ottawa foodies

Irene’s is going vegan friendly! Here is our chance to support a restaurant
taking such steps and use it as an example to other restaurant in Ottawa
that we really do want vegan options, and it is possible to have a few
things on hand to make dining as a vegan more enjoyable at regular
restaurants. But don’t all run to Irene’s at once, this is a trial stage so
there is a limited stock of vegan alts in the kitchen. Call ahead with your
requests to avoid disappointment. If this goes well, then they can keep more
vegan alt stock on hand – but if it doesn’t… well, that would not be a good
sign/example to other restaurants. Don’t just forward this info to your
vegan and vegetarian friends, but if you know of people who are lactose
intolerant, they may also be interested.


From their new menu, is the following on their “Philosophy”:


“Whenever possible, we use fresh ingredients… Our fries are made on site
from the whole PEI spud and nothing but the spud. Non-hydrogenated fat is
used in the deep fryer, and we keep one fryer aside for vegetarian
preparation. As well as vegetarian and vegan dishes, we also stock vegan
alternatives to accompaniments such as mayo, cheese, yoghurt and butter –
ask your server for details. Multigrain bread from the Wild Oat is available
for connoisseurs on request…”


****Please share your vegan Irene’s experience with me – or any questions:
v...@vaalea.com****


The new menu is unfortunately not yet posted on their website
www.irenespub.ca/, but here is a preview.


Irene’s now has the following:


Lick’s nature burger (and their original veggie burger – chick pea based)


Vegenaise


Sour Supreme


Earth Balance


So Nice Yoghurt


Road’s End Savory Herb gravy


Soy Feta (one available at loeb – the only faux in this list I have NOT
tried.)


PC meatless strips, beef and chicken


Vegan Gourmet mozzarella and cheddar


So Good frozen dessert; Chocolate and Vanilla flavors.


In the future possibly vegan parmesan and bacon. Caesar dressing?


A lot of the dishes can be prepared on the spot by a simple substitution,
however some require a bit of preparation, such as marinade, or yoghurt
dressing, in which case you should phone the pub ahead of time with request
and you should definitely call ahead if you are coming with a group to
ensure there is enough alt food on hand. Best days to go are Monday to
Wednesday evenings, because it is less busy and more time can be spent on
prepping the vegan foods. Anything that requires grilling, if you are picky
you may want to ask that they microwave, or heat on tin foil. It may also be
helpful if you tell the staff you are vegan, so that they can pass that on
to the cooks.


In the future there may be a premium on the alt foods because they are not
at this time bought in bulk and are more expensive than the dairy/meat they
are replacing.


IMPORTANT NOTE regarding the following: I am not 100% about the
bread/tortilla ingredients or the soy margarine ingredients of the products
they use in the kitchen. It really depends how picky you are as a vegan when
you are eating out. I prefer to say the food is vegan FRIENDLY rather than
vegan because of all the people who have different tolerances… such as some
vegans don’t like to consume white sugar, many no honey, or no misc
ingredients of which source is dubious, while others relax a little when
they are out to eat. etc.


Soups:


Depends on the day, some may be vegan/vegetarian.


The Salads:


All salads can potentially be vegan. Italian and French dressing is supposed
to be ok, again doesn’t hurt to confirm. The house dressing is made with
yoghurt so if you really want to try it, you would have to call ahead.


Wraps:


Sirloin and chicken can be replaced with meatless strips. Caesar dressing
MIGHT be available. The house dressing has y

Oh, dear. I hate it when a place (1) goes out of its way to be veg-friendly, and then (2) offers nothing I would enjoy eating.

Too much "substitute," when I'd be so happy with a little caprese salad, a little pasta oglio e olio, a big fat burger-sized sandwich crammed with veg rather than a "patty."

I feel so fussy...

This seems like a ridiculous and high-food cost activity for a pub to undertake. It reeks of "new owner's syndrome"

God only knows why they left that veggie burger on the menu...it was a pasty nigihtmare last I had it.