By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
I was last in Portland, Oregon a couple of years ago when I spoke at Northwest VEG’s wildly successful Portland VegFest and Northwest Health & Nutrition Conference. That trip was a whirlwind and I didn’t have enough time to explore, so I was delighted to be able to spend a few days last month in Portland with one of my daughters.
Portland has so many vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants that choosing where to eat was both daunting and exciting.
One night, we ate at Ichiza Kitchen. This cozy, pan-Asian vegan restaurant features small dishes (including dumplings and buns) and large bowls (rice bowls, stews, soups). I opted for Cheung Fun – super-wide rice noodles wrapped around a flavorful filling that included mock shrimp, bacon, and pork. The shrimp looked so much like, well, shrimp, that we asked our server if they were a commercial product. We were told that all Ichiza Kitchen’s mock meats are made by the owner’s mother. Hmm – noodles as a wrap for fillings – can’t wait to try that idea. My daughter, who was getting over a cold, went for Ichiza Noodle Soup which was a huge bowl of noodles, “chicken,” and vegetables in a broth with “13 medicinal herbs and spices.” Something worked – she didn’t cough through the night for the first time in a while.
While at Ichiza Kitchen, we noticed their next-door neighbor, Vtopia. Finding ourselves nearby and hungry the next day, we stopped in for a light lunch that included a colorful cheese plate with a variety of flavors. On the day that we were there, the plate included sliced carrots, crackers, bread, olives, dolmas, blueberries with a drizzle of jam, and a wedge of Vtopia’s vegan House Cheddar Cheese. The cheese was one of the best I’ve tasted, with a lot of umami and a smooth mouthfeel. It spread easily. Vtopia also sells their cheese by the pound. After tasting a green Scarborough Fair cheddar (flavored with parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme) and a roasted garlic cheddar, we opted for a whiskey-smoked cheddar that we ate later with apples.
The last time that I was in Portland, I had a memorable brunch at Blossoming Lotus, a vegan restaurant featuring organic, locally-grown food. We made a return visit on a rainy Thursday night. Despite the rain, every table was filled – a testimony to this restaurant’s popularity. I had a simple meal of Chickpea Soup and a salad and my daughter enjoyed the Roasted Beet and Apple Salad which came with a house-made chèvre and massaged kale.
Weekend brunch is a Portland tradition. We opted for Sweetpea Baking Company’s brunch. Menu choices include waffles, scrambled tofu, breakfast sandwiches, bagels, doughnuts, Danish, croissants, and biscuits – all vegan. We ordered the Breakfast Quiche which had a mild, savory taste and a creamy texture. Sweetpea Baking Company was Portland’s first all-vegan retail bakery; they also serve lunch and sell all sorts of vegan baked goods.
In the same block as Sweetpea, we found Herbivore, a vegan clothing company (loved the pomegranate earrings!), and Food Fight! Grocery – a great place to pick up vegan treats for the folks back home.
We had heard of a pop up featuring vegan cinnamon rolls so we headed for Hail Snail, a queer, family owned cinnamon roll shop. The owners hope to open a permanent shop soon. We were faced with choices – 1 large or 5 mini rolls? Toppings? Think sprinkles, peanut butter, pretzels, bananas, marshmallows, nuts, carrot bacon. How to decide? The rolls are tasty (we both thought a bit more cinnamon would be good) and it’s fun figuring out your topping combination. Hail Snail has sold out every time it’s been open – a good omen for a new vegan business.
After a long walk by the Willamette River, we went for vegan pizza and ice cream at Virtuous Pie. We shared the Ultraviolet Pizza which has an arugula pesto, cashew mozzarella, dried tomatoes, kale, and caramelized onions. We couldn’t resist a scoop of vegan ice cream for dessert. I’m a vanilla person and appreciated the clean flavor with no aftertaste. I heard the Mint and Dark Chocolate was superb.
Lest you think that we did nothing but eat, we also enjoyed exploring Portland. One highlight was the serene Portland Japanese Garden in Washington Park where plantings are planned so that there is beauty for each season. Another highlight was Powell’s Bookstore, Portland’s legendary independent bookstore which has 2 floor-to-ceiling shelves of vegan books including some of The Vegetarian Resource Group’s.
There’s so much more to explore and I am looking forward to returning to Portland. If you’re planning to go, be sure to check out Northwest VEG’s Plant-based Restaurant Guide.