A Vegan Day Out In Ho Chi Minh City. – Plant-Powered Nomad

There are plenty of places in Vietnam to get stuck for longer, but Ho Chi Minh City – or Saigon to some – isn’t one of them. It’s fast-paced, polluted, and bustling. Some love it, some hate it. Start early, and you can get a decent amount of things seen and experienced in just 24 hours. Here’s my guide to where to eat, what to do, and where to sleep if you have just one day in Ho Chi Minh City.

WHAT TO SEE

The War Museum should, naturally, be at the top of your itinerary. Get a jump start on the day by grabbing a coffee and heading to the cathedral and post office, which are quick to whizz round. I avoided Vietnamese coffee while I was in Vietnam as the beans are such poor quality they’re roasted in butter or animal fat to give them flavour (read more here) so I opted for a soy latte from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Expensive for Asia, but large, caffeinated, and vegan. We settled for just admiring the outside of the cathedral. From what I can work out, getting inside requires a tour and having seen the inside of the real Notre Dame, I doubt it’s worth the money and time. The outside is pretty spectacular though, and exceptionally un-Asia. If it wasn’t for the scooters whizzing around it would be easy to forget what city you’re in.

Coffee and a cathedral. Good morning Vietnam!

Head into the post office after the cathedral. Find postcards, write them, and post them here too if you’re a decent enough family member to do that (I haven’t send my parents a postcard in far too long). You’re in the post office after all, so why not? You don’t need long to visit here (and it’s free!) so just wander round it staring at the majestic architecture of French-Colonial rule, then wander out and try to find your way to the war museum.

“Where? There? Where? Where are you going? Which museum?”

The war museum is open from 7.30am-12, then closes for lunch and doesn’t reopen till 1.30. Allow a couple of hours to read everything. I think I spent about two hours here and although I read everything I moved fast, so you might want to allow a little more just in case. The war museum is truly an unmissable part of Ho Chi Minh. If your dark tourism desire isn’t sated, then you can try to squeeze in the War Museum in the morning and then the Cu Chi tunnels in the afternoon. Because it was a beautiful day I enjoyed just wandering round in the sun and looking at the architecture – until it started raining, that is.

Photo bomb!

WHAT TO EAT AND DRINK

If you still have an appetite after seeing the results of Agent Orange, then head round the corner to Hum Vegetarian. It’s not vegetarian, not vegan, but there are a lot of vegan options and the staff are happy to help. It’s pretty pricy, but it’s one of the best places I’ve eaten in South East Asia as it blends modern vegan and raw vegan cuisine and Asian cuisine together in a wonderful mixture of colours and flavours.

Where to eat vegan food in Ho Chi Minh City

These asparagus skewers <3

Best vegan restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City

Baked spring rolls. These were DELICIOUS.

This salad though. And I don’t normally rave about salads.

If you’re looking for somewhere to go later, then Saigon Vegan is right next to the main bar area and is a good place to watch the world go by from over dinner, before you head out yourself to get a drink and explore the area.

Food and cake at Saigon Vegan

WHERE TO SLEEP

I went for a little more luxury in Ho Chi Minh than I usually allow myself, and stayed at The Common Room Project which I highly recommend. It’s a gorgeous and luxurious hostel hidden away down an alley in a huge old house. It feels more like being guests at someone’s country house than staying in a hostel. There are kitchen areas attached to every dorm, large comfortable beds with mattresses that are one and a half that of a single, and the common area downstairs is beautiful and friendly. It’s an easy place to meet people and is definitely worth splashing out on. You can book your stay here.

Photo courtesy of The Common Room Project.

What would you put on your must see/eat list if you only have one day in Ho Chi Minh City? Let me know in the comments below.

Disclaimer: all the opinions in this are completely my own, but if you book through the booking link above I’ll make a tiny commission at no extra charge to you, which allows me to travel for a little longer and keep writing useful posts.

