DIETITIAN CATHY
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Total Vegan Indian Restaurant
Highlands Ranch, CO
Nariyel Kofta
It’s always so fun to eat in a full vegan restaurant where you have SO many choices! I feel like a “kid in a candy store.”
Total Vegan’s motto – “Bold Flavor, Strictly Vegan”
The restaurant had an interesting vibe. They call themselves a “fast casual” restaurant. Very fast food like but they do offer wine and their meals are restaurant quality.
I had the Nariyel Kofta which was little balls of goodness. They consist of a mix of mixed vegetables, tofu, cashews and potatoes. They top it with a creamy cashew sauce which is so yummy!
They do flash-fry it for a second to hold its structural component, but it doesn’t taste greasy at all. If you want something that isn’t fried at all, try their Korma (cashew nut base with creamy sauce), Kala Chana (Indian chickpeas in a curry based sauce), Mushroom Matar (Fresh Baby Bella Mushroom Cooked With Green Peas) or the Baingan Bharta (made with roasted eggplant).
I find that in a usual Indian restaurant when I order medium spice that it is way too spicy for me, but this one was just right.
I also had their papdom (thin and crispy lentil breads) with mint chutney and tamarind chutney. The tamarind chutney was a little too sweet for my taste (added brown sugar), but the mint chutney was delicious! Tasted fresh and light.
The two owners also run the place which is pretty cool! They definitely make the rounds and ask how you are enjoying your meal.
The biggest plus is that they use whole ingredients and everything is made from scratch. My kind of place!
I did notice that the protein choices they offer as a selection are not really what I would call protein rich and wouldn’t categorize them that way, but they do have a wide variety of options.
They do use a lot of plastic (most likely because they don’t have the bandwidth to wash dishes) but these could be changed to be a bit more environmentally friendly.
I would give the salad a 4.5 out of 5 stars! I will definitely be back!!
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