Restaurant Review – Page 9 – Discover Healthy Food

Restaurant Review: Red Basil Thai Bistro – Utah

If you’re looking for a good Thai restaurant on the south-west side of Salt Lake, check out Red Basil Thai Bistro on 9000 South and 1600 West.

Their review on UrbanSpoon show that most patrons enjoy the curries… I have to agree that their curries are better than their noodle dishes. I’ve previously eaten at Red Basil Thai for a business lunch and the Pad Si Ew… it was ewwww and I won’t get it again. It was toooily and not flavorful enough.

For dinner, their Pad Thai was pretty good. I’m glad that my friend, Becki, ordered with extra veggies because it added fresh crispness to the noodles.

The Massaman Curry with chicken was really flavorful with the perfect creaminess. (VEGAN TIP: When your dinner companion wants meat, just go with it and eat around the meat. Makes for more comfortable dining experience.)

The Tom Kha Soup was loaded with yummy veggies and tofu chunks… perfect way to keep the winter chill away. This was one of the better tom kha’s that I’ve eaten over the years.

What I don’t like about Red Basil Thai Bistro: Their service is slow. It was great for a leisurely
paced dinner out with friends, but the slow service bugs for a quick business lunch. Apparently other people have this same problem too, according to UrbanSpoon.

Restaurant Review: Chen’s Noodle House – Utah

Last time I went to Chen’s, I was a meat eater, so thought I’d give it another try… veggie style.

The Vegetable Soup was pretty good. But, I did have them add rice noodles because I wanted something Pho-like. The veggies were hot, crisp and flavorful. I used Hoisin and Sriracha for a little extra kick too-yummy!

I didn’t check out any of the other veggie dishes because I knew the soup would be enough by itself. I was right! Glad I didn’t order another dish as it would’ve been way too much food. I did notice they have other veggie stir fry options (with tofu) too.

Overall, thumbs up!

Restaurant Review: Oasis Cafe Veggie Burger – Utah

Oasis Cafe has some of the best dishes in Salt Lake for a vegetarian or vegan. Tried their Vegetable Grain Burger for the first time. It was fabulous! Very filling, flavorful and great consistency.

Ingredients as listed on their menu: basil aioli • avocado • romaine lettuce • alfalfa sprouts • tomato • swiss cheese • whole grain bun • spinach & avocado salad.

To avoid oil and animal product, I asked for no aioli nor swiss. But I bet that’s really yummy too!

I don’t think the garden burger is on the dinner menu, so if you go for lunch try it out. Bon appetit!

Restaurant review: Eatery 1025 – Utah

I have found a new restaurant with all sorts of vegan and vegetarian love coming out of the kitchen… Eatery 1025 in Bountiful. Based off recommendations on UrbanSpoon, my friend suggested Eatery 1025 and I’m more than delighted that we went there for our business lunch!

For appetizer, Susan enjoyed the bruchetta with arugula and fennel. Messy just the way bruchetta is supposed to be. The balsamic drizzle allowed for a pop of earthy-tartness among the veggies. Wow.
For main meal, she tried out the cobb… Overflowing with chopped goodness. Before I became vegan, I always ordered cobb salads-hard to not fork a grilled chicken morsel!

For my appetizer, I tried the beet soup. Oh. My. Stars. This cold soup had so many layers of flavor, I could’ve been sitting alone and totally enjoyed the pop of flavors like a great conversation of many layers-sweet…earthy…tangy…sour. If this soup is ever on the menu, GET IT.

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I opted for another appetizer as my main dish: Hummus with pita and veggies. The roasted tomato hummus was creamy with just the right amount of texture. Fresh and crisp bell pepper, cucumber and carrot sticks were a welcome coolness to the hot summer lunch. The pita wedges were plentiful. Just the right amount of hummus to match.

Mike the waiter… fab is all I can say about this hot-headed, funny chap. He made the lunch even that much more fun. He treated us to a small bit of creamy veggie soup. I can’t remember what was in it, but there was ginger and a bit of chili oil suspended on top. The kale chip added crunch and texture. For my first bite at Eatery 1025, I knew that we’d hit a home run with this lunch choice.

At the end of our lunch, Fab Mike suggested the vegan chocolate mousse. Holy dark chocolate, Batman! One bite and I was done. Luckily Susan enjoyed a couple bites too. If someone wasn’t vegan, I don’t think they’d know any better. With slices of fresh pineapple, I couldn’t think of a better way to end a perfect meal. For the record, I had more than one bite of the mousse…

Bumped into Chelsa the head cook… She’s a veggie magician with eyes that sparkle while she talks about her food creations. If you get a chance to meet her, you’ll see what I mean.

