‘LebMex’ Vegetarian Lebanese-Mexican Restaurant, Bangalore and Mumbai

For more vegan-friendly restaurants in India reviewed in this blog, you can click here.

We had come across an article titled, “LebMex Initiates Meatless Mondays among Bangaloreans” in this link recently. Super excited by it, we had followed up and here we are today, with the story!

“Meatless Mondays” is the name of an international campaign that has roots in World War I. During the time, the U.S. Food Administration had appealed to the people of the nation to stay away from consuming meat one day in the week—with the aim to conserve resources that could be diverted to war-affected areas. (Source). In the year 2003, Meatless Mondays was re-launched by a division of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and several other public health schools; and this time with a larger aim: to help conserve the Planet by saying NO to meat consumption. Here is the official website of the "Meat Free Mondays" international campaign that you can click to learn more.

Not only the Mondays, LebMex is vegetarian all seven days of the week! Explains Mr. Dhaval Udeshi, the Director of LebMex:

“Being an avid food lover, I saw that in India, the choice in the vegetarian palate is limited to local food. We wanted to create a chain of restaurants all over India where people can enjoy fresh, healthy, and extremely tasty food. Lebanese and Mexican cuisines are regarded among the top five cuisines in the world and in our country, options to savor these cuisines are limited. With rising pressures at the work place, it is very important to lead a healthy lifestyle and eat right. Vegetarian food not only makes you live longer but also keeps you fit and helps control lots of diseases.”

Hummus with Whole-wheat Pita Bread

And, what about the vegans, we turn to Corporate Chef, Hiren Kumar for the answer. Mr. Kumar has worked in the U.S. for over a decade and is very familiar with vegan cooking. Says Chef Hiren:

Tangy Vegetable Salad

“Many dishes in the menu are already vegan. The rest can be customized as per requirement. Our store managers are equipped to help you select the vegan dishes or customize them accordingly.”

We found that to be true indeed. The whole-wheat hummus, pita bread, Mexican rice, salad, and fajita that we ordered were naturally occurring vegan dishes in the menu. How were they, you may ask. They say that the proof of the pudding lies in the eating. And, we are definitely going back again for more helpings of the hummus and pita bread!

Mexican Rice

But hey, what is this with Lebanese and Mexican food available under the same roof—when the two countries are separated by the Atlantic with a distance of 10,000 miles between them?! While both are among the top cuisines in the world, according to Chef Hiren, Lebanese and Mexican food are also diametrically opposite to eachother. Lebanese food is low on spices and with lots of vegetables, fruits, and herbs; oftentimes the ingredients are raw. On the other hand, Mexican cuisine is spicy with sharp flavors. Together, they bring varied choices to the table.

However, here’s our opinion on why Lebanese and Mexican food go together: As you may be aware, there has been a constant influx of immigrants into Mexico from many Arabic nations, particularly Lebanon. According to this blogsite, as we speak, there are hundreds of thousands of people in Mexico of Lebanese descent. Therefore, over the course of the second/third generation, the immigrants from the middle-east started identifying Mexico as their home and blending with the local Mexican cultures and customs. It was natural that the immigrants would slowly mix-n-match the locally available ingredients and this food experimentation lend a great taste to the fusion dishes that encompassed the best of Mexican and Mediterranean flavors.

So we are not surprized when we found a good crowd on the day we visited the Koramangala outlet. The atmosphere is vibrant with colorful murals adorning the walls. The interior of the restaurant boldly displays spectacular Mexican themes, a treat for the eyes. The colors are literally bursting all over the place as you can see from the photographs. This is a fast food restaurant with a difference, certainly!

The choice of business is a reflection of where the society is today and where its potential lies to reach in the future. With more and more people graduating towards a “healthy” lifestyle that is beneficial for the self, for the animals, and for the Planet, businesses such as LebMex is a commendable step in the right direction. Outlining the expansion plans, Mr. Udeshi points out:

“We plan to expand the LebMex chain all over India in the coming years as after starting in Bangalore in 2010, we have received an overwhelming response. We are glad to see all kinds of people trying out our food and enjoying it. Today when people are finally realizing the value of eating vegetarian food and living a healthy lifestyle without compromising on food quality, we will be proud if our chain of restaurants serves in spreading awareness about the benefits of eating vegetarian food. Our company, DAI Foods Pvt. Ltd., plans to roll out more brands in the future that will include yet more international cuisine and will be vegetarian at the same time."

