Araya's Place - Thai Vegan and Vegetarian Food

"I should like just to remember the order of the houses here. It is a hobby of mine to have an exact knowledge of London. There is Mortimer's, the tobacconist, the little newspaper shop, the Coburg branch of the City and Suburban Bank, the Vegetarian Restaurant, and McFarlane's carriage-building depot. That carries us right onto the other block. And now, Doctor, we've done our work, so it's time we had some play...."

Can you guess where this is quoted from? This is Sherlock Holmes in "The red-headed league", one of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" which was published in 1892. The plot was set in London, 1890... did you notice that he mentioned a Vegetarian Restaurant? I thought it was quite interesting! Well, I know that the vegetarian diet has been around since much earlier, but the thought of a vegetarian restaurant's existence in London  in 1890 is intriguing.

My husband and I went to Araya's Plate for lunch last week. It is a Thai Vegan and Vegetarian restaurant located near the University of Washington. It is a good size restaurant but almost all the tables were occupied during their lunch hour. We decided to do their lunch buffet, so that we can try a variety of food. There was Phad Thai, Coconut Curry, Fried Rice, Stir Fried Vegetables, Tom Yam Kung, Spring Rolls, Steamed Vegetables, Fresh Salad, Brown Rice, Fresh Fruit, Black Sticky Rice with Coconut, etc.

It's a little hard to judge the quality of food from lunch buffet, but they were all tasty. (They also offer regular menu items during lunch hours.) The only thing I didn't care for was their Black Sticky Rice with Coconut Sauce. It was way too sweet for my taste.

This was my first plate...

And this was my second plate...

I have to say that the big plus of this restaurant is that they have a good size parking lot which is not typical for the University District. I also recommend visiting their restrooms... you'll find all sorts of interesting vegan & vegetarian information just outside of the restrooms.

Araya's Place - Thai Vegan and Vegetarian

Location: 1121 NE 45th St. Seattle, WA 98105

Hours: 11:30am-9:00pm (Mon-Thu)

            11:30am-10:00pm (Fri & Sat)

         11:00am-3:00pm (Sundays)