Wide rice noodles wrap around a filling of corn, peas, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and tofu. Served with a spicy sweet & sour sauce.

From KOMO News: Technology is being worked on to do away with “controversial” — not to mention horrific and fatal — testing of cosmetic-related chemicals on animals. A “working prototype” is expected to be available in 2011, and European laws require this type of testing to be eliminated by 2013.

The atmosphere is similar, but not identical, to their Wallingford location — bright gold and deep burgundy hues, rich wood, botanical and organic shapes, a fresh flower in a small vase on each table. Jhanjay Ballard is quite a bit larger than the one in Wallingford. The spacious dining room feels quite welcoming and offers a good view of the open kitchen.

The food was, of course, delicious. I had the Star Potato Puff (mashed potatoes, green peas, and diced onions seasoned with curry and layered between two lightly pan-fried Roti pancakes, served with cucumber/red onion chili sauce) and Rad Nah (wide rice noodles stir-fried with broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms, swimming in a thick gravy; usually includes egg, but of course I had the vegan version).

The service lived up to that of the original Jhanjay: Attentive, efficient, friendly, and smiling — lots of smiles. The owner, I believe she said her name is Nata (sp?), came over to talk with me for a few minutes after I finished eating. I complimented the beauty of the restaurant, thanked her for a wonderful meal, and warned … I mean, assured … her she’d see me again soon.

Jhanjay Vegetarian Thai Cuisine, 5313 Ballard Ave. NW, near NW Vernon Pl. and the … south? east? southeast? … end of the Ballard Farmers’ Market. Open Monday – Friday, 11am – 10pm and Saturday – Sunday, noon – 10pm. (Jhanjay has not yet updated their Web site with their new location.)

PS: Sorry for the lack of photos to go along with this post. My regular camera is broken, and the camera on my cell phone doesn’t take very good pictures.

While we were there, Colin, one of the co-owners, mentioned that Pizza Pi has a new menu. They’ve added a bunch of new pizzas, several new appetizers, and some new sandwiches. TB and I will check out the new menu later today. Pizza Pi is at 5500 University Way NE (Seattle; U District neighborhood). They’re open noon – 10pm Tuesday – Sunday (i.e., closed Mondays).

Colin and his wife, Tammy, own Pizza Pi. They, in conjunction with Doh and Dennis, co-own Wayward. Doh (and maybe Dennis; I don’t know for sure) owns Sidecar for Pigs Peace vegan grocery. Sidecar is at 5270 University Way NE, across the street (NE 55th) from Pizza Pi. Sidecar is usually open 10am – 8pm Tuesday – Sunday (closed Mondays). See the Directions & Hours page on their Web site for their winter holiday hours.

Wayward is less than a half-mile from Pizza Pi and Sidecar.

That’s some seriously concentrated — and delicious — vegan-osity!

Update to the update #1: TB and I had lunch at Pizza Pi today and tried some of their new menu items, including:

French onion soup — lots of sliced onions floating in a flavorful, savory broth. Topped with melted cheese on top of two small pieces of crisp toast.

Side salads (not new) with new dressings — creamy, spicy chipotle ranch (TB’s choice) and an authentic-tasting bleu cheese (my choice).

French dip-style sandwich — Field Roast grain meat, grilled onions, and melted white cheese (mozzarella?) on a hearty whole-grain hoagy roll, served with a tasty au jus.

The Roma — Tofurky sausage, onions, and melted white and cheddar cheeses, also on a whole-grain hoagy roll.

As usual at Pizza Pi, everything was delicious. The portions were quite filling; so filling that TB and I each ate a half sandwich and took the rest home to eat later.

Pizza Pi is working on updating their menu online, so check back on their Web site for details.

Update to the update #2: Sidecar is hosting a vegan bake sale as a fundraiser for Pigs Peace Sanctuary. Check it out December 12 & 13, 2009, 1pm – 8pm.

I had read about Healeo’s vegan, hemp soft-serve vanilla ice cream and wanted to try it (see this post). I’m glad I did – it was creamy and delicious.

Healeo is a “superfood nutrition bar” offering supplements, juices, smoothies, teas, espresso, soups, and other food items; the majority are vegetarian and/or vegan. And the non-dairy milk options (for teas or lattes) include hemp, coconut, and an almond/cashew blend. Healeo makes some of their own food as well as carrying selections from local providers such as Chaco Canyon.

The Boyfriend (TB) and I asked a lot of questions about Healeo’s products and foods, and the staff were friendly and helpful.

$6, excluding tip, for my ice cream and TB’s coconut latte.

Healeo, 1520 15th Ave., Capitol Hill (Seattle), 206-453-5066; http://www.healeo.com/; opened in May 2009. Free parking in the Pearl Apartments building garage.

(The “wall of wine” seen in the background of the interior shot belongs to La Spiga, an Italian restaurant across the hall.)

Plum Bistro is the more sophisticated sibling in the Hillside Quickie restaurant family. The menu is 100% vegan and organic. Plum’s menu reminded me of Cafe Ambrosia, which used to be on Lake Union (and which, sadly, has been gone at least 5 or 6 years … the cafe, of course, not the lake).

