Inside Veggie Momi, we find Monica, the owner and creator. The 'fire burns bright' in Monica and we instantly connected. She is funny, intense, passionate, loving and ready to fill you with flavoursome vegan food and hence Veggie Momi isn't just a portal of vegan food, it's a meeting of minds too. Monica has been vegan for over 8 years and her life is now very much concentrated on everything vegan, hence Veggie Momi. Sure if you want good vegan food, come to Veggie Momi. You won't go away hungry or without fire in your belly. If you want to 'get involved' with the Southern Portuguese vegan revolution, go have a chat with Monica. It's where it's at. The vegan revolution in Portugal has been a slow burn, according to Monica. If you go to Lisbon, or any other big conurbation in Portugal, sure there is progress, but not enough in wider Portugal. Monica organises and gets involved in any protest she can when it comes to respecting the animals and all the other benefits of a plant based diet. We feel that her efforts in providing a base for demonstrating how tasty a vegan diet can be, whilst offering all the other environmental, health, and social benefits is vegan activism in action, but we also understand the frustration of slow progress. Thirty years ago we felt the same but recent years show that things are changing and we totally and utterly respect the work of activists such as Monica in keeping up and progressing the fight. We love her for it.
Despite the name, Veggie Momi is actually fully vegan and there is no doubt about that as soon you as arrive in this small, cosy cafe. The menu on every table indicates this along with the vibe from all the posters and wall hangings. Monica's approach is direct and as soon as we arrive we are asked "and what brings you here?". When we mention we are hungry vegans, the next question comes quickly; "How long have you been vegan?". On replying over 30 years, Monica seems to rejoice in the knowledge that she is definitely amongst friends, and her line of questioning and conversation, all part of the Veggie Momi experience it seems, can take on a different level. Monica never knows who might come through the door and has had some claiming to be vegan asking for egg dishes whilst others visitors have come in asking for a meat steak. She knew where she was with us right from the beginning and so attention fell to the vegan offerings to choose from.
Upon reading the menu you realise that you are not going to go away hungry. We had to smile when glancing at the breakfast options and saw "Full English", a nod perhaps to the multitude of British tourists that descend on Albufeira during the main season. It looked good, along with the scrambled tofu, but we were beyond breakfast and into the early afternoon by now. Starters listed included Vegan Fried Chorizo with Onion and Vegan Cheese and also Algarvian Carrots. The mains menu included burgers, a Beyond Meat option among them, sandwiches, salads and pizzas. We were almost tempted by the Pizza National, an intriguing combination of olives, corn, mushrooms, onion, potato cheese and coconut cheese. However, in Veggie Momi's there there is always a 'dish of the day' selection and it was these, spread out on the counter, that caught our attention. We wanted to try them all, and Monica laughed, suggesting perhaps it would be better if we worked through them one by one as surely one of each would be too much, even if we were very hungry.
We know that Portuguese soups are always very tasty, so decided to start off with a portion between us to share. This was a 'minestrone' style soup, for which Monica listed all the ingredients. There was confusion over one of the vegetables which Monica called 'chu chu'. We really didn't know what she meant so she went to get one to show us. We recognised it vaguely but didn't know the English name for it. We later found out it is called chayote. It is a basically a gourd and more likely found in the realms of ethnic London vegetable markets rather than the sleepy backwaters of Cornish grocer shops! The soup was lovely and filled a little corner of our bellies but now it was time to move on to the next delight.
Next up was a scrambled tofu wrap which Monica prepared whilst chatting and making yet another refill of tea for us (a cup of tea is bottomless at Veggie Momi). The wrap was chock full of tasty filling and came with a side of simple salad and an amazing homemade mayonnaise, which Phil cheekily asked the recipe for. Monica was right we were filling up pretty quickly and so decided to make the choice between the burrito and the fake meat pie. We decided to go with the pie, which was a beautifully seasoned veggie mince mix sandwiched between amazingly thin pastry. Phil toyed with the idea of the burrito too, but Monica cautioned against this, and for us to let our food settle a little (which she was of course right about) and we had to save some room for dessert anyway.
