Comments on mattatouille: Good Vegan Food?? No way!

Foodeater - your line of argument would be correct...

2009-05-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

Foodeater - your line of argument would be correct, except for one thing: vegan food is not a 'cuisine.' Yes, there is a wide range of quality in vegan preparations. However, vegan restrictions inevitably make the quality of your food worse.

Butter is better.

Also, Vegan Glory is just one of many Thai-America...

2009-05-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

Also, Vegan Glory is just one of many Thai-American knocks off that serve mediocre food that is at best, questionably vegan.

If you have any interest in moving past the stereotype that all vegan food is crap, take H. C. up on his suggestion of Shojin. You don't have to be a vegetarian or vegan to recognize when food has been cooked by a true master in the art of deliciousness.

Well I'm not going to argue with you about the mer...

2009-05-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

Well I'm not going to argue with you about the merits of veganism as you clearly aren't interested. My point wasn't to try and convince you to go vegan, but to simply point out that you made a really exaggerated blanket statement about (most) all vegan food being bad when that's clearly not the case.

I don't eat meat or cheese or any of the other things you listed, but I can certainly

In Los Angeles, PS and Orange County, I love Nativ...

2009-05-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

In Los Angeles, PS and Orange County, I love Native Foods (closest one is in Westwood) for vegan food. I am not vegan and still found that everything tastes great (and I am a big meat eater), so to say that means the protein they use tastes like spicy or savory protein, not some dry or mushy meat substitute. I like them better than M Cafe and Veggie Grill, which are both better known but not as

While I don't think it would ever be possible for ...

2009-05-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

While I don't think it would ever be possible for me to give up cheese or the occasional big fat steak, those udon noodles do look delicious. I could actually go for a bowl right now -- starting to feel the oncomings of a cold! Eeek!

Where's Shojin, HC? Foodeater: I've only had bad ...

2009-05-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

Where's Shojin, HC?

Foodeater: I've only had bad vegan food and I mentioned that I've had pretty good food at M Cafe. I haven't been to Vegan Glory, which supposedly has some decent food, but seriously, I don't even agree with the whole premise of veganism to begin so why would I look for good vegan food in LA? The only reason I know about Cha-Ya is that my cousin, who's as much an

It all looks great, I haven't been to Cha-Ya yet b...

2009-05-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

It all looks great, I haven't been to Cha-Ya yet but hope to make it on my next visit to the bay area.

I have to say though, if you seriously think that all vegan food is just a bunch of goop on a plate, you're going to the wrong restaurants. Vegan cuisine has come a very long way since the days of plain boiled tofu and brown rice. You don't have to be a vegetarian or a vegan to

I like the Shojin (also Japanese-vegan), simple, l...

2009-05-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

I like the Shojin (also Japanese-vegan), simple, light, comforting . . .

WeezerMonkey: yeah it does amazingly look as good ...

2009-05-13T09:56:00.000-07:00

WeezerMonkey: yeah it does amazingly look as good as it tastes, unlike most vegan food, which is just goop most of the time it seems (based on personal experience at Pure Luck)

Christine: yeah, i'll switch to bigger next time, but this was just a quick review.

Jo: yes! you should try it if you're in berkeley. it's a hop-skip from Chez Panisse

Josh: Cha-ya would do

LOL didn't expect a shout-out there (sorry christi...

2009-05-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

LOL didn't expect a shout-out there (sorry christine! I'm sure Matt will make photos "large and in charge" next time)

And mmm... I'm always down for yummy vegan.

Based on your description and photos, it seems lik...

2009-05-13T00:09:00.000-07:00

Based on your description and photos, it seems like Cha-Ya would play well in L.A. People would probably flock there if it was in Little Tokyo or Gardena. Still, there's no substitute for meat.

Well, this KIND of vegan I would EAT!

2009-05-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

Well, this KIND of vegan I would EAT!

simple but with amazing ingredients it hits the sp...

2009-05-12T17:23:00.000-07:00

simple but with amazing ingredients it hits the spot with comfort and goodness- not ironic at all :)

quit the experimenting. those pics are cute but in this case bigger is better :)

Mmm! I am impressed by just the tasty appearance!...

2009-05-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

Mmm! I am impressed by just the tasty appearance!