Looking on the bright side, at least I won’t be spending as much on food this trip (I’m envisioning cheese sandwiches from the bakery rather than a sit-down dinner). Usually I look forward to the eating part of a vacation more than anything, so planning this one has been a little strange.

I’ll let you know how I do.

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In search of vegetarian Norway

Do you have a favorite guidebook for traveling while vegetarian?

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Let’s hear if for Fodor’s

I’d been wanting to try Blue Nile, an Ethiopian restaurant here in Munich, for a while now. This weekend I finally got a chance to go, and it was definitely worth the trip. I’ve been a fan of Ethiopian food for a while now, partially because there’s always some fabulous vegetarian items on the menu. Blue Nile was no exception, and our party of four happily ordered the sampler of vegetarian dishes.

All the food came served in one giant dish, as is typical at the Ethiopian restaurants I’ve been to. Instead of using utensils, diners tear off pieces of injera, a spongy flat bread, and use this to scoop up the food. There were several different lentil dishes, as well as some greens, potatoes, and other veggies on our giant platter. Everything was delicious. I can’t wait to go back.

Blue Nile has two locations, both in Munich’s hip Schwabing neighborhood. Reservations are a good idea during peak hours.

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Vegetarian Ethiopian food in the heart of Munich

I spent a lot of time in Italy drooling over gorgeous displays of fresh fruits and veggies at the many green markets we encountered. Even though I can find pretty good produce at home in Germany, it’s nothing compared to the sumptuous offerings at even the most modest of Italian farm stands. The tomatoes, artichokes, green peas, fresh garlic, delicate lettuces… yum!

It’s a real treat for me to get to prepare my own meals in Italy after a day of food shopping. When you start with such amazing, fresh, local ingredients, it takes very little effort to make an extraordinary meal. I highly recommend it to anyone who gets the chance.

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Vegetable shopping in Italy

Photo: Pici (thick Tuscan noodles) with mushrooms. So yummy.

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Mmmmmm…. Italy

Berlin is one of my favorite cities in the world, but food is not one of the city’s strong points (especially when you’re dining with non-vegetarians who want to sample the local delicacies). Still, every once in a while I manage to stumble across a blog-worthy meal there.

I had a great meal at Samadhi on my last trip to Berlin. This vegetarian restaurant specializing in Southeast Asian cuisines is very centrally located, not far from the Brandenburger Tor. The menu was extensive – so much so that I had trouble deciding given how many choices I had. I settled for tofu grilled in lop leaves (pictured), while my friend chose pad thai. We started the meal with some summer rolls.

The food was tasty and reasonably priced (main dishes are about 10 euros each). The service was friendly, if a little slow, and the decor was nothing to write home about, but I didn’t mind a bit – the food was definitely worth my time. I think Samadhi will be earning a place on my must-visit list for future trips to Berlin, as well.

Samadhi is closed Mondays, but open for lunch and dinner every other day of the week.

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Samadhi: fabulous affordable vegetarian dining in Berlin

Thanks to a recent comment from Nat, I was inspired to try out the vegan restaurant Saf im Zerwirk today. Saf is in the middle of downtown Munich, just steps away from the Hofbräuhaus.

I coaxed a new friend to go try Saf for lunch. The restaurant had a very clean, modern interior, and the waiters were friendly and helpful. The menu (which, by the way, is available in English) was rather short, but given that everything on it sounded delicious (and was vegan!), I didn’t mind that a bit. After much deliberation, I settled on the artichoke appetizer followed by truffle ravioli with pine nuts and tomato sauce, while my friend had the lunch special of buckwheat risotto with sundried tomatoes and dandelion greens, served with a potato vegetable soup and a mixed salad.

The food totally exceeded my expectations. It was delicious, especially the ravioli. And I say this as a complete Italian food snob who won’t even set foot inside an Italian restaurant that isn’t physically located in Italy. The fact that this dish didn’t even contain cheese completely amazes me. Well done, Saf!

My scrumptious lunch didn’t quite come cheap: appetizer, main, and a drink came to 24 euros. My friend’s lunch special and drink was only around 11 euros, though. All in all I’d call Saf a great value. If you find yourself in Munich looking for a yummy vegetarian/vegan meal, this place should definitely be on your radar.

Finding Saf: the Munich restaurant is at Ledererstrasse 3, on the second floor (or third floor, if you’re counting American-style) of the building, up an unassuming staircase. Not in Germany? You can find Saf in England and Turkey, too! See Saf’s website for more info.

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Saf, or have I mentioned how much fun it is to be a vegetarian in Munich?

Who knew Munich was such a vegetarian-friendly city? For Valentine’s Day (thus the rose petals on the table) my husband surprised me with reservations at Cafe Ignaz, a vegetarian restaurant we hadn’t tried yet.

The menu was extensive, with both vegetarian and vegan items well-represented. Specialties included pastas, pizzas, gratins, gnocchi, crepes, and stir-fry. I ordered a grünkern (green spelt) risotto with mushrooms and arugula, while my husband had spinach ravioli in cheese sauce. The food was about as I expected – basic, heavy, and satisfying. While I wouldn’t recommend Cafe Ignaz if you’re looking for a fancy fine-dining experience, it will definitely fill you up with tasty vegetarian food.

A generously-sized main dish runs about 8 euros at Cafe Ignaz. Take-away dishes are only 4.50. The restaurant is small, so dinner reservations are advisable. During the week Ignaz offers breakfast and lunch buffets; on the weekends brunch is served from 9:00 to 13:30.

Cafe Ignaz
Georgenstr. 67
80079 Munich
Tel. 089/2716093
http://www.ignaz-cafe.de/
closed Tuesdays

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Cafe Ignaz: more vegetarian fun in Munich

Even though food has pretty much completely disappeared from US domestic flights, there are still plenty of airline meals being served on long-haul flights around the world. Luckily, pretty much every airline will serve you a vegetarian meal these days, although the quality of these meals can vary greatly. Make sure you put in your request in time – most airlines require you to order a special meal at least 24 hours before your flight.

Last week I flew Air France from Boston to Munich, with a stopover in Charles de Gaul airport in Paris. I actually forgot to order my vegetarian meal in time (usually I just get them automatically, since most websites allow you to save your meal preferences, but this time we booked through a funky website and I just forgot). The first time a flight attendant came by, I explained (politely – remember, people are much more likely to help you out when you’re kind and respectful) my situation and asked if they happened to have any extra veg meals on board. She said she’d see what she could do, and also told me that often one of the two regular meal choices is vegetarian anyway, so I’d probably be ok.

Turns out they did have an extra vegetarian meal on hand. The main dish was cooked vegetables with rice – nothing too exciting, but much healthier-looking than the ravioli that the ‘regular’ folks were eating. My meal also came with a wedge of camembert cheese, a small salad, a mini-baguette, and two desserts. I’m pretty sure the main dish was vegan, as was the salad.

On our second flight (which was much shorter – less than 2 hours), we were served beverages and a cream cheese sandwich on squishy white sandwich bread. It was decent enough.

Overall Air France gets high marks for vegetarian-friendliness, even though it wasn’t exactly the most delicious airline food I’ve ever had.

What airline has the best vegetarian food in your experience?

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Flying while vegetarian: Air France

I picked up this gigantic chocolate cupcake (which wasn’t vegan) and declared it my birthday cake, even though my birthday had passed a while before. We also stocked up on supplies for our New Year’s Eve party. All delicious (although the cupcake was a little disappointing – not nearly enough frosting).

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Happy birthday to me