Whilst the food settled and we had another refill on tea, we chatted more. We had the impression that Portugal was moving along progressively with veganism, and certainly in the years we had been coming here we had seen a difference in terms of food options and availability in the supermarkets. The government had even made it a legal requirement to provide vegan food in all schools, universities, and government institutions. Monica put us right on this though and said that it all looked good on paper but in reality it wasn't the case. Her own kids had never benefited from this ruling at their school, and despite Monica offering to guide the school with vegan options, they turned her down and still failed to provide suitable choices with the result that her kids return to her for lunch now. On a wider basis too, there may appear to be more vegans in Portugal but in her experience some of them claiming to be so actually eat dairy, eggs and even fish sometimes. Portugal still had a way to go it seemed.
The same applied to activism. She partakes in the Cube of Truth but sometimes this Cube is just her. Activism against bullfighting is a major focus for her too. To us it seems archaic, and obviously barbaric, that bullfighting continues but apparently it does predominantly to give tourists a so called authentic cultural experience as well as an opportunity to make some easy money at the bulls expense. Tourists have a lot to answer for, as also experienced through the attendance of many at sea life based entertainment attractions too. Even that very British barbarity of fox hunting exists in Portugal, with the pain on Monica's face showing as she tells us that it is still legal for anyone to stone a fox to death.
More customers arrived and diverted all our attention from such thoughts as they ordered smoothies and juices and we contemplated what desserts we had space for. Phil decided on the traditional chocolate salami option but including some chocolate cream, a rich mousse like dish topped with ground pistachio. I went for the apple pie, which I found out after was sugar free. I have a sweet tooth and yet I didn't feel that there was a lack of sweetness with this juicy cinnamon topped pie.
As more customers arrived, the true atmosphere of Veggie Momi developed further, with conversation moving between everyone. A tight lidded jar that failed to yield to Monica's strong grip was passed around amid friendly competitive laughter. It is easy to understand that evening opening at Veggie Momi can also offer great social interaction, with good conversation, laughter and sometimes impromptu musical sessions, leading the evening into the small hours unnoticed. Monica serves a large range of vegan alcoholic refreshments to match any surrounding bar, including we noticed, vegan Baileys, Guinness, wine and Ginja.
We eventually dragged ourselves away from Veggie Momi, with full bellies, warm hearts, and more money left in our wallets than expected given the amount of food we ate. Monica even gave us her personal phone number in case we needed anything whilst in Portugal. For us being in Portugal isn't about the tourist attractions but is about the beautiful landscape and beautiful people, of which Monica is one. If you want a true vegan Portuguese experience, go to Veggie Momi and meet her. However, to be sure she isn't out progressing the vegan movement, do check she is open first by messaging via the Veggie Momi Facebook page or ringing ahead on 289 585 080. If she answers, she's open. If she doesn't well you know she will be out doing something for the animals and the vegan cause.
Upon reading the menu you realise that you are not going to go away hungry. We had to smile when glancing at the breakfast options and saw "Full English", a nod perhaps to the multitude of British tourists that descend on Albufeira during the main season. It looked good, along with the scrambled tofu, but we were beyond breakfast and into the early afternoon by now. Starters listed included Vegan Fried Chorizo with Onion and Vegan Cheese and also Algarvian Carrots. The mains menu included burgers, a Beyond Meat option among them, sandwiches, salads and pizzas. We were almost tempted by the Pizza National, an intriguing combination of olives, corn, mushrooms, onion, potato cheese and coconut cheese. However, in Veggie Momi's there there is always a 'dish of the day' selection and it was these, spread out on the counter, that caught our attention. We wanted to try them all, and Monica laughed, suggesting perhaps it would be better if we worked through them one by one as surely one of each would be too much, even if we were very hungry.
