THE VEGAN CHEF UMHLANGA — Restaurant in KwaZulu-Natal

This restaurant is a fraud. I have to give this review context, as I am a lifelong vegan of over 30 years, and I've eaten in hundreds of vegans establishments all over the world. I want vegan restaurants to win. In fact, it is crucial that vegan restaurants excel more than any other kind of restaurant because we need the world to go vegan. This review has been about 6 months in the making, wanting this place to get its act togther, to have one decent thing to eat on the menu in Joburg or Umhlanga. Well, it has never happened and today I decided I have to write a review. 6 months ago I ate at TVC in Sandton for the first time. Had a Beyond Burger and chips. The burger came on a dry bun with old wilted lettuce and zero flavor. The chips looked like they were totally raw, had been quickly dunked in some hot oil, and plopped on the plate sogging with hot oil and uncooked. They were inedible. The whole meal was revolting. Today I went to the TVC in Umlanga after seeing a thing on tiktok where this woman was eating this huge thick "chicken" burger saying she got it at TVC in Umhlanga. I thought ok I will give them one more try. The reason I say this place is a fraud is because they are simply pedaling full blown fake advertising. The photos they post on their social media are not of things they actually have on the menu. This lady on Tik tok was not eating anything that remotely resembled anything on the menu, it's a fraud to get people in there and then serve the most stale, tough, disgusting things that I don't even think you can call food. If you read the google reviews it's got to be their family and friends writing the positive reviews as they are just lies. I ordered the spicy chicken sandwich as lauded by the woman on Tiktok, some chips. I asked for mayo with my chips and the woman taking my order argued for 5 minutes in a barely comprehensible accent that they don't have any mayo. I pointed out that they have a chicken mayo sandwich on the menu so how can it be they have no mayo, she went around in circles for 5 minutes saying they had no mayo. There are only two tables at this place, they are outside in the walkway to the mall, and the place where they make the food is a little shoe closet behind the glass. Finally the woman from the back comes out and says oh yes they do have mayo. They bring the sandwich out 20 minutes later, I'm the only one there. There is a piece of breaded SHOE LEATHER, I kid you not, it's a square shaped piece of breaded shoe leather that was supposed to be a chicken patty, and it's pounded to 2mm depth. I pull it out (see photos below) and I ask the woman from the back what is this. She says it's the chicken patty. I show her the photo in her own window of the actual sandwich they are advertising. (photo below) she says oh well call the head office they ship us the stuff we have nothing else. Just look at the photos. Their alleged chicken sandwich is shown in the photo on the right in their store window - it says Starbucks because they are next door to Starbucks that the sign reflects in their window. Compare that to what they actually put in the sandwich. On the third photo you can see it's a sqaure sheet of breaded shoe leather. This is ouright fraud, the positive reviews talking about what a great ambience - you're literally sitting at one of two tables in the walkway of the mall. They have a dead plant with ripped up leaves on each table. But the food is simply disgusting. To the owner of this place: you are failing and you are giving vegans a bad name. Your food in unpalatable. If you think this is good food you need to close your shops and go learn what good vegan food is. There is a reason no one is in the place, your food is revolting. Again, your chips are white and uncooked. You use an air fryer they said so they can't turn golden brown. Your photos on your social media are fraudulent. You have no business running a vegan restaurant. People please do not go here, this is not what good vegan...

South Africa is such a meat-centric place that I always celebrate a vegan restaurant, but am sometimes disappointed in the experience. Not so with The Vegan Chef at Unhlanga! The food was DELICIOUS, and the servers were friendly and responsive. It was a lovely experience, from the cheerful yellow chairs, warm welcome and cold mylkshakes to the hearty and delicious food, to the appreciation note on the extra food I got to go. The manager visited all the tables to personally thank people for coming, and I just wish I didn't have to come all the way from Seattle to eat here again!

I had the crispy chickn burger with some vacon strips on the side. My (omnivore) Mom enjoyed her Chef's Special Beyond burger (I admit I was suspicious of the cheese when I saw it, but omg it nailed the taste of sharp cheddar, yum!). I took home a Buddah Bowl with seasoned chickn.

P.S. the burgers are generously sized and both...

I recently visited The Vegan Chef in Umhlanga and was disappointed with the experience. While the menu offers a variety of vegan options, the execution left much to be desired.

I ordered the Zingy Burger, which consisted of a patty that seemed reheated, topped with only coleslaw and lettuce—far from the exciting flavors advertised. The masala chips were bland, lacking even basic seasoning like salt, which we had to request.

The dining experience was equally underwhelming. The tables were dirty, and the cutlery was not clean, forcing us to eat with our hands. Despite the minimal serving of serviettes, we only received two additional ones when requested.

Overall, the food lacked flavor and creativity, and the service and hygiene standards were poor. Unfortunately, this visit did not live up to expectations, and I wouldn’t...