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• A tiny vegan oasis

I was on a road trip with a friend, passing this part of Rhode Island, and I half-jokingly searched for vegan restaurants in the area. I honestly didn't expect to find any. But suddenly this place appeared! A vegan oasis in downtown Westerly. I was excited! Before arriving there, I checked the daily menu on their Facebook page. It seemed to be changing every day, but always vegan, and consistently interesting and appetizing-sounding. As I entered the place I started to doubt that it's actually a "restaurant". It looked like a small shop, selling various beans and grains. (Which it really is.) Had the (very unique) name not matched the app, I would have thought I arrived at the wrong location. As I came up to the counter, I noticed a small printout, listing various food. It matched the daily menu from the Facebook page! I was indeed at the right place :-) I asked if it's at all possible to eat there. Our road trip was far from over and I didn't want to eat this food in a car while driving. I was told that indeed I can, as there are a couple of small tables near the entrance by the window. We ordered a soup, tempeh with quinoa and various vegetables, and also nachos with guacamole (see photos). After taking our order, the shopkeeper turned around, pulled out a small mixer and started making the guacamole. I could watch the whole preparation, which was nice. Similarly with the tempeh, I could see him prepare all the vegetables, and then add quinoa from a pot that must have been prepared earlier that day. The soup was already made, so he just poured that into a cup. Everything tasted great and was very fresh. Given the preparation process it felt closer to home cooking than to a typical restaurant. I would just warn that the portion size isn't the biggest, so if you arrive super hungry, order accordingly. This is actually great for having a good lunch without the (sadly typical) overeating. Again, consult the photos posted here. The two staff members whom I've interacted with there were both very friendly. Even by US standards - I'm not saying that just because I'm a European who is not as used to friendly service. They gave tips on what is particularly tasty and when they saw me get water from a provided filtered tap, offered to bring some ice from the cooking area. It was a hot June day, so that was nice. Overall the atmosphere was very homely. The place was basically part small shop, part someone's home (or at least it seemed like it). Sitting there, enjoying my tempeh I couldn't help but contemplate how being vegan brings you to all these places you normally wouldn't go to. There I was, driving through Rhode Island, and instead of doing for a burger or pizza of questionable quality I found myself in someone's home/shop, watching them make me guacamole in a blender.