• 2
• Not Vegan

I recently called Lake Tai to confirm it was a 100% vegan restaurant after seeing on several review websites that the restaurant was listed as "Vegetarian" (not "Vegan"), and that Happy Cow said "note that faux meats might not all be vegan (check)". I wondered if something had changed as years ago, having been drawn in by the reviews stating it was all vegan, we had asked the owner if everything was vegan, and she had told us it was. I called and asked if any of their veggie meats had whey and she said, "Ye-.. No, no". I asked if any of her dishes had whey in them and she said no - it's vegan. I reiterated to be sure, asking if it was all vegan; she said yes. I then asked if someone with a dairy allergy could eat at Lake Tai and she said, in what sounded like an angry tone, "...maybe you should eat somewhere else". I started to explain my reason for asking (to let her know about the Happy Cow page that said it was vegetarian, not vegan) but she hung up while I was talking. To clarify, and to hear her response, I called back to tell her about the Happy Cow page. I asked, "Is there any dairy or eggs in the dishes?" She said "Vegetarian is vegetarian". I asked, "Is the restaurant vegan or vegetarian?" and she replied, "Vegetarian". I thanked her and hung up. We have eaten at Lake Tai many times over the years, enjoyed most of the food and had very friendly and prompt service from the same person I spoke with above, but now we feel deceived and will no longer be eating there. Please carefully read the description on Happy Cow and read the sign on the restaurant - it says "Lake Tai VEGETARIAN Restaurant".