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Vegan for lunch, whoops

Plumeria has been there this whole time

“The nine-dollar dish couldn’t have been cuter”
“The nine-dollar dish couldn’t have been cuter”
Place

Plumeria

4661 Park Boulevard, San Diego

I never had anything against going to Plumeria. I always knew I’d get around to going. I knew it was a vegetarian and vegan restaurant, and as an omnivore of convenience I suppose I was keeping it in my back pocket until the day I had a vegan date to impress.

But I didn’t realize it’s a Thai restaurant, which changes everything. Across the street from Plumeria is Bahn Thai, a reliably good source of noodles and curries featuring a choice of meaty proteins. I’ve gone to University Heights many times looking for Thai but never for vegetarian.

Sponsored
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Plumeria

I might still be waiting to try Plumeria if I hadn’t lucked into a parking spot in front of the place. I spotted a broccoli-and-peanut sauce dish on the menu, including carrots and zucchini with the option of mock duck.

Meat isn’t the thing that makes Thai food great. In fact, mediocre meat is the first thing that can sink an otherwise-decent Thai restaurant. So even though I wanted that seitan mock duck, I was actually in it for the peanut sauce and to a lesser extent the broccoli.

The nine-dollar dish couldn’t have been cuter, with a star-shaped serving of rice — actually a mixture of brown and jasmine rice. That’s an ingenious mix, combining healthy and flavorful. The star shape made it feel special.

The mock duck had some crispy edges, which I also found special. I wouldn’t say it wholly replaced duck, but it proved duck-like enough to suspend disbelief. The peanut sauce was spot-on and brought the steamed vegetables along for the ride, and within a couple of minutes my pretty plate didn’t look so pretty anymore.

Part of me wants to take this experience as inspiration to give some other vegetarian restaurants a shot. Problem is, I might wind up being disappointed when they don’t also serve a healthy take on Thai.

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“The nine-dollar dish couldn’t have been cuter”
“The nine-dollar dish couldn’t have been cuter”
Place

Plumeria

4661 Park Boulevard, San Diego

I never had anything against going to Plumeria. I always knew I’d get around to going. I knew it was a vegetarian and vegan restaurant, and as an omnivore of convenience I suppose I was keeping it in my back pocket until the day I had a vegan date to impress.

But I didn’t realize it’s a Thai restaurant, which changes everything. Across the street from Plumeria is Bahn Thai, a reliably good source of noodles and curries featuring a choice of meaty proteins. I’ve gone to University Heights many times looking for Thai but never for vegetarian.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Plumeria

I might still be waiting to try Plumeria if I hadn’t lucked into a parking spot in front of the place. I spotted a broccoli-and-peanut sauce dish on the menu, including carrots and zucchini with the option of mock duck.

Meat isn’t the thing that makes Thai food great. In fact, mediocre meat is the first thing that can sink an otherwise-decent Thai restaurant. So even though I wanted that seitan mock duck, I was actually in it for the peanut sauce and to a lesser extent the broccoli.

The nine-dollar dish couldn’t have been cuter, with a star-shaped serving of rice — actually a mixture of brown and jasmine rice. That’s an ingenious mix, combining healthy and flavorful. The star shape made it feel special.

The mock duck had some crispy edges, which I also found special. I wouldn’t say it wholly replaced duck, but it proved duck-like enough to suspend disbelief. The peanut sauce was spot-on and brought the steamed vegetables along for the ride, and within a couple of minutes my pretty plate didn’t look so pretty anymore.

Part of me wants to take this experience as inspiration to give some other vegetarian restaurants a shot. Problem is, I might wind up being disappointed when they don’t also serve a healthy take on Thai.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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