or a welsh rahrbit with locally sarced cheddhar, sarved with chihves that were frolicking in the 'erb gahen just an aar ago?

Brecon that's exactly the problem, boring, repetitive and unimaginative

I have been following this thread with interest for a few days now and thought I would check out Christmas set menus for a few of my local restaurants (about five) some of which I frequent, some not. Every single eaterie has only one option and almost all either have goats cheese or butternut squash as a main ingredient in the starter or main. The fabulous local pizzeria is offering alongside the sirloin steak, tuna steak options, ta da! wait for it.... pasta with tomato basil sauce and aubergine, same price. One restaurant has one V option and the starter is a goats cheese salad and main is a goats cheese tart. I do like goats cheese but FFS!

No excuse for a pizzeria to be that bad Italian cuisine is FULL of vegetarian dishes that meat eating Italians eat regularly!

Oh I've just snorted! There is a France-wide club - vege-resto - the idea is local restaurants will provide a special vegan meal - a different restaurant every month. There have been some lovely choices over the years - then this came through fort the Xmas special - stuffed butternut squash as the main! I thought of you all

Work Christmas menu came out today... no vege option. 'Phoned hotel to ask ...
"Oh right, we normally have mushroom risotto in ..." the freezer, I assume

stuffed butternut squash as the main! NOOOOOOO!

fourcorneredcircle Ugh. I never said anything, but as the years go on I get more and more irritated at never getting a proper meal at the Christmas party. Surely part of events coordination is making sure everyone's dietary needs are catered for? It certainly is when I plan something...

i agree that just because I eat meat doesn't mean i always choose meat on a menu. We eat vegetarian meals 2/3 times a week and would choose them when out for dinner too if they were more interesting.

As a non vegetarian, I quite often choose vegetarian options on a menu. I love mushrooms in any form and would happily have a mushroom and asparagus risotto as my main, for example. Or roast vegetable risotto or pasta. Or a vegetable lasagne. Or anything with goats cheese (especially with caramelised onions), blue cheese or halloumi. Or pasta with lots of vegetables in a tomato sauce.

To be honest, something along those lines is what I cook whenever I have to cater for vegetarians. Ie, something that both vegetarians and non-vegetarians are likely to eat.

What I absolutely can't stand however is any kind of "meat replacement", and same for DH. Tofu in any form makes us both gag (as well as being incredibly environmentally unfriendly) - we've both learned not to order Pad Thai at Wagamama as we end up having to pick out all the revolting little cubes (no idea why they put those in there among the meat and seafood?) - and please don't mention Quorn - boak!

I wonder if that's why restaurants stick with more mainstream options? Perhaps more non-veggie customers choose the veggie option if it's something with mushrooms/rice/pastry/cheese/roast Mediterranean vegetables than if it's something geared specifically towards vegetarians / vegans than if it's something that only appeals to a very niche market? Just a thought.

Restaurants are businesses after all. They're not out to discriminate against anyone. If it sells, they'll offer it.

Oh and mushroom Arancini is the food of the Gods!

Can I give a shout out for the Hotel Del Mar, Sesimbra, Portugal, where we - myself, my son and his three kids - stayed for 5 days recently?

Neither the Maitre D or the chef had any idea what a vegan was to begin with. But, starting with a risotto on the first evening - which was pretty good - over the next four days, each evening meal was better than the last, culminating in a dish of stuffed cabbage leaves, which was absolutely amazing.

What's more, far from being treated like the odd one out, I was made to feel quite special! Every evening I was presented with a huge tureen or a platter, with the Maitre D in attendance - it was always a ceremony! And there was so much of it! I was very glad my grandchildren all had hearty appetites. My grandson (not a vegan) maintains that was the best food he's ever eaten.

It was obvious that the chef, once he knew my requirements, had taken the time and trouble to research the whole plant-based diet field - and he came up trumps!

Breadandwine THATS how it's done! A very happy customer likely to go back again, her companions impressed too and free advertising and no doubt excellent reviews on trip advisor which show that

They're willing to go above and beyond

The chef knows his stuff

Customer service is paramount

Itsawonderfulworld I'm curious have you read the whole thread?

