Ⓥ – Terence Eden’s Blog

Restaurant Review: Kusa Japanese Vegan - Bukit Bintang ★★★★★

Terence Eden — Sat, 21 Jan 2023 12:34:12 +0000

We flew in early to Kuala Lumpur - the only way to stave off the jetlag was to go hunting for lunch. We made the mistake of trying to walk through the city. What looked like a brisk 30 minute stroll became an exercise in dashing across busy roads in the sweltering heat.

My brain was mush by the time we found the restaurant - a little out of the way and nestled inside what looks like an office block - so we ordered one of the sushi set menus.

(My brain was too mushy to take a photo - but the menu is accurate.)

It was incredible. The waiter gave us strict instructions on the order in which to eat everything. That was absolutely necessary - and meant the meal finished with a burst of mango sushi.

Well, it didn't quite end there. If I see a vegan tiramisu, I'm going to grab it with both hands! Well, I got two spoons, so Liz helped me with it.

The wait staff were incredibly helpful in explaining the menu, teaching us about which apps to use to get around town, and and giving us directions afterwards.

Accepts credit cards, free WiFi, and cosily decorated.

Restaurant Review: Rani Vilas Restaurant Batu Caves ★★★★★

Terence Eden — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 07:24:10 +0000

If you've visiting Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, I have two tips for you. Firstly, get there as early as possible in order to avoid the heat and other tourists.

Secondly, after climbing a mountain of stairs, marvelling at the wonders therein, and being stared at by hundreds of monkeys - you're going to be hungry. So treat yourself to lunch at Rani's.

A varied vegetarian menu - helpfully illustrated. Great big piles of food served on a banana leaf - you can't go wrong. Just spicy enough to be interesting without being overpowering. Large jugs of daal and condiments. A wide variety of delicious drinks - including fresh-cut coconut.

Fast and friendly service. Incredible value for money, and heartily refreshing while you wait for your legs to recover.

They accept credit cards, but there is a minimum card charge. Oh well, just order more food. No free WiFi - so chat to your friends.

Review: 小鳳腿 (Vegan "Chicken" Drumsticks)

Terence Eden — Tue, 09 Apr 2019 11:08:28 +0000

I'm a sucker for weird veggie-friendly foods! I especially love discovering what other countries and cultures do to replicate their meaty dishes in veggie friendly formats.

So I was delighted to find a local store to me selling all manner of Chinese meat-substitutes - including these amazing looking "Chicken" Drumsticks!

I ordered a bunch and cooked them up.

The "bone" sticking out of the end is bamboo. Chewable and sweet - but probably not for swallowing unless you really need extra roughage in your system!

The processed "meat" around it is delicious. A perfectly spiced mix of protein, mushroom, veggies and miscellaneous stuff. As with lots of foods, it is the seasoning and texture which makes the meal.

What should we call this product?

The Chinese word for chicken is 鸡. But this product is sold as 鳳 - "phoenix" in traditional script. I love that.

There's a slightly silly discussion going on at the moment - "Veggie discs to replace veggie burgers in EU crackdown on food labels". Should veggie things be allowed to name themselves after meaty things?

Is a disc of mushed veggies, or mushroom, or mycoprotein, a burger? Yes. I don't know any normal part of a healthy animal which is shaped like a burger. And the bits of animals shaped like hotdogs are rarely eaten.

I've eaten vegetarian food around the world and, yes, it can be confusing going to a restaurant in a foreign country and not knowing if the "Gemüse Lasagne" is actually vegetarian or merely served with vegetables.

It is weird going to a veggie restaurant and being served "mock duck" and "mock beef" and all manner of things which aren't-really-meat-but-we-need-to-pretend-they-are-for-some-reason. I get that we often refer to new things by comparing them to the things we already know.

I don't really care if the stuff I'm eating is called "Fakon" or fake bacon or textured soya strips in paprika or Dragon Flank. As long as that Ⓥ symbol is prominent, I think we can all enjoy the foods we want.