Tofu Temptress

The Restaurants of Pisa, Italy

November 2, 2016 by Tofu Temptress Leave a Comment

I was lucky enough to take a trip to Pisa, Italy recently. The hotel had been booked in a hurry so we had no time to check how vegan friendly Pisa was. We needn’t have worried. You’ll probably know that Italian food is generally pretty flexible and there’s always penne all’arrabbiata to fall back on, but in this beautiful university town, we had plenty more to choose from than just that.

We not only found mainstream restaurants to be incredibly accommodating but there were dedicated vegetarian and even vegan restaurants to choose from – all within easy walking distance from the famous leaning tower!

Homemade bread - delicious! — Homemade bread – delicious!

One of the first places we tried for dinner was Ristorante Ben d’Iddio which is a vegetarian restaurant just round the corner from the tower. At least half the menu is vegan and our waiter was very thorough in explaining the dishes to us. We were absolutely spoiled for choice. While we pored over the menu we were served olives and some of the tastiest morsels of bread I’ve ever eaten.

Finally we decided on a mixed starter consisting of beautifully prepared aubergine, mushrooms, pepper, courgette, bruschetta and a local chilli pepper which, although incredibly mild, was tasty and the waiter was impressed I’d finished it! There were some gorgeous homemade sauces that came along which was the icing on the cake. My companion had a salad of cucumber, tomato, onion, croutons and basil which was dressed to perfection.

To follow, he chose the mushroom stuffed gnocchi which looked amazing. I went for their award winning seitan in a gorgeous bolognaise sauce on top of linguini. We were both wanting to try dessert at this place, but were simply too full to contemplate it!

Instead we were served some limoncello and then some of the local hazelnut liqueur to aid digestion. What a wonderful evening.

It was very warm every day during our visit, so we normally felt like a sandwich or something similar for lunch. Luckily for us there was a fully vegan sandwich takeaway nearby. Vegan Come Koala is run by just one guy, but he’s there every day from about noon till teatime and the extensive menu belies the tiny size of his shop.

There was a choice of wraps every day from corn to spelt to wholegrain and you could fill them with whatever you pleased from falafel to seitan to tofu and the selection of sauces were equally impressive.

The extensive menu would be happily translated

You could have a hot Panini, pizza, burger, hot dog or even a gluten free beer (which I did, very nice) or any other veggie sandwich shop delicacy you could think of. We came here most days at lunchtime (our visit to Pisa lasted a week as there were loads of things to see and it was just a pleasant place to hang out.)

The selection of drinks was as impressive as the food

We sought out Pizzeria Il Montino as we’d been told they had good Cecina, which is a traditional Tuscan dish made from chickpea flour and olive oil and looks a bit like a pancake. We had some and it was gorgeous, but quite small, so we had a pizza there too and it was wonderful. Just a simple combination of roasted peppers and aubergine was made special by the sheer quality of the tomato sauce and base. The Italians do simple yet delicious very, very well.

Across the river near the university was another totally vegan restaurant called Il Vegusto. It had lovely decor including a piano and nice soft lighting. Although the staff’s English was limited, the menu was in English as well as Italian, so was very easy for us to negotiate.

Over a couple of nights we sampled the fried vegan omelette, zucchini carpaccio and cocktail of carrots in a pink sauce. For our main course, the pesto gnocchi was a favourite, along with their Tuscan pasta and Seitan with vegetables.

On the first occasion we even had room for dessert, and sampled both the delectable apple cake and the chocolate mousse. All of this was accompanied by fabulous vegan Italian wine and bread and a generally lovely atmosphere.

Another lovely place across the river was a family run place called Rusticanella, where they happily made vegan pizza for us and were very patient with my faltering Italian. They even had vegan friendly local beer Moretti on tap. It was a lovely casual place to sit outside and have the odd Vespa drone past you every now and again. The pizza was delicious. It’s amazing how they can make mushrooms, peppers and aubergine into pizza heaven.

Back near the tower, there were plenty of places who were happy to accommodate us even though they weren’t dedicated veggie eateries. One of these proudly advertised vegan friendly and gluten free dishes, Terrazza Laterale Con Tavoli. They served us pizza without cheese as well as amazing spaghetti in the most heavenly tomato sauce.

Impressively they also had an amazing vegan platter that included the yummy Cecina, as well as mushroom, pepper and tomato bruschetta, aubergine, olives, cabbage and artichoke. Quite a plateful!

Of course, a visit to Italy is never complete without sampling the local ice cream and for vegans in Pisa there’s no need to miss out. A few places had some options, but the best one that we found, Oro, looked onto a bustling square.

