Veggie Heaven @ Govinda's

I have a belief that what goes around comes around. So basically this means I’m screwed. Big time.

I did begin by getting some good karma by eating at Govinda’s. A vegetarian Hari Krishna restaurant just off Soho Square all run by volunteers of the Hari Krishna faith. We all love this God, as he’s the cheeky chappy who kept fumbling with the milkmaids instead of doing his Godly duties. Well that is how I read it anyhows.

This was all however washed down the drain, as I entered there with a bag full of tasty porky treats just purchased from Camisa and Sons Italian Deli in Old Compton Street. Bad karma.

I’m sure the Gods were watching and making note for when I need them the most, and they will just shun me, remembering all the bad shit I’ve done all my life. I can just see them all turning their backs on me in disgust. I now need to get some of that good karma back and fast.

I’ve been meaning to eat at Govinda’s for what seems like an age. I can always remember seeing those orange robes amid chanting down Oxford Street once in a while and thinking it would be cool to be a Hari Krishna. It was just for the orange robes you see. Hey, I was a lot younger back then, when I felt free and could do anything I wanted. Oh how I wish I could reverse time and be like that again.

Anyhows I digress. The evil bag was safely hidden away as we both ordered a mini thali and a mango lassi each. All for £16 for us both, a bit of a bargain in Soho these days.

The beans, vegetables and rice we had were all very well spiced and cooked till a very nice al dente. They were actually a cut above most food you find in Indian restaurants here in London. The lime pickles were particularly sour and yummy. Brought back memories of that trip last year.

There are lots of other veggie treats to be had here, especially in the normal thali, which is as in India, is a never ending supply of food. It’s with this you get to chow on the chilli paneer. Yum yum.

The veggie lasagne did actually look pretty good. I wonder if it had a slight Indian twang about it though. Could be interesting to try.

Thankfully Govinda’s is not like some other religious food places I have been into over the years, where as you eat you are forced to listen to sermon after sermon. God damn Church. These volunteers just seem to be happy to cook up delicious food rather than preach to you. Such a relief.

So if you are in the area and want some simple Indian vegetarian food, then Govinda’s should be the first place you should go to. I heartily recommend it, you never know orange may just be your colour.

Going Vegan in Haridwar

It’s taken me nearly 2 weeks to get my Indian companions to eat somewhere that wasn’t in a hotel. That first group of Delhi boys had organised every meal in a hotel. For them this was a bit of luxury that doesn’t come around all that often, so they made the most of it. I have to give credit where credits due, the food in the hotels here has been pretty good. Only once or twice did it taste like it was out of a jar. One place it was so bad we never even finished the first plate, a bit embarrassing as we were dining with the owner. Then again he never ate anything that night. A wise man.

So after arriving at our hotel in the Holy and Vegetarian city of Haridwar. The city of Shiva the Destroyer. They were forced to eat out of the hotel, as the restaurant had closed. Phew. Without even trying I had succeeded.

So onto the streets we went. The two new Delhi boys looked a little lost and scared, even though one of them eats out every day, but he is a bit posh. I choose the nearest place to our hotel, it reminded me of the places that I used to eat in when I travelled around India. It was grotty and more importantly it was cheap. Back then I had no money, and was travelling very economically.

Plates of dhal, mixed veg curries, roti were ordered and placed on our table. A feast fit for a king. I am getting pretty good at eating with my hand now, kinda got it but not quite. It will be interesting when I return to London though.

I’ve also noticed that people here, eat a lot of bread at first, but will always finish the meal with some rice. To mop up some of the remaining dhal or curry sauce. Our first attempt wasn’t bad. It wasn’t brilliant but it was ok, plus eating with people in a crowded restaurant is a bit if a change. A good one.

Amazingly I managed to get them to eat out again the following day, mainly as we had missed the restaurant at the hotel again. I knew I shouldn’t have asked so many questions at that last hotel visit. He he. Plan worked.

The next joint served up some of the best food I’ve had in India. Really good veggie food. It was a cleaner than my last choice, but the quality of food was ten fold. A constant flow of people made sure the food was fresh.

A smaller meal this time of dhal fry, channa masala and a mixed veg curry went down a treat. The dhal fry was tasty and spicy. I’ve made channa masala before but nowhere as good as this one. Roti and rice were the accompaniments to a great cheap meal. Shame we were leaving the following morning, as I would have loved to have eaten there again.

I have to say though the buffet breakfast at the hotel was really good as well. All south Indian food. Lovely spicy curries are just what the doctor ordered for first thing in the morning. Ask my cousin, he always has a curry for breakfast. Mainly because he falls asleep drunk, and doesn’t eat it from the night before.