The Spicy Spatula

That’s right, you read the title right. I spent this past weekend at the Black Sea. I have lived in Romania for a few years now and I have heard tons of stories from my husband about all the fun he and his cousin and friends had there over the years. So when the opportunity (and the weather) permitted, we decided to hop in the car and head east…to the sea!

The drive was great(ish) with very little traffic, lots of sun and lots of talking.

We stopped in Constanta on the way to Mamaia (beach/resort town right on the sea) and on the way back home because they have several delicious vegan restaurants and we were excited. Fully vegan? Not just sides to order? SOLD!

Saturday afternoon kicked off with a trip to PlantEat, an adorable vegan eatery with lots of really cool art. The man behind the restaurant, the art and pretty much everything to do with this place is no longer with us, but his legacy lives on in excellent vegan food, friendly customer service and just a really cool vibe.

And the food? YUMMY.

I ordered a spicy tofu roll that included tofu, chives, spicy vegan mayo, nori, fried onions, microgreens and topped with mango chutney. It was–hands down–the best sushi I have ever eaten. I couldn’t get enough of it and I really wanted to order another but I was reminded that we still had a beach to visit!

The hubs ordered a vegan burrito with couscous, red beans, tomatoes, corn, scallions, a bunch of herbs & spices and a delicious cashew-soy yogurt with lime and soy sauce that was absolutely fantastic. We shared the dishes as we always do and we both agreed that it was the perfect meal to kick off a weekend at sea!

And we couldn’t leave without grabbing vegan donuts and cookies for late night snacks.

Most of the days we spent on the beach, where we reserved an umbrella with 2 lounges about 5 rows back from the water. It was a nice place to sit and relax and chat with cousins who were also there, and make a quick run to the water and back.

The water was surprisingly warm but not as warm as I thought it would be. And holy moly was it salty!! I mean, yeah, it’s the Sea so duh, right? Still, I wasn’t expecting it to be like salt water and let’s just say I did not appreciate getting sea water in my mouth.

Before we left, we stopped back at PlantEat because it was open and yeah also because I wanted another vegan donut, which if you’ve been reading this blog, you know that I do not possess a sweet tooth.

But we ended up with a nice little Monday brunch of Jelly & Rosemary Cashew Cheese Crostini, Mushroom Omelet and Vegan Parm Air Fried Potatoes.

Crostini came with walnuts, black cherry jam and walnuts served on top of a creamy cashew cheese, garnished with tiny sprigs of rosemary.

The omelet was SO GOOD!! The mushrooms were cooked perfectly, well seasoned and decorated so beautifully as you can see with cherry tomatoes, fresh spinach and micro greens. It was fanastic and if I lived in Constanta, I’d eat that twice each week.

And the Fries? Delicious and not at all greasy. They were topped with vegan parmesan, fresh chives and parsley and some kind of Sriracha, cashew drizzle that was out of this world. I gobbled up those fries, definitely eating more than half the portion we shared.

The only downside was there were so many other dishes I want to try which means at least one more trip to the Black Sea.

But…we did partake of some very delicious vegan truffles!!

…and a box of donuts to enjoy over the next few days!

Curious about more vegan food in Constanta? Check out my trip there on my way to the Danube Delta HERE.