We know that Portuguese soups are always very tasty, so decided to start off with a portion between us to share. This was a 'minestrone' style soup, for which Monica listed all the ingredients. There was confusion over one of the vegetables which Monica called 'chu chu'. We really didn't know what she meant so she went to get one to show us. We recognised it vaguely but didn't know the English name for it. We later found out it is called chayote. It is a basically a gourd and more likely found in the realms of ethnic London vegetable markets rather than the sleepy backwaters of Cornish grocer shops! The soup was lovely and filled a little corner of our bellies but now it was time to move on to the next delight.
Next up was a scrambled tofu wrap which Monica prepared whilst chatting and making yet another refill of tea for us (a cup of tea is bottomless at Veggie Momi). The wrap was chock full of tasty filling and came with a side of simple salad and an amazing homemade mayonnaise, which Phil cheekily asked the recipe for. Monica was right we were filling up pretty quickly and so decided to make the choice between the burrito and the fake meat pie. We decided to go with the pie, which was a beautifully seasoned veggie mince mix sandwiched between amazingly thin pastry. Phil toyed with the idea of the burrito too, but Monica cautioned against this, and for us to let our food settle a little (which she was of course right about) and we had to save some room for dessert anyway.
Whilst the food settled and we had another refill on tea, we chatted more. We had the impression that Portugal was moving along progressively with veganism, and certainly in the years we had been coming here we had seen a difference in terms of food options and availability in the supermarkets. The government had even made it a legal requirement to provide vegan food in all schools, universities, and government institutions. Monica put us right on this though and said that it all looked good on paper but in reality it wasn't the case. Her own kids had never benefited from this ruling at their school, and despite Monica offering to guide the school with vegan options, they turned her down and still failed to provide suitable choices with the result that her kids return to her for lunch now. On a wider basis too, there may appear to be more vegans in Portugal but in her experience some of them claiming to be so actually eat dairy, eggs and even fish sometimes. Portugal still had a way to go it seemed. 
The same applied to activism. She partakes in the Cube of Truth but sometimes this Cube is just her. Activism against bullfighting is a major focus for her too. To us it seems archaic, and obviously barbaric, that bullfighting continues but apparently it does predominantly to give tourists a so called authentic cultural experience as well as an opportunity to make some easy money at the bulls expense. Tourists have a lot to answer for, as also experienced through the attendance of many at sea life based entertainment attractions too. Even that very British barbarity of fox hunting exists in Portugal, with the pain on Monica's face showing as she tells us that it is still legal for anyone to stone a fox to death. More customers arrived and diverted all our attention from such thoughts as they ordered smoothies and juices and we contemplated what desserts we had space for. Phil decided on the traditional chocolate salami option but including some chocolate cream, a rich mousse like dish topped with ground pistachio. I went for the apple pie, which I found out after was sugar free. I have a sweet tooth and yet I didn't feel that there was a lack of sweetness with this juicy cinnamon topped pie.
As more customers arrived, the true atmosphere of Veggie Momi developed further, with conversation moving between everyone. A tight lidded jar that failed to yield to Monica's strong grip was passed around amid friendly competitive laughter. It is easy to understand that evening opening at Veggie Momi can also offer great social interaction, with good conversation, laughter and sometimes impromptu musical sessions, leading the evening into the small hours unnoticed. Monica serves a large range of vegan alcoholic refreshments to match any surrounding bar, including we noticed, vegan Baileys, Guinness, wine and Ginja.
We eventually dragged ourselves away from Veggie Momi, with full bellies, warm hearts, and more money left in our wallets than expected given the amount of food we ate. Monica even gave us her personal phone number in case we needed anything whilst in Portugal. For us being in Portugal isn't about the tourist attractions but is about the beautiful landscape and beautiful people, of which Monica is one. If you want a true vegan Portuguese experience, go to Veggie Momi and meet her. However, to be sure she isn't out progressing the vegan movement, do check she is open first by messaging via the Veggie Momi Facebook page or ringing ahead on 289 585 080. If she answers, she's open. If she doesn't well you know she will be out doing something for the animals and the vegan cause.
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