Ahimsa Vegan Cafe - Long Beach

There are some things in life that I just don't do. I don't do laundry more than once a month. I buy new underwear to avoid that time-consuming, quarter-eating quandary, and to the person who doesn't understand why I need all four washers at once, #sorryimnotsorry.

I don't do veganism either. I buy new meats to avoid the time-consuming, sustainable eating, hipster-hell of a diet. So imagine my reaction when my friend wanted vegan for lunch. 

I walked into Ahimsa with the expectation that I would go get a steak after to fill up the unsatisfactory emptiness from food that can't really sustain life. So imagine my surprise when I bit into a perfect Samosa filled with soft, spicy potato and cauliflower. Sure, a samosa is kind of cheating since it's vegan by default, but the flavors are right on, and it's among the best I've had so let's give some credit where it's due.

To be fair, though, Indian vegans are pretty spoiled. The hearty Curry Lentil Soup can curb the cravings of the staunchest carnivore with dense disks of lentils and a kick of curry powder.

I fully expected to be keep asking to add chicken or gyro meat to the Mediterranean Bowl, but between the rich, dark Kalamata olives and dense quinoa topped with broccoli, sun dried tomatoes, and hummus on pita points, I didn't feel like anything was missing. The sesame sour cream sauce really rounded out the dish - the texture and flavor filled in for feta. 

The other thing that bothers me is that most vegan foods work to hide that they're vegan. Tofu imitates meat, cheese tries to stay chewy, and chocolate cake struggles to maintain the taste of milk. But I don't eat vegan meat because I'm looking for the taste of real meat, I eat vegan meat because I just like how it tastes. And I loved every bite of the chewy, slightly-savory mock chicken in the Teriyaki Bowl. The chicken actually went well with the pineapple, mushrooms, and cauliflower under a sweet teriyaki sauce.

The thing is, you can't be a glutton and be vegan, and I'm the break-up-after-you-take-me-to-a-buffet kind of glutton. It's hard enough to be satisfied with vegetarian, and vegan is that much worse. But I actually left Ahimsa feeling satisfied, even though my lunch was on the lighter side, so despite being a raging carnivore, I'd give Ahimsa an A for effort.