Whether an indiaas restaurant can feed a vegan properly is a question that comes with a lot of assumptions. This article checks five common ones against the published menus at Indian Curry Club on Thomsonlaan.
The details below come from the restaurant’s own menu pages. Where the pages say nothing, the article says so.
Can you eat vegan at an Indian restaurant in Den Haag, or is it just salad and rice?
Yes. Indian Curry Club on Thomsonlaan has a dedicated vegan menu with snacks such as Samosa, Onion Bhajiya and Pani Puri, and mains including Channa Masala, Mix Veg, Aloo Gobhi Adraki and Bhindi Do Pyaza. Guests should confirm ingredients and allergies with the restaurant.
The myth is that vegan Indian food means a side salad and plain rice. The menu describes cooked dishes with named ingredients instead. The Samosa is boiled potatoes, peas, raisins and spices in a crisp triangular case, and the Pani Puri is filled with potato, chickpeas and tamarind with tangy mint water.
That is three snacks and several mains, each described with named ingredients.
Is vegan Indian food mild and plain? What the spice descriptions say
The second myth is that taking out dairy and meat leaves a dish with nothing to taste. The descriptions point the other way. Channa Masala is a chickpea curry cooked with cumin and dry ginger, finished with fresh coriander.
Mix Veg is a semi dry curry made with vegetables, bellpeppers, pounded coriander seeds and red chillies. Aloo Gobhi Adraki finishes potato and cauliflower with garam masala and fresh ginger, and Bhindi Do Pyaza is okra with onion and fresh tomato, listed as medium hot.
The menu does not give heat levels for every dish, so ask when you order. Between a medium hot okra dish and a chilli laced Mix Veg, there is plenty of range for people who like spice.
A balanced order pairs a saucier dish with a drier one. Channa Masala next to Mix Veg gives you a chickpea curry and a semi dry vegetable dish, so the two plates feel different even though both are plant-based.
Do Indian dishes always contain cream, butter or paneer? How to tell vegan from vegetarian
This myth is half true, which is why it lasts. The full menu has vegetarian dishes that use dairy: Dal Makhani is black lentils finished with cream and butter, Butter Paneer is paneer in a cashew and tomato sauce, and Saag Paneer is spinach with paneer. Veg Korma is vegetables in a creamy yogurt and nut sauce.
The practical answer is to start from the vegan menu. Anyone searching for a vegan indiaas restaurant will find that page useful here, because it lists ingredients dish by dish without the vegetarian section in the way.
There is also a useful rule of thumb from comparing the two menus. Samosa, Onion Bhajiya and Pani Puri appear in the full menu’s vegetarian starters and on the vegan menu, and so do Channa Masala, Mix Veg, Aloo Gobhi Adraki and Bhindi Do Pyaza among the curries. If a dish on the full menu mentions paneer, cream or butter in its description, it sits on the vegetarian side only.
Can a vegan eat with non vegan friends at an Indian restaurant in Den Haag?
The fourth myth says one vegan guest means the whole group has to pick a different restaurant. Indian Curry Club publishes a full menu, a Halal Menu and a Vegan Menu, and it also lists vegetarian, gluten free and seafood options.
That means a table with different needs can book once and order from different pages. The site lists the restaurant as halal certified, so halal diners and vegan diners can share the same booking.
Starters travel well across a mixed table. Samosa, Onion Bhajiya and Pani Puri are on both the vegan and vegetarian starter lists, so one order can go in the middle for everyone.
For the vegan guest, the useful move is to read the vegan menu in advance and pick two or three dishes to share with the table. Channa Masala and Aloo Gobhi Adraki make an easy pair to pass around, as one is a chickpea curry and the other is potato and cauliflower.
How do you check ingredients and allergies before ordering vegan Indian food?
The last myth is that you cannot know what is in a dish until it arrives. The menu descriptions do list main ingredients, which makes the first check easy. They do not list allergens, though, and the vegan menu page does not say how any dish is prepared.
The full menu page asks guests to mention allergies or dietary needs when ordering or reserving. It also says gluten free dishes are available but does not label them one by one. If gluten, nuts or another allergy matters to you, ask the restaurant to confirm each dish before you order.
One habit makes any vegan dinner easier: share your dietary needs when you book, not when you sit down. The restaurant’s site asks guests to mention allergies or dietary needs when reserving, and it lists a WhatsApp number, +31 (0)6 49529823, for questions.