Their vegan flavours were dark chocolate, almond, lemon, strawberry, coconut, liquorice, figs & almond and passion fruit & pepper, so, a pretty comprehensive choice! You could enjoy a combination of flavours in a cone or cup and sit on one of the many public benches in the square to enjoy them.

I found in Pisa that there was plenty of choice (spaghetti aglio e olio should be vegan anywhere) it was useful to have a few Italian phrases to hand while ordering.

Sono vegana (I’m vegan, female)

Sono vegano (I’m vegan, male)

Senza formaggio/mozzarella (Without cheese/mozzarella)

Con verdure (with vegetables)

Senza latte (without milk)

Don't forget the beer! — Don’t forget the beer!

Per favore (please)

Grazie (Thank you)

Pisa is definitely somewhere to spend more than a day if you can, if only to try a selection of their fabulous restaurants!

Scottish Vegan Festival 2016

October 17, 2016 by Tofu Temptress Leave a Comment

Cupcakes from Pitxu's — Cupcakes from Pitxu’s

When you go to a vegan fair, take my advice, arrive hungry. I mean skip breakfast and get down there with a proper appetite. If you don’t, you may regret it. There’s so much more to a vegan fair besides food of course (what do you mean, ‘is there?’) but there’s nothing quite as frustrating as that feeling of being too full to try that pie, that donut, that sizzling burger. So, do yourself a favour and make sure you at least get a decent run at it.

There's even vegan steak... — There’s even vegan steak…

As I entered the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh on a sunny October day, it was a great prospect to look at all the stalls and know that every single one of them was not only vegan friendly, but TOTALLY vegan. Oh, bliss. I mean, in this non-vegan world it’s a fabulous novelty.

...and vegan steak sandwiches. — …and vegan steak sandwiches.

I’ve done reviews of vegan fairs before, so if you’ve read them you’ll roughly know the drill. There are loads of stalls – from charities, to cupcakes, from beauty products to t-shirts and jewellery. This particular fair was in aid of Farplace Animal Rescue, a no-kill shelter located in County Durham who campaign for the rights of animals. I bought one of their anti-badger cull t-shirts and spoke to some of their volunteers. They’re running a campaign at the moment to try and raise some money, see here for details. They also re-home animals, from rabbits to pigs!

Everything was in aid of Farplace Animal Rescue

One of the first stalls I stopped at was a charity called Pounds for Poundies who raise money in order to help rescue charities save more dogs from an uncertain future in the pound. Another t-shirt was purchased and they told me about their current campaign which aims to get people to consider re-homing a staffie, as there are so many in pounds at the moment.

Ponds for poundies — Pounds for poundies

I was pleased to finally meet the faces behind Humblestuff, the makers of environmentally friendly, vegan cleaning products. The fizzing sticks that are used to clean toilet bowls can also be used as a bath bomb! I’m pretty sure it’s the only loo cleaner that can make that claim!

I’m constantly amazed by the wonderful quality of modern vegan cheese. Both Tyne Chease and Nutcrafter Creamery were there, with some fabulous examples. They had firm cheeses, cream cheeses and even vegan butter. Gone are the days when an excuse not to go vegan was ‘I’d miss cheese’ thanks to companies like these. Bute Island Foods was also doing tastings and their range just keeps expanding. They’re the ones responsible for Sainsbury’s new hit vegan cheese (or ‘Gary’ as it’s been christened by the internet…) It does me good to see products like this filtering through to the mainstream.

There were some spectacular sauces and chutneys on display too. My particular favourites were The Spice Witch (the mango and chilli chutney I bought was as good as any I’ve had in an Indian restaurant, if not better) and MaRobert’s Taste of Tanzania (I only got the medium spiced sauce, as I’m obviously too wimpy for hot or extra hot. It was delicious though.)

All this is to say nothing of the cake! I was so encouraged to see many local bakers there with stands. The interest in vegan cakes is always high and bakers have nothing to lose by catering for us. Believe me, I don’t know any non-vegans that would turn their noses up at these delectable offerings.

I could go on and on, but let’s just say I spent most of the day here and was not even slightly bored. It was a lot busier than many expected it to be and I’m so glad it was a success. As more and more people turn to veganism, I can only see these events getting bigger and better, and that is a very happy thought.

Edinburgh Vegan Festival 2016

September 29, 2016 by Tofu Temptress Leave a Comment

Right in the midst of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and just across the road from the Edinburgh Book Festival lay, for one weekend, the Edinburgh Vegan Festival. This is the second year the Roxburghe Hotel has played host and I must say, spread over two days instead of one, it felt a lot less ram packed this year.

