Veggie Garden RIP

Vegan Asian favorite Veggie Garden prepares for final meal in Richardson

Sad news in Richardson: Asian restaurant Veggie Garden is closing May 31. Tucked away in a small strip mall on Arapaho Road east of US 75, the restaurant was treasured by vegans for its no-meat menu and by budget diners who turned out for the daily buffet.

Co-owner Joy Vidheecharoen, who has run the place with her husband, Jimmy, for the past couple of years, announced the news on the restaurant's Facebook page. She thanked regular customers and organizations that had been supportive, including Sea Shepherd Dallas, Mercy For Animals and the Humane League.

Veggie Garden is not the only vegan Asian restaurant with a bountiful buffet, but none has quite as successfully cultivated the same sense of community.

But she also offered a note of optimism, saying that she planned to open another restaurant in the future.

"I have some minor surgery that can no longer wait," she said. "My husband/executive chef, Jimmy, must also have surgery for an injury that happened on the job. The restaurant business can be painful in more ways than one could ever imagine. Once surgeries are completed, we will travel to Asia to try new foods and get inspired for our new menu. I need time to refocus on the business and the menu."

Veggie Garden is not the only vegan Asian restaurant with a bountiful buffet; there is also Loving Hut in Addison and D'Vegan, just south of Veggie Garden. But none of the others has quite as successfully cultivated the same sense of community. The restaurant will host a closing celebration on May 31, when it'll be open from 11 am to midnight. They will serve a lunch buffet from 11 am to 3 pm and a dinner buffet from 5 to 9 pm.

So it will be goodbye potato cakes with garlic sauce. Goodbye bean curd rolls in ginger sauce. Goodbye Chinese okra with vegan squid, and goodbye tofu fried sushi. Farewell potato curry soup with mushroom, carrot and cabbage. Adieu to salt and pepper cauliflower, vegan pumpkin bread, Chinese BBQ soy pork and sesame soy chicken. Goodbye to the cinnamon pillows and sesame raisin bars. We'll especially miss you, Chinese green tea cake.

"I would like to thank those of you who have supported Veggie Garden," Vidheecharoen said. "Be proud that you supported veganism and rejected animal cruelty in your diet even if it was for that one meal you ate at Veggie Garden that particular day."

Veggie Garden in Richardson closes May 31.

Photo courtesy of Veggie Garden

Veggie Garden in Richardson closes May 31.

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Sushi News

Fun conveyor-belt sushi restaurant debuts at McKinney mixed-use

Photo by Jakob Layman for Kura Sushi

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A Japanese-inspired restaurant that brings you sushi on a conveyor belt is now open in McKinney: Called Kura Revolving Sushi, it’s located at 8585 W. University Dr. #150 in the West Grove mixed-use development, where it debuts on April 25, with an opening party taking place all weekend from April 25-27.

"We are thrilled to open our sixth DFW location in McKinney, which is one of the fastest growing cities in the country with a population that's increasingly diverse and open to new culinary experiences," says Chief Development Officer Robert Kluger in a statement. "We believe the West Grove shopping center is the perfect place to share our authentic Japanese dining experience with this growing community."

Kura Sushi USA was established in 2008 and has grown to be the largest revolving sushi chain: Small plates of sushi and sides are placed on a conveyor belt that snakes around the restaurant, allowing customers to grab items as they pass by.

They have more than 100 menu items, including sushi, ramen, and popular Asian starters like edamame and wontons. Each item is charged separately starting at $3.45 a plate.

There are two conveyors as follows:

Revolving Sushi Bar. The primary belt that snakes through the dining area, with plates of sushi that are protected by the chain's Mr. Fresh ventilated sushi lid. They say it limits airborne exposure and has plate-tracking technology that monitors how long the item has been circulating, ensuring food remains fresh.
Express Belt. Referred to as the "sushi highway," the express belt is positioned above the primary belt and is used to deliver special orders.

Bikkura Pon Prizes
An integral part of Kura Sushi USA’s tech interactive dining experience, Bikkura Pon is a machine that dispenses prizes after customers dispose of their plates properly. A touch panel registers the number of sushi plates dispensed into the plate disposal slot. After five plates, a short animation plays; after every fifteen plates, a prize such as a keychain or phone mount pops out.

Kura has more than 550 locations in Japan, U.S., and Taiwan. There are 70 locations in 20 states and Washington D.C. McKinney is the sixth location to open in DFW; other locations include Carrollton, Euless, Plano, Frisco, and Fort Worth.

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