Lucky Leek, Berlin: Fantastic Fancy Food With A Few Minor Hurdlesby Randi / September 18, 2014
This is the menu lolol
Another fantastic restaurant in Berlin is Viasko, ostensibly a bar or pub depending on what country you live in (I will call them bubs now) but with really interesting and delicious – and all vegan – food. You’d assume such bar food would be fried shit and what nots, but the menu is a tad nicer and more upscale than the usual bar fare of fried shit and what nots (or just plain gross salads for vegans). I’ve heard you have to go for the buffet brunch (buffet brunch is HUGE in Berlin – we’ll look at one this weekend), but I can recommend going for a really fun dinner with the ambiance of a chill bub. We sat in the basement, which was dimly lit with candles among the all wooden plank furniture. It had a very pirate ship vibe, which is totally fitting because today is apparently Talk Like a Pirate day, the celebration of which will probably get you smacked.
I immediately felt fond of Viasko because printed inside the menus is this incredible Martin Luther King, Jr. quote:
what hideous signage!
Seriously how lovely is that. Ugh he was amazing.
Anyway, if I am not mistaken, this was our very first dinner in Berlin, so we ordered way too much food. Not that that’s really a reason. We were just hungry. I freely over-order in most situations. We started with appetizers of the mixed salad with tempeh and the jalapeno cheese sticks, so my favorite kind of dish ever (salad + tempeh) and the most revolting sounding thing ever (cheese sticks). Both were great!
Anyway, if I am not mistaken, this was our very first dinner in Berlin, so we ordered way too much food. Not that that’s really a reason. We were just hungry. I freely over-order in most situations. We started with appetizers of the mixed salad with tempeh and the jalapeno cheese sticks, so my favorite kind of dish ever (salad + tempeh) and the most revolting sounding thing ever (cheese sticks). Both were great!
Fried tempeh bits forever!
I loved this salad! I wish the lettuce and veggies were cut smaller; it helps me look less gross when I eat if stuff isn’t going to get all over my face. The fried tempeh nuggets were outstanding though. Fried tempeh nuggets are pretty hard to mess up; I’m pretty sure they are like falafel in that there is a very very limited quality range (never bad, always good, can’t really break the ceiling) but oh man, these were fantastic! The perfect addition to any salad and much better than croutons.
Cheese sticks & a big pepper
For the jalapeno cheese sticks, I guess we were expecting the cheesy sticks themselves to be spicy, but instead they surrounded a pepper. I’m sure they were intended to be spicy and the pepper was just there as well, but we were like, oh you just put the pepper on the plate separately, okay. They were interesting. I’m sure if you like fried cheese sticks, then you would love these, but they’re not my thing. Husband says they were good, so yeah I’m the worst person to review stuff like this. Try them and see, I guess.
Watch out for that arugula, gnocchi
Of course we ordered the homemade gnocchi with asparagus (spargel!) because of the spargel. It was delicious! Homemade gnocchi is the best. This dish was in a cashew-pumpkinseed-ramson (wild garlic) pesto with white and green spargel, cherry tomatoes, and arugula. The raw arugula should have been dialed back a little in favor of more spargel, but it was still great.
Bread and hummus are on this plate! Best plate ever!
I was told to get the gyro plate (by either a person or the internet) and I’m so glad I did! Look at that stuff! Anything with bread and hummus is a winner in my book already, but this added olives, some kind of decent kraut (Germany), cucumbers and tomatoes, and of course the delicious soy gyro meat. Granted, this should have come with a flatbread of some sort so you could turn all the components into an actual handheld gyro, but whatever, it was really yummy AND fellow diners got to see me try to make this all handheld anyway (all over the face).
So, I can definitely recommend Viasko for a really fun pub dinner. The atmosphere was great, the service was friendly if slow (we were in a basement), and the food was really fun and overall great. Also, it seemed very affordable. I’d love to go back for more fried tempeh cubes and to try its buffet brunch.
VIASKO, BERLIN
Water speed: Slow because we were in the basement.
Bathrooms: These bathrooms were standard bar/pub style (kind of gross) but decent for their ilk. The best part is that they are absolutely COVERED with stickers and graffiti for vegan-friendly bands, blogs, everything! I need stickers for my blog so I can put them all over bub bathrooms!
Service: Slow.
Food: Great!
Bonus: Great pirate atmosphere.
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Veganizing “Friends”: My FAJITAS!!!
Blurry floating food! Guac in background!
We’re at that point in our Veganizing “Friends” fun when we have to acknowledge the worst mistake my beloved show ever made: Trying to make Rachel & Joey happen. UGH! The worst, right? Even if you didn’t like Ross, you still wanted him to end up with Rachel. (It’s pretty much the point of the show, though Monica & Chandler’s relationship was my favorite.) And even if you are some Crazy McCrazerson who didn’t want Ross & Rachel together, there’s no way in hayell that you wanted Rachel & Joey together! It’s like incest! And weird! Awkward for everyone, and especially awkward for Ross. Which brings us to FAJITAS. (I’m legally bound to use all caps.)
