Category Archives: Food

The Weird and Wonderful World of Vegetarian Cuisine in Kyoto: Part 2

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Tofu in various forms at Tosuiro restaurant, Kyoto
Tofu in various forms at Tosuiro restaurant, Kyoto

Japan was a culinary adventure for us in a country where food is prepared with love and the quality of ingredients and skill in presentation is world class. Kyoto was the perfect place to venture into the weird and wonderful world of shojin ryori or Zen Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. We sampled beautifully presented food that we had never heard of before, and our limited Japanese skills meant we often had no idea what we were eating. In Kyoto’s vegetarian restaurants at least we could be assured that it was meat-free.

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The Weird and Wonderful World of Vegetarian Cuisine in Kyoto: Part 1

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Shigetsu at Tenryuji vegetarian meal
Shojin Ryori vegetarian meal at Shigetsu

Kyoto is a vegetarian heaven in a notoriously difficult country for those who don’t eat meat or fish. In Japan fish broth is in everything, and can be difficult to avoid without eating in purely vegetarian restaurants. Luckily there are plenty of these in Kyoto, as Japan’s ancient capital has a long tradition of shojin ryori or Zen Buddhist temple cuisine, which is entirely vegan. It is also some of the most unique, bewildering and delicious food we have ever eaten. As vegetarians it can be hard to delve into a country’s culture through its food, so we were grateful to the Kyoto monks for giving us the opportunity to do just that in Japan.

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Learning to Cook Japanese Buddhist Cuisine in Kyoto

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Meal at Kyoto Uzuki Cooking Class
Meal at Kyoto Uzuki Cooking Class

Eating out in Japan is expensive and as vegetarians it can be tricky explaining what we can and can’t eat. As we are house sitting in Kyoto for three weeks and have access to a kitchen, a cooking course seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn more about Japanese cuisine. When we contacted Emi Hirayama from Uzuki Cooking Classes she was happy to cater for vegetarians. Luckily we are in the right place. Kyoto is the heart of traditional Japan and has a long history of shojin ryori or Zen Buddhist cuisine, which can be sampled at some of the city’s 1600 temples. We couldn’t wait to learn more.

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Vegetarian Survival Guide to Hong Kong

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Dim sum at Three Virtues, Hong Kong
Dim sum at Three Virtues Vegetarian Restaurant

When first glancing at restaurant menus in Hong Kong things don’t look promising for vegetarians. Often there are no meat-free options and items like pig’s blood, chicken’s feet and shark fin on the menu can be a little off-putting. Eating is an important part of experiencing Hong Kong though and with a little planning vegetarians can eat well too. One advantage is that many menus are written in English, so even if the staff don’t speak it you can always point to a vegetarian option. The best and safest bet though is to try one of the many vegetarian restaurants in the city. You can find listings on happycow.com.

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Photo of the Week: Gourmet Vegetarian at The Gate, London

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Mezze platter at The Gate vegetarian restaurant, London

We recently celebrated 12 years together by treating ourselves to  lunch at the upmarket vegetarian restaurant The Gate, hidden away in a church in Hammersmith, London.

To keep costs down we shared the mezze platter to go along with our rasberry bellinis. It was plenty of food for lunch and everything was fresh, unique and delicious. With the platter you get to sample most of the starters so it’s great if you can’t decide what to order.

The platter included cous cous cakes with grilled aubergine in a broad bean and pomegranate salsa; roasted beetroot, hazelnut and goats cheese salad; three onion tart; wasabi potato cake with seaweed salsa; soba noodle salad; and grilled asparagus with polenta. All were amazing and we were so happy to find such unusual tasty vegetarian food.

Tip: If you want to experience London’s food scene for yourself, take a look at Fly BMI for affordable flights to London.