Bo.lan, Bangkok, Thailand

Prepare to be wowed. Also... prepare to have smoke blowing out of your ears.

I found myself in Bangkok with my best friend and Mr. Lamb in January. Yep, right in the middle of the political unrest, when International SOS and Australian Smart Traveler were advising us not to go.... We'd had the trip booked for months, as an opportunity to meet up with my friend on a stop-over in Asia. Despite the closed roads and heavy traffic, we were very safe, and actually benefitted by being able to make a couple of last minute reservations - one of them being at Bo.Lan.

Walking in to the cool, dim, open restaurant floor, we were met by beautiful staff demonstrating the best of Thai hospitality. We immediately felt comfortable and excited, even more so when we discovered a vegetarian tasting menu. Fantastic - we'll have three of those. I love those easy decisions when I fell completely welcomed and catered for in a top restaurant. No uncomfortable questions or inconveniences.

We were in Bo.Lan's hands, from speciality martini's to sweets - and at each bight we were wowed by speciality Thai spices and fruits. We'd asked for two 'mild' and one 'medium' heat sets, and each plate resonated with unique flavours, many of which we couldn't put our finger on. When it came to the coconut milk curry, I was salivating and ready to enjoy the creamy, round flavours. I took a nice spoon full.... and had an immediate reaction to the chili. So hot! I think this dish was pre-made and simmering in hot, hot chili for some time. I was immediately embarrassed by my reaction in the middle of this lovely dining room, but I had really been taken by surprise! My weak chili tolerance aside, we were so impressed and enjoyed every moment of this experience. A true recommendation for vegetarians looking to enjoy the best of Thai cuisine.

Add: 42 Sukhumvit 26 Soi Pichai Ronnarong Songkram Klongtoey Bangkok 10110, Thailand ~ MOVING!!
PH: +66 2 260 2962
Web: http://www.bolan.co.th

Yen, Taipei, Taiwan

A trip to Taipei for my birthday, and our 5 year wedding anniversary, was a perfect reason for a booking at Yen, the Cantonese fine dining restaurant at the top of the W Hotel.

Upon making the reservation, we were pleased to know that a vegetarian set menu was available, however when we sat down I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed by the list before us. There was fungus, fungus, and white fungus in each and every plate. I actually thought the veggies on the a la carte menu looked more interesting, but was encouraged to stick with the set. So fungus it was.

The stand-out feature at Yen is the view. We were lucky to have a window view, although not looking over the famous Taipei 101. We'd had a nice drink in the bar before hand, and watched the sun go down over the mountains surrounding Taipei. Instead, from our table, we watched the hoards of scooters buzzing around on the streets below. From the arial view, the traffic looks exceedingly uniform and rule-abiding, which seems counter to what you'd expect on a back-drop of a very Chinese looking city. Taipei was wonderful - the people were so friendly, and the Putonghua so clean and easy to listen to. We had a great time walking around, finding our way to various temples and coffee shops. There's a calmness, and an easy buzz to the streets, which are teeming with design stores, food stalls, and leafy, open-air shopping. I reflected on the fact that I could live here happily as we sat and watched, chatting, waiting for our food.

The meal was very nice, and had the characteristic lightness of Cantonese fare. We had blanched vegetables, soup, a rice dish, and yes, plenty of fungus. For a restaurant famous for it's duck, they'd done a nice job of a vegetarian banquet. However I found myself more impressed with the decor and our own company, as opposed to the food itself. The wait staff were friendly and professional, but as we were sitting at the far end of the restaurant we received little attention apart from when new food arrived. A nice evening for sure, but I found myself writing home about the vegetarian restaurants we'd discovered on the streets of Taipei, rather than Yen!

Phone: +886 2 7703 8887
Address: The W Hotel, 31st Floor, 10 Zhongxiao East Rd, Section 5, XinYi District, Taipei
Web: http://www.yentaipei.com/en/

Millennium, San Francisco, USA

A quick google search tells you that Millennium is a vegetarian institution in San Francisco. History seems to tell us that it was the first fine dining vegan restaurant of note in the area. Having read some other reviews on the place, we were eager to try it out for ourselves.

Millennium is on the ground floor of a hotel in downtown SF. Even though we had a booking, we waited for 15 minutes or so in the hotel lobby, which doubles as the entrance to the restaurant. It's cosy and a little dated. The other diners looked equally as intrigued and hungry as us - we were a strange mixed bag huddled in that lobby together! All walks of live come together over good veggie food in Millennium!

Once inside, I got the sense that the restaurant had once been an old Irish pub, or something similar. The big bar in the centre of the room is a feature, and they seem to have attempted to strip some of the pub feel back by draping curtains. It was an odd mix, but somehow just added to my sense of the ad hoc experience.