Amen to that!

LebMex contact and food order details: LebMex has several outlets in Bangalore and Mumbai. For the contact number, address, and other details of the outlets, you can click this link in the LebMex website.

Cost factor: The best part of the LebMex experience is that the prices in the menu are extremely affordable for these cuisines which are hardly available or only available at five star hotels.

“Human beings are not natural carnivores. When we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores” ~Dr. William C. Roberts, M.D., Editor of the 'American Journal of Cardiology'~

Vegan-friendly ‘Nanee Suites’ Hotel, Delhi

For more vegan-friendly hotels in India reviewed in this blog, you can click here.

 
The Nanee Suites is a boutique business hotel in South Delhi having all the amenities which a hotel in that category can offer. The one thing that makes Nanee Suites stand out is its all-vegetarian, no alcohol, and no smoke policy. Not only this, the Nanee Suites is vegan-friendly as well. The staff is aware of what “vegan” means. Now, isn’t that exciting!?

Accommodation cum conference facilities

The hotel has 20 spacious guest suites of the deluxe, premium, and luxury varieties. You can learn more about the accommodation offered by clicking this link in the hotel website. The hotel offers conference facilities and a business center as well. You can click the links to learn more.

Eating at “Jihva” restaurant in Nanee Suites

Jihva is the in-house restaurant at Nanee Suites, which is open to resident guests only. Jihva promises to “offer a world of vegetarianism”. As we have indicated above, the staff is aware of what not to serve you if you are vegan.

Contact

To explore staying at Nanee Suites, you can contact Mr. Sanjeev Kumar at 09911792843 for details about a vegan stay.

“Researchers found that as the amount of animal foods increased in the diet, even in relatively small increments, so did the emergence of the cancers that are common in the west. Most cancers occurred in direct proportion to the quantity of animal foods consumed.” ~Joel Fuhrman, M.D., Author of Eat to Live~

Vegan-friendly ‘Green Hotel’, McLeod Ganj

For more vegan-friendly hotels in India and vegan-friendly restaurants in McLeod Ganj reviewed in this blog, you can click the linked words.

In the last post of our McLeod Ganj trilogy, we will write about Green Hotel. Green Hotel has been highly recommended by the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide as a place to stay and eat at McLeod Ganj. According to the backpacker community, vegetarian Green Hotel serves the best breakfast in town. We definitely wanted to stay at this place and verify this information.

Green Hotel as a place to eat

According to the Green Hotel website, it is a family-run business operating since 1978. Strategically located, Green Hotel is not smack in the middle of the McLeod Ganj township, neither too far from it—it is a 10-minute jaunt from the city center. Whether you want to go uphill to trek or visit the Bhagsunath temple, this is where your ascent begins and there is nothing better than beginning your ascent with the delicious breakfast on offer in the warmly decorated hotel restaurant. Often tourists make a beeline in the morning for a hearty breakfast before they get on with their day.

Green Hotel Restaurant

Tofu-cheese Momo

Green Hotel restaurant serves great Tibetan breakfasts as well as green teas, tofu chips, cereals, pancakes, tofu-cheese momos, soups, salads, and fresh fruit juice to name a few. Although we spotted some lacto-ovo dishes, it is very easy to avoid them. We found that tofu has been used in many of the preparations and the Tibetan dishes especially, were largely vegan.

Like most eateries in McLeod Ganj, the Green Hotel restaurant at the basement has a well-stocked multilingual library.

Green Hotel as a place to stay

We were told that Green Hotel has a diverse selection of rooms catering to all types of travelers. Rooms have their own private shower with hot water available 24/7. The rates are highly flexible but we found they would generally vary between Rs.300/- to Rs.800/- depending on the seasons or whether weekday/weekend. It is better to book in advance during festival times to avoid the last minute rush and eventual disappointment. The rooms at the top floors are easily the best and present a magnificent view of the Himalayan peaks.

Green Hotel and Restaurant contact and food order details

Website for more information and hotel booking: http://www.greenhotel.biz
Telephone: 01892-221200/221479
E-mail: greenhotel@gmail.com
Address: Bhagsu Road, McLeod Ganj
Timings: 7am to 10pm, every day of the week
Cost factor: A hearty meal for two costs around Rs.250/-.
Caution: This is a lacto-ovo vegetarian place; at the time of placing the order, please put in a word to ensure that your preparation is dairy-and-egg free.