For our entrees, TB had the Spicy Jamaican Tempeh Wrap and I had the Smoked Northwest Portobello and Tempeh Crepes. For dessert, TB had the Strawberry Crepe. For drinks, we each had a Boylan ginger ale.

TB’s wrap was a delicious and filling blend of spicy (onions, peppers, and jalapeno aioli) and sweet (tangerine slices).

My savory crepes were a combination of hearty mushrooms and tempeh flavored with dill, lemon, and paprika.

The dessert crepe was light and sweet – fresh strawberries topped with chocolate and whipped cream, accompanied by a caramel sauce.

Our server told us that dessert crepes are always on the menu; the fruit varies, depending on what’s in season. Today’s other dessert option was coconut cheesecake.

The service was excellent, the atmosphere pleasant. Our bill came to $37.90 excluding tip.

Plum Bistro, 1429 12th Ave., Seattle (Capitol Hill), 206-838-5333, http://plumbistroseattle.com/; opened in July 2009. Hours Sunday – Wednesday, 8am – 10pm, Thursday – Saturday, 8am – midnight. Street parking.

“Uh oh,” I thought, “another one bites the dust.” I expected that Vegan Garden would close for good and be replaced by another, non-veg restaurant.

I was right … and wrong. Right in that Vegan Garden has closed and been replaced; wrong in that the new restaurant is also 100% vegan.

The new place, Loving Hut, is owned by the same people who owned Vegan Garden.

The dining area still has a large-ish screen playing a continual loop of Supreme Master TV. The little bit that I watched focused on the environmental benefits of a vegetarian and/or vegan diet. Vegetarian and vegan — I’m into that. Being good to animals — ditto. Taking care of the environment — yep. Religion — no. In addition to the TV, the supreme master and god elements are heavily reinforced via the fortune cookie messages:

That’s all a bit much for me.

But I’ll keep going back, because I really liked the food — as did The Boyfriend (TB).

Vegan Garden’s menu was very much like the vegetarian/vegan menu at Moonlight Cafe: a huge number of Vietnamese cuisine dishes, with plenty of fresh veggies, fake meats, fried and non-fried items, and similar names for a lot of the items.

Loving Hut’s menu selection is much smaller, has some dishes reminiscent of Vegan Garden/Moonlight Cafe, plus some unexpected “American” options such as tacos and a burger. The physical menu is lacking; it has a picture of each dish, but no text description of the ingredients.

TB and I had Golden Rolls (fried spring rolls), Summer Rolls (not fried), Phabulous Pho, Mongolian Delight, a Lime Soda, and a Lemonade.

The Golden Rolls were a bit bland, but the Summer Rolls were light, fresh, and tasty.

The Phabulous Pho had a generous portion of noodles floating in a flavorful broth with a good selection of fake meats and a light smattering of veggies. (And the usual side plate with bean sprouts, cilantro, basil, lime wedge, and a couple of slices of a spicy green pepper.)

The Mongolian Delight had “beef” in a tangy, delicious sauce and sat atop crispy noodles.

I preferred the Lime Soda to the Lemonade; it was colder and more tart.

The service was very good.

$33 total, excluding tip. Bonus: vegan fortune cookies!

Loving Hut, 1226 S. Jackson St., Seattle (International District), 206-726-8669; http://lovinghut.us/seattle/; business hours Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. (i.e., closed between 3 and 5 p.m. and on Sundays); opened in September 2009. If you drive there, be sure to ask for parking validation.

Healeo is now on my “vegan places to check out” list. They’re in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood at 1520 15th Avenue.

I think coconut milk and hemp are duking it out for the title of “the new soy.”

I first noticed hemp milk as a non-dairy alternative in coffee shops a couple of years ago, and it’s available in aseptic cartons in various grocery stores. Coffee shops include Neptune Coffee in Greenwood. Grocery stores include Sidecar vegan grocery, PCC Natural Markets, Town & Country Markets (the Ballard one, at least), and Whole Foods Market.

More recently, I’m noticing a lot of vegan, coconut-milk-based products such as ice cream, creamer, and yogurt. I’ve bought coconut ice cream and yogurt at Sidecar and creamer and yogurt at Whole Foods. I’m drawing a blank on whether or which coconut milk products I’ve seen at other stores.

Blossoming Lotus, an all-vegan restaurant located inside Yoga in the Pearl, 925 NW Davis St.:

Landscaping by Dennis’ Seven Dees; photos taken near NW 10th Ave. and NW Glisan St.:

“No fur. No paws. No service.” D’tails dog salon, 416 NW 10th Ave.:

Residential building at approx. 633 NW 11th Ave.:

Photo taken from NW 11th Ave. and NW Hoyt St.:

Bike rack at approx. 700 block of NW 12th Ave.:

2817 NW Market St., Ballard.

I haven’t had anything to eat or drink at KISS Cafe, I’ve just always liked this sign. The cafe has some vegetarian menu options, but nothing natively vegan. (The menu is available from their Web site — for some reason, it’s saved as a .zip file although it’s a single, two-page PDF, 110kb packed/117kb unpacked.)