It's not JUST the lack of choice that is an issue (and seriously there seems to be a 'vegetarian dish of the decade' that is the ONLY dish the majority of restaurants offer as 'the ONE AND ONLY vegetarian option'

80's - omelette if you were lucky!
90's - veg lasagne -soggy pasta oily overcooked veg and largely unseasoned
00's mushroom risotto - either soggy or grainy rice, soggy or chewy mushrooms and again little seasoning
10's butternut squash - more sogginess, more under seasoning)

It's quality too

And the general attitude that vegetarians are an afterthought!

Our money's as good as a meat eaters surely? And our reviews!

Plus we usually are bringing several meat eaters with us who CARE about us and get frustrated, disappointed and angry on our behalves.

My ex and my family have all had times when they've either wanted to or have actually complained about the way I and other veggie friends/family have been treated.

I've even had meals out where my orders been COMPLETELY forgotten and I'm sat there nursing my drink while everyone else is tucking in and it's taken several reminders to the wait staff until I've been served - that's unacceptable.

Also with all due respect but as a meat eater you are already well catered for, if the veggie option isn't to your liking you've a whole menu to choose something else from - we don't.

what would your ideal veggie option menu be folks,anything goes?

I'd like something that goes with a roast, if that's what everyone else is having, with the assurance that my side dishes are vegetarian too. No baconified sprouts or goose-fat roasties. I have no objections to a nut roast personally, as long as it's not some cheap frozen oblong, but a veggie Wellington might be popular. I'd give any fake meaty stuff a big swerve.

Just got our work Christmas Do menu

Veggie options-

Starter - Roast Butternut Squash Soup
Main - Tomato and Basil Risotto (how festive)

I've contacted them to check the vegan option.

Any bets on melon starter, stuffed peppers, fruit salad?

What I wouldn't give for roast potatoes, stuffing, onion gravy, carrots, sprouts, chestnuts

My works christmas vegetarian option was.... a stuffed tomato 😡 Seriously? Turkey with all the trimmings, salmon with potatoes and veg or a stuffed tomato with rice.

Ooh I make a lovely mushroom and chestnut Wellington. Very festive, can cut out stars or trees for the top. If yiu can get vegan pastry it's vegan too

So, unusually a large number of my colleagues are vegetarian (you know, for a traditional rural areas with lots of farmers wives/husbands on staff, 9 out of 20 attendees is quite high!) and apparently the Christmas do organiser went back to the hotel and asked if they couldn't offer something more festive - even suggested that we would be happy with all the accompaniments of a Christmas dinner (minus the meaty bits) with a nut roast or vegetable pie.

New menu issued...

Nut roast with boiled veg (as apparently roasties are done in meat juices, brussels are done with bacon and cauli cheese is made with non-vege cheese).

FOR NINE PEOLE WTF CAN'T THEY MANAGE SEPERATE VEGETABLES COOKED IN A VEGE WAY!!!

Work considering Indian instead. Less festive fare but we'll get crackers and confetti and pissed .

Four cornered exactly! If they really cared it's not a huge effort for them when they'd be getting 20 customers! And now you're probably taking your business (and money) elsewhere

Tell me again how it's 'not profitable' to cater for veggies!

I'd be happy with this. Even more so if it came en croute.

To accompany a roast meal, I would happily have a couple of field mushrooms spread with veg pate and vegan pesto (my favourite is Meridian) or hummus. This is so quick and easy to prepare, and takes about 20 minutes in a hot oven - or 5 or so minutes in a microwave. (3mins full blast, 2-3 mins half power.)

This done en croute, with the mushrooms sandwiching the filling, serves 2. Here.

I'm not a great fan of fake - or even onion - gravy, I'd much rather have a spicy homemade tomato sauce.

Went to a v posh restaurant with work the other night, as a veggie, in fairness I hadn't got particularly high hopes for a decent Main in a steak restaurant. But I was still disappointed.

What I got.. a bowl full of barely cooked green beans, with 4 Brussels sprouts cut in half. It was like a large vegetable side dish.

It probably cost £30.

This might also be a good time to mention the work do where I practically starved myself for a day in anticipation of a good feed, then travelled 50 miles to an evening party to find the sole vegetarian option was a platter of cheddar sandwiches in a choice of white or brown bread.