HELLO! I wanted to write a quick lil' something to share with you a few new 'hotspots' where I have found both excellent service and excellent food! Dan's aunt and uncle were visiting last week and we went out for dinner with them. My friend Erin and I also went for breakfast at Mole which I LOVE so much! It was such a treat to have some 'just us' time!!! Girl time is definitely needed!!! Dan, Noah and I also grabbed a quick lunch a couple of weekends ago so I have three different restaurants and three different meal-times (breakfast, lunch, dinner), to share with you!!!
Victoria is pretty local-organic-vegan friendly but I like anywhere, some places are much more accommodating then others!
Let's start on breakfast and work are way to dinner!
When Erin and I went to Mole, I found that the menu had lots of vegan-friendly options and also wrote in brackets which food-items were vegan-friendly. I really like that because it immediately narrows my options and helps me to just concentrate and ponder over those items! I was craving pancakes when I went there but they didn't have vegan-pancakes. Boo! I guess I was hoping they did after experiencing delicious vegan-pancakes from The Naam when I was in Vancouver! I decided to get the Curried-Tofu Scramble (I had NEVER had tofu-scramble before), and I added avocado (I heart avocado), to add some extra flavor, punch and good fatty acids.
The presentation was beautiful! The tofu-scramble came with pesto potatoes (who would have known just how amazing these little pieces of heaven would taste), and toast...BEWARE: When I ordered my meal, thankfully my server asked me if I was vegan because apparently even though the meal says vegan-friendly, they usually put butter (aka...non-vegan butter), onto the toast they serve?!!??! So, obviously I asked for my toast DRY! I am actually NOT a bread-person! To my husband's dismay, I never crave any kind of toast, bread...the only time I really have bread/toast is when I'm making a sandwich...but let me tell you something about my special breakfast with Erin (the most beautiful, smartest, kindest, best friend anyone could wish for)...when I go to restaurants I COME PREPARED!!! I brought agave nectar (yes a bottle of it!), along with a container filled with cinnamon, hemp hearts, and chia seeds in my PURSE!!! Haha...I KNOW! The server commented on how impressive it was...he was being kind!!! Anyways, originally I was going to order oatmeal because I had never been to Mole for breakfast and wasn't sure of their vegan-friendly options...when I opted for something new, I realized that I could still use what I had brought from home...I drizzled the agave nectar onto my toast and then sprinkled it with my hemp-chia-cinnamon concoction and it was THE BEST DAMN TOAST I'VE EVER HAD!!!! I had an 'Ah-ha' moment and realized why my mother-in-law, sis, hubby, mom and son LOVE toast!!!! I just love it in a very-different way!!!!Onto lunch *note: keep in mind that I ate all this food on DIFFERENT DAYS!!! I don't go out to eat often but it's SUCH a nice treat...especially when you find places to eat that will accommodate your needs!
Last June, Dan and I bought annual passes to the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre (located in Sidney...you can check out their website at http://www.oceandiscovery.ca/). We have taken Noah several times and we all LOVE the experience and learn new things with each visit!
After our latest visit, Noah asked us for 'pita and hummie (hummie=hummus), meaning that he wanted to go to Maria's Souvlaki which is this really cute and small Greek Cafe located in the heart of Sidney! It's run by this equally cute Greek family! I wasn't sure if there were any options for me but after speaking to the kind lady who seems to always be there taking orders, she assured me that the falafel souvlaki was vegan-friendly (with hummus instead of tzatziki)! They make their own hummus too and it's sooooooooooo good.
Dan ordered the same dish (but with the tzatziki), and Noah had the hummus and pita as well as some of my falafel. We had such a wonderful lunch and the service was fast! 
When we took Dan's aunt and uncle out for dinner last week, they really wanted to go to Milestones located in the Inner Harbour (downtown Victoria). The view from the window-booths is spectacular...you look over the inner harbour, the parliament buildings, and during the summer it's PACKED! I was nervous because it doesn't have ANY vegan-friendly options listed but I was pleasantly surprised because the waiter we had was so accommodating to my requests. I told him that I was a vegan and wondered what options they had available for me. I ended up ordering the California Spring Salad which usually is served with goat cheese but instead they substituted avocado (at no charge), and then I added grilled portabello and button mushrooms (with garlic) and no oil/butter. I was very pleasant and didn't come across demanding (instead appreciative of the extra efforts my server went to assure me vegan friendly dressings, salad, etc)....the food was pretty good and the company was even better! We all had a great time and Noah was very happy to eat some vegetarian pasta with lots of sauce! YUM! I also had a delicious mint-green tea! Splendid!
So if you're a tourist or want to act like a tourist in the Victoria-area, you have three new places and three new meal-times to explore!!!
Ally is coming for another visit (YAY YAY YAY) soon and we're going to Tofino...if any of you have any recommendations for vegan-friendly hotspots either located in Tofino or along the way, let us know!!!!
Love, peace and health to all! xo
No comments:
Post a Comment