Located at Culver City Cuisine, the rent-a-kitchen, one-stop location for curbside pickup of a whole range of eateries, Vegan Earth Food is something of a hidden gem for Culver City. It’s also very interesting – there’s really nothing about that name that would give away the fact that it’s an Indian food joint. But that’s what it is.
This writer has said for many years that Indian food is among the best options when it comes to vegan and vegetarian food, because the spicy sauces are so rich and tasty – meat is a fine addition but not always necessary. That’s certainly the case here.
There’s really nothing we can tell you about the exterior and interior decor, or the service. The exterior is really a window in an alley – you show up after ordering online, give your name/order number and collect your food. That’s the same for all of the businesses utilizing Culver City Cuisine. There’s one person taking your name and handing out your food, and that person was friendly enough. Job done!
But the food was superb. The samosas, stuffed with potatoes and green peas, are exactly what you want from a great samosa. Crispy on the outside, packed with soft, spiced filling. It;s like Indian comfort food.
Their tomato soup, made with fresh tomatoes and coconut milk, was described by our ten year old as “the best soup I’ve ever had,” which is high praise. It’s certainly better than the average store-bought soup – rich and creamy, and warmth-inducing. It’s not a typical dish we’d get from an Indian restaurant, but it was surprisingly great.
The vegetable biryani is obviously carb-heavy but it’s so good. Packed with five vegetables and flavored with mint, curry and fenugreek leaves, as well as fragrant spices, the dish is best shared but it’s a real treat.
The star of the show for us was the vegetable madras – a rich curry again packed with vegetables, all of which have taken on the flavor of the curry leaves and coconut. It’s both sweet and spicy, and the taste experience starts with the intensely gorgeous aroma. This is certainly a dish where you don’t miss the meat at all, even if you’re normally a meat-eater.
We also had a cucumber salad, which was really just slices of cucumber in a slightly spiced oil. Overall though, the food at Vegan Earth Food was superb.
Vegan Earth Food is located at 5660 Selmaraine Dr., Culver City. Call 424-340-7575 or visit veganearthfood.com.