• 2
• Not the great experience I wanted

Growing up the veg daughter of a St. Lucian, I know just how many great vegan dishes you can make with the bevy of fresh local fruit and vegetables on the island. West Indians call vegetarian food 'provisions', as in the side dishes. Rastafarians call their style of vegan cooking Ital. So, when I found the new Baywalk Mall completed on my last visit I was thrilled to see the Food of 7 vegan food stand in the atrium area. I came back the nexy day for lunch, b/c I wasn't aware of the main restaurant behind the mall. Not sure if they serve dinner. I found my lunchl fell short of my standard expectations. Service was slow island style which is fine but the disinterested, cold attitude was not. The food was in cafeteria-style trays and no effort was taken to explain what was on offer and nothing was labelled. The young woman behind the counter took about 5 minutes to assemble 2 plates of pre-made food and then put them out on the counter and walked away to start cleaning. We stood there for awhile wondering if she had forgotten about the payment. We decided to call her back and settle up before eating but not surprising that collecting money was not a priority. Even though this is a take-away stand in a food court, maybe they have a pay after you eat system? Who knows. The food was not great. Not the fresh, flavourful dishes I'm used to having at home. There was a cabbage dish that I swear was nothing but shredded cabbage with no flavour. It's disappointing because coming from Toronto, I can get way better Ital vegan food here loaded with spices and bursting with flavours. I think bland vegan food does a disservice to everyone who has ever tasted it because it perpetuates the idea that eating healthy means eating boring, tasteless food. As another reviewer mentioned, they had signs up saying 'Black Supremacy' which is a bit worrying when you consider that this mall in the middle of the busiest tourist part of the island, Rodney Bay. As a white St. Lucian, I can't help but feel the sting of the past colonial oppression but deeply question how any supremacy movement would help the situation. I would advise travellers to stick to the row of restaurants behind the mall. Memories of Hong Kong, Razmataz and others all have vegetarian and vegan options. If you're staying in Soufriere, there's Emerald's vegetarian restaurant at Anse Chastanet Resort and Boucan at Hotel Chocolat offers vegetarian fine dining with fantastic views. Reservations advised for both