Archivi tag: healthy diet

The five best vegan restaurants in the world

Galleria 22/11/2019 Donatella

Some people say it’s impossible to make a list of the five best anything in the world, but I think they’re just not decisive enough. Food is subjective and can be so personal, but I would bet good money that this list is fairly exhaustive.

Sometimes when travelling it can be easy to slip into bad food habits, because it is so much easier to find something that will just fill you up, rather than nourish your soul. I’ve compiled this list of restaurants that offer healthy, beautiful food that is not just something to fill your belly, but also give you an experience, and help you feel more ready to face your next adventure.

Madame K’s (Melbourne, Australia)

Madame K’s is somewhat of a hidden gem, not because people don’t know about it, but because it has the slight misfortune of being opposite another vegan restaurant which is more popular, WHATEVER IT’S CALLED. I’m not sure why it’s more popular, but I suspect it may have something to do with the slightly more comprehensive menu, and the fact that it’s just a little bit cooler. Madame K’s is a fairly traditional Thai restaurant with the most delicious tofu I’ve ever had. I’ve never had a bad dish in there. If I were to give any tips on what to have it would be to start with the satay with roti – I have never had better roti anywhere.

Dirt Candy (New York, USA)

Dirt Candy is something as unusual as a vegan restaurant with a set menu. Located on the lower east side of New York, it looks fairly unassuming from the outside, and when coming in you are faced with a choice of either six or nine dishes. These are changed on a seasonal basis, but you can’t go wrong with any of them. Even if the food wasn’t amazing I would still put them on this list because it is so delightful to see that fine dining is waking up to plant based food, but luckily the food is all good enough that I don’t even have to fib to put them on the list.

Lao Wai (Stockholm, Sweden)

Lao Wai is a Chinese all vegan restaurant in Stockholm. It is fairly small and booking is recommended as it books out quickly, even on a random Tuesday night (as I had the misfortune of discovering the last time I went there). The food is simple and delicious, with many unique flavours that you don’t find easily in other restaurants – they make great use of Thai basil, for example. I would recommend going for dinner as the lunch is fairly uninspired (rolling two week menu with one dish per day, so if you happen to not like the dish of the day you’re out of luck), but if you do get a seat for dinner it is divine.

The Butcher’s Daughter (New York, USA)

This restaurant is mostly on this list for their fantastic spaghetti squash with tempeh. I still dream of this dish. I’m slightly worried that when I go back it will turn out to not be as amazing as I remembered it, but until then I live in hope. The Butcher’s Daughter do both breakfast, lunch and dinner very well, which seems slightly unusual – it seems most restaurants fall down on at least one of them. Well worth a visit.

Manna (London, UK)

Manna is a cozy, comfortable restaurant that offers all the dishes you remember from your childhood (and a few you don’t!), but vegan, and frequently updated to be better, fresher, more interesting. They’ve been in Primrose Hill for over 50 years, and it’s clear that they’ve been refining the menu consistently over that time.

Written by: Amanda Gun

VIVID VEGETARIANISM

14/08/2017 Donatella

What’s insatiable about being in the restaurant business is…

That you work with food and that you are surrounded by food. Everywhere there’s food. Chefs shower me with food. Friends spoil me with food. My Asian family forces me with food. I make a living from food. There’s no escape from food.

Such a gruesome first world problem that one must never, ever take for granted!

As food is so vastly available I have NO self control when it comes to bingeing. I have a personal record of consuming 25 KFC chicken pieces in one seating and I can scoop mayonnaise and eat it like ice cream. I am also not very discerning when it comes to anything that is deep fried, oh lord.

Hence the 4-letter “D” word does not exist in my vocab.

For health reasons and in a lame attempt to limit all that borderless gluttony – I commit to a 50% vegetarian and meatless diet plan once a month. I explored the vegetarian market in the UK as healthy eating is relatively on the global trend. My findings? Vegetarianism or being Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian if you permit yourself with the consumption of dairy products… can be fun!

Vegetables look pretty… and tasty!

Natural and raw ingredients are very colourful – imagine a rainbow of capsicums, aubergine, plant sourced sauces, beetroot, tomatoes, basil leaves – this is a food porn aesthetics dream! Here is a plate I gorged from a healthy buffet at ETHOS consisting of a glorious scotch egg (for those lacto-ovos), humus, sweet potato chips, mint cauliflower, grilled chilli egg plant and guacamole. Screw the Michelins, this is gloriously tasty and filing as HEAVEN.

Vegetables are filling… without the carbs and guilt!

Like me, if you have a metabolism of a cow – rule out rice and pasta because carbs are essentially sugar. Many forms of root based vegetables such as aubergines provide an excellent source of fibre without leaving you with indigestion and an awful dis-humanitarian guilt of slaughter. If those cold leafy salads leave you hungry – replace them with grilled broccoli or cauliflower, they can fill you up so you will not snack later in the day. Should you need one: honey roasted cashews is a hero’s source of energy and is mega addictive.

