World Vegan Day is celebrated annually by vegans across the globe every 1 November to mark the founding day of The Vegan Society in the United Kingdom, as well as to motivate people to follow a vegan lifestyle that benefits animal welfare, the environment and the human body. The event also kickstarts World Vegan Month which is in the month of November.
With the Festival of Lights around the corner, we’ve come up with a list of six Indian restaurants that serve delectable plant-based food to satisfy your palate this Deepavali.
Raj Restaurant
Raj Restaurant was founded on very strong principles encompassing vegetarianism, the beliefs and practices of vegetarians. Standing by the meaning of the Latin word “vegetus” which is “whole, sound or fresh”, it sources for the most wholesome, sound and the freshest ingredients including healthy cooking oils to create quality Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Indian food, and has become one of the most popular Indian vegetarian restaurants in Singapore. Although it is primarily a vegetarian restaurant, it offers a wide variety of vegan-friendly items that are clearly labelled in the menu, including kebabs, salads, naan, roti, idli, and dosais.
More information: Raj Restaurant
Lagnaa
Describing itself as “a welcome refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city”, Lagnaa is a cosy three-storey Michelin-starred restaurant with a unique concept in which visitors can choose to take off their shoes and sit on the floor to enjoy authentic Indian cuisine the traditional way. With its Michelin recognition, you know the food is top-notch. It has a pretty extensive vegan and vegetarian menu with dishes like Vegan Biryani and Chilli Gobi, including some must-try recommendations from the chef like Vegetable Koorma and Bhindhi.
More information: Lagnaa
Ananda Bhavan
Established in 1924, Ananda Bhavan is the oldest Indian vegetarian restaurant in Singapore that specialises in Southern Indian cuisine. From its humble beginnings in a pre-war building known as Ellison Building, Ananda Bhavan has now expanded with a total of five outlets throughout the country—two outlets in Little India, a 24-hour outlet along Syed Alwi Road, a vibrant outlet at Changi Business Park and its newest outlet opposite Sri Srinivasa Perumal temple. It has a dedicated vegan menu with some fan favourites being its Vegan Masala Thosai and Vegan Roti Set.
More information: Ananda Bhavan
Greenleaf Café
Greenleaf Café focuses on their customer‘s health and well-being, as well as economical, ecological and social concerns, with a firm belief that ‘’vegetarian food leaves a deep impression on our nature. If the whole world adopts vegetarianism, it can change the destiny of humankind,” as said by Albert Einstein. Some customer-recommended vegan items there include Mixed Vegetable Pulao and Mushroom Masala, and you can also request non-vegan items to be made vegan, like ordering Masala Dosa but without ghee.
More information: Greenleaf Café
Kailash Parbat
In 1952, Kailash Parbat was started in Mumbai by the Mulchandani Brothers who had a passion to serve food delights, and it has since expanded to various parts of India and opened outlets in New York, London, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. It offers a range of vegetarian and vegan food, with some vegan items including Plain Tandoori Roti, Plain Naan, as well as most items in their Indian Chinese menu section called “Oriental Kitchen”.
More information: Kailash Parbat
Komala Vilas
One of Singapore’s oldest Indian vegetarian restaurants, Komala Vilas was founded in 1947 by Mr Murugiah Rajoo, who came to Singapore from Tamil Nadu in India. It continues to be a family run business and has become a household name as one of the biggest mainstays of Little India. As a tribute to the restaurant’s long legacy in Singapore, Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong shared a meal at Komala Vilas with India’s Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi in 2015. Some of its most popular items include the Rice Meal—served with three vegetables, dhal, sambar, kulambu, rasam, thairu, raita, payasam, appalam and pickle, and the Dosai Meal—served with three vegetables, sambar, chutney and kulambu. Its non-vegan dishes can easily be made vegan upon request.
More information: Komala Vilas
