Baagan

I've been wanting to check out the vegan cuisine at Baagan for a long time, and finally drove up to Roseville with my friend Kathy for lunch there last week.

I ordered the Veggie Wrap, pictured above, with a spinach herb tortilla as my choice of wrap. The other option would have been a raw nori seaweed sheet. I also had a choice of spreads: hummus, jalapeno hummus, pesto, cheesy chipotle, creamy cilantro jalapeno, curry mustard, sun-dried tomato, or olive tapenade. I ordered hummus and olive tapenade, and they were both very tasty. The wrap was filled with an abundance of fresh vegetables, including mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, red bell pepper, and cucumbers.

I might have been able to eat the whole wrap if I hadn't begun my meal with a cup of Baagan's Black-eyed Pea Soup. But then I really would have missed out, because the soup was excellent, flavored with Indian spices. A different soup is offered every day, and they all sound wonderful.

Kathy ordered a cup of soup and the Grilled Quesadilla, a grilled spinach herb tortilla filled with a variety of fresh vegetables and a choice of spreads. I think she must have liked it, because she polished off the whole thing.



For dessert, we shared an order of Chocolate Soft Serve, an "ice cream" made from whipped frozen bananas and cacao powder. Various toppings are available, but we decided to keep things simple and just have pecans added. It was a delicious, healthy, and satisfying dessert. Sorry for the fuzzy picture -- I must have been so anxious to dig in that I didn't take the time to focus properly!



I appreciate the fact that, unlike many vegan restaurants, Baagan's menu doesn't rely on fake meats and cheeses. Fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, and nuts are the mainstays of Baagan's cuisine, proof that delicious vegan food doesn't need to be disguised as something it's not.

Baagan is located in a Roseville shopping center at 910 Pleasant Grove Boulevard, Suite 160, and their phone number is 916-771-2117. Their website address is http://www.baagan.com/default.html, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Baagan/215358211841877?fref=ts. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.