The delicious options are endless: think sweet and sour carrot tempura, cauliflower cheese bake, creamed spinach, miso eggplants, onion bhajis in chutney, avocado and garlic dips… And these bizarre flour-less cakes are available from hipster cafes. If you are still hungry at this point, you must be kidding me.

Some restaurants do them… very right

In my opinion and to non-vegans, raw foods can be awful – plant based ingredients are mostly uncooked and the end result is often a deconstructed mess. Though there are incredible exceptions – Wild Food Cafe does an excellent pizza which tastes like pizza but looks nothing like pizza. This is the kind of dish that screams WOW and one that you will never forget – because you don’t really know what you have really eaten.

To top it off – there’s very little oil and fat in the vegetarian diet. Unfortunately carbs are present – but essentially your body requires fuel to burn, so be kind. I attempted a protein-only diet once in my early 20s and I ended up with constipation, weight gain and lethargy – hence instead of feeling sexy, literally I felt like a stuffed sausage.

Having said it all, let’s be mystified by the laws of nature: Elephants are vegetarians. Cheetahs are carnivores. Who’s leaner?

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Lyn Siew

Based in Kuala Lumpur and having previously lived and worked across 8 countries, Lyn Siew is the owner of an award winning Contemporary Chinese Hybrid Restaurant, Ruyi & Lyn, and a Western eatery Monte’s by the Red Herring. She is currently incubating a local startup project for culinary students, and building an online platform for the global food community. Relationship status? Married to food and champagne.
Follow her daily eating and drinking adventures on Instagram!

Fiorella Migliore

Galleria 05/12/2014 Donatella

“Time teaches you to focus on the things that matter, take the positive and leave the negative aside…“

Fiorella Migliore, born on 27th January 1989, also known as Fio, former Miss Italia in the World 2008, represented Paraguay in the Miss World Pageant in China in 2012. She is a young and successful entrepreneur who in 2013/2014 launched her Restaurant Be Okay. Rated 4.5 of 5 on TripAdvisor, Be Okay has been ranked number 6 out of 189 restaurants in Asuncion, Paraguay.

How did you changed through the years: Fio the university student, Fio former Miss Italia in the world 2008, Fio the actress, Fio the Entrepreneur?

I am the same person. I just feel more mature after all the experiences I lived. I always tried to find and learn lessons from the past and I understood that everything happen for a reason: to learn how to be stronger and the best version you can be.

Disappointments, frustrations, failures experienced so far in this long professional path.

When I left for Los Angeles to study acting and to continue the career I started in Italy as actress, I had to face a very lonely life, sorrounded by evil people, even though some were really beautiful, I had to confront the craziest situations with a difficult manager who tried to pull me down, I choose to put an end, or a pause, to that special “dream” of mine. Afterward, I realized that was not MY dream but a nice fairy tale I was telling myself. So, I settled in Paraguay where I encountered my happiness and now I am happy more than ever.

Your greatest fear and your real strength.

My biggest fear is breaking down under fear. My biggest strength is the endless energy that created us, I prefer to call it God but I can also call it LOVE.

What astonish the people that meet you is not only your beauty but this wave of energetic vibes that you spread. What is your motor, how do you stay so positive?

Time teaches you to focus on the things that matter, take the positive and leave the negative aside. It is a daily exercise for me also; I try to improve the quality of the words that come out from my mouth, my thoughts, the way I visualize the day and life, furthermore I try to be contagious to others.

The motor is inside me and inside you, if you want and if you are prepared, you can do it. It is very important, having wonderful people around; in my case, my family is my strength since I was a kid. My brother is my angel, and thanks to God, I have found my partner of life and adventure, Juanjo. I met him three years ago, and he is my fiance’ and business partner for one year now. He pushes me harder and helps me to find a solution to every issue I’m faced with.

What pushed you to open the restaurant “Be Okay” in Asunción?

My head was exploding with all the information I have been feeding myself; about how to improve health, about how we harm the little ones, and how we damage the planet. We could not find a better option than to put ourselves in the first row and act directly, now we are ready to offer our personal solution.

What do you dream for your future and for Paraguay?

I would like to spread the seed of Love and get to every city of the World. I visualize also part of my life also in Italy with Juanjo and with my future kids. I would like my family on my side in this path and all my fellows to become brothers and sisters. For Paraguay I wish a strong conscience and wake up to be better human beings in order to reach happiness.

What about your bond with Italy?

I learned in Italy how to be independent, I grew up faster. I became more attached to this land which I already loved so much. I am confident that one day I could live a bit there and bit here.

Who inspired you professionally and personally?

Professionally I haven’t followed anyone so much so far, but I could tell that there is one name which inspire me in a peaceful way, Angelina Jolie and also Natalie Portman. In my private life, what gives me more inspiration is the oriental philosophy assimilated through Yoga discipline, it brought me peace and self- confidence. I will mention my brother, my fiance’, my parents, my friends Titi, Sofia, Jade, Emma and a lot of other friends that are always by my side. And, I always refer to that energetic strength I told you at the beginning… LOVE.

Déshabillé Magazine