#Vlc vegan eatery full

#Vlc vegan eatery full

The large bowl of boiled pots beef was full of flavor with succulent thinner pieces of beef that mixed with rice was a heavenly entree to share. The Mung Bean takes on the flavor of the chili oil, and while the cucumber sticks have their spice on them, it still helps balance and cool you down. The first two appetizer dishes (Mung Bean Jelly with Chili + Cucumber Sticks) were an excellent way to start the meal. I trust her recommendations, so we set out to order and split everything.

She has become a regular patron and assured me it's busier on nights and weekends. My friend Allyson and I were the only patrons inside for the entire lunch hour, with a few people coming in to pick up to-go orders. Located in one of the larger shopping centers on Alafaya Trail (near Royal Tea), you will find Yummy Taste which now occupies the space that was once V.L.C Vegan Eatery. V.L.C., which stands for Vegan Loving Care, is located in Waterford Towers, where, I feel compelled to point out, there are not any actual towers.Thanks to a foodie friend, who, much like myself, eats for the love of eating and not for the gram, I got to be introduced to Yummy Taste. The chef and owner is Jim Wu, who the website says has been cooking for 40 years, 15 as a plant-based specialist. The menu has a lot of intriguing sounding items that at first sound as though they’re loaded with animal products. But instead of beef there’s be-ef, instead of tuna it’s tu-na, and instead of chicken there’s chick’n.

It’s sort of like sushi restaurants that list krab as an ingredient, but at least krab is fashioned out of seafood.īut these meat-sounding items are actually made without causing harm, unless you believe the 60 Minutes episode from several years ago where scientists asserted that plants scream when pain is inflicted. In that case, dietetically, you’re screwed. I must say I’ve always found it a bit odd that vegan restaurants felt the need to try to mimic meats in their dishes. But wouldn’t it be more vegany to give them names not associated with a barnyard? I do sometimes like the textures that these products, which are usually processed from plant or whey protein, can add to a dish. That said, I liked most of the food I sampled from VLC, some of it very much. One of the best things was the appetizer of tempura Brussels sprouts, which featured the little cabbagelike nuggets in a light jacket of batter and deep fried without the inclusion of any chickkin or kow.

The sprouts were firm and the batter ethereal with no greasiness. My only niggle is that although the portion was ample, too little of the dipping sauce, a spicy mayo (sorry, may-o) was provided, and it was seriously delicious. I also liked the entree of potato curry, which had hefty hunks of taters, cabbage and carrots in a mildly spiced gravy. There were also bits of be-ef to give it that different texture I mentioned, and it was all especially good served with the nutty brown rice that came with it. I ordered one of the three-item combos, which, at $12, is a terrific deal (all of the food is bargain priced). From the list of available options, I selected chick’n fried rice, tomato rotini pasta, and eggplant katsu. The katsu had two slices of eggplant with a crispy breading, served with a sweet and thick katsu sauce.