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Original poster

Eating out as a vegetarian. Aaaaggggghhhhhh!

289 replies

Neolara · 19/08/2023 23:14

Once again I've come back from a meal out and my food has been terrible while everyone else has had great food. Every. Bloody. Time.

This time, we were at a nice pub. There actually weren't any vegetarian options. The only option was vegan. Could I swop the coconut feta for normal feta? No, unfortunately you can't which (according to the waitress) is a shame because they get asked that a lot...

When it arrives, my dish is a plate of lettuce with about 10 small diced pieces of aubergine (maybe a third of an aubergine?) and a scattering of coconut feta. It tastes ok, but it's really just a starter, bulked out with a lot of lettuce. The lettuce is covered in a very dressing that is so sweet, I didn't even manage to eat all the lettuce. It costs £15. Everyone else (meat eaters), talks about how full the are and how good the food is. I've come home after spending £50 on two drinks, a starter and a rubbish main meal, and made myself a piece of toast because I'm still hungry.

If it was a one off, I wouldn't mind that much. But it's every time. The rise of veganism has been an absolute disaster for vegetarian.food in restaurants. Eating out is very rarely a pleasure any more.
.

OP posts:
ineedsun · 20/08/2023 11:16

mydogisthebest · 20/08/2023 11:07

Are you vegetarian? Options are definitely not better than they used to be. Me and DH have been veggie for 40 years. It went from having one or two options (and one would almost always be an awful veggie lasagne) to most places having lots of good interesting choices. Now it is almost always vegan food with fake cheese, fake meat etc. Most of it is vile.

I never complained about bean burgers or cannelloni and would love the choice of a bean burger now rather than the fake meat ones.

We both dislike tofu so that doesn't help but there are so so many nice dishes to make with lentils, chickpeas, beans or just vegetables so why the hell do restaurants not do so?

We rarely eat out now because the food is awful usually and certainly not cheap. I refuse to go out to eat far inferior food to food we can both cook.

We love indian food but don't want to eat it every time we go out plus we cook good indian food at home a lot. Also, as I said, the indian restaurants here are not a patch on the ones in London and Essex and a lot of them use tofu or quorn in their veggie options which we don't want.

All the restaurants we have tried nearby we have been to once, not been impressed and never been back. I have looked at the menus of just about all the restaurants within a 10 mile radius and am amazed how many either have no veggie/vegan option or just have 1.

Show quote history

Yes, veggie for about 35 years. The days of having one option on the menu, spinach and ricotta cannelloni or a dried up old bean burger are writ large on my consciousness. If I never eat another bean burger in my life it will be too soon.

The fact that we now have a choice of different types of food on most menus (except crappy pubs) is a huge improvement. Yes fake meat is on there, but it’s usually not the only thing.

I also don’t mind a lot of vegan cheese, which is controversial I know.

aramox1 · 20/08/2023 11:16

Totally agree. I like cheese, I don't want faje vegan food and I can make chickpea and spinach curry fine at home (it seems to have replaced butternut squash risotto). As for burgers, yes to halloumi and mushroom, no to 'plant' burger. Thai, Vietnamese and Indian food is still fab for veggies but pub food is awful.

ineedsun · 20/08/2023 11:19

Noodge · 20/08/2023 11:12

@ineedsun which Ivy was that please? I've been to three different ones recently that were all good. As an aside, the Ivy and wetherspoons both have a 'beyond burger' on their menu. Of course the Ivy is superior with presentation.

I must be a rarity based on these comments. Of course one random MN user isn't a representative sample but I love faux meat. Yes they're not healthy but in moderation a faux burger isn't going to kill anyone and I'm sure most people cannot claim that everytime they eat something it is purely for health reasons. When I eat out I'm usually on a day off my usual fairly health conscious regime.

I like vegan cheese substitutes too, if someone knows what they're doing with it! I've been to a restaurant in Leeds recently with vegan pizzas and other dishes on the menu, my pizza was fantastic. I'd call it an acquired taste. But the I've been vegan over twenty years and I'm just glad things are so much easier for us now

That said I do feel that everywhere should cater for vegetarians as well as vegans. It isn't going to help any cause having crap options for either, nor will it encourage the economy.

