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?

user1471451327 where is that pub?

For those saying 'there's no demand for decent veggie food', I went to the new branch of Mildred's (well known veggie restaurant in London) and people were waiting 45 minutes for a table. The Byron Burger directly opposite had two people in the entire time we were there.

Yep another mushroom risotto hater here. I don't mind halloumi but it's always rubbish it restaurants - especially if it's part of some kind of 'roasted vegetable stack'

Real lack of imagination when it comes to veggie options. Vegan options are even worse.
I'm veggie, but have intolerances to both cheese and carrot. They're both in everything that local restuarants have on their Christmas menus. I like halloumi, but I can't eat it.

I'm not a fussy eater (despite what several meat eaters have called me over the years ) I like cheese of all kinds, I like mushrooms, risotto, aubergine, courgette, peppers all sorts!

What I don't like is

Lack of choice
Being treated as inferior then charged for the privilege!

It's quite hard to get in here AND it's vegan and other veggie/vegan restaurants in Manchester are doing amazingly well.

How many times have us veggies had this conversation:

Me: I don't like mushrooms.
Friend: Eh? Buy you're vegetarian!

No one would incredulously say 'But you eat meat!' to someone who didn't like lamb.

Tater Tots. Its in Suffolk www.theveggieredlion.co.uk/
Dont work for them -just appreciate a place that serves up brilliant veggie pub food (including lots of chips) in a nice country pub environment. Always packed out

I've found Chef & Brewer chain gastropubs pretty good for tasty veggie options. They do a delicious mango salad.

Exactly, it's the "Be bloody grateful you're getting anything at all" attitude that pisses me off.

We're going to an Italian place for our office Christmas lunch and these are the vegetarian main course options:

PUMPKIN CANNELLONI (not a million miles away from that ubiquitous butternut squash )
Oven baked with pomodoro sauce, mozzarella, sage and Bella Lodi cheese.

WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO (just for a change )
Creamy risotto with mixed forest mushrooms, garlic, thyme, smoked mozzarella and pangrattato.

All the main courses are served with sharing bowls of crispy garlic potatoes, roast squash and spiced kale. Neither of those main courses is carb-light, so good luck fitting in potatoes and squash as well. Good job the only veggie first course is soup.

I'm omnivorous and although both of those main courses sound fine, they're not my idea of a special Christmas meal. I will therefore be going for one of the meat or fish options.

I usually find that the vegetarian option is either pasta of some sort,or something very heavy on mushrooms or feta cheese. I hate mushrooms and feta cheese.

What would vegetarians like to eat them in restaurants?
As a non veggie I quite like the goats cheese tarts etc and would choose. Last meanat a vegan restaurant was a spelt mushroom risotto so even vegan restaurants obviously like the risotto as main

What annoys me are dishes labelled and sold as vegetarian but which contain parmesan.

Do you like goats cheese tart and mushroom risotto enough to only have one of those two 90% of the time that you eat out Art?

Well I wouldn't mind too much as I don't eat out daily. I'm asking though what other options people would like? Surely most restaurants must do similar for a reason?

For Christmas menus particularly it would be nice to have something that would go with traditional Christmas accompaniments. So maybe something involving chestnuts, pastry, etc. A decent Christmassy nut roast would be ok, something celebratory. Mushroom risotto is not it! I also appreciate it if it's something better than I could cook myself, or something more complicated. Too often the vegetarian option is pasta or risotto that I could make a much nicer version of at home.

I get the fussy vegetarian label too, often from meat eaters who don't like spicy food, or 'sauces' (WTF?), or 'anything foreign'. I filter them out. If it's not some kind of meat substitute, I'll eat it, but it's hard to look enthusiastic about paying £15 for some cheesykalestodgepastry abomination with green salad. Rather just have a bowl of chips, thanks.

I'm a fussy vegi who hates goats cheese and aubergine. I do love halloumi and mushroom risotto though.
What would most of you consider special?

Veggie soup is always carrot or butternut squash. I hate both.

You are so lucky! I always get ruddy rattytooey or bleugh veg lasagne

I love halloumi but rarely see it on menus! OP I get your point about lack of veggie options though. I'm going for a Christmas meal with some friends and the organiser emailed us some menus from different pubs so we could chose where to go. On each, there was only one veggie option, two were butternut squash risotto and one was butternut squash gnocchi! I do like both, but they are far far cheaper and less 'special' than the meat options available, and that's annoying when you have to pay the same amount for the meal.

Why do restaurants never think outside the box?

They do. You're clearly eating in the wrong restaurants.

But what is a good balanced vegetarian dish?
Either you have pulses and grains, or cheese, nuts and eggs for protein.

Fair enough the red bean stew, and nut roast isn't always welcome, time after time, neither the cheese pastry tarts, but really the only place I've been to which serves decent vegetarian food is a specialist vegetarian restaurant and only then the choices are varied and universally palatable.

Maybe eat something before you go. After all a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle is your choice, not everyone's- why do people always insist on oiling the squeaky wheel?

Fwiw I have an egg allergy so can't just eat everything willy nilly, and always have nuts and seeds as a snack. I order starters and skip main courses if necessary, but would never dream that the whole office couldn't go to a meat eating restaurant just because the menu didn't suit my sole needs.

I second the idea to always go to an Indian or Thai restaurant.
Something tasty for everyone there.

OP, are you in Nandos ? They always have halloumi, and I quite appreciate it actually!

Abel can you not phone the restaurant and ask if they can do you something?

Also Abel, I went to the restaurant you linked to for my birthday with my omni DH and it was just amazing. Food heaven. It was fully booked too.

I'm vegan, I usually try to chose the place we're eating at and I'm lucky enough to live in Manchester where there are lots of places with great vegan options.

If I don't get to chose and we go somewhere "hostile", I invariably eat
Jacket potato and beans
Chips and beans off the children's menu
A houmous starter as a main, with a side to pad it out
A selection of sides without their dressings
Just chips

And very very rarely a dessert (good for my figure but a bit depressing)

I've taken the view that I go out to eat with friends/colleagues etc for the social aspect and any nice food is a welcome bonus