Where to stay in Cambodia – Mad Monkey Hostels – Plant-Powered Nomad

Have you heard of the Mad Monkey hostels in Cambodia? Most people know them as party hostels. Particularly in Siem Reap, the rooftop bar at the Mad Monkey is the place to go for a late night drink. What fewer people know is that Mad Monkey also call themselves a family, and treat their staff like one. They’re also socially responsible, help the community, and are responsible to the environment. This means that you can sleep, eat, and party (if you like) in Cambodia, and merely your presence helps provide education and clean water.

Since they started in 2012, Mad Monkey have built around 170 wells and they’re now building a school. They work with a local monk – so you know that the money’s going to the right place. And if you like, you can arrange to go out and see the work that’s being done. More immediately obvious, though, is how happy the Khmer staff are. They’re laughing, smiling, joking, and their English is pretty good too, helped by Mad Monkey either by employing English teachers to help or by supporting them in their personal development and encouraging ambition.

It’s no surprise, then, that I jumped at the opportunity to stay in Mad Monkey when I was headed to Kampot. The Kampot hostel is beautiful, and feels more like a resort. The dorms are airy, the beds are bigger than the standard single, and there’s a huge blue pool to swim in. Every week there’s a trek to the waterfalls organised through the hostel that raises more funds for, you guessed it, water. There are many other tour options too – pepper farms, Bokor mountain, river cruise, the list is (almost) endless.

The massive pool at Kampot Mad Monkey

On our first full day we rented motorbikes and after swapping out the dodgy ones (remember to always check before you ride off) took ourselves off to the pepper farms, with an excellent insider tip given to us by Mad Monkey: find the hotel with the infinity pool. As long as you buy a drink, and say we sent you, you can swim in it for free. They grumbled a little and tried to make us pay, but when we said Mad Monkey sent us they let us go right ahead. With only one other party there (a group of Chinese teenagers taking endless silly photos) we pretty much had the pool to ourselves and found it hard to leave. That night we hung out on the rooftop bar, which isn’t as large as Siem Reap’s but has an amazing view across Kampot.

Pepper fields and infinity pools

The next day is when my trip became a little different, and sadly not as different as it should be. We (independently – because of too many incidents like the one you’re about to read about Mad Monkey now recommend only going as a tour) took our scooters up Bokor mountain, and my luck finally ran out. Coming down a hill I miss the bend, came off, and the next thing I knew the bike was on my leg, trapping me. Cambodians appeared from everywhere, and luckily so did the guy I was with and an American man, who lifted the bike off me. There was a lot of bone showing on my knee, and I was bleeding, a lot. From multiple places. We put me on a bike, and got me down to hospital which was friendly, and cheap. They patched me up and sent me on my way, back to Mad Monkey.

Where to stay in Kampot Cambodia Mad Monkey

Up Bokor Mountain in Kampot

I extended my stay and postponed my next booking with the Mad Monkey on Koh Rong Samloem. And passing my days in a haze of pain and opiate induced sleep (and many more hospital trips), this is where I became really familiar with the Mad Monkey food. While vegan options are limited, they’re available. I ate a lot of spring rolls. They’re currently working on making the choices a little clearer as to what’s veggie and/or vegan, and a vegan menu will be appearing later this year.

Where to stay in Koh Rong Samloem Mad Monkey

My home for five days – the last hut on the left.

Next stop was Koh Rong Samloem. There is no wifi or data signal here, so make sure you tell your family before you go that you’ll be out of contact for a few days. There are no cash machines on the island, so budget well. It’s a beautiful place to just relax, and people who come for one day stay for a week. I spent a lot of time lying on the decking just staring into space, as I still couldn’t walk by myself so had to rely on my companion to bring me out each morning and take me back to the cabin at night. While I was there they added a Twister board to the decking, and there was a fire show which was good hearted but needs a little polishing. The stick of fire flying into the crowd definitely added a certain something, however. If you like night swims you can wade out under the full moon and millions of stars to see the plankton.

