The Vegan Guide to Oxford

Kake, 8 Oct 2002

It's been pointed out that this page might come across as overly negative towards Edamame. I do think that if you haven't tried it out for yourself, you really should, rather than dismissing it just because of some random person on the internet. A lot of people seem to like it very much, and as I say below, the food (especially the rice, which I'm generally very fussy about) is good.

Kake, 11 May 2001

I am going off Edamame. The food's not bad, but the atmosphere has all the charm of McDonald's. We had the tofu steak (£5) and the yasai itamae (vegetable stirfry, £4) tonight. The tofu had a fresh flavour, and the topping (daikon and something sweet) was nice. The yasai itamae tasted slightly of gone-off beansprouts. Rice is £1 for a small bowl (but it's good rice) and edamame (boiled fresh soya beans) are £2.50. Our bill for two bottles of beer, two vegan dishes, one meat dish, and two bowls of rice, was £22. Personally I'd rather spend my money somewhere a bit more comfortable and less rushed, but this place certainly succeeds as what its menu says it is - "a refuelling stop".

Kerry, 18 Nov 2000

This seems to be a very popular place although I did go on a Saturday night. There are lots of options for vegans marked on the menu but you do have to tell them you want the dishes making vegan or you could end up getting your food topped with fish flakes. We split three dishes plus two bowls of boiled rice between two of us which is about the right amount of food unless you are particularly hungry. The bill was £14 including two soft drinks.

The yasai itame (vegetable stir fry) was very nice as was the horenso hitashi (spinach and sesame). Less good was the nameko (white radish with mushrooms) which was lacking in flavour and had a strange consistency. There were also tofu dishes on the menu which sounded nice but I didn't try.

I think this place is definitely worth trying. The staff were very friendly even though it was busy. I found sharing a table with people I didn't know quite strange, and it is quite cramped and noisy, but I'm assured this is the Japanese way.

Kake, 19 Apr 1999

This is a good, cheap restaurant which can cater well for vegans - there are three options at lunch, and a selection of dishes is available at dinner. Lunch options, for example soup with noodles and vegetables, are £4 or £5, and side dishes such as fresh soya beans (mmmmmmm) and Japanese pickles are £1. Do be careful at dinner, as some of the dishes which at first seem vegan will have fish stock (dashi) in them. However, the menu now has vegan and vegetarian options clearly marked.

This isn't a place to sit around talking after your meal; it's small and popular, so there's bound to be somebody waiting for your table. The manager used to be pretty grumpy when the place first opened, but apparently he's cheered up a bit now.