Eating out as a vegetarian. Aaaaggggghhhhhh!

[Neolara]

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.
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Dd is veggie and we choose restaurants now by their veggie options. She is very bored of chickpea curry! Our favourite is a local Lebanese place - lots of great veggie dishes.

And if you think UK is bad try France...really tricky.

The UK has more diverse cuisine from cultures that have been vegetarian for hundreds of years. Most places have an Indian or Chinese takeaway at the very least...

I'm currently in Northern Ireland for a few days and the menu this evening (rural hotel) was a bit of a throwback but it was gorgeous.

Options were veg lasagne, roast veg Wellington (I had that) and the vegan option was veg provençal with puy lentils. The Wellington came with a mushroom sauce and was fabulous.

You'd know you were in a rural pub as the sides consisted of 8 types of potatoes, 1 veg of day and onion rings.

A lot of veggie and Indian places will do you some sloppy carrot, onion and peppers in a sauce and charge you the same as a meat dish.

Ah France, where we were recently charged about 70 pounds for 5 starters of a tomato and a mozzarella ball.

Totally agree!!

I'm a meat eater but I would say 50% of the time would go for the vegetarian option when eating out. Party to cut down on my meat consumption but also because quite often it would be the healthier option ie lots of lovely veg, beans/pulses and cheese.

Now it's all fake meat and vegan friendly - aka processed shite!

Without fail I nearly always order the meat or fish option now.

👏👏

I actively avoid restaurants that don’t serve food I like so why can’t it be the same for vegetarians.

My DBs family are all veggies and happily choose vegetarian options.

Restaurants and pubs can’t cater to every single need especially in a world where every single allergen has to be declared. A vegan option is completely vegetarian so what’s the problem?

That doesn't make any sense -surely a veggie place should have more than that otherwise what are they going to sell?
I've also never been to an Indian place that serves 'sloppy things in sauces'. Or anything in sauce for that matter. It's usually curry. Unless your complaints is that a lentil curry costs the same as meat.

Post a sample menu maybe?

@CrystalCascade yes that's true. I suppose we can't please everyone-everyone on here is saying they don't know anyone who likes faux meat/cheese but someone is buying it! I dont pay much mind to menus' vegetarian options generally being a vegan, but I Am going to start looking now and see what the situation is with places I frequent.
@ChocolateCakeOverspill thanks for that recommendation, I am not far from Wakefield and hadn't heard of it.

I also really want to try Corarima!

If you're near there, Grand Cru at Birkenshaw isn't bad for vegetarians if you want to be somewhere a bit 'naice'.

@Susannainblue I assume that people who eat meat but not so often will be eating it while they're out as It's a 'treat' and I do know many people who are of the 'If no meat's in it It's not a meal' mentality.

i remember reading a post either on here or reddit where someone had rang ahead to a restaurant to check they could cater for her vegan daughter and when she was presented with the vegan meal choice learned of it being a plate of cauliflower she was incensed and demanded that they made something more substantial.

I cannot abide this trend for fecking cauliflower everything! I tried some cauliflower 'wings' once when I was out with family in a strange town and was really hungry. I can see why people might like those, in a way I understand why some people like deep fried anything (I don't at all aside from chips) but these 'wings' were SOOO greasy. Honestly so much oil/fat pouring off them. They tasted of nothing and the texture was a bit like a deep fried sponge. Ugh.

@sashh I have sort of-rang ahead to the Gran Cru and asked about vegan options as none on the menu, was assured I'd be catered for and oh god was I! That's the thing with 'real' chefs I think. He took it as an enjoyable challenge and made sure he made me something really good-he was happy to! I'd probably not expect that in a cheap place of course.

Only 1.2 percent of the country are vegan-up that figure to include people who like vegan food, want to try it, don't mind it or take their vegan friend/family member for a birthday or whatever and there are more people obviously, but I doubt a vegan restaurant would be a viable business idea for anyone.

Greens in Manchester is vegetarian but I've been there once and wouldn't go back. Overpriced (not expensive but for what it is) small portions, plastic chairs like you'd get in a cheap pub's beer garden, food wasn't great...

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie where was that please? I'm in Yorkshire

Yes chickpea curries are really, really nice but they're the sort of thing I might make at home when I cant be bothered going shopping and have a few tins hanging about, not what I want when eating out. They're everywhere from the Ivy to Wetherspoons and just a bit 'meh' really.

I have never been to France but by all accounts they're very bad for vegetarians-It's as if they don't believe in it!

I am dying to try Corarima.

There's a fabulous Indian restaurant in the village I live in that I love. inexpensive, great staff and atmosphere, and BYOB which is handy but I appreciate although Indian restaurants generally are better for vegetarians, not everyone likes that type of food.

So much hostility to vegan food...from vegetarians, sheesh

I've been vegan for over 30 years, and I never want to see another fucking beanburger in my life 😂 Loving all the plant-based meats & cheeses out there now! And I still see loads of vegetarian (not vegan) food at all the places I go to

I doubt a vegan restaurant would be a viable business idea for anyone

There are loads of them!

