Meal for 6 vegan restaurant

[Upcyled]

Going out for an evening meal 6 people a week on Friday.
1 person is vegan so has suggested we go to a vegan restaurant.
I'm not against veganism and have family that are vegetarian and vegan which is great their choice.
I am struggling with a vegan restaurant as a choice to be honest. If it were vegetarian I'd be fine with it but vegan seems too much to expect. Obviously the drinks will also be vegan.
I've eaten at great vegan places for lunch not an issue just a whole 3 course meal has annoyed me a bit. Vegan butter, vegan cheese etc (they're not butter or cheese)
So I guess AIBU to suggest a vegetarian restaurant as a compromise?
I guess I don't want to come across as 'the awkward one'

It is fake meat though. It's produced to look and taste like meat, predominantly for people that don't want to eat meat?!

Tofu isn't fake meat at all though, it's a perfectly popular and widely eaten food in Asian countries in its own right, nothing to do with "fake meat."
It's only in Western countries like ours (eg UK) that it can be used as a meat substitute.
It's not fake meat at all even if it is a good substitute for meaty dishes.

Pain in the arse. Presumably not just Indian food but a lot of other nice Asian vegan dishes are out too, in that case. Thai etc.

The only other thing I'd be willing to do is a Middle Eastern cuisine, Lebanese perhaps, where she could have hummus and something. If she's a vegan who also won't eat hummus, that's the point at which I'd be washing my hair instead.

@GoodAfternoonGoodEveningAndGoodnight I've already clarified that I know what tofu is, and that I know it isn't fake meat. My first post was misread.

Well a piece of bacon or a sausage hardly resembles a dead pig…

My point is that things like vegan sausages or burgers are always described as ‘fake’ food. In reality they are actually no more fake than sausages made from pigs or burgers made from cows if you think about it.

It’s just one of those things you have to either suck up or decline
Our friends group once went to a restaurant I think it was Latvian? Anyway I didn’t like any of the menu choices so sent my apologies. I wouldn’t have suggested they change their decision based on my preferences

Also vegetarian restaurants aren’t always great for vegans believe it or not
Our local vegetarian cafe serves a lot of quiche, salads with mayo style dressings, tarts, veggie lasagne. The usually have something like a bean chilli but tbh, non vegetarian restaurants do better

Quite a few Indian restaurants actually cater very well for people who don't eat onions or garlic (or leeks and other related vegetables) - it is called an allium-free diet, and is followed by certain religious groups in India, I think.

So for example I think Govinda's vegetarian restaurant in London offers allium-free options, and I know Tendril (very upmarket mostly vegan restaurant in London, not Indian food but the owner/chef is Indian) also does. You just need to ask.

Interesting.
In a recent thread where vegan poster didn't want to go to a work do in Brazillian bbq type place, where staff walk around with big joints of meat to carve straight on to your plate - she was told she was being unreasonable as there was a salad bar option.

But in this post meat eaters can't cope with not eating animal produce for one meal.

I'm veggie, and in my experience the food at vegan restaurants is generally excellent, with lots of thought to herbs, spices, grains, tastes and texture. Vegan dishes that are actually vegan from the core are so much better than dishes where animal produce has been replaced by (often) UPF vegan alternatives.

Where I live most "Indian" restaurants aren't actually Indian. They are owned by Bangladeshis or Pakistanis.

@IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads have you been to Church in Sheffield? It is owned by Oli Sykes, lead singer of Bring Me The Horizon. I believe that the protein element there is made from seitan, so you could class it as fake meat but the food is excellent.

@RampantIvy , ooh no I havn't tried there.
Have you been to Coriarima in Wakefield ? Eritrean, and "accidentally" vegan and GF, and very tasty!

I don't really mind seitan. It doesn't feel too "fraken".

I would look at the menu first but, given that there is usually very little that I want to eat in an ordinary restaurant and I really don't like most veg or pulses, I don't think I would be going. I definitely wouldn't be going if I had to pay for myself!