Beach, waves, sand, volleyball… paradise.

As Mad Monkey’s newest hostel, Samloem is still finding its feet but is definitely an amazing addition to the group. Don’t go here if you’re expecting a five star resort – they mention the jungle a lot for a reason. Every morning when we woke up, the game was finding what our rat had eaten. During our five day stay it ate: my soap, a jeans pocket, a bottle of aftersun, a pringles box, a medical bag, and probably a few other things too. Little trails of ants wandered in and out, and someone found a large scorpion at the foot of their bed. They didn’t take that one as calmly as we took the rat. For me, this added charm (although I didn’t have to deal with the scorpion) but I can see how it wouldn’t appeal to others, so make sure you go in aware. And if you need a clinic or hospital, don’t believe what they tell you on the island: there isn’t one on Samloem, or Koh Rong. We had to take a complicated series of boats to do a quick Koh Rong trip where we met Dennis, a topless doctor/barman who told us to go to the daycare English school/pharmacy, where an Australian girl who’d done a first aid course a few years ago changed my bandages in the dirty backroom. As a cat walked along the wall above my head, I rolled my eyes in pain at the iodine and questioned my life choices. Edit: I’ve now been reliably informed that the rodent issue is being dealt with an humane traps are being put down, so your room should have fewer furry visitors than mine did.

Life’s hard, eh?

If you have the use of your legs, you can go on jungle walks to get through the trees to one of the other beaches, where you can scuba dive and pick up some wifi if you’re desperate. Mad Monkey is the only food option, otherwise, but the menu is excellent. The menu and food is similar in all the hostels, but this one was the best in my opinion. They have two vegan pasta options, a veggie burger (make sure to ask for no mayo) and a few other things. Beware the pizza night, the dough has eggs and milk in it. My favourite little touch here were the signs dotted around, which made me smile every time I saw them.

Where can I get a drink around here?

After five days, it was time to head onto Siem Reap. The boat back was rough, and the bus was long. By the time I got to the Mad Monkey, I didn’t know what day it was anymore (probably not helped by the painkillers I was still on to deal with such a long trip). I was given a friendly welcome by Luke, who’s in training to manage the Mad Monkey they’re opening in the Philippines. My room was nice but a little sparse. Compared to the Koh Rong Samloem and Kampot Mad Monkeys the Siem Reap one is clearly older and more worn down. However, they’re currently refurbishing the bathrooms and working to do it up, and there are no complaints to be had about the size of the pool downstairs, or the rooftop bar upstairs. The whole hostel is a work of art, as artists stay for free and have covered the walls in their murals.

Where to stay in Siem Reap Cambodia Mad Monkey

Lazy days and artwork

There are multiple tours available through the Mad Monkey Siem Reap, including the infamous booze cruise which runs twice a week during high season. A tour of the floating village with all you can drink beer for $25. Despite it being a party hostel, however, I didn’t have a problem sleeping through the night as they close the party down and throw everyone out to pub street at midnight. Siem Reap is the only place where your dorm mates are more likely to be getting up at 4am than 10am as Angkor Wat at sunrise isn’t to be missed, and so there are usually at least a couple of people in the room turning in at 9pm.

This is the part where I would show you the pictures from Angkor Wat, except I must be the one person who did miss it. I spent my days taking a $1 Tuk Tuk to the coffee shop all of a 4 minute walk away, sitting there with my leg up, taking a Tuk Tuk back in the evening and then listening to how amazing the temples are. Although there are Tuk Tuk tours of Angkor Wat, from what I heard the best way to see the temples is by bike which will give you liberty to explore all the small ones that aren’t utterly crowded with people. I made the decision, therefore, to leave them until another year when I can actually walk. As cities to be unable to walk in go, Siem Reap is both good an bad. I missed out on a lot, but it’s also small and easy to get around cheaply by Tuk Tuk. The Khmer locals are much friendlier here than in Phnom Penh and don’t spend as much time trying to scam you. I also felt far safer here than I did in Siem Reap.

