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- Yummy Indian Food, but Lacking in Vegan Knowledge
Had a later dinner here last night. We were quickly greeted and seated. Moments later we were served water and free papadum (lentil crackers). The papadum was served with a tamarind sauce and green chutney. I inquired if the green chutney was vegan. The waiter had no clue what I was talking about, so I asked if it had any dairy in it, such as yogurt. He shook his head, no, and said it was made with mint. I ordered: Gobi 65 - deep fried cauliflower covered in a red sauce (not spicy). It was DELICIOUS & most flavorful! Samosas - 1 order came with 2 huge samosas! Spinach Pakora - battered & deep fried spinach. It was a large portion for $4. It was good, but I would prefer more seasoning. Aloo Paratha - whole wheat bread stuffed with spiced potatoes (not spicy). It was good. Plain Naan - They have a "Butter Naan" on their menu, so I'd assume the plain naan has no butter, but I let the non-vegans have it; I didn't try it. Mysore Masala Dosa - a rice & lentil based crepe filled with potato masala and spicy chutney. It was triangular-shaped and it was enormous! Very tasty and it was mildly spicy to me, which may be very spicy to others. Yummy! Between the waiter and the woman who brought out the food, they had 0 vegan IQ. 1st I inquired about butter on the dosa. He was flustered and tried to dismiss the relevancy of my request. I had to nicely, yet firmly, instruct him to make sure my dishes were without butter or yogurt. He said ok. The dosa came with 2 sauces, which the lady, in the most unconfident of ways, said that she didn't think contained dairy or yogurt. She made no effort to find out, so I did not try those sauces. I attempted to reach the owner/manager this morning but he wasn’t available. The woman who answered the phone asked the chef about the dosas, and the chef said they can NOT be made without butter. (REALLY?!) She then said that the green mint chutney IS yogurt based. Furthermore, when she asked the chef about the ingredients, she said I was "vegan, you know vegetarian." No, it's NOT the same! Nice restaurant, yummy food, but their lack of vegan knowledge is unacceptable. If they want to attract the veg*n crowd, they need to make some major adjustments. Clearly marked menus (what is vegan & what can be made vegan) & staff training, for starters. UPDATE: SPOKE WITH MANAGER, MANISHK. HE SAID NO BUTTER ON DOSAS; ONLY VEG OIL. REQUEST NO BUTTER ON BREADS. MINT CHUTNEY HAS YOGURT. HE WILL SPEAK WITH HIS STAFF RE VEGAN MEANING.