Vegetarian - eating out?

Annifrance !! Ive been vegetarian from VERY young...I spat out any meat as a baby and refused meat as a child. Therefore would say I was a natural vegetarian.
I'm sure I've mentioned this before but in the 60's going for a staff Christmas meal I was given a large oval plate full of whole lettuce leaves, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs and cheese...no dressing other that salad cream which I hate...and I was expected to pay an equal share for the meal, very expensive, boring salad.
Thankfully things are very much improved when eating out now and also in supermarket frozen food depts.

I was vegetarian for around 15 years and the menus always had a very limited choice,mushroom stroganoff,vegatarian chilli or lasagne ,and risotto...often I was offered chicken or ham salad becuase they "weren't real meat"lol.Nowadays I eat a limited amount and type of meat ..no fowl,no pork very little beef and the veggie options are usually so good in restauarnts that I have them instead of the meat ones .The variety is much better than it was even 10 years ago

paddyann your post reminds me of a scene in the Royle Family when Nana was told that a young visitor didn't eat meat, she said "not even waver-thin ham?"

I have not eaten meat for thirty years and I agree that it is a lot easier to eat out now than it was then, but I still find that buffet food often includes quite nice looking salads which are spoilt by the addition of small pieces of cold meat, or sausage. Chorizo has been fashionable for the last few years and seems to find its way into unexpected places. Why can't they just serve the meat separately?

Usually Indian or Thai places have number of vegetarian selections.

Unless it's a totally vegetarian or vegan eaterie, I never order soup. If you ask the waiters whether the soup's been made with meat stock, they will often say no without checking.

I don't eat meat because I just don't like it, it's a texture thing. I so find it funny tho, because when invited to dinner I mostly am served quiche and carrot cake !! If someone is doing a roast, I am quite happy with a plate of veg I don't even need a meat substitute. I don't have too many problems eating out but there are some venues that I would not return to because of a total lack of imagination ??

For people living in or visiting central and outer London, we have been visiting these (exclusively vegetarian/non-chain) restaurants for around 30 years and have always found them good:

Vijay's Chawallah, Green Street, Forest Gate
Diwana, Drummond Street, Near Euston

(both more like upmarket cafes than restaurants but excellent food and very good value)

and for the last 5 years:

Tibits in Heddon Street, off Regent Street
(extensive buffet, food charged by the weighed plate) Very nice atmosphere and good value for the West End. I've just rolled back and seen this has already been recommended.

(I think Carluccios, though not exclusively vegetarian and a chain, is pretty good)

I find many places that serve vegetarian food but which aren't exclusively vegetarian are generally disappointing - and I agree about the often tasteless mush otherwise known as mushroom rissotto.

Have you come across Vanilla Black, Eloethan?
Cnacery Lane area; no idea where that is in relation to where you are.

Why do people put mushrooms in a risotto.

Never been able to find one in Italy - and whenever I've seen on in the UK it just looks like decomposing tapioca

Ham, peas, peppers and plenty of cheese - especially parmesan, a good knob of butter added at the end of the cooking process makes it look like a proper risotto.

Ham and parmesan in a vegetarian risotto, railman?
You'll be suggesting the bits can be fished out next.

antonio-carluccio.co.uk/recipes/risotto-con-funghi/

antonio-carluccio.co.uk/recipes/risotto-di-primavera-alle-verdure/

For those who don't like mushrooms.

Vegetarian meals are the most boring on earth apart from what is served in Indian restaurants.

How nasty, lemongrove. Nobody is forcing you to eat one.

I found in India the vegetarian dishes were often listed first followed by meat meal choices - vegetarianism being normal in India. And the veggie dishes were out of this world! Long way to go though for a good meatless meal.

Asparagus rissotto is delicious. I make a stock with the woody ends of asparagus, but sometimes cheat by liquidising a tin of asparagus and mixing with vegetable stock then adding fresh chopped asparagus stems halfway through and the tips near the end of cooking time. I always start with onion or leek and finish with some grated veggie cheese , butter or vegan marge, a little garlic and a lot of black pepper.

Just the truth durhamjen to my taste buds.Yes Smithy
It is the norm in India, although many do eat meat as well.
There are so many delicious vegetable menus that I never eat meat in India or in Indian restaurants.

which is probably a good thing.
Perhaps M0nica but my vegetarian friend has commented (and complained) a couple of times on the tiny portions she has chad in comparison to the meat dishes other people had - and she had to pay the same price!!

had, sorry!

I eat meat but love a goat's cheese tart and beetroot

How weird, lemongrove. Have you forgotten that you said vegetarian meals were the most boring, but now you have said that you eat them in India.
Delicious vegetable menus are vegetarian, are they not?

I love asparagus risotto, varian.

At the same time Jalima? ?

mmm beetroot, I have an urge to eat beetroot

sorry to those who don't like it.

Yes, a goat's cheese tart with a tiny portion of beetroot done in some kind of chef's way, I don't know how.