Party on the rooftop each night

If you’re interested in socially responsible travel, I’ve been told that the show at the Children’s hospital on Saturdays isn’t to be missed, and they always need blood donations. Siem Reap is also packed with NGOs and cafes that employ and work to educate street children. If you want to do something for children but only have a few days or a week, please go this route rather than trying to volunteer at an orphanage. Orphaned children in particular need stability in their lives, and having Westerners come and go thinking they’re helping is very counterproductive to their development. If you want to set aside six months or a year to help, though, there’s lots here to get involved with.

As much as I wish I could tell you about anything to do outside the Mad Monkeys, I can’t think of a better place to be laid up with my leg in the air during my time in Cambodia. They treat their staff well, the environment well and the community well, and are a good place to party or chill, whatever you like. Go visit them, paint someone’s face fluorescent, and have a drink for me. Book through their site or through Hostelworld by clicking on the link below.

Disclaimer: all the opinions in this are completely my own, but if you book through the link above I’ll make a tiny commission at no extra charge to you, which allows me to travel for a little longer and keep writing useful posts.

Vegan restaurants in London – a guide for every budget – Plant-Powered Nomad

London was my first city after Asia, and my return to Western Vegan food. I could have happily spent weeks exploring the vegan restaurants in London, and I’ll certainly be adding to this list in the future. For now, though, here’s my guide to vegan restaurants in London, for whatever budget you’re on and mood you’re in. Enjoy!

High End

Vegan fine dining isn’t something I’m that experienced in, but how could I not check out some of the most iconic vegetarian restaurants while I was here? A two course meal for two, plus a bottle of wine/a drink each will set you back around £60+, but it’s worth it for both the food and the experience.

MILDRED’S, SOHO – vegetarian

I heard there’s a second one opening up soon, which considering the queues at the one in Soho is no bad thing. They don’t take bookings so if you’re a person who gets hangry, make sure you arrive a good while before the murderous rage sets in. There’s a small bar area inside where you can drink a bottle of wine – vegan ones are clearly marked – and expected waiting time for a table is a little under an hour. Once you’re seated there’s a fast turn around so you should get your food pretty quickly. I had the mushroom Wellington, and my friend had the Sri Lankan curry. The menu was excellent, decently priced and filling, and had a lot of vegan options.

VANILLA BLACK, COVENT GARDEN – vegetarian

Most of the restaurants on this list go for the light, open, airy feel – Vanilla Black has heavier decor and once you enter the door, communication with the outside world stops. No phone signal, no wifi, no data. This is an excellent combat for anti-social dining companions who are obsessive phone checkers, but it’s not so great if you or the person you’re meeting is running late and could lead to ‘I’ve been stood up!’ panic.

We were provided with an all vegan menu, which was extremely gratifying. The food has so many components I think some must have been distilled or vaporised to fit them all into such tiny servings. It was a dining experience of the sort I haven’t had since becoming vegan – where every morsel matters. I had the cauliflower ‘Goats’ Cheese, Fennel Pollen and Pistachio with Apple Puree, Fennel and Rainbow Chard, and my companion had the Fried Mushrooms, Sweetcorn and Tarragon Sponge with Pickled Mooli and Crumbs. I still don’t quite know what Mooli is, but it tasted good. Mine tasted unnervingly like goats cheese, which I liked but probably isn’t for some people. Dessert was Roasted Apple Sorbet with Somerset Brandy Syrup and Cinnamon Hundreds ‘n’ Thousands with Toasted Oat Custard and Crumbs for me, and Peanut Butter Cheesecake and Cracked Cocoa Bean with Caramelised Banana Purée. The peanut butter cheesecake was delicious, the sorbet I wasn’t sold on. I would have liked a little more flavour and punch to some of the dishes, but overall Vanilla Black is worth the experience if you’re in London and want to try vegetarian haute cuisine at one of the most prestigious vegetarian restaurants.

