SAN DIEGO, CA: Loving Hut

The first time I tried Loving Hut, it was on a lunch date at the Ladera Ranch location about two years ago. The food was pretty poor, overly salty and otherwise somewhat bland. The service was equally as poor and myself and my non-veg date were thoroughly disappointed. I had all but sworn off Loving Hut as a whole until I moved my office into a suite where the wife of the guy who is the head of development for Loving Hut USA also had an office. She assured me that although some of the Loving Huts were not up to par, mainly because the corporate structure is not as tight as a regular franchise system, most of them served delicious food.

So, when I was in San Diego last time and noticed a Loving Hut a few blocks from my sister's place in North Park, I decided to give it another shot, and I'm glad I did.

Although I was by myself, I was hungry and I had money to blow, so I went all out. My first appetizer was the "Summer Rolls", which consisted of rice paper wrapped around noodles, lettuce, veggies, tofu, and soy ham (which Loving Hut seems to use in just about everything). When rolls like this are done right, they're one of my favorite things on the planet to eat. These ones were done RIGHT. Pefect texture combination of crunch and squishee (Dermie voice), topped off with a well executed peanut sauce made this appetizer absolutely appetizing.

The other appetizer I ordered was Loving Hut's signature cheese bread, and it's no joke. While not exactly the most Asian of dishes, this is probably the best vegan cheese bread I've had. Thin, crispy slices of sourdough baguette are topped with vegan mayo, onions, soy ham and what I would assume was Daiya cheddar. Add a sprig of fresh parsley on top and voila, heaven!

My entree selection was the Mongolian beef, which came with a huge heap of brown rice and some fresh veggies on the side. I love my fake meat when I go to vegan Asian places, and this dish did not let me down. The "meat" had a great texture, a slight char on the outside and not at all too chewy on the inside like some of the fake meats are. Mildly spicy (at least for my tastes) and cooked with green onions made me a very happy vegan.

Although I was completely stuffed, I still made my way down the road to Whole Foods to grab some EatPastry cookie dough after dinner for dessert. I'm so glad I gave Loving Hut another try, and I will no doubt be trying more of the locations closer to me soon.

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Comments

[Dermie]

You lost me at "soy ham."
Hahaha

[Elizabeth]

Looks delicious! Great post. When I read this I feel proud of being vegan.

[Bianca-Vegan Crunk]

Um, you HAD me at soy ham. And Daiya. I've never been to a Loving Hut, but that's on the bucket list.