My haul began straight away with a few giveaways. For a donation to Tower Hill Stables animal charity you could pick up the much fabled Follow Your Heart VeganEgg (egg replacer in baking and also makes scrambled ‘egg’) as well as other goodies including Sarelle bars, Lavera hand cream and much more.

The array of food was as mindboggling and mouth-watering as ever. Every type of cuisine seemed to be represented, from the award winning sgaia steaks, to olives and deli delights galore. As it was almost lunchtime there was sizzling going on. More focused individuals than myself were picking out their lunch options with tongs and great skill. All I could do was look around me.

I’d popped in the previous day, Saturday, and got a pie from Cool Jerk, always a favourite. Macaroni pie, seriously, how can you go wrong? Even my omnivore companion was impressed with their mince and onion offering. Today however, a pizza and salad from Henderson’s more than filled me up. It’s my regret to this day that I didn’t try the jam donuts that Considerit Chocolate were selling…However, a few of Missy’s Vegan cupcakes were pocketed for later, as were a brownie or two from Shire Snax. Even if you arrive at these events hungry, there’s always so much to fill you up you never get to try everything.

Of course, there’s always room for a small dessert and I was tempted to lots of different stalls to sample their wares. It was the first time I’d tasted Jeaven’s dairy-free toffee and I was compelled to buy two bags straight away. It really is lovely stuff.

Missy's Vegan Cupcakes — Missy’s Vegan Cupcakes

Yum Earth Organics were also tempting passers-by with their fruity boiled sweets and jelly beans that not only were free from gelatine (of course!) but also contained anti-oxidents and counted towards your five (or seven, or whatever) a day. Impressive. Good Full Stop were not a company I’d come across before, but their date and nut bars in a wide selection of flavours were worth stopping for.

Jeaven's dairy free toffee — Jeaven’s dairy free toffee

I was pleased to see many charities in evidence too. The League Against Cruel Sports was there, not only selling some cool t-shirts but also spreading the very important message that the fox hunting ban must be kept.

A selection of sweets from Yum Earth Organics

The Dr. Hadwen Trust continue to raise awareness of their work, which is conducting accurate medical testing without using animals. They have the only vegan charity shop in Britain (so far) and fund research into almost every serious condition you can think of, from brain tumours to heart disease.

Animals Asia had so much merchandise on their stand they were struggling to keep it all balanced on there! They do amazing work and this time were particularly highlighting their efforts to rescue bears who are used for bile. Just horrendous stuff, so very necessary work.

T-shirts from The League Against Cruel Sports

For those with a concern for the environment, which of course includes many vegans, Population Matters were there to highlight overpopulation of humans.

Plenty of stuff on the Animals Asia stand!

There were arts, crafts, make up and beauty products of all kinds on display too. Some beautiful paintings of elephants caught my eye and I bought one right at the end of the day. The art was beautiful and some of the proceeds went towards elephant conservation, so I simply couldn’t resist. Also gorgeous bags with foxes and badgers on them called to me. I got a badger one as the face on it was just adorable and badgers haven’t had their troubles to seek recently.

Agharta jewellery was lovely as always and I bought three more sets of earrings to add to my collection in the shapes of lizards, dragonflies and dinosaurs! They have a shop on etsy but attend many of the vegan festivals in person.

My favourite make up company was in attendance too, Bohemian Chic Minerals. They do a great variety of stuff, from brightly coloured eye shadow, to subtle foundation and bronzer to shimmering lipstick. All their products are suitable for sensitive skin too, which is a real bonus.

All this is to say nothing of the talks I attended. Kate Strong is a world champion triathlete and she was talking about how you can be the best you can by breaking out of the norm. This includes diet of course and she was a very engaging speaker. Inspiring stuff. Mick Walker is a vegan cyclist who has adopted a completely plant based diet in order to keep strong and fit as he gets older. I can only aspire to be as healthy as these two!

The whole event was inspiring and I’d highly recommend them, especially for new vegans, or the vegan-curious, so that they can experience the gorgeous food, discover how to live a cruelty free life and get inspired by others’ journeys. It’s a joyous, guilt-free way of life and this festival, along with others like it, embrace that fully. Do try to attend one near you.

Leith Market Vegan Quarter

September 1, 2016 by Tofu Temptress Leave a Comment

Most towns and cities these days have a farmers’ market and they can be brilliant places for picking up local produce. Edinburgh’s port of Leith has its own market every Saturday, and on the first Saturday of each month this incorporates a ‘Vegan Quarter‘. I went along to the first one back in March. The market runs from 10am till 5pm and I turned up some time before noon. I was both excited and disappointed by what I found.