Our waitress was European, with plaits curled around the back of her head, and had no sense of humour at all. She reprimanded me for not speaking loudly enough when I ordered, but then she seemed to soften up after that. So much for all vegetarians being jolly, life-loving souls. Turns out we take all types!

Due to said waitress I was too scared to take pictures of my food, at risk of enduring another reprimand from this quirky institution that seems to take itself quite seriously, so hence this is a very straight forward post! The food was nice and imaginative, and we left full and satisfied. I can say I've had better, but I've also had worse. Nothing to write too much of a post about...

Being in Millennium, I sensed it was all vegan hype - I know what it's like to have mediocre standards, simply because you want to be encouraging of the movement, but at some point we need to be honest that it's just not that great by broader industry standards. Power to the vegan fine dining establishments, and more of them I say! Perhaps that will make places like Millennium a little more competitive on decor and service, rather than just resting on the niche of being a vegan haunt. It's touted as fine dining, and you're asked to dress nicely, but apart from some nice food it's really not worth the online reputation it enjoys (humble opinion!).

Give it a go if you're vegan, in town, and keen to see for yourself, but there are true fine dining restaurants out there in SF who I found will gladly accommodate you with some notice.

Add: 580 Geary St, San Francisco, CA
PH: 415-345-3900 
Web: http://www.millenniumrestaurant.com/restaurant/index.html 

Townhall, San Francisco, USA

Town Hall is amazing. After some hit-and-miss experiences in SF, Town Hall came through with the goods for an awesome date night with Mr. Lamb.

We had a fantastic experience, from the online booking right through to the time we finished off our night caps and whistled out the door.

Despite having a menu heavily focused on meat, the kitchen seemed more than happy to build 3 vegetarian courses for us (we'd told them we are veggie while booking, which was just the same day, and they didn't batt an eyelid about making up a special request). Looking at the menu, there were quite a few options for starters, so it was just the mains we had to get creative with. We arrived to soup and salad, had a great rice dish, and enjoyed old-fashioned cocktails made with flair all the way through.

I admit, we were pretty limited for main course options, but the great food and buzzy atmosphere made a fantastic evening for us. We didn't get a sense of their creole speciality (evidently their fried chicken is not-to-be-missed for meat eaters!) but knowing creole isn't the most veggie-friendly of cuisines, this was to be expected. Would love to see someone do vegetarian creole come to think of it! The smells and spices make me jealous!

Town Hall has a beautiful interior, with exposed bricks, and feature bar, and warm atmosphere. Tables are fairly close together, and people seem to go here for good cheer and hearty food, so it can get fairly loud - all adding to the vibrant experience. Definitely recommend!

Add: 342 Howard St, San Francisco, CA
PH: (415) 908-3900
Web: http://www.townhallsf.com/

Wayfare Tavern, San Francisco

When we arrived in San Francisco, not-so-fresh off the plane, we arrived at the hotel only to find out our room wasn't ready. We left our bags and decided to go wandering, despite being dressed in day-old clothes and needing to brush our teeth. We walked straight down town into the financial district, and stumbled upon Wayfare Tavern by accident. We were so glad we did.

When we asked the waitress at the door what kind of food they served, she looked confused, and said "American?" like she wasn't sure. . . I let out a little laugh. I wasn't quite sure what American food was, but it looked great and the atmosphere had a healthy, active lunchtime buzz, so we took a seat out the front in the sunshine and prepared ourselves to be pleased.

We weren't looking for much food, so we ordered a salad and a bowl of chips, and two glasses of napa wine. Welcome to San Fansisco! I was suitably getting into the swing of things here.

The salad was a nice cos lettuce and ripe avocado with a light dressing. It was simple and unpretentious. The chips turned out to be poutine, with gravy, curds, and pulled pork. I'm one of those vegetarians who rarely feels the magnetic attraction of meat. People talk about the smell of bacon, and I enjoy the thought, but it doesn't sway me to eat it. I sometimes think about a nice tuna steak or a rotisserie chicken, and then I think again. It doesn't do it for me anymore after all these years, but . . . this pulled pork certainly looked good. I pushed it to the side, and had a private thought about why I was veggie, and then happily went about eating the chips.

Although we'd only had a salad and some chips, we decided to move on to desert. Why not celebrate being in the California sun? So we ordered a peach pie with vanila ice cream, and susequently fell in love with the most wholesome country style pie I have ever met. The chunks of peach were meaty (dare I say it?) and the pastry was chunky and satisfying. Now I know what American food is! Not fast food and sugar, but good, wholesome feasting.

The waitress was attentive and had great suggestions for us. You can tell when someone is really listening to you, and it was an easy experience. Although we sat outside, we could see the interior had a woods and greens and florals style pub atmosphere, with beautiful big windows at the front and an internal staircase. The bathrooms were charming, down in the basemet of this amazing building. It's not a huge place, and when I tried to come back a second time during the week I found it packed to the rims with bankers and headhunters. I didn't get a seat on that occasion so it must be a pretty popular place. I would try again!

