Photo: Gregory Dicum
Photo: Gregory Dicum
Ananda Fuara is a 25-year-old restaurant offering hearty vegetarian and vegan food with a side of theosophy, thanks to the spiritual guidance of Sri Chinmoy, the recently-deceased theosophist guru who taught peace — and performed music, made art, ran marathons and lifted weights — for more than fifty joyous years.
Portraits of Sri Chinmoy line the walls: there he is, smiling, with Nelson Mandela, the Pope, Mother Teresa, Princess Diana. Our server, Astika, explained that service to guests is a chance to put spiritual values into practice. Besides a rack of literature near the cash register, this sort of information is offered only if you inquire.
The space, on Market Street near the Civic Center, is lively — lunches are packed — with uplifting blue walls and plenty of plants. The menu spans continents, from vegetarian classics like Neatloaf ($9.95 — with tangy tomato sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy) to Mexican, Thai and Indian delights.
My wife Nina and I started with a pair of samosas ($4.75). Pinched like pastries and baked, they spared us the grease that can be chaat’s downside. The filling — lightly seasoned potatoes with whole cumin seeds — was hot and satisfying, and paired well with the sweet mango dipping sauce.
We followed with a bowl of Thai Coconut Soup ($5.25 — the soup changes daily). It was rich and creamy, with chunks of carrots and mushrooms and quite mild. If the soup lacked much in the way of Thai authenticity, it highlighted two distinctive aspects of Ananda Fuara’s menu.
First, in an age of culinary sophistication, with vegetarian food ranging from raw to fully-realized versions of many world cuisines, Ananda Fuara hews to an earlier period in American veg cookery. Ingredients are fresh and simple, the palette of spices is limited and its use restrained, and portions are big and hearty.
Second, if you’re inclined towards the world dishes on Ananda Fuara’s menu, stick to the Indian ones. While they may be on the mild side, they are well-seasoned with fresh spices. I ordered Mushroom Mattar ($8.95 — curry also changes daily), which was packed with button mushrooms and onions. It was served with turmeric-tinted basmati rice, strips of spiced naan aromatic with cardamom, more of the mango sauce and a small dish of perfect raita.
We ended the meal with a slice of Ananda Fuara’s beloved house-made chocolate cake (sweet, chocolaty and vegan) and an herbal cappuccino ($2.75; caffeinated drinks are available; no alcohol is served).
As we finished, Astika came back to our table with a final quote from his guru. “Find your joy,” he said, “and accept no limits on it.”
Ananda Fuara, 1298 Market Street (at Ninth), San Francisco. 415.621.1994. AnandaFuara.com. Open 8am to 8pm Mon-Sat. Closes 3pm Wed. Cash only.