As you may recall, Ross understandably but wrongly decides that the best course of action in response to the news of Rachel & Joey is to pretend that he’s fine with it. Not just fine, but fiiiiine. I think he says “I’m fiiiine” about 30 times during the course of this episode. The episode is even called “The One Where Ross Is Fine”! You gotta feel bad for him, even if he acts like a total ass.
As you may recall, Ross understandably but wrongly decides that the best course of action in response to the news of Rachel & Joey is to pretend that he’s fine with it. Not just fine, but fiiiiine. I think he says “I’m fiiiine” about 30 times during the course of this episode. The episode is even called “The One Where Ross Is Fine”! You gotta feel bad for him, even if he acts like a total ass.
To further convince everyone that he’s fiiiine, an unhinged Ross plans a double date dinner party with Rachel, Joey, and Ross’s current girlfriend Charlie. Oh it’s going to be weeeeeird. But he’s making FAJITAS!
The internet really wants me to make Ross’s FAJITAS. So many videos and gifs! It’s like Christmas! Or Cinco de Mayo! So guess what?
How much do you love his face in the above? If your memory of the episode is rusty, watch the video on the left. Warning: He is extremely hyperactive and agita-inducing in this video, and the editing doesn’t help. But it’s still worth it. If you just want to hear Ross say FAJITAS, watch the one on the right.
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Let’s get down to the cooking, shall we? Fajitas and tacos are usually seen as interchangeable, as long as they involve meat, because when most people think fajitas, they think of the sizzling cast iron pan of meat. In fact, fajita originally referred to the cut of beef used in the dish, hence differentiating it from a taco. I also like to think that the tortillas for fajitas are bigger, but that’s probably due to my first fajita experience like 20 years ago.
While we’re definitely going to use bigazz tortillas for wrapping up all the components (and saute a lot of onions of peppers because that’s what stands out to me!), we’re not going to try to veganize the cut of skirt steak to make these FAJITAS more authentic. F that! I’m in the mood for tempeh, so I’m making tempeh! The most brilliant part of Mexican cuisine is that you can wrap a bunch of different things in a tortilla and it’s freaking delicious. Here’s what I did for my FAJITAS:
While we’re definitely going to use bigazz tortillas for wrapping up all the components (and saute a lot of onions of peppers because that’s what stands out to me!), we’re not going to try to veganize the cut of skirt steak to make these FAJITAS more authentic. F that! I’m in the mood for tempeh, so I’m making tempeh! The most brilliant part of Mexican cuisine is that you can wrap a bunch of different things in a tortilla and it’s freaking delicious. Here’s what I did for my FAJITAS:
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COMPONENTS:
For the tempeh:
For the onions and peppers:
 Adding the stuff to the pan For the squash and beans:
 Post-beans For the Brussels sprouts:
I know you know by now that these are one of my favorite foods, when properly doused in oil and nearly burnt. Amaaaazing.
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 Lots of things in various bowls!  Beautiful, innit  Why do veggies always shrink down to nothing! I mean, I know why, but still why.  Pre-beans    |
I think that’s everything! Get some lettuce, tomato, salsa, make your favorite guacamole, and layer all of these various parts on top of your tortilla. I know nothing is really sizzling, but I tend to burn my hands often and badly, (like Ross!) so I left that part out. You go on with your sizzling self, though!
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VEGAN MOFO Is Almost Here! Get Pumped!
VeganMofo is only 3 days away!!! That’s right, this year the Vegan Month of Food is taking place in September. I’m so excited to participate in my first Mofo!
If you aren’t familiar with Mofo, read about it on the official blog! You’ll also find a list of all participants there. VeganMofo is a fun yet challenging, well, challenge to blog every day (or at least most days) of the month! So, check out Laughfrodisiac throughout September for posts with the following themes:
If you aren’t familiar with Mofo, read about it on the official blog! You’ll also find a list of all participants there. VeganMofo is a fun yet challenging, well, challenge to blog every day (or at least most days) of the month! So, check out Laughfrodisiac throughout September for posts with the following themes:
MONDAY: On Mondays, we will veganize things that Monica (Courteney Cox) made on ‘Friends’!! I think I’m most excited to make the infamous English Trifle/Shepherd’s Pie disaster. (I know Rachel made that, but it counts.) So much fun!
TUESDAY: On Tuesdays, we will get new travel guides for locations all over the globe! If you plan to go anywhere ever, this information will save you! Like the bahble!
WEDNESDAY: On Wednesdays, we will play Restaurant Wars! New restaurant reviews will be posted — including the review for one of top 10 restaurants in the world. You’re going to want to read that one!
THURSDAY: On Thursdays, we will review special meals for holidays occurring in September, as well as discuss other big events (like weddings!).
FRIDAY: On Fridays, we will return to “Friends” and make some more fun things!
SATURDAY: On Saturdays, we will get a mix of style blogs and entertainment blogs, from theatre reviews to ravings about TV shows that are soon returning!
SUNDAY: Finally, on Sundays, we will bake breakfast foods! From muffins to my special protein-packed energy bars, these blogs will be delicious!
I might also throw in second posts on certain days, about random things that come to my attention!
So, there you have it! I’m mainly posting this in advance in order to hold myself accountable to what I’ve outlined here. Help keep me to it, and I hope you enjoy all of VeganMofo!
