After that rainy night, we all woke up to a beautiful day! The sun was out, it was warm, and the air smelled like fresh flowers. We knew it was the perfect day to spend outside, and in one of the most vegetarian friendly cities in the world, it was time for a vegetarian restaurant.
Counter Culture is actually a vegan restaurant which also has lots of gluten free and raw food options. All the food is locally grown and organic, and of course they recycle and compost! Its an environmentalist's dream, so I was really happy to eat and support this local restaurant and make good vegan meal choices!
When we got to Counter Culture, brunch was still being served. I was a little hesitant at first because I don't like breakfast foods since I don't eat meat or eggs. But a totally vegan breakfast? Yes please! For the first (and only time this trip) my brother and I didn't end up ordering the same meal. Even though I try to avoid eggs when I can, I still miss them. I used to love omelettes, but I haven't had one in ages. Amy's makes a tofu scramble, so I get my fill of that, but to have an omelette again? I couldn't pass up the opportunity, no matter how good everything else looked. The "eggs" were made of tofu, and they actually tasted a lot eggier than I expected, though not as eggy as real eggs. Definitely eggier than the tofu scrambles I've had, so it was nice satisfying that egg craving, even if they were a little crumbly. This omelette was filled with roasted potatoes and fresh, locally grown spinach. It also had vegan cashew cheese in it which was mild and creamy, but still very good.
Even if my brother got a different meal than me, we both made sure to order a side of tempeh bacon. I've never had tempeh before so I was excited to try it. I wish it was more bacony like some of the soy bacon's I've tried. It had more of a nutty flavor. It was alright, but definitely didn't fill my desire for bacon. My brunch also came with whole wheat, vegan toast and vegan butter which was very nice and light.
I love root beer, so when I saw they had an all-natural version, I knew I had to try it. It had a lighter and more natural taste that normal root beer. I loved that it was made with stevia!
After brunch we spent the rest of the day shopping at an outdoor mall and I was guilty of buying waaaaay too many clothes!
After a long day of shopping, it was time to eat again! The ongoing joke in my family is that all we do is eat. But with so many good restaurants around, its hard not to. For dinner we went to a place called Korente, which serves Asian fusion food. What I loved about this place was the really interesting story behind it. The father of the man that opened the store was an Asian diplomat, so the family traveled all over Asia. While traveling, his mother learned how to cook food from many different countries She then thought her son, who decide to use this knowledge to open Korente.
Again, David and I both ordered the veggie curry with rice medallions and tofu on top of greens. I have to say I was in love with those rice medallions. I had never tried anything like it before. They were both chewy and smooth with a rice flavor. Its hard to describe but it was so good! Everything was tossed together in a flavorful and spicy curry. However, the most exciting part of the meal was the vegan miso soup! I love miso, but I never get it when ordering out since I'm never sure if it is vegetarian, or if it has fish stock in it. We all shared some Asian pickles, bamboo soaked in pickle juice and jalapeños. They were so crunchy, fresh, and spicy, we couldn't stop eating them!
After dinner we stopped by Whole Foods (the cooperate office is in Austin!) to pick up some treats that I will show you in my next post :)
Do you have vegan restaurants in you area? How easy is it for you to find vegetarian options when you go out to eat?
Don't forget to stay tuned for my last Austin post coming up!
Bye from the Veggie Side!
