In quite a few countries being a vegetarian traveller is tough. To top this, being an Indian vegetarian traveler (one who doesn’t eat any kind of eggs, fish, sea-food or meat) is even tougher. While it’s a challenge to get food, its even more difficult when people don’t even understand what we eat. Hence when we planned our Cambodia trip, we were very mentally prepared that we will not get any food. However we were pleasantly surprised to find these two really nice places that served tasty “vegan” food to us.
1. Boddi Tree Umma (http://www.boddhitree.com/) – This is a small restaurant just outside the Tuol Seng Museum. We went to this place for lunch and by then had pretty much lost our appetites (after seeing the sights of torture in the museum). However this place just pepped us up – both with the ambience and the food. This place is named after a tree under which Buddha “saw the light” and has a beautiful courtyard seating as well as an indoor seating. This was started in 1997 and supports Khmer kids and families in difficult situations. They have a good selection of curries and sandwiches and the price is very reasonable. We tried the Cambodian curry and fried rice, which were super tasty and we were so busy eating that we just missed taking pics of the food 😦
Boddi Tree Umma
2. Friends the Restaurant (http://www.tree-alliance.org/our-restaurants/friends.asp?mm=or&sm=ftr) – This restaurant is close to the National museum and the Friends International store. It is run by an NGO that trains street kids in the hospitality industry and then helps them with jobs. The interiors are simple with beautiful local paintings, the food is quite tasty and catering to foreigners. We had a berry shake (super awesome) and some salads. Though the place is slightly expensive for the food but then it is all for a good cause.
Friends International Restaurant
Pasta Salad, Friends International Restaurant
Berry Shake, Friends International Restaurant
So all my vegan and vegetarian friends, the next time you are in Phnom Penh do try these restaurants for a good veg Cambodian meal. 🙂
getsetandgo 
hahaha…i can so relate to this…my wife is a Jain and when we traveled in Finland…she had to live on chips and coke!
LikeLike
We are Jains too… So I can understand what your wife suffers… In so many places even Mcdonalds has refused to serve food to us… So now we stay in hostels and cook one meal in the kitchen… 🙂
LikeLike
My nine year old grandson is a vegetarian. People just do not understand why his mom allows this. At school they just tell him to pick out the meat and he tries to explain that the food is contaminated. It does not help that we live in the middle of beef producing country. Sometimes he just eats rice or pasta when we go out.
LikeLike
Thanksfully we live in a country where i guess at least half the population is vegetarian so we dont have any trouble. But while travelling its a struggle.. And i can dso understand what your grandson faces.. People just understand that even though you may remove the piece of meat, the food is now no longer veg and also smells of the meat… Also, i really want to tell people that being veg is a personal choice. But its still tough…
LikeLike
Thanksfully we live in a country where i guess at least half the population is vegetarian so we dont have any trouble. But while travelling its a struggle.. And i can dso understand what your grandson faces.. People just understand that even though you may remove the piece of meat, the food is now no longer veg and also smells of the meat… Also, i really want to tell people that being veg is a personal choice. But its still tough…
LikeLike
I know exactly what you mean… Being a very staunch vegetarian by choice, I have had a tough time picking up food while travelling too!! Loved the post!!
Cheers,
Sumithra.
LikeLike
Thanks Sumithra. 🙂
LikeLike
Phew! I’m glad you found some good food. I know vegetarians can have some trouble finding a decent place to eat here in Japan.
LikeLike
Hey, if thats the case then I am definitely carrying my own food to Japan 🙂
LikeLike
I’m a vegetarian so I know how you feel, but I do eat eggs and dairy. On some of my trips I have had to resort to eating bread and cheese for pretty much every meal. My worst experience was Norway, though Hungary was a close second. When I go somewhere I where I expect it to be difficult for a vegetarian, I try to get accommodation with some basic cooking facilities.
LikeLike
We also book hostels with kitchens, else we have a small portable cooking heater that we carry along with quick cook veg noodles and soups… Also we love fruits so shop a lot in local super markets and survive on that. But yes after a while its quite depressing. The worst experience we had was in Munich where we didnt get anything…
LikeLike
I’m vegetarian also and I think someone could make a bank-full of money if they wrote a travel book — along the lines of Lonely Planet — that listed vegetarian eateries all around the world. I’d be sooooo grateful. And as far as vegans are concerned, people don’t understand that bread (eggs) and cheese (dairy) aren’t on the menu! 😉
PS thanks for stopping by my blog…
LikeLike
I so agree with you.. In so many places people have even tried telling us that fish is vegetarian…I have tried the website – holy cow on a few occassions for vegetarian eataries but somehow just not able to get the hang of it..
LikeLike
I met so many travelers in Asia who were vegetarian, and would order veg meals, only to have them arrive covered in chicken, or beef…so I can imagine, being vegan must be even harder!
P.S. Sorry I’m a bit late, but thanks so much for following my blog- your support means a lot! Keep up the travels : )
LikeLike
Being vegan is harder for sure especially in South East Asian countries where even fish is considered vegetarian 😦
LikeLike