It’s widely acknowledged that adopting a vegetarian diet is one of the best lifestyle choices that a person can make. While we’ve not fully gone down this path, we do consciously try to have vegetarian meals as frequently as possible.
Gone are the days where eating vegetarian meant sacrificing flavour for health. Many restaurants have sprouted all over the country, offering dishes that are anything but bland.
One such eatery is iVegan, which currently has two outlets — one in Thomson Plaza, near where we stay, and the other in i12 Katong over in the East. We’ve visited the Thomson branch several times now, and have even dragged brought The Old Folks there for a couple of meals.
There’s a misconception that vegetarian restaurants are expensive. While there are many that are relatively upmarket and charge a premium, iVegan is not one of them. It’s closer to a casual eatery with regular customers who make return visits.
In addition to affordable ala carte dishes, they also offer all-day set meals at S$12.90++ and S$15.90++ for two and three courses respectively.
While they have a very diverse menu spanning across numerous Western and Asian items, it hasn’t resulted in a kitchen nightmare situation. We’ve ordered many different dishes, and their taste and quality have been consistently good.
Western
I personally wouldn’t have ordered the Mashed Potato (S$4.90) and Primavera Pizza (S$12.90), but The Old Folks have been pretty adventurous with their food choices lately and chose non-Chinese options. They found these two items quite tasty, though I felt that they were just alright.
We were more interested in their mains, particularly the Baked Romanesco (S$10.90) and Arugula Salad with Portobello (S$12.90). Both portions were unexpectedly hearty given their reasonable price points.
Romanesco florets were served on a base of beetroot hummus and came with alfalfa sprouts, edamame, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas and thin slices of baby radish for garnish. It was slightly smoky and had a nice crunchy texture, similar to broccoli and cauliflower.
The portobello in the arugula salad was oven-roasted and drizzled with lashings of tart and herby chimichurri sauce. It was similar to how a sirloin steak would have been served, and contrasted pleasantly with the bitter arugula leaves.
Both were dishes that we’d gladly order again during future visits.
Asian
When it comes to flavour though, the Asian dishes at iVegan are the ones that really shine. Of course, there are items that are simple and light, like the Cold Black Fungus (S$4.90) and Hong Kong Kailan.
But there are those that are heavy on the seasonings, like the Stir-fried Mixed Mushrooms (S$10.90) and Wok-fried Udon (S$12.90). Unlike typical vegetarian Chinese eateries that use some kind of dark soya sauce that leaves a strange aftertaste, these dishes taste like they were from a good tze char stall.
And if you like your food to fight back, like I do, their spicy items definitely pack a punch. The Mala Veggie Medley (S$9.90) starts out innocent enough, but the more I dig in, the more it bares its claws, leaving a trail of spice down the throat and deep into the stomach.
Likewise with the Kung Pao Tofu (S$12.90). The danger signs are clearly displayed, with whole dried red chillies scattered throughout. Sweetness from the dark soya sauce comes through first, with the spiciness slowly creeping up and finally asserting its dominance.
Both orders came with a bowl of rice on the side, which significantly helped to quench the heat.
Dessert
Osmanthus Peach Gum (S$4.90) is the only dessert listed on the menu, and it comes in hot or cold versions. It’s chock full of ingredients like white fungus, dried longan, gingko nuts, pear and lotus seeds, together with an amazingly generous amount of peach gum.
There are also several nut-based milks like cashew, almond but I always order their Freshly-made Soy Milk (S$3.00) whenever I eat there. It’s soy milk in its purest form, without any sugar or other additives, and is such a warm and comforting drink.
We try and head down to iVegan for a meal each month, but realistically it’s been once every two or three. But whenever we eat there, even after ordering the heavier-tasting dishes, we always leave feeling just a little bit healthier.
