Tag Archives: vegetarian

Best Vegan Indonesian in Calgary

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Padmanadi co-owner Maya: it’s a family business

Want a unique Calgary dining experience? How about a vegan take on Indonesian cuisine?

That’s what Padmanadi delivers at its immaculate restaurant, in a busy Macleod Trail mall. All its “meats”—chicken, beef, mutton— are plant based. There’s lots of veggies to round out savoury curries, stir fries and stews.

I go for a lunch special ($18), choosing a mildly spicy curry chicken that comes with two spring rolls and a large mounding of rice. While the plant-based “chicken” pieces taste great, it’s the yellow coconut curry that’s the real star, soaked up by all that jasmine rice; for $1, it’s probably worth upgrading to coconut or brown rice.

Vegan “chicken curry lunch special

Co-owner Maya explains that Indonesian food is distinct in, for example, typically not using any onion or garlic. The vegan focus at Padmanadi is not integral to the cuisine but reflects how her family eats.

A spotless place in a busy Macleod Trail mall

And this is certainly a family business, stretching back several generations to Jakarta (her grandmother’s name translates into English as Padmanadi). Maya’s parents opened their first Canadian restaurant, in Edmonton, more than two decades ago, eventually turning it over to her sister and brother-in-law. About a year ago, Maya and her husband traveled south to open the Calgary location.

In a largely carnivorous city, it’s nice to see a fine vegan addition, let alone something this unique.

Padmanadi Vegan Eatery
100, 8835 Macleod Trail SW, Calgary
Daily 11:30 am-9 pm
403-300-2270

Salt Lake City Goes Funky and Vegetarian

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This colourful flea market in downtown Salt Lake City coincided with the weekend pride festival

This colourful flea market in downtown Salt Lake City coincided with the weekend pride festival

It might be time to correct some misconceptions about Salt Lake City. Yes, it’s still a Mormon stronghold, though that grip is weakening, given only half the residents are practitioners of the faith. The weekend I visit coincides with a massive pride festival, in part celebrating a landmark court ruling that allows same-sex marriage in Utah; the decision is being appealed. There’s also great coffee and beer being brewed here, and poured down non-Mormon throats, plus more good taco shops than you can throw a sombrero at. One sure sign Salt Lake City has come of culinary age is the presence, in the city’s south, of a funky vegetarian cafe. Vertical Diner is in a casual, slightly grungy space, with stucco walls, old cement floors and a pulsing, industrial soundtrack.

Vertical Diner is a funky vegetarian place on a south Salt Lake City industrial street

Vertical Diner is a funky vegetarian place on a south Salt Lake City industrial street

My plant-based breakfast is La Mesa, a bountiful, colourful plate of hash browns, black beans and rice, melted cheese, guacamole and, a first for me, a tofu scramble. The fact the food is on my table by the time I return from a bathroom freshening indicates the tofu isn’t quite “scrambled” to order, but it’s nonetheless a nicely spiced and textured dish. Good enough that I might forsake eggs and bacon, well at least for a couple of days.

A colourful plate, featuring black beans and a tofu scramble, at Vertical Diner

A colourful plate, featuring black beans and a tofu scramble, at Vertical Diner

If a vegan breakfast seems a step too far, you can always order pancakes, which start at a bargain $1.75 each (a buck more if fruit is included). Of course, they can also come gluten free.

Vertical Diner
2280 South West Temple, Salt Lake City
Weekdays 10 am-10 pm, weekends 9 am-10 pm
Vertical Diner on Urbanspoon

Continuing the vegan theme, the Barbacoa Burrito at Buds is highly recommended. Unfortunately, the little sandwich place is closed for renovations during my visit. Next time.

Buds
509 East 300 South, Salt Lake City
Monday to Saturday 11 am-5 pm. Closed Sunday
Buds on Urbanspoon