Vegetarians and vegans have a new restaurant choice at Watertown’s Red Lentil

[Guest guest]

WATERTOWN — .When Pankaj Pradhan opened Red Lentil, he wanted to do vegan and

vegetarian differently. Instead of focusing on one type of cuisine, Pradhan

decided to build a menu that has a little bit of everything – except meat.

 

" It's a way of bringing vegetarian and vegan food to people, " he said. " I,

myself, am a vegetarian and I like to eat healthy, fresh, organic food. "

 

Red Lentil's menu has dishes from around the world, including pizza, nachos and

a vegan Rueben.

 

Pradhan said the key to making tasty vegetarian and vegan dishes is knowing the

ingredients and how to season them.

 

" To put a plate together, it takes a lot of dedication, " he said.

 

After years as a vegetarian chef, Pradhan decided to strike out on his own.

Initially, he wanted to set up shop in Cambridge.

 

" I was looking for someplace in Cambridge where Harvard and MIT are to provide

nutritional food for the students, " said Pradhan.

 

But rent in the People's Republic was too steep and Red Lentil found a home in

Coolidge Square.

 

" It was the first location I saw and I said I'd go for it, " Pradhan said.

 

So far, the location is a good fit, Pradhan said. Lunches are busy, he said, and

last weekend people were lined up for a table at brunch. But being at 600 Mt.

Auburn St. does have one drawback: Red Lentil has the building's old phone

number and Pradhan said he sometimes get calls from people hoping to order from

the Chinese restaurant that used to be there.

 

Being a first-time restaurateur has also been tough. For more than two months

Pradhan has been making a daily commute from Providence – he plans to move to

Waltham soon – and doesn't get much time off.

 

" The first day I thought of taking a day off, the cook called and said, `I can't

come in,' " said Pradhan.

 

Other issues, Pradhan is working out as he goes along.

 

" There's been a little bit of up and down as far as the food and service, but

it's settling down, " he said.

 

One thing that threw Pradhan was the popularity of the restaurant's take-out

business, which can sometimes slow down table service.

 

" The biggest problem was take-out, " he said. " I never realized we'd have so much

take-out. "

Eat vegan in Coolidge Square

Visit Red Lentil in person at 600 Mt. Auburn St. or check the restaurant out at

www.theredlentil.com. The number is 617-972-9188.