Loving Hut

Loving Hut, 1228 S. Jackson St.

I'm not a vegan, but I enjoy vegan food. Maybe you could call me a semi-vegan? Or a future vegan? I do enjoy eating ice cream, yogurt, cheese, whipped cream, etc. I have milk with my cereal and my tea (not to mention honey) and I use half-and-half when I drink coffee. I do enjoy eggs now and then. Also, I do enjoy cooking, but restaurants are a good option for social gatherings. And sometimes, you're so lazy or so looking for something new to eat that you can only find satisfaction through someone else's cooking.

Loving Hut is a worldwide franchise started by Chinese-Vietnamese spiritual leader that serves pan-Asian food. The restaurant is bright and has its charms. As usual, when I eat meals, I take into consideration the protein content. I could easily choose a few dishes that are just vegetables and then I will suffer a protein deficiency. I decided to see what they had in wheat protein. I ordered the sesame cha cha (what I call vegetarian sesame beef).

Sesame Cha Cha

It was good and it approximates the experience of having sesame beef but there's no meat in it and it has the amount of protein you would find in beef. And it comes with broccoli, which is a classic Chinese combination. Tasty, yes. My omnivore friend liked it too, even though he was putting hot chili sauce on everything he was eating.

Another dish I had was the Au Lac Curry. Au Lac is a place name in Vietnam where the spiritual leader is from. It is within the range of most Southeast Asian curries you are likely to encounter.



Au Lac Curry

 Lastly, I tried the asparagus stir-fry with your choice of protein. Options include various soy products, but I chose gluten. The gluten they serve there are like sheet noodles stacked on top of each other and are cut into pieces reminiscent of chicken, though it looked like pieces of stacked noodles.

I do plan on going back to try other dishes as they have interesting looking appetizers, soups, sandwiches, various entrees, special drinks and desserts. If you've been there before or if you plan to go, let me know your experiences.