Maybe restaurants shrugging and going "Well, veggies can eat the [crappy] vegan option" is a kind of poetic-justice collective punishment for all the times certain faux-wide-eyed veggies said things like "Why not just make the whole buffet vegetarian? Hey, let's all go to the veggie restaurant, everyone can enjoy veggie food! Surely you don't need meat at every meal, haha do you think it's not a meal if it doesn't have meat??"

😂😂😂😂

@Noodge and other West Yorkshire vegetarians, thanks for the Grand Cru recommendation, I haven't heard of that one despite being fairly nearby.

Also for the reminder about Corarima, which I read about on here a few months ago and have been meaning to try.

In return I will offer up Prashad in Drighlington and Bundobust, which is owned by the same people.

Prashad is fine dining Indian and cocktails and Bundobust (in Leeds, Manchester and a couple of other places) is street food and craft beer.

Both completely vegetarian and around half the menu is vegan. And massively successful for the poster who suggested there isn't a market for vegan/vegetarian food that would sustain a restaurant.

Oh, and they don't sell fake meat or processed food except perhaps the brioche in Bundobust's Vada Pav, which they do have normal or egg free versions.

Otherwise everything is vegetables, pulses, paneer, eggs, bread and spices.

You know, normal food that everyone eats, not special weirdly food only suitable for and attractive to vegetarians and vegans.

I think one problem with vegan items is that they hare meat dishes that have been veganised rather than things that taste good but just happen to be vegan (or vegetarian).

Any greasy spoon cafe will do egg and chips or beans on toast.

Every culture has some vegi / vegan dishes, guacamole, salsa, hummus etc

Not necessarily @sashh.
Lots of greasy spoon places will use lard or other animal fats in the fat they fry the chips in, and the spread they put on the toast. Lots of cultures have food that seems veggie/vegan but if you look at the recipe they use a meat based stock "for flavour". You can't just assume.

Bundobust is amazing, and usually heaving - you need a reservation to get in most evenings.

Yes a vegan option may be completely vegetarian but far too many of the options are fake meat and/or cheese and lots of vegetarians do not want to eat them because they don't like them or because they are unhealthy.

Why can vegan options not be mainly vegetables or lentils or chickpeas or beans?

Me and DH are vegetarian, one of my siblings is vegetarian, two of my nieces, one of my nephews and quite a few friends. All of them agree that vegetarian choices have gone downhill because so many restaurants just have vegan option(s).

Well there is far more to vegetarian food than beanburgers as I am pretty sure you know.

You may love the plant based meats and cheeses but many vegetarians do not. None of the ones I know (and I know quite a few) do.

We don't eat fake meat or cheese at home because we don't really like them and the meat in particular is far from healthy so why on earth would we want to eat them if we go out for a meal?

There are so many veggie/vegan dishes that are delicious that don't have fake meat or cheese in them but just lovely veg/lentils/beans/chickpeas etc so why can restaurants not offer those?

Also you, again, are lucky that you live somewhere where there are lots of vegetarian options. As I said before, where I live there are very few options and quite a few restaurants have only vegan options.

I agree, OP. Restaurants generally have cut down on choice due to costs, and vegetarian dishes have taken the hit. But if it's any consolation, even the meat-based dishes are often less good also. Plus the rise of ultra processed crap fake meat and cheese (which I wouldn't necessarily equate with veganism) has also reduced choice.

I'm not veggie but often used to order the vegetarian options as they were more interesting. Not now.

I think it is slightly worse now they group vegetarian and vegans together.
I think it's always been pretty rubbish though as a veggie.
Veggie burger (can be anything from a mushroom, to fake meat or halloumi)
Veggie lasagne
Then 9 times out of 10 something with butternut squash and/or goats cheese.

I find Mexican and Indian much better for non meat eaters.

My local Chinese is terrible for vegetarian options. Just chopped vegetables in a choice of rather nasty sauces.

The Indian is a little better but they are again pretty grim on the whole. I doubt anyone living in India or Bangladesh would recognise the food.

I'd rather make my own curry. I'm making a cashew and cucumber one this evening

@Noodge , everyone on here is saying they don't know anyone who likes faux meat/cheese but someone is buying it!
Because if you have gone out for a meal, and there's only one vegetarian option, you either go without or you buy it.

My complaint is that someone somewhere decided years ago what 'vegetarian food' is, and 'vegetarian food' is butternut/mushroom risotto, caramelised onion/beetroot and goats cheese tart, spinach and ricotta canneloni, nut/mushroom wellington, veg & pasta bake or nut roast.

Despite being bored witless with those, they will be a damn site better than anything with vegan cheese in it. I find some of the fake meats hard to digest.

I think you're referring to me, and if you bothered to read my post properly in the very first paragraph I actually mention the existence of vegan/vegetarian restaurants.

What I was replying to was PP's wide-eyed innocent 'well why aren't all restaurants vegan then' because there isn't enough demand. If there was, like I said you are all missing out on a massive profit opportunitiy.

There needs to be a critical mass of veggies, or people who like the food.

happy to be proven wrong by you. I'll even provide seed funding for the business