THE GATE – ISLINGTON/HAMMERSMITH – vegetarian

If you’re meeting a friend at The Gate, don’t do what I did and go to the wrong one. There’s nothing like getting to Hammersmith half an hour late and flustered after train delays, getting confused but not questioning that your party doesn’t have a reservation, and being seated before realising there are two restaurants, and you should be in Islington. ‘You’re in the wrong one, because it’s a big room and I would be able to see you…’ is never a fun text to receive from the other side of London.

Once you find the right place and are seated, however, the menu is excellent and the service is friendly. The starters were, to my mind, a little more exciting and creative than the mains – not that the mains weren’t also wonderful. We shared the Carciofini – baby artichoke filled with wild mushroom duxelles and dolcelatte served with puy lentil salsa and garlic aioli, which is one of the best things I’ve eaten, ever, and the Plantain Fritters filled with carrot, sultanas, mint and pine nuts served with chipotle and blueberry sauce and crispy fennel and pomegranate salad.

WILD FOOD CAFE – COVENT GARDEN – vegetarian

Mostly vegan, Wild Food café has a menu that focuses heavily on raw and nutrient packed food. There are little delicacies here to try like homemade coconut ‘bacon’ and vegan coconut cheese. The ingredients are organic, locally sourced, and they try to include wild locally foraged food. I had the Wild Winter Burger, and the patty was one of the most delicious I’ve ever tried, made from shiitake, olive and quinoa.

Photos courtesy of Wild Food Cafe.

Mid-range

A meal here will set you back around £10 for a main, and have found ways to be more affordable – either by being buffet style or more of a cafe. However, they’re also places you can still go for a nice meal and a catch up wth friends or family. For a main, a dessert and a drink you’re looking at around £15-£20 a head.

VANTRA VITAO – OXFORD STREET – vegan

I love this restaurant. The ingredients are seasonal, organic, and locally sourced. The waste they produce is minimal. And it’s central: right on Oxford Street. For this location, you can’t argue with the price. They have a buffet, set meals, and raw sugar free desserts. If you like raw food, oily food, comfort food, curries, pasta… they’ve got it all. And after a year and a half of tired, endlessly reheated and greasy buffet vegan food in Asia Vantra reintroduced the glory and potential of buffets to me. Their food was fresh, full of flavour, comforting… I took a little bit of everything and there wasn’t a single thing I disliked.

222 VEGGIE VEGAN – WEST BROMPTON – vegan

Another warm and scrummy vegan buffet. Not as much choice as Vantra Vitao, but it’s also not as expensive (all you can eat) and you can get it to take away for a cheaper price. Even my non-veggie and rather picky teenage nieces and nephew found food they liked. I particularly liked the creamy pasta and the lasagne, my only grumble was that both two times I had the beetroot and carrot salad it was very over salted to the point of me not finishing it. Everything else was delicious.

And if you get nothing else, get a dessert. Don’t fall for the trap of the all you can eat buffet and fill your stomach up. The cake, and especially the chocolate cake, is some of the finest that I’ve tasted. Rich, gooey, moist, warm and optionally with a dollop of ice cream sitting on top and melting down the sides. Need I say more?

INSPIRAL LOUNGE – CAMDEN – vegan

CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

When I arrived here for a reunion lunch with a friend I had with me my small backpack which I was living out of for three days, as well as my camera case. I was also kind of tired. And my boots were still wet from the night before (the F.a.B bus night, see description below). It was my first time in Camden – and I was completely unprepared for the Yummy Mummy lunchtime rush that hits the trendy cafes around this area. I was a little late for the lunch because I got lost in the market and a crowd of tourists. Sigh. When I had finished being flustered and crashing my bags into strollers worth more than everything I own, and having discussions with mums about their toddler’s development when waiting to order, I finally sat down with food.* It was surprisingly fast to arrive considering how busy the cafe was, and the staff seemed run off their feet. They’d run out of the raw burger which was what I really wanted, so I got a regular one instead which was good (especially the fries) but the bread was a little dry.

