5.31.09 | loving hut

i woke up on sunday to overcast weather and a mad craving for asian noodle soup. loving hut in alhambra had been on my to-do list for quite some time after hearing great things from my cousin and reading quarry girl's post. so once steve returned from his weekly hodgeball game with the boys, we quickly set out for a late lunch.

perhaps it was the fact that we were both starving, but it was seriously one of the best vegan meals we have ever had!!! here's what we ordered:

sea of love $7.95
this was an appetizer of enoki mushrooms, vegan ham, and ginger wrapped in seaweed and deep fried...the end result meant to resemble squid. the dish came with sweet thousand island style dipping sauce...overall really good!

golden rolls and teriyaki vermicelli $7.95
typical vietnamese noodle bowl served with egg rolls, teriyaki "meat", vegetables and special sauce. another great dish and the best fake teriyaki beef we have ever had.

royal noodle (bue hue) $6.95
with the exception of pho, which i hate, i love me some good asian noodles in savory broth. no vegan dish has ever come close to replacing my old favorite daikokuya....until now!! while the noodles and tofu were not the absolute best I've had, the broth and shredded protein really hit the spot. after adding some mint and siracha to the soup I was in heaven...so freakin good!!

tofu cheesecake
often times i find that vegan crust tastes like a nutra grain bar....in otherwords gross! luckily that wasn't the case with this dessert...simply light, creamy and delicious!

rose capuccino
the prettiest cup of coffee I have ever seen...check out a pic here. a bit too sweet for my taste, but still pretty good.

bonus points for reasonable prices, no msg and presentation...yes, we will certainly be back soon!!!

5.29.09 | mendocino farms

steve and i decided to head out for a sandwich on his friday off and i suggested mendocino farms, an "eco-artisan" sandwich shop in downtown. i had gone once before and had an amazing soy-cutlet sandwich which sadly turned out not to be vegan after some investigating by local blogger quarry girl. we settled on the vegan shwarma which was just as delicious.

vegan schwarma: mediterranean soy shwarma with merquez lentil and white bean puree, vegan tzatziki, ren onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and shredded romaine on grilled tortilla wrap.

what i love about mendocino farms is their fresh seasonal ingrediants and the fact that they are a certified green business, always a plus in my book. the sandwiches are a bit steep ($9.25 for the shwarma), but you are paying for quality. steve and I offset this by splitting a sandwich and bringing our own home-made salad with organic mixed greens, tomatoes, hemp oil, balsamic vinegar and hemp seeds. the seating is patio food-court style and shared by all the lunch shops in area, so we were being frugal, not ghetto :)

sadly they are only open on weekdays from 11:00am to 3:00pm, but perhaps this is a good thing...