Vegan Practically

Back at the beginning of June, which now seems in the very distant past, I spent a few days in St. John’s, Newfoundland. It was a great opportunity to explore, among other things of course, the local vegan fare. My partner, Diane, and I started doing our research some time before we went. We also consulted local friends for recommendations. We didn’t have many days, but in addition to the wedding catering by Gillian at Gingerly, which I blogged about at the time, we had some great dining experiences. Here’s what we enjoyed.

The Peaceful Loft. This is a highly-regarded fully vegan restaurant that serves Chinese food and is run by a husband-wife couple. When we went, he was serving the tables and she was doing the cooking. On Tripadvisor it holds the #1 spot among the 235 St. John’s restaurants that are rated. That helps to explain why, despite the pouring rain, this tiny restaurant was full pretty much the whole time we were there, and had a steady take-out clientele as well. They give you some house sauces that they make themselves, and start you off with tea and soup. The Singapore noodles are outstanding. As usual, I forgot to take a photo of anything. But if you go to Happy Cow, lots of other people have posted pictures of their meals and the Singapore Noodles are a popular item. It’s right downtown on Duckworth Avenue.

Piatto Pizzeria + Enoteca. Down the street from the Peaceful Loft is a pleasant pizzeria that has a great pizza and salad lunch special that includes a vegan option. The Vegano pizza is described on the menu as: “Plant based cheese, fire roasted zucchini, marinated tomatoes, fresh local mushrooms, and red onion.” They will customize if asked, and were happy to leave the mushrooms off of Diane’s pizza. The crust is perfect. The salad is simple mixed greens with a truly delicious vinaigrette. It was just the right stop for lunch on a relentlessly rainy day. You can see a photo of the Vegano, not by me, on Happy Cow.

Gingergrass. Still on Duckworth, you’ll find Gingergrass serving Thai and Vietnemese cuisine with some vegan options. We took our friends and witnesses Christine and Martha here for dinner the night before the wedding, and there was something for everyone. Of course you always need to be aware of fish sauce when ordering Thai or Vietnemese food. I stuck to what was already listed as vegan rather than trying to get substitutions. That meant yellow curry with tofu and rice. I find it hard to go wrong with Thai curries made with coconut milk, and this was no exception. Still raining. Everyone we met that day (it was a Tuesday) kept referring with longing back to Thursday, which had apparently been lovely.

The Café at The Rooms. I wouldn’t call this a vegan haven or anything, but it has a great view of the Harbour. Or so we’re told. We visited The Rooms, which is a museum of the art and history of Newfoundland, because it was raining, foggy, and cold. We stopped in the café for tea and had a table right beside the window. Unfortunately, all we could see was a wall of fog. The server told us that no one is ever there when the weather is fine, which is when you get the best view. So you can take that as a travel tip — go to the Rooms when the weather is great, grab a table by the window, and enjoy a tea or coffee. They do have plant-based milk, but other than that there are few vegan options. Though we weren’t glad of the weather, we were really pleased to spend a couple of hours browsing the exhibits at The Rooms.

Gingerly Plant-Based Bakery. I want to give one more shout-out to Gingerly. I mean just go look at the photos on their Instagram and you’ll know why. Though they don’t have a storefront of their own, they do have their own glass cooler of their vegan delights at the Rocket Bakery in Mount Pearl. If I lived in St. John’s I’d be making a regular appearance. I’d also be ordering a coconut lemon cake from Gingerly at least once a month.

There’s a lot more reason to go to St. John’s than the food, of course. But if you do go to St. John’s you can be sure you’ll enjoy some great vegan meals. I wish you safe travels and better weather!

Bon Appétit!