Unfortunately I’ve just seen that they’re closed, which is strange because they were heaving when I visited. Keep an eye out of their page as there’s a chance they’re reopening in new premises, and you can still order food from their website.

*disclaimer about these reviews: after a year and a half in Asia, adjusting to the London vegan scene has been a bit of a culture and budget shock.

Budget Fare

You can get out for under £10 in these places. Good for a lunch or light meal with friends. And they all have a certain… quirk.

BONNINGTON CAFÉ – VAUXHALL – vegetarian

Bonnington Café is an old school veggie restaurant opened in the 1980s, and it hasn’t changed much since then. A main costs £8 and the two options change everyday depending on the chef. This makes it a little hit and miss. The night I went with a friend was perhaps a little more miss – I’m not too sure the combination of raw zucchini noodles, roast potatoes and salad worked – but my friend was very happy with her curry. It’s BYOB which keeps it cheap, and the dessert was a raw chocolate torte which was delicious. Even though the mains were a little curious, I like the original idea behind Bonnington and would happily go back on a different night to see what else is produced. Although it says it’s vegetarian, everything was vegan on the night I went.

JUST F.a.B BUS – HACKNEY – vegan

It was tipping it down with rain the night we went here. Full scale pouring. The plan was a meal here then a night on Brick Lane, but by the time my feet were soaked, my ankles were soaked, and my calves were starting to get wet too… we called it a night and went back. Just F.a.B, however, was worth braving the rain. I left my camera at home, so if you want to see pictures you’ll have to click on the link. It’s a bus. An actual London bus, turned into a restaurant. The portions are a little small so if you’re hungry get a side too, but the prices are decent, the food is tasty (especially the lasagne) and the service is cheerful. Highly recommended, and then you can tell people at cocktail parties “this one time I ate vegan lasagne on the top deck of a London bus.” Because that’s always a conversation starter.

VEGAN HIPPO – SOHO – vegan

CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE*

I just found out Vegan Hippo are closed at the time of writing this, which is a shame. They do good food and excellent cake, but they need to get their service a little more organised. Is it table service? Do we order at the counter? What’s happening? Hello, eye contact…? A friendly welcome and being told how the place works would be nice. The decor is fun and quirky, and the hot dog I had was good although a little heavy on the mustard. If they open again, let me know.

*I can’t quite believe that TWO places on this list are closed now!

Dessert

COOKIES AND SCREAM – CAMDEN – vegan

If you go to London and don’t visit Cookies and Scream, a completely vegan and gluten free bakery, you’ve missed out. The brownies in particular are amazing. On my first trip I had the sticky date and almond brownie, which was incredible, and on my second I had their award winning chocolate brownie. Oh my. There are no words to describe it. You just have to go there. Now.

Takeaway vegan food

THE VILLAGE PIZZA – SOUTH LONDON (SURBITON) – vegan options

If it’s cold, wet, windy and you want to stay at home and order a pizza with vegan cheese and mock meats (the full unhealthy option, if you know what I mean) then look no further. They have a special vegan menu with quite a few options, and it reminded me of pre-vegan hungover university days spent on the couch with a Dominoes. In other words, it filled a comfort food pizza home delivery shaped hole that I never realised was in my life. We got a 2 for 1 when we ordered that made it super affordable, but I’m not sure of the details.

Where have you eaten vegan food in London? Anywhere else that needs to be on here?

Plant-Powered Nomad

A vegan without roots

Monthly Archives: February 2016

A Vegan Day Out In Ho Chi Minh City. – Plant-Powered Nomad

Where to stay in Cambodia – Mad Monkey Hostels – Plant-Powered Nomad

Vegan restaurants in London – a guide for every budget – Plant-Powered Nomad