Many stalls, including the ever popular Missy’s Vegan Cupcakes and Cool Jerk, purveyor of pies, were completely sold out. There was nothing left. I wandered around and soon deduced that the vegan quarter in this particular market had been far, far more popular than most stallholders had imagined.

The only stall I saw who seemed to have brought adequate stock was the ever-reliable Considerit Chocolate, so I purchased a few bars from them. Even Henderson’s, Edinburgh’s veggie temple since the sixties, was running low on grub. I left with my chocolate, both pleased that this idea was so obviously popular and slightly saddened that my haul hadn’t been greater.

Fast forward four months. I made my way down to Leith a little earlier this time and was incredibly pleased to see every stall fully stocked. In the intervening period, the level of interest had been properly gauged and everyone seemed ready for the predictable hoards. The cupcakes were back, the pies were back, Henderson’s were back with a delicious array of salads and vegan haggis amongst other things, there were bakeries and Sgaia Foods were there with their Mheat.

Also in attendance were Go Vegan Scotland, an outreach group who mainly campaign in Edinburgh and Glasgow, providing anyone who wanted to know with information on going vegan. This is a fantastic addition to the vegan quarter. It’s great to woo people with yummy food but having these guys there to tell folk about how they can live a compassionate lifestyle is brilliant.

My haul this time was much better, incorporating as it did, a macaroni pie. Strangely enough, these were not delicacies I particularly indulged in before I was vegan, but now I have a fascination for them. It made a very good lunch.

Macaroni pies - yum — Macaroni pies – yum

I finished off with an indulgent slab of chocolate banana cake from the All About Patisserie. They are to be found at the vegan quarter every month it seems. Lovely stuff.

Of course I had to get some more chocolate bars to take home with me. I knew I’d be in trouble if I didn’t bring at least one treat home. The challenge was keeping my hands off them until I got there…

The Leith market vegan quarter happens on the first Saturday of every month. See here for details.

Zizzi (UK wide chain restaurant)

August 24, 2016 by Tofu Temptress Leave a Comment

Branches of Zizzi can be found all over the UK and it’s great to see a chain restaurant making the effort to cater to vegans. They now have a specific vegan menu which you can ask for on arrival and although having a basic pasta with tomato sauce is a tad uninspiring (even though you can add extra veg to it) it’s when you get to the pizzas that the real excitement starts.

Zizzi use a vegan cheese made from rice milk called Mozzarisella which I really like. It’s gooey and melty and really adds to the pizza experience. You can of course ask for veggie pizzas without cheese as Zizzi’s standard pizza bases are vegan already.

We went for the vegan garlic bread (they also do a bruschetta) and when it came it was enormous! Laid out on a big slab, you could really see the cloves of roasted garlic and sprigs of rosemary which made it extremely appetising. It was very tasty and perfect for sharing around. All their vegan dishes come with a little ‘vegan’ sticker on the side, which is a reassuring measure to eliminate confusion.

We ordered a basic pizza with different ‘create your own’ toppings. You can choose from: artichokes; butternut squash; caramelised balsamic onions; roasted garlic cloves; fire roasted red peppers; field mushrooms; black olives; green chillies; balsamic tomatoes; roasted red onions; spinach.

Caramelised balsamic onion and mushroom pizza

(A more limited version of this list is what’s available to pop into your pasta.) I went for caramelised balsamic onions and mushrooms. The onions had quite a strong flavour and added a certain zing. My companion went for peppers, mushrooms and artichoke. The variety of toppings makes for (almost) endless combinations.

After the huge garlic bread and the pizza, we were too full to manage dessert on this occasion. Yes, that’s right, they have vegan dessert! Not only one, but a choice of three. OK, two of them are sorbet (lemon or strawberry), but one isn’t!

The third option is a coconut and mango swirl gelato and I tried this on another visit to Zizzi.

(The picture isn’t so great, but it gives you an idea…) I must say I was impressed with the taste. I love a bit of coconut and this was as satisfying as any gelato, vegan or otherwise, that I’ve had. It was the perfect cooling experience after I’d added a bit of chilli oil to my pizza!

Yes, we took some garlic bread home in a doggy bag!

I find it enormously encouraging that more and more chain restaurants like Zizzi are recognising the importance of catering for everyone. It’s getting easier and easier to eat out as a vegan and surely we’re entering some kind of ‘golden age.’ It’s never been more convenient to be a vegan, so if you have someone in your life who’s interested in this cruelty-free lifestyle, send them to this website. Now you can add Zizzi to your ‘stress free places to dine’ list! Hurray!

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