“If one is trying to practice meditation and is still eating meat, he would be like a man closing his ears and shouting loudly, and then asserting that he heard nothing.” ~Ancient Buddhist Text by Surangama Sutra~

Vegan-friendly ‘Lung Ta’ Restaurant, McLeod Ganj

For more vegan-friendly restaurants in McLeod Ganj reviewed in this blog, you can click here.

The literal meaning of the word ‘lungta’ is ‘wind horse’, a mythical creature in Tibetan folklore. Lungta symbolizes positive life energy. In places of Buddhist significance, the lungta symbol is found depicted on ‘prayer flags’. Those of us who have visited a Tibetan Buddhist monastery would have noticed the magnificent sight of colorful flags strung in the air. It is believed that each time these flags with texts and symbols on them flutter, they disseminate goodness in the air and bless the surroundings.

Continuing from our last post on Namgyal Café, McLeod Ganj is a place that attracts people from every corner of the world. Some of these visitors follow the Buddhist faith; some come enchanted by the Buddhist way of life. Buddhists (the religion that The Buddha propagated) all over the world follow a basic code of ethics commonly known as “The Precepts”. The very first precept in Buddhism is “Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi” that translated means, “I will abstain from taking any form of life until the end of my life”. This led us to believe that McLeod Ganj is perhaps a place where we shall find something interesting. We sure did and how?

A casual chit-chat with a group of backpackers led us to Lung Ta, a vegetarian Japanese restaurant. Wait a minute! Vegetarian and Japanese? That sounded incongruous. We double-checked whether what they said was right? They chuckled and said “Yes!”

Lung Ta Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant

Lung Ta is close to downtown and on entering the restaurant, it looked like a little Japan in itself. Now, part of the fun in eating at Lung Ta is in finding an empty table. The chances of getting one at first entry is next to none. However, people are welcoming to share their table with strangers. A bunch of Japanese travelers who had come to meet His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, happily offered to share their table with us. They informed us that the food at Lung Ta is authentic Japanese and most Japanese tourists at McLeod Ganj come here regularly as they find it a home away from home. There are no quiet souls in this restaurant; everybody is a tourist here and eating is accompanied by the happy exchange of myriad stories with virtual strangers you may say. Even as strangers, we felt connected by the common human spirit of inquiry and friendliness.

Udon

We quickly skimmed through the menu. Surprise! Almost every dish listed in the menu was Vegan. Dishes with cheese, there were none! Tofu is used in many of the preparations. We ordered for Udon, which is thick flattened wheat noodles in a delicious soy-based soup. We also ordered Miso Soup made by first grinding cooked soya beans, rice or barley, and salt, and finally fermenting the mixture. The dishes arrived in no time and tasted heavenly. Our Japanese friends wanted to check whether we liked the food. We loved it! We wished we could sample every dish in the menu!

We were told that the menu changes everyday. Although there are daily specials, the main course remains a constant and consists of vegetarian Miso Soup, Sushi, Tempura, and Vegetable and Tofu Steak. With such great company and tremendous food, time just flew.

We could not resist ourselves and walked up to the proprietor of the restaurant who introduced himself as Mr. Sonam. We asked what made him serve vegetarian foods when Japanese food all over the world is known for being otherwise. He explained that his is a second-generation Tibetan family in India and they follow Buddhism in its truest form. In a country like India which is so well endowed with vegetables, fruits, and grains, there is absolutely no "excuse" to eat otherwise, he said. He candidly added that the sum total of all human religions is ‘respect for all life forms’ in any case.

Later we found out that the proceeds from Lung Ta go to an NGO that helps rehabilitate ex-political prisoners from Tibet.

Lung Ta restaurant contact and food order details

Address: Jogibara Road , McLeod Ganj
Timings: 12noon to 8:30pm
Cost factor: A hearty meal for two costs around Rs.200/-.
Caution: This is a lacto-ovo vegetarian eatery; at the time of placing the order, please put in a word to ensure that your preparation is free of dairy and eggs. 

“May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their pain. May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free. May the powerless find power, and may people befriend all life. May those of all species who find themselves lost, the young, the aged, the unprotected, be guarded by beneficent celestials, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.” ~Buddhist Prayer for Peace~