Guest Post: Isabel Roces Gives Us the Scoop on Vegetarian Travel

Isabel at Tien Sin Vegetarian House

There’s no need to leave your vegetarian diet at home when you go on vacation. In fact, your travels will bring opportunities to sample delicious vegetarian dishes from other countries. My work as a model grants me the leisure of travel, and I often find vegetarian options available where I least expect them! Every meal is an adventure in itself—whether it’s in a five-star hotel or a roadside café.

I recently went to Thailand to shoot a vegetarian ad for PETA. I was also thrilled at the prospect of eating my way through Bangkok. My favorite place was Govinda, which serves Italian vegetarian food. I had pizza with mock ham, mushroom salad with faux sausage, and salt-and-pepper soy prawns. For a home-cooked meal, I also liked the Vegetarian Cottage, found in the suburbs of Bangkok. It’s a bit tricky to find, but do persevere—it’s the nicest place to eat in the entire city. If you’re on a budget, Thai restaurants like Tien Sin Vegetarian House are reasonably priced. Tien Sin serves an amazing Thai faux-ham salad as well as vegetarian pad Thai.

I always feel at home when I’m modeling in Hong Kong because there are so many places for vegetarians to eat. There are more than 60 vegetarian restaurants in the city, plus the the biggest health-food store in Asia—360 Health Food. It’s a health supermarket located in the Landmark Shopping Center. You can find everything from mock meats to vegan desserts, as well as many more cruelty-free products. It’s perfect for when you just want to eat at home.

Some great restaurants to visit include Hoi Sum in Central and The Bookworm Café. Try the fried soy chicken with ginger sauce in Hoi Sum. Indulge in the scrambled tofu and vegan chocolate-almond cake at The Bookworm Café on Lamma Island.

For great desserts, look for XTConICE. It’s a gelato chain in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui All its sorbettos are vegan. The flavors include rich options like grapefruit vanilla, nutcoco, red date and longan, and pineapple coconut.

A couple of months back, I had a quick stay in Melbourne, Australia, for a modeling stint. There are more than 50 vegetarian restaurants there, including the Chinese restaurants White Lotus and Enlightened Cuisine. Soulmama, another one of my favorites, is a beautiful restaurant just outside the city in St. Kilda. It serves intriguing items like chocolate-beetroot cake, soul sunset cocktail, and vegan crunch cake. If you want vegan donuts or a meat-free version of an Aussie meat pie, go to La Panella’s vegan bakery.

There is also a vegetarian fast-food place called Lord of the Fries at the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth streets. There, you can find flavorful veggie burgers and killer French fries topped with your choice of sauces. But if you’re looking for something a bit healthier, Flinder’s Organics is right down the street. Flinder’s stocks a wide variety of vegan products, plus it has a deli that serves a variety of vegan salads, wraps, and casseroles as well as vegan cake!
And one final word of advice – your appetite is your only limit. There is a world of vegetarian options out there. For great vegetarian fare, check out HappyCow.net. I always do. Bon appétit!

Guest post by Isabel Roces