I was halfway through my last day of travel returning home from Denver when I called my husband to ask if he would check out Happy Cow for a location for me to grab lunch in Columbus, Ohio.
Loving Hut Vegan Cuisine was only a couple of miles off the highway, in Reynoldsburg outside of Columbus, and had really great reviews, so I headed there.
Loving Hut was easy to find and the interior was bright, clean and friendly. The staff was also very friendly. My waiter, a constantly smiling older gentleman, did not immediately know I was there and apologized profusely, though I’d only been waiting a few minutes. He kept calling me “lady” in such a way that I had to fight not to giggle every time.
Unfortunately, the food was far from excellent. I ordered the Crispy Spring Rolls, Kung Pao and Thai Iced Tea. The spring rolls were actually quite good, as was the Thai Iced Tea, which, though matcha, somehow reminded me of carrot juice (which I love). The Kung Pao, though, was easily one of the worst dishes I’ve ever eaten. The ‘crispy texted veggie protein’ was mostly tasteless and had an unappetizing combination of consistencies ranging from somewhat crispy to somewhat spongy. The vegetables had the taste one gets when you scorch the rice at the bottom of the pot, but try to salvage the unblackened bits – in other words, the burnt taste overwhelmed everything else. The jasmine rice was fine.
I was in a hurry to get back on the road and after he dropped off my food, my waiter never returned, instead sitting on the other side of the room, with his back to me as he watched television, so I choked down what I could, went to the register to pay my bill and chalked it up to them having an off day.