It isn't always a case of being able to pick where you go. Work dos, family outings, occasions organised by someone else, impromptu trips where everyone is suddenly hungry etc etc

Vegan substitutes also help my anxieties about being 'othered'. I find nothing worse than mu food being so substandard that that is looking at it and making 'eew' and 'I feel sorry for you' noises or me having to gain attention to a waitress or waiter to explain my diet and something has to be cobbled together. Much nicer to just ' I'll have that please!' And a normal looking meal appears, if everyone orders burgers or curries I can have one too. I so recognised the situation a pp said where I opt for sides/starters and everyone starts pouring over the menu 'have this!' 'Couldn't you have that?!' 'Do you not eat prawns?!' Etc etc. 🤣

The one in York, the starters came out at the same time as the main (an hour after ordering) and the rice on the replacement curry was crunchy so inedible.

I’m with you in liking vegan cheese too (some of it anyway!)

Noodge · 20/08/2023 11:21

@ineedsun I cannot STAND bean burgers either. I 'had to' have one in a Greene King pub once recently as they'd ran out of my first two choices 😖it was rank. And the chips weren't cooked either, pale and somehow managing to be soggy and hard at the same time. I'd never choose to go there myself but surely even a cheap pub chef knows how to cook bloody chips.

Bean burgers need to stay in the 1980s in (what I know is just!) My opinion.

ineedsun · 20/08/2023 11:23

I feel like we should start an underground support group 😂. Bean burger haters anonymous

Noodge · 20/08/2023 11:23

@ineedsun I've not been to that one! Will avoid. Did you leave them a review/complain? I love York, we ate at the Black Swan and the Cut and Craft last time which were both very good (omni partner and vegan me both happy)!

ineedsun · 20/08/2023 11:27

We did, in fairness they didn’t charge us but we couldn’t eat either meal. I’ll have a look at those places next time we go, always good to have a recommendation!

mydogisthebest · 20/08/2023 11:40

ineedsun · 20/08/2023 11:16

Yes, veggie for about 35 years. The days of having one option on the menu, spinach and ricotta cannelloni or a dried up old bean burger are writ large on my consciousness. If I never eat another bean burger in my life it will be too soon.

The fact that we now have a choice of different types of food on most menus (except crappy pubs) is a huge improvement. Yes fake meat is on there, but it’s usually not the only thing.

I also don’t mind a lot of vegan cheese, which is controversial I know.

Show quote history

Whereabouts in the country are you? Food for veggies is definitely not good in my area.

I don't see a choice of different types of food at all. It's still either the boring and usually awful lasagne or a vegan meal with fake meat and/or fake cheese or vile jackfruit.

Me and DH make lovely bean burgers and chickpea burgers. If we can do so I am pretty sure any half decent chef should be able to

VegetablesFightingToReclaimTheAubergieneEmoji · 20/08/2023 11:41

@indyocean and @Insommmmnia Totally!!

“they’ve got such and such here, you like that”

well thank you for pointing out something I can clearly see, and something I may or may not fancy today.

it actually makes the whole thing so much more painful, even though they are trying to be helpful.

“we can go somewhere else if you want”

FictionalCharacter · 20/08/2023 12:08

I completely agree. There are usually very few vegetarian and vegan options. Often just one. That single offering is often a very basic dish, like vegetable chilli, the kind of thing I could make for myself (better!) as a normal midday meal.
The quality is sometimes very poor and on top of it all you pay as much as everyone else has paid for a plate full of meat.
They're just not interested in providing something nice. It isn't difficult - the Vegetarian Society provide recipes for catering - but they'd need to actually want to do better.

ineedsun · 20/08/2023 12:22

mydogisthebest · 20/08/2023 11:40

Whereabouts in the country are you? Food for veggies is definitely not good in my area.

I don't see a choice of different types of food at all. It's still either the boring and usually awful lasagne or a vegan meal with fake meat and/or fake cheese or vile jackfruit.

Me and DH make lovely bean burgers and chickpea burgers. If we can do so I am pretty sure any half decent chef should be able to

Show quote history

Yorkshire, but industrial rather than touristy area. In fairness though pretty close to cities and rural places so quite a selection of areas.

Did struggle more in the South West to be fair but that’s because we tended to just go to pubs rather than restaurants.

dameofdilemma · 20/08/2023 12:33

I hear you OP. I simply don't go to restaurants anymore that don't cater properly for veggies. Luckily lots of choice in London and my friends care enough about me to check menus before we decide where to go.

Someone who couldn't care less whether there are decent options for all invited isn't someone I can be bothered to meet for a meal.

dameofdilemma · 20/08/2023 12:34

Pubs outside of London have in my exp been the worst. It's all roasts and pies etc with a token nut roast thrown in.

