From the perspective of a Pescatarian (diet consisting of plants, dairy, eggs, and sea-food) and a Farang (foreigner) living in Thailand, I'll be rating some of the restaurants I venture into. I'll also be dropping some cultural nuggets along the way.
Restaurants will be graded on a scale of 1 pineapple, would not recommend, to 5 pineapples, if you come to Thailand you must eat here.
More pineapples will be awarded to restaurants with great service, great aa-haan (thai word for food), a decent price, and a variety of vegetarian options.
Site: Uttaradit Province
Bangkok
Mahatun Plaza
888/25-26 Ploenchit Road, Lumpini, Patumwan, Bangkok
+66 2 650 9581
When I lived in the states, Tex-mex food was very much a part of my diet, so after two months of eating delicious Thai food with my host family, I was excited to eat cheese and avocados again.
La Monita was a bit pricey, but definitely hit the spot. Although I've been learning Thai and probably could have ordered in Thai, my friends Nhi, Laura, and I ordered in English. What a treat it is to be understood.
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| The Tortilla Chips were not complimentary, but came with guacamole and an array of salsas to try. |
I don't drink much in the United States; to me alcohol is a luxury (monetarily and caloric), reserved for select social events. But not everyone holds that same view, and there are some dangerous gendered stereotypes associated with alcohol consumption. "The manliest men need to be slamming drinks, but none of those fruity-pansy ones." "Ladies who drink too much are recklessly looking for attention." I've found that these stereotypes exist, in varying degrees on the other side of the world as well. One warm night, a half-hour and half-way through my wine cooler, my host mom insisted that my drink be returned to the refrigerator. She was worried I would get too drunk. Another female volunteer's host mom believes that women shouldn't drink at all and has on several occasions refused drinks offered to the volunteer for the volunteer. Still other host mothers pour drinks for their female volunteers. Some of the male volunteers have felt pressure to drink often and a lot in order to bond with their host family and community members.
After two months living with a wonderfully loving host family (
read about them here) in a community that really has my best interests at heart, it was nice to travel to Bangkok as a farang (foreign person). Here I blend in with the rest of the farangs who are not necessarily expected to behave with cultural sensitivity. I could kick back, and relax without constant scrutiny. I could ignore everyone's alcohol stereotypes and enjoy a margarita.
This is all to say, that either my alcohol tolerance severely diminished in the last two months, or the drinks at La Monita were very strong...my margarita hit me after two sips...
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| After some debate, my friends and I split an expensive 900 Baht Margarita pitcher - great decision. |
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| Crunch Star: Grilled flour tortilla filled with melted Monterey Jack cheese, grilled mushrooms and asparagus, a crispy corn tortilla, fresh salsa, and sour cream. |
Asparagus is a difficult vegetable to master; cooked to much it's sloppy baby food, but undercooked it's a crunchy, stringy nuisance. I was skeptical, but La Monita did the vegetable justice. Most of the main entrees included a vegetarian mushroom and asparagus option.
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| A piece of my crunch star with Laura's meal in the background. The guaq went fast. |
The food and beverages at La Monita was delicious, but I'm giving it 4 pineapples out of 5 for being expensive and not having complimentary endless tortilla chips!
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| Laura and I enjoying our Margaritas |
35/2 Soi.Methiniwet (Sukhumvit24) behind Benjasiri Park Klongtan Klong Toei,
Bangkok, Thailand 10110
+6622588489
The Veganerie has four Bangkok locations, the above location is the one I dined at. This restaurant already starts with a high rating because I could eat everything on the menu, and based solely on the menu pictures, I wanted to eat everything on the menu. Laura and I couldn't settle on any one dish, so we ordered five dishes to share.
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| Boneless wings! Cauliflower is obviously the superior vegetable. |
Despite the heat of the sauce, I very much enjoyed these breaded cauliflower "wings."
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| Eggs Benedict with a small side salad and a sweet pineapple salsa. |
If there's eggs benedict on the menu, I can't not order it. As a pescatarian though, I order the classic biscuit, poached egg, and hollandaise with mushrooms as a substitute for the canadian bacon. I was excited to experience a vegan take on what is probably my favorite breakfast dish. Somehow, they mastered crafting a vegan hollandaise sauce. Praise be. Unfortunately other that that I was not very impressed. Although a beautiful presentation, the Veganerie offered very small portion sizes.
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| The Veganerie's Egg Benedict included a biscuit, tomato, vegan bacon, and vegan hollandaise sauce. |
Additionally, the biscuit was dry and non-cohesive, it quickly crumbled and fell apart. They chose to use a vegan bacon in the dish. I tend to avoid imitation meat because not knowing what I'm eating freaks me out. The bacon was not an unpleasant experience - it had an enjoyable flavor and a texture that was not too spongy so as to freak me out. However it still pales in comparison to how I remember eating last bacon 7 years ago.
But let's not be grading vegan food on plant's inability to mimic the flavors and textures of the fatty bum of a pig. Where I think vegan food truly shines is in this next dish, where the food doesn't have pretend to be anything other than it is.
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| Christmas Taco |
What was called a "Christmas Taco" was probably the best dish we ordered. The soft-shell vegan tortilla was stuffed with breaded and spiced cauliflower, colorful salsa, and guacamole. It was truly delightful.
The last two dishes were heavenly. Basically dessert. Not realizing how similar they were, we sort of ordered two of the same dish, except one included waffles and the other had bananna pancakes. Both surprised us with delicious coconut ice cream and fluffy vegan whipped topping. There were also bits of cookie, seasonal fruit, and a strawberry sauce drizzled about. The Strawberry waffle was topped with a sprig of mint which provided a delightful flavor contrast I couldn't get enough of.
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| Strawberry Waffle |
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| Pancake Mountain |
Despite the Eggs Benedict snafu, I'm giving the Veganerie five pineapples. All of the other dishes I tried were delicious, the restaurant had a cozy atmosphere, the staff was helpful, and I know that I will be returning to try the rest of their menu.
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