Vegan MoFo – Zen Vegetarian, Wichita, KS

My husband surprised me with a plane ticket to see my dad in Kansas for my birthday this year. I can usually get something in most restaurants, even if it’s just a plate of fries or some steamed vegetables. I also knew there were a few health food stores where I’d be able to pick up a few things, so I knew I wouldn’t starve.

Like anyone obsessed with food, though, before any trip, I always check happycow.net and google around for places I can eat. I was excited to find Zen Vegetarian, a fairly new restaurant in Wichita. My dad is a pretty adventurous eater, so he was happy to indulge me. He isn’t a vegan, but he absolutely cannot have milk products, so he’s always happy to visit restaurants where he knows he’ll be able to eat something that won’t make him sick.

The atmosphere in Zen was nice and quiet, and the service was friendly. While the entire menu isn’t vegan, vegan dishes are clearly marked. My dad ordered a rice dish, his wife ordered some soup, and I got a Papaya Passion Salad and Sesame Soy Nuggets. Since it was lunch time, it came as a Bento box with soup, tempura vegetables, a spring roll, wonton, and rice. I had to skip the cream cheese wonton and soup, but there was plenty to eat, and I had leftovers, so while it would have been nice to have a vegan wonton and vegan soup, I certainly had enough food.

The salad was really tasty. It was spiced with chilis, but wasn’t too hot, and was nice and refreshing. The sesame soy was really good too, with nice, fresh broccoli, and the tempura was crispy without being overly battered or greasy. I’ll definitely go again the next time I’m visiting my dad.

We also went to a restaurant where I had a nice falafel platter, hummus, tabbouleh, and a fattoush salad. So, you don’t have to live in a large metropolitan area to enjoy vegan food at a restaurant!