The fact that I get to wake up to 28 degree Celsius weather here in Cali instead of Korea's sub-zero temperatures, makes my expensive plane ticket more than worth it. Every day the skies are bright and blue, I get to walk around in just a light sweater or jacket, and the air is the perfect mix of warm and crispy. Ah, life is good.
I've also been eating so much good food, it's a bit overwhelming! Being vegan in LA is soooooo easy. Since I've only really been vegan in Korea, I'm used to the daily struggles of having to question every single thing at restaurants, but here, everything is either clearly labeled, or you can just ask the waitstaff without having to explain what 'vegan' is, and no one bats an eye when you do. It's so refreshing!
Anywayyy~ The other day, my sister and I went to M Cafe on Melrose Ave for lunch. Its menu is mostly veg*an and its interior is gorgeous, bright, and open. I was in love as soon as I walked in.
They even have vegan desserts from Babycakes! When I saw these it was like I saw a celebrity. Or a leprechaun. "It's real!"
Beeeuutiful.
We ordered this 'Big Macro' burger: " organic whole-grain brown rice & vegetable burger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, sprouts, soy cheese, and special sauce on a fresh-baked whole wheat bun." For our choice of the side, we picked kale with spicy peanut sauce. We couldn't exactly taste any 'spicy' in the peanut sauce, but it was pretty damn good.
This burger was a beautiful layering of colors, textures, and flavors. I was in awe with every bite. And the thing was huuuge! I'm glad we split it cuz I doubt I could finish the whole thing in one go.
We also shared this stunning, huge, fresh 'Mixed Baby Greens & Vegetables' salad, which was loaded with carrot, broccoli, lotus root, daikon sprouts, ume-pickled radish, and tamari roasted almonds . Everything was generously dressed with some lovely avocado-lemon vinaigrette. The almonds were my favorite part.
Here's my sister and me enjoying lunch.
Next, we were in the mood for some cawfee, so we headed to Urth Cafe on Beverly Drive. When we arrived, the place was positively hopping with people, but thankfully were were able to snag an outdoor table to enjoy our drinks and afternoon sunshine. I ordered a latte with almond milk ! Amazing.
Today my sister and I went to another major LA vegan restaurant, Flore. We had to wait about 15 minutes for a table since we went during busy Saturday lunch service, but it was worth the wait and then some. Call me a vegan freak/food nerd, but I have a bucket-list of foods I have to eat while I'm here, and one of them is to eat a vegan Reuben sandwich. Well, I get to check that off my list now cuz I ordered Flore's Tempeh Reuben sandwich, which was effin' ah-may-jing.
The Tempeh Reuben: "Grilled reuben served on rye with layers of cashew cheese, tempeh, sauerkraut, tofu cheese and 1000 island dressing. Served with [my choice] of side salad [and miso dressing]."
Let's just say that I would move to LA for this sandwich. It undoubtedly beat any meat-filled reuben I ever had as an omni and I am determined to try to recreate this when I go back home. It didn't have the characteristic layers of pinky-purple "meat," but in its place was some yummy tempeh slices for added texture and bite. I'm not usually a fan of tempeh, but in this case, it worked. The rye bread slices were also perrrfect and everything in-between was packed with juicy, salty, sour, and sweet flavors. Talk about glory on a plate.
Extreme close-up.
My sister also ordered a sandwich: the Tofu "Egg" Salad Sandwich, with fruit on the side.
We ended up splitting the sandwiches and this one was also really good. Not as good as my reuben, but still pretty great. The toasted, chewy bread, the eggy salad, the thick tomato slices, lettuce leaves, and vegan mayo, all came together to create a super fresh-tasting breakfast/brunch sandwich that took me back to my childhood days.
Even though my tummy was more than satisfied after eating those sandwiches, I made sure to scope out the vegan desserts before we left.
I contemplated the idea of getting a piece of carrot cake, until I saw this:
Chocolate croissants! Ahhhh!! Another item on my vegan food bucket-list! I got one with zero hesitation and then headed to cafe Intelligentsia to enjoy it with some coffee.
Oh. My. Word.
So soft~ With each and every layer that I peeled off and savored, I also got to lick chocolate, butter, and sticky sugar coating off my fingers. Lordy lord. My only wish was that there was more chocolate in it, as I was expecting a 'log' of chocolate on the inside, but found chocolate chips instead. No matter, this still rivals any non-vegan croissant. How am I ever going to go back to vegan croissant-less Korea? You LA vegans are so spoiled! :)
The soy latte at Intelligentsia was also really good.
Love the blue tiles of the cafe.
Oh, and guess what!! On the way to the cafe, we passed by Drew Barrymore! She was just being her gorgeous laid-back self, chillin' with some people at a table on the sidewalk. Mario Lopez and Drew Barrymore, both within 3 days. I'm on a roll! Who's next?
We also went to check out the 'Silverlake Art Craft & Vintage' site. We got there late (spent too much time eating good food) and some stalls had already started to pack up, but we still got to do a good bit of rummaging and found some sweet treasures. I got a bit camera-happy:
I absolutely love vintage shopping! It's so much better than going to the mall where everything is mass-produced and has no history at all.
Here's what I snagged: a flowery dress, a sweater with sequined flowers, a pretty blue kitchen tray, a cute 70's mug, and a tiny yellow ceramic casserole-style bowl. (total: $20)
And here are my sister's finds: A sparkly sequin top, four marble stone coasters, and a vintage 1970's cuff-bracelet. Can you tell the difference in our styles? :)
And fiiinally, here's what I'm snacking on now, as I type. Potato Flyers baked potato chips! Verrry addicting...
Well, that just about sums up the past 2 days. Hope everyone is having ("had" if you're in Korea) a great weekend, and hugs & kisses to all my family, friends, and readers back home. xoxo