Still, better than France tho!

CrystalCascade · 20/08/2023 12:52

@Noodgebut vegetarians CAN eat vegan food. They just choose not to.
I'm torn on this, Am often vegetarian for religious reasons and don't like vegan substitutes.
However as a former food industry employee ... businesses exist to make a profit. Below a certain price point it isn't worth having that many options if not many people will have them.

baklavagoddess · 20/08/2023 12:55

Totally agree, I'm vegetarian and I want proper cheese! I've noticed a lot of options seem to be vegan meat substitutes which I'm not a fan of

mydogisthebest · 20/08/2023 13:30

I get that restaurants are there to make a profit and to have lots of veggie and vegan options may not be profitable for them BUT why do they seem to think that vegan meals should consist of fake meat and/or fake cheese?

As I said before, there are so many delicious meals that you can make with lentils, different beans, chickpeas, vegetables that do not need meat or cheese.

VegetablesFightingToReclaimTheAubergieneEmoji · 20/08/2023 13:32

and fuck off with your shitty manky goats cheese.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 20/08/2023 13:43

VegetablesFightingToReclaimTheAubergieneEmoji · 20/08/2023 13:32

and fuck off with your shitty manky goats cheese.

I love goat's cheese. It's mushroom bloody risotto that I can't abide. I used to like it until every restaurant in the western hemisphere changed their veggie option from pasta with tomato sauce to mushroom risotto.

VegetablesFightingToReclaimTheAubergieneEmoji · 20/08/2023 14:32

OchonAgusOchonOh · 20/08/2023 13:43

I love goat's cheese. It's mushroom bloody risotto that I can't abide. I used to like it until every restaurant in the western hemisphere changed their veggie option from pasta with tomato sauce to mushroom risotto.

Show quote history

And charged £14.95 for it

JaukiVexnoydi · 20/08/2023 14:33

It's when the so called "mushroom risotto" is clearly some boiled plain normal rice microwaved with half a tin of cream of tomato soup that it's grimmest. Because bothering to use actual risotto rice is too much to ask.

CrystalCascade · 20/08/2023 14:56

mydogisthebest · 20/08/2023 13:30

I get that restaurants are there to make a profit and to have lots of veggie and vegan options may not be profitable for them BUT why do they seem to think that vegan meals should consist of fake meat and/or fake cheese?

As I said before, there are so many delicious meals that you can make with lentils, different beans, chickpeas, vegetables that do not need meat or cheese.

Because most places below a certain price point don't determine their own menus or even have fully qualified chefs. A good proportion of their menu is bought in. I've noticed this more and more post-Covid with almost every local pub suddenly having 'korean fried chicken', 'salt and pepper calamari' for example on the menu. To be fair, some of them do have lentil curries etc (clearly bought in), at least it's an option.

Good food and skilful chefs cost £££. But people are not prepared to pay. I've had some truly delicious vegetarian food at 'proper' restaurants.

I have no problem finding good places to eat that suit everybody when it's a meal out for the purposes of catching up. What I find difficult is when I want to try something specific (why would I invite a vegetarian to a fried chicken place??) or when a meal's a necessity with a group of people before/after doing some other activity.

Easiest is to just go for Asian or Mexican food but a lot of people claim to 'not like' it and we end up going to a pub. Can't please everyone...!

HangingOver · 20/08/2023 15:01

I cook beans and lentils at home, I love a fake meat burger when I'm out 😁

mydogisthebest · 20/08/2023 15:13

HangingOver · 20/08/2023 15:01

I cook beans and lentils at home, I love a fake meat burger when I'm out 😁

Well maybe they could do both!

I also cooks a lot of meals with beans and lentils at home but there are so many dishes you can make with them whereas a fake burger is a fake burger and I don't want one when I eat out.

ChocolateCakeOverspill · 20/08/2023 18:42

I’ve just been to a pub for a carvery. Veggie carvery option wasn’t vegan so had a Buddha bowl. It was bloody delicious. Good selection of veggie and vegan food including a vegan pudding which wasn’t sorbet and I didn’t notice a fake meat burger or any vegan cheese on the menu which will keep vegetarian mumsnetters happy.

Ominvores had a huge carvery. Was very reasonably priced too.

Dam Inn near Wakefield if anyone is interested.

RufustheFactualReindeer · 20/08/2023 18:48

I didn’t notice a fake meat burger or any vegan cheese on the menu which will keep vegetarian mumsnetters happy

only if i can drive to wakefield