2015 has been non-stop so far – but all good things. After a lovely vacation and Christmas in Los Angeles, I’m back in New York, back at work, and catching up on veggie burger reviews. And as promised, I tried a few veggie burgers while I was out in California...
First up: Seed.
I picked this vegan restaurant to try because it had so many good reviews on Yelp, and had SIX veggie burgers on its menu! (The fact that it was close to where we were staying in Venice Beach helped too, of course).
I ordered the Simmered BBQ Seitan Burger, because it sounded like something unique that I had not tried before.
It came topped with greens, sprouts, vegan mayo, and of course the barbecue sauce which the seitan patty was smothered with. Yum! I liked the barbecue flavor. The ciabatta bun was very good, with great flavor and texture, and just the right size for the burger – not too big or too small. I’m a bit of a Goldilocks about burger buns!
Now, I’ve had some seitan-based burgers before, where the seitan is mixed with other vegetables or proteins to create a unique burger patty. But this is the first time I’ve just had a slab of seitain on its own as a burger patty, and I have to say it was a little disappointing. I find the texture of seitan enjoyable in something like a stir-fry, for example, but it was a bit too soft and spongy for a burger.
Simmered BBQ Seitan Burger
Cost: $11.50
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Burger patty: 3 Bun: 4 Toppings: 4
My boyfriend, normally a meat-eater, had generously agreed to accompany me to a few all-vegan restaurants on this trip. And since he ordered a burger at Seed as well, I got to try two burgers in one meal!
He chose the Mediterranean Burger, which came on the same delicious ciabatta bun, and was topped with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a very tasty red pepper vegan aioli sauce.
The patty was described on the menu as “Eric’s original bean & grain burger” and was a much more traditional veggie burger patty than my seitan patty. It was really tasty, albeit a bit crumbly, and fell apart as I ate it. I’m not sure what about the patty or the toppings was necessarily “Mediterranean”, but whatever the flavor profile was, I liked it! I actually had food-envy as I found my boyfriend’s burger much more enjoyable than my seitan burger (that might have been a first for our relationship!).
Mediterranean Burger
Cost: $10.95
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Burger patty: 4 Bun: 4 Toppings: 4
Seed
1604 Pacific Avenue
Venice, CA 90291
310.396.1604
Everything else on the menu at Seed sounded delightful (so many yummy vegan dishes!), and I had hoped I would have time to return and try something else – but there are so many vegetarian/vegan restaurants in L.A. (I never thought I’d say this – but I think L.A. has NYC beat for sheer quantity of vegan food!) and I only had two weeks to explore and try as many of them as I could! More veggie burger reviews coming soon...
Sunset over Venice Beach
YumVeggieBurger review #149
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I stumbled upon your Google review while searching for the best veggie burgers. Your detailed insights have convinced me to try it out myself! Thanks for sharing your experience.
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