Yeah, I’m in love and want to go back to find out what new delicacies will come from the swinging kitchen door.

Go. Support local. Experience the explosion of yumminess in your mouth. Eat vegan. Feel good.

Restaurant Review: It’s Tofu – Utah

Meeting a business associate for lunch, so I checked UrbanSpoon for vegan/vegetarian options near her office. I love using UrbanSpoon for vegan/vegetarian restaurant ideas. I found a new place called It’s Tofu – offering Korean dishes with veggie and meat options. Hooray!

I enjoyed the Hot Stone Pot with tofu. I opted to add brown rice for $1 extra – well worth it. The veggies included carrots, bean sprouts, zucchini, and mushrooms. The pot is actually hot, so I had to mix the ingredients right away – otherwise it’ll burn on the bottom. With a chile sauce that I added periodically through the meal, it was yummy! I will absolutely get this dish again.

The Korean traditional sides of kimchi, potatoes, radish and spicy cucumber slices. The waiter will bring more of the sides as desired. I had some extra radishes… love the tart vinegar flavor.

Great lunch. Great spot for a business meeting. Fresh ingredients. Perfect portion size. Great wait staff. Reasonable prices.

Restaurant Review: Ginger’s 2 – Utah

Lovely lunch to Ginger’s Garden Cafe in Springville with my dear friend Ronda. I had heard this was a good spot, but I wasn’t ready for how amazingly yummy the food is! They also have many packaged items as well, so I’m excited to go back and check out more of their offerings.

For lunch, Ronda enjoyed the Veggie Wrap. This is her favorite and she gets often. I was tempted to sneak a bite, but instead I’ll get this wrap another time.

I loved the Falafel Sandwich. I have craved falafel and this sandwich hit the spot. The vegan ranch was perfect!

We shared the nachos… oh my goodness! Before going vegan, I considered nachos to be a food group. So, I’ve been really craving nachos for months. These vegan nachos were fantastic! I’m craving them again already…

Restaurant Review: Bombay House – Utah

Haven’t been to Bombay House since embracing the vegan way of eating. Very pleased to find that they have vegan dishes on the menu. In fact, found out that 70% of their dishes are vegan… they just add meat when a patron requests.

We really enjoyed the garlic and plain naan, the Vegetable Coconut Kurma and the Aloo Gobi.

Note: The next morning, woke up with a headache which tells me that they use MSG. Now that I know that, if I go back again, I’ll ask that they not add MSG.

Restaurant Review: Gurus Cafe – Utah

Meeting friends for dinner, we wanted to check out Guru’s Cafe since we haven’t been there since we started eating Vegan. We found some pretty good options like the “Spicy Curry Bowl” and the “Thai Peanut Pasta”. Our friends enjoyed the “Southwest Chipotle Wrap” and the “Spicy Szechwan Rice Bowl”.

Overall, it was reasonably priced, the portions are good-sized and the service is really great at this restaurant. Great spot for a casual mid-week dinner. The seating out front is really nice if it’s good weather. Great to see you Iliah and Katie!

Restaurant Review: Harvest Restaurant – Utah

Business lunch, so chose to meet at Harvest Restaurant at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi. Consistently seeking vegan dishes, I was planning to have a bland salad, so was pleasantly surprised to find a grilled veggie sizzling platter. Left off the goat cheese and artisan bread. It was a great lunch!

Restaurant Review: Oasis Cafe – Utah

One thing I love about friends who live in another county, is the exposure to new restaurants.

Marilyn suggested that we meet at Oasis Cafe in Salt Lake for our dinner date. Yeah! An organic, vegetarian, local spot. We sat in their patio area, enjoying the mild night breeze and giggled like school girls. I love girls-night-out.

We started off with the zucchini wrapped baked tofu in marinara sauce. Holy cow was this good! I would’ve had two of them, but need to remember to order without the parmesan cheese next time. You gotta try it!

Marilyn had the famous Mediterranean Salad with grilled salmon. I snagged one of her grilled potato slices. This vegetarian salad could easily be vegan with omitting the meat and vinaigrette dressing. Looked amazing though and Marilyn says it’s her favorite.

I enjoyed the Udon Noodles with tofu. This vegan dish was really tasty with fresh crisp veggies (gave Marilyn the mushrooms). The peanut sauce was amazing! I think peanuts are God’s way of telling us He loves us. I wish the noodles were whole wheat, or preferably rice, but were quite yummy. oasis2a

Thanks, Oasis for a great dinner! I’ll be back… maybe try the Med salad vegan style.