Robinson Township Has a Vegan Restaurant?

For about a year now, I have been hearing stories from my hippie friends about a strictly vegan restaurant in Robinson Township. As the self-proclaimed Mayor of Robinson, I’ve been annoyed that I was not the first to discover this little gem. As a result of my annoyance, I have yet to try said vegan restaurant. Well, I mean, that is until today.

Located at 5474 Campbells Run Road, Loving Hut, a 100-percent vegan eatery, sits smack dab in the center of suburbia. Both amused and confused by this concept, I have been intrigued to check out this niche restaurant for months now.

I invited my mother to join me for a little non-meat, non-dairy dining. Mom, a self-proclaimed carnivore, was excited to check out Robinson’s most progressive haunt. I’m lactose-intolerant, so I was very anxious to see all the non-dairy options that awaited me.

We entered Loving Hut at approximately 1 p.m. I was concerned that arriving during the prime-time, lunch rush hour could prove to be problematic, but I was wrong. The place was virtually empty. 

Mom and I scored a booth table and began to peruse the menu.

I must note that the decor of the place is, well, white. Like, too white. Like, white walls with white tables and white chairs. It reminded me of Woody Allen’s movie Sleeper. I felt like we suddenly entered a time-machine and were propelled to a future where color was deemed unnecessary and frivolous. 

The menu, to my pleasant surprise, consisted of mostly Thai cuisine. I can’t believe that all this time my hippie friends have been bending my ear about this place but neglected to mention this fact. I’m not really a person who prefers vegan food, however, I always prefer Thai food. Silly hippies, they always miss the point.

Mom ordered the golden noodle soup with wontons, and I ordered BBQ noodle. The BBQ noodle was described in the menu as, “rice noodles with barbecue soy protein served with mints, bean sprout, cucumber with daikon, carrot, fried onion oil, sweet sour sauce and peanut (crispy roll optional).”

Unfortunately, what was presented to me only contained a few of the above ingredients. Basically I was served spaghetti (not rice noodles) with three pieces of soy ham dipped in BBQ sauce with lettuce and cucumber on the side. Not exactly what I was promised in the menu. Also, not exactly what I expected for a $9.95 lunch item.

Mom was also disappointed with her meal. She too received spaghetti in lieu of the “yellow noodles” promised in the menu. She mentioned to me that the seasoning in her soup tasted very much like store-bought ramen noodle seasoning. I tasted it and immediately concurred.

Within five minutes into the meal we were both going through her purse looking for antacid chews to deal with the heartburn caused by this $25 lunch!

Needless to say, neither of us were loving this hut.

But … then again, neither of us are vegan. We’re not Loving Hut’s demographic. What do we know?

Seriously if you are a vegan then you should check out Loving Hut. It is the only place in the region designed just for you. Sure, the menu is deceiving. Sure, it looks like something out of the Jetsons, but heck. Where else in town can you find non-dairy cheesecake?

As for me, a descendant of Fred Flintstone, I probably won’t be back there. It’s nothing personal. It’s just that my biggest beef with Loving Hut, coincidentally, is their lack of beef on the menu.