Add: 558 Sacramento St, San Francisco
PH: 415 772 9060
Web: http://wayfaretavern.com/

Laris, Hong Kong

I had heard of Laris while living in Shanghai, but never had the chance to go myself. I knew the dining concept was Australian, and I'd heard good things from friends who had been. So when I heard Laris had opened a restaurant in Hong Kong, I was eager to visit.

After doing a little research I found out that the group owns almost half the restaurants in Central! I've probably eaten in Mr Laris' places many times and just not known it. Anyway, to eat the the restaurant that has his title was a treat.
I've now been twice, and both times I've had a great experience. Sitting on the 2nd floor, you're able to look up and down Wyndham St and enjoy the happenings from a quiet perch. Try to get a seat by the window if you can - the panorama is really charming. It's a great way to see Hong Kong - close enough to street level to feel it, yet quiet enough that you're allowed to see it through new eyes. The narrow curve of Wyndham as it turns into Hollywood, the suits going home from work and jeans coming into the bars, and the old buildings holding on precariously to the side of the hill. It really feels like Hong Kong here.

The service at Laris is very smooth. Although there are a few pillars in the dining room that make for some inconvenient little spaces, the wait staff are able to navigate through the tables easily, and offer every care. It's a small space, and it feels like an intimate dining experience here. A great place for a date.

Our food was exceptional. The menu is laid out by Bird / Fish / Meat / Vegetarian which makes it very easy to navigate. The menus have a lot of white space and a beautiful font, giving a classic and simple feel. I had the forest mushrooms with olive oil powder, truffle, carrot & mascarpone. They came in a beautiful boat shaped bowl, and were delicious. My husband had a cauliflower soup which was light and rich. We then both had the jerusalem artichoke risotto with shaved parmesan and sage butter for our mains. It was filling but elegant, with nice, juicy chucks of artichoke, and again it was presented beautifully.

A friend had reccommended the sticky date pudding for desert and it didn't dissapoint. I really like this place. There aren't enough veggie options for me to come on a weekly basis, but for a treat and a suitably impressive vegetarian experience, I can happily reccommend Laris.

Add: 2/F, 77 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong
PH: +852 2530 1600
Web: http://www.diningconcepts.com/laris/

Lily & Bloom, Hong Kong

We weren't planning on a Friday night out, but when work finished, and work drink obligations had been satisfied, the moment grabbed us and we felt like eating something nice. Lately I've been feeling a bit uninspired in Hong Kong, but Lily & Bloom came to mind, and we decided to give it another go. We called up and got 2 seats at the bar.

As soon as you arrive in the cocktail bar level that is Lily, you're immediately immersed in the mood and style of place. It's all wood, wrought iron, leather and candel light. The interior staircase leads you up to Bloom, the restaurant area of the venue. It's centered around a long bar, where bar tenders get into the shake, shake rhythm that buzzes through the whole space.

Our server was impecable, and so relaxed yet attentive. She guided us through the specials, which rolled back and forth above the bar on an iron frame. We chose the heirloom tomato starter from the specials (which I love, but I'm starting to see a bit too often) and a small tart off the usual menu. I also took up the offer of 3 Pinot Noir tasting glasses which were beautifully served up. Each glass had a different coloured spot on the base, and the bottles were lined up behind them - one from New Zealand, one from Bordeaux and the final one from Australia. So nice.

As our main, we had raviolli with candied olives and rocket. Usually it has proscuito and beef broth, but the waitress spoke with the chef and they were happy to do it in a tomato broth instead. The waitress was concerned it might be a bit dry as a result, and in the end she was right, but it was still nice and fresh and we greatly appreciated the gesture. The fresh rocket on top was bighty, and the portion size was just right.

We had space for desert, and I'm glad we did. It was creative, and again the waitresses suggestion was spot on. Although by this time in the evening the restaurant was getting busy, and the courses were taking longer to arrive. We didn't mind. The space of Bloom gives plenty of interesting things to look at - including beautifully hung wine glasses as a feature in the center of the dining room. The glasses are actually in use - it's a great working show.

However my favourite part of the decoration is the bathrooms, which hosts a space for powdering, and a beautiful waterfountain as centerpiece. It's dark, and candel lit, and you shouldn't be surprised to meet someone of the opposite gender in there. It's a lovely space, and just adds to the romance of the whole restaurant.

Despite being at the center of LKF, Lily&Bloom feels like an oasis. It's been a staple in Hong Kong for several years already, and I trust it will be serving to a world class standard for many more.

Add: 33 Wyndham Street | 6th Floor, LKF Tower, Hong Kong, China
PH: 852-28106166
Web: http://www.lily-bloom.com/