First restaurant review in LA! - Noor's Indian Bistro

When in Los Angeles, one is in vegan paradise when it comes to food options. After several days of going to our favorite places for delish vegan food, Mike and I walked right by Noor's Indian Bistro, just blocks from our home in Monrovia.

Yes, Noor's is in Monrovia. Not central LA but not far. We are about 22 miles from downtown LA. Noor's is located in a small strip of four shops at the southeast corner of Foothills and Myrtle.

After just a few times dining there we already know Noor's is our favorite local spot. Raya, Nick and their team know about hospitality and although they are not exclusively vegan they know how to create incredible vegan dishes. As they have told us, because each dish is made from scratch, anything can be done vegan.

This includes Mike's favorite dish, Chana Saag, which they prepare with coconut milk instead of cream.

And one of my favorite things about Inian cuisine, the mango lassi, made with soy milk instead. Their version is so tasty.

Veggie Pakora

We have tried several dishes and one thing that is clear is that from their open kitchen anything that is created for you will drive your taste buds crazy. We have loved their veggie pakora (see above) and their samosas. Their roti bread is great. Being a big okra fan I love the Bhindi Masala and their Aloo Gobi is from Nick's grandmother's recipe! So delicious.

Chana Saag

We have also tried dishes that we have never had in our many times of being in Indian restaurants. The Mushroom Matar is a great example. So flavorful and we could both taste the freshness in every ingredient. Plus, we have been assured that there are so many other dishes to try and we are so looking forward to that!

If you are new to reading my restaurant reviews, please know that half of the review is about food and half about service. I firmly believe that hospitality is a huge part of the experience and Noor's does not disappoint. Our water glasses have never been empty and staff definitely check in to make sure everything is being enjoyed.

I hugely recommend Noor's Indian Bistro and hope you have an opportunity to dine there one day. They are open every day and will be one of those dining experiences you want to repeat. They are just north about a mile from the Myrtle exit off of the 210.

Here is their website: http://www.noorsindian.com/

Thank you for reading and please let me know if you have a meal at Noor's Indian Bistro!

Yak and Yeti - restaurant review

 
Fresh from Vida Vegan Con and so many lessons learned for blogging, I decided to take some of what I learned and write a restaurant review.

A couple of hours after returning from Portland Mike and I headed to Yak and Yeti for a bite to eat. We have been going to their Arvada location on Ralston Road for several years. Our love for the began when they created a separate vegan menu and has just grown. A couple of years ago it felt like there were new owners (not sure if that is the case) and service got pretty bad. Now, everything is back to wonderful service and amazing Nepalese and Indian cuisine.

For those of you unfamiliar with Arvada, Yak and Yeti is about a mile west of Wadsworth at Ralston, and Ralston is about a mile north of the I-70 at Wadsworth exit.

First things first. Order the mango shake. The server will give you a puzzled look but don't back down. No, you don't want the mango lassi. That has dairy. You want the mango shake, something they have prepared for me many times, made with soy milk. Trust me, it's delicious.

Depending on how hungry we are, we may or may not order the Veggie Pakora. it's perfect. We order it without onions as in the past we have gotten orders that were more than half onions. This hasn't happened recently but just in case we still order it without onions.

Mike's favorite is the Chana Saag. He loves it, and it's one of the reasons he loves going to Yak and Yeti. It's rare when one can find vegan Chana Saag and it is done superbly.

Sometimes I share with Mike and sometimes I get my own. Last night I got the Bhindi Masala and LOVED it. The okra was perfect and I ordered it medium so I could get just a little kick from the heat.

The vegan options are plentiful. There is no longer a separate vegan menu, and the vegan choices follow the vegetarian choices towards the back of the menu. If you want vegan bread, they have Roti and we enjoy that as well.

Service is great at Yak and Yeti. Always a welcoming greeting. Always filled water glasses. Everyone is very friendly and the staff knows all about vegan food. Typically a manager swings by just to make sure all is perfect with your meal.

Finally, I have to let you know that they also brew their own beers and on any given day they offer five or six of them to accompany your meal. As I don't drink, I don't have a recommendation. I will say that I see many beers being served with dinner so that has to mean something.

For those of you new to our reviews (we've also reviewed on Yelp), we typically will visit a restaurant at least three times before we consider a review and the review is equally based on food and service. Gone are the days of us accepting poor service in any way. I am pretty much done with a server acting as if I am in their way by coming to the restaurant to eat.

I haven't decided on a restaurant rating system yet, so I will just say that we definitely recommend Yak and Yeti. Check them out and let us know what you think!

Yak and Yeti
7803 Ralston Road, Arvada, Colorado
303.431.9000
http://www.theyakandyeti.com/

Thanks for reading!