On a side note... Is there anyone vegan on here that doesn't like a lot of veg or pulses? Or do people only go vegan if they do like them?

But what do you eat if you're vegan and don't like veg and pulses? Chip butties?

@Bjorkdidit is that for me? I eat the veg I do like, which is limited, but I make sure I eat plenty, and salad, and meat, eggs, or dairy for protein.

I think to have a properly balanced vegan diet I would need to eat a lot more variety in veg, and unless I wanted to eat tofu (don't like it) or seitan (haven't yet tried it) it would be very difficult to have enough protein... not to mention pretty boring! (Before anyone mentions it I don't eat chili and I'm not keen on a lot of herbs. And I really dislike all the Thai food I have tried so far.)

I have never eaten a chip butty in my life!

@Bjorkdidit I didn't say I was vegan

I'm not vegetarian even but I love vegan restaurants, they seem to pay so much attention to flavour, and you can have some really tasty AND healthy options, but to each their own, if you don't want to go just say that.

I'm adding them to my "must go there" list.
Church is in Kelham Island, and has parking. We always go there when DD is home.

What’s wrong with vegan food? It’s the same as if someone from, say, Central Africa wanted their friends to come to an African restaurant to sample their Country’s food.
My son became vegan some years ago and we have eaten a lot of different (and delicious, non-processed) vegan food as a family - it’s just the same as experimenting with Chinese recipes IMHO.

The daughter of a friend of mine is a very fussy vegetarian who doesn't eat vegetables. She just eats lots of pasta (not sure what she puts on it). She is very overweight and unhealthy looking.

I worked with a vegan and every meal was fake chicken, a jar of sauce and rice. She would eat plain rice for lunch and then lecture us about how much better a vegan diet would be for us. I don’t think she represented most vegans though.

I had a look and the long time vegetarian restaurant near me isn’t great for vegans, they do loads of vegan starters. I imagine they would suggest ordering lots of those if you didn’t like the main vegan option.

I can only find one fully vegan restaurant nearish me and it’s all street food and burgerz and cheeze in every dish. That really wouldn’t appeal.

@WaitingforCheese @DilemmaDelilah Yes, that's the sort of person I was thinking about, which also describes the 'wouldn't eat pasta with herbs on' person I referred to and also answering @DilemmaDelilah question about 'vegans who don't like vegetables', which it seems is fairly common, they'd probably also eat lots of processed burgers, so no different to if they ate meat.

But then we're at the stage where it's best to ignore them for the sake of your own sanity, because it's clear that anyone claiming that eating a mainly UPF diet and little fresh unprocessed food is healthier or better for the planet isn't someone that you can have a rational discussion over a nice meal with.

I think it's just this specific vegan restaurant's menu OP doesn't fancy? She's said she'd be happy with a vegan Indian place, but the vegan friend would struggle with that because of other preferences.

Quite - the OP is garnering criticism of the vegan friend for being fussy whilst "not fancying" anything on the entire menu of the vegan restaurant. Its hypocrisy which may be why they have not come back.

@Vod , I read the OP that she was generalising, and basing her reluctance on previous experiences. If a vegan friend was suggesting a visit to a specific restaurant, I would think that they had recommended it for a good reason!

planet isn't someone that you can have a rational discussion over a nice meal with.

Meat eaters should not be discussing why someone is vegan over a meal. It's unfair because if we tell you the actual reasons whilst you are eating meat we are aware we will put you off your food. If we do actually give any answer beyond "animal welfare" which is why anyone is vegan btw, health reasons etc is a plant based philosophy, then the meat eater accuses us of being vegan.

My rules are, I don't talk about it when I am eating.
And I won't go into details unless someone genuinely wants to know or is attacking my choices.

But no, not something you get to bring up as polite dinner conversation.

The vegan community, like any other will also have members of the autistic community and the minefield that brings for fussiness, so that it's best not assume any fussiness is something someone can control.

*Accuses us of being a preachy or pushy vegan.