Vegan In The VI: September 2015

Monday, September 28, 2015

Dining By The Water

Sometimes you just want to look at clear blue water while dining. Here are a few vegan-friendly places we've enjoyed recently. Enkai in Frenchtown...

the restaurant looks out on Water Island...the pic below was taken about five o'clock in the afternoon, but it gets darker here earlier...

we started with the Edamame...Our server double-checked on the Tempura Green Beans and reported back that there was dried egg in the batter. She was very diligent about confirming everything was vegan...

we each got an order of Vegetable Rolls. 'Cucumber Roll' for He Who Loves Virginia More Than The Virgin Islands...

and 'Pineapple Express' for me. Cucumber, Avocado, Pineapple and Daikon Sprouts. I even ate the Pickeled Ginger. See how close we were to the water? Buds are $2...

rolled Wasabi Sesame Seeds...

we split a platter made vegan called 'The Storm'. Under all that Arugula, Tomato, Crispy Onions and Sauce were Tofu Rolls...

Caramelized Plaintains on top of the Rolls. Made a little mess. Will definitely return.

Another waterfront option is Latitude 18 in Vessup Bay...

the view is beautiful...

the water is teeming with fish like Snapper and Tarpon...

but the best part for me were all the Iguanas. They came within inches of me to eat the Fries I offered them...

although management said we shouldnt encourage them cuz other patrons arent as thrilled as I am by their presence...

in addition to the view, the fish and the reptiles, there was the 'Ultimate Vegan Burger' $14. Lentils, Local Pumpkin, Mushrooms, Carrots, Red Peppers, Summer Greens, Walnuts and Ground Flax. I usually prefer soy-based Burgers, but this Burger was great. Pretty sure the bun was not vegan. We will be returning soon and often...

Last and, IMO, least is Iggie's in Bolongo Bay. It is located on the beach, but I only took two pics. One of a cup of water to show where I was...

and the other is of my Black Bean Burger. The server said the Burger was vegan. I am pretty positive the bun was not. Since I am not a fan of Black Bean Burgers, I probably wont be returning to Iggie's...

so that post ended with a fizzle. Here is a flower to brighten your day.

Bye for now.

Friday, September 25, 2015

One Life One Love Food Van

I have posted about this food truck before, but finally walked around the front to see the actual name, duh...

the latest carryout order...

split up into several meals...

there was a lot more but, suffice to say, it was all top notch...

okay, I lured you in with grub, now check out my pics from our visit to The Butterfly Garden this past weekend...

The Butterfly Garden is a tourist attraction right next to where the cruise ships dock. Literally, a three minute walk from the ship...

it is $12 pp, so it is only for people that love flowers and butterflies A LOT...

which means, even though I like both a lot, $12 pp still seemed a bit steep considering it was mainly the same eight types of butterflies...

whereas, for $8 pp, you can see all the same plants and lots more at Phantasea Botanical Gardens...

highlights included seeing butterflies supping on ripe Bananas....

a cute little water garden with lots of little fish...

Waterlillies are always magical...

behind a small glass enclosure, you can see the coccoons pinned to the ceiling and the butterflies emerging. They have to hang there for three hours till their wings dry and then they can fly away...

there was documentation on the types of butterflies, but I didnt study it. The Garden imports the coccoons from the States, so no Virgin Island butterflies included in the tour...

Hibiscus....

this butterfly has wings that are just as pretty when they are closed...

as seen below...

I took tons more pics, but will refrain. Thanks for looking. Mainly food posts in the future. Bye for now.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Food & Critters

Starting with the food...Brooks Bar and Restaurant gets raves on Yelp...

service was friendly and the drinks were strong (Cruzan Rum and Pineapple). The vegan meal they put together just for me (Rice, Black Beans and Salad) was greatly appreciated, but I think this is more of a seafood place...

the Critters part of the post...

if I didnt already have seven...

below is a Tofutti Cream Cheese with locally grown Cucumber on a toasted Everything Bagel that was outrageously fantastic if I do say so myself...

Last week, we stopped into Coconuts Bar and Grill in Charlotte Amalie for a drink and a bite...

it is hard to see, but the place is lined with dollar bills that patrons have written on...

a House Salad (no cheese) with Oil and Vinegar was the only vegan option (they were out of Portobello Mushrooms). It was extremely fresh and crisp...

all the food is prepared in this itty bitty kitchen. It is incredible to me the restaurant can turn out so many things from such a tiny space...

and here is an Egret we spotted by the cemetery in town...

just hangin out...

Tons more food and critters to share. Bye for now.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Phantasea Tropical Botanical Garden

This is still a food blog, just wanted to rave a great tour we took on Sunday...

Cold drinks and snacks are sold at the front office as well as eggs from the owner's pet chickens...

a friendly greeting as soon as you walk up. This is my kind of service...

the woman who owns it is a real dynamo. I learned so much in such a short period of time..

it is a self-guided tour through a garden of rare and beautiful plants...

there were some plants I have seen here on the Island, but didnt know the names of (not this one though, it was extremely exotic)....

below is a decorative, as opposed to edible, Pineapple. The owner told us how to grow our own edible one. It will take a year to come to fruition after lopping off the top stem and germinating...