This past weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting Natalie, one of my awesome readers, a fellow vegan blogger, and a raw enthusiast! I was super excited to meet her and talk to her about her journey into and her experiences with raw veganism. She hails from Vancouver, Canada and has been coming to Korea about once or twice a year for roughly a month at a time. While she's here in Korea, she does eat cooked food (vegan) from time to time, but I think for the most part, she still tries to eat as raw as possible, which I think is simply amazing and impressive. Check her blog 'Keep On Raw in the Free World' to see how she does it. :)
Anyway, we (Natalie, her friend Darren, and moi) met up at Veggie Holic in Hongdae. I hadn't been there in a while and I noticed that there were a few new items, as well as a new display fridge with cakes and tarts. I got really excited, but then after talking to the lady working there, I learned that many of the newer items contain animal products... Here's the non-vegan roundup:
The chocolates, tarts, and cakes in the display fridge are mostly not vegan . (Depends on what's in there- please ask the lady for specifics.)
The 'manju' you see in the middle is not vegan . The other two on the sides are ok.
Oatmeal cookies: not vegan
Pink flower cookies: not vegan
Black sesame seed crackers/croutons: not vegan
And y'all should know by now that these cookies with the 'Cookie' stickers are not vegan .
So yea... those are the items to watch out for. While there are still a plethora of delicious vegan pastries and breads to choose from, and I still love this bakery, it's somewhat disappointing to see them adding more and more non-vegan stuff to their menu. C'mon , Veggie Holic! After I went and put you on my 'Best of 2010 List,' why you gotta go and sneak animal products here and there? While I've posted pics of the ones to steer clear from, I would suggest that you just double-check with the lady at the counter whenever you buy anything, just to make sure you haven't unknowingly picked up one of their new non-vegan shtuff, aiight? :) Coo~
And now here are some goodies that ARE cruelty-free:
muffins!
breads!
pizza rolls!
I got one of their 'Tofu Pizza Rolls' (2,800 won) to eat at the cafe, as well as a 'Corn Scone' (1,800 won) to take home.
The pizza bread part was really soft and quite good, but I thought the tofu filling was a little bland. Still good though- a nice mid-afternoon snacky.
Natalie was also incredibly generous in sharing some raw kale chips that she brought with her from back home. I'd never had kale chips before!
They were yummmmy~~! Crispy, salty, and a little chewy from the nutritional yeast. Now I really wanna make my own. Unfortunately, I don't have any nutritional yeast- it's the one thing I didn't stock up on while in Cali. Darn.
Natalie also gifted me with these two LaraBars: lemon & coconut cream, both new flavors for me! Thank you so, so much!!! Seriously, every time I meet a reader, I feel like it's Christmas.
So that was my mini blogger meet-up. Natalie was super sweet and cool, and it was like meeting a kindred spirit. :) Hopefully we can meet up again before she takes off back to Vancouver! Or I'll just have to visit that part of Canadia someday. :)
Directions to Veggie Holic: Hongik University Station, line 2, Exit 2. When you come out the escalator stairs, turn left and walk 2 blocks. Then cross the street and walk to the right. Turn into the road between 'Pourtoi Bakery' and Hana Bank and walk straight, passing a 'Kosa Mart' and a church on your right. Then turn left at the corner of a pizza/pasta restaurant. Veggie Holic will be on your left, a few stores down. (About a 5-minute walk from the station exit).
Opening Hours: Everyday 10AM-10PM