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I couldn't wait to hit up Real Food Daily, also remembered as my favorite veg spot in Los Angeles. It's been several years since I've visited, and my have things changed.
First, the prices have noticeably gone up. I remembered this place being under $10 a plate, but now most everything is above. Secondly, the food isn't as satisfying or amazing as remembered. Maybe my tastes have changed...
What you see here is the THE CLUB TRIPLE DECKER sandwich made with a seitan chicken cutlet, tempeh bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato on sourdough. The seitan tasted like bland nothingness and didn't add much to the sandwich. The tempeh bacon was made in-house, so it tasted much better than Fakin' Bacon and more like a lightly baked chip. I would've preferred a whole-grain bread over sourdough. Overall the sandwich was unsatisfying, and this used to be my favorite item on the menu. Shockingly, the salad was more filling than the sandwich. You know how I don't care for salads, but the peanut dressing was ever so light and creamy. I wish I could replicate the dressing at home. Price: $13.75
The other plate we ordered was the BASIC FOUR where you choose a protein, grain and vegetables. We went for grilled tofu, a quinoa and millet combo, and collard greens and a mixture of the veg of the day (butternut squash, brussel sprouts, etc.) This tasted as boring as it sounds. The grilled tofu had no seasoning and the vegetables were simply steamed or broiled. I suppose that's what the dressing is for, we chose the wasabi vinaigrette which wasn't enough to salvage the above. Price: $11.95
Last, but not least was dessert. We tried the three best on the menu: layered chocolate fudge cake, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie. All desserts are sweetened with maple syrup, and baked with whole wheat or unbleached white flour.
The chocolate layered cake tasted like the real thing. You could not tell it was vegan. The cake was fluffy and moist and the cream and chocolate ganache were perfectly rich and sweet. But, for $7.95 I won't be ordering that again.
The pecan pie was the table's favorite, but I couldn't tell what the mushy filling was made of so it was slightly off-putting. Price: $4.50
The pumpkin pie was most disppointing; it was overtly spicy (too much ginger) and the crust was bland. Price: $4.50
Despite the mediocre fare and high prices, the place was packed on a Monday afternoon.
After attending our friend's debaucherous wedding in Acapulco, I was looking forward to a good vegan meal in the City of Angels. Our gracious host, Erik, picks me up in his Prius and whisks me away to Merkato. I've had Ethiopian in D.C. and West Philly before and neither made me want to return for seconds, but this place was different.
We grabbed the spongy Teff and started scooping up the deliciousness. For a trio of vegans, this 20"+ platter was good and plenty. What you see remaining are collard greens, red lentils, ground chickpeas, cabbage with potatoes and carrots, and tomato salad. Merkato changed my feelings about Ethiopian fare. Each of these dishes had a distinct flavor, and the bread was slightly sweet which balanced the curries well. For the first time, everything didn't taste like pungent vinegar.
Thanks for changing my mind about Ethiopian, Merkato!
After relying on Beowan as my usual Korean fix for years, I recently discovered Myung Ga Korean. This place is also in Cherry Hill (NJ) except this place knows how to please picky eaters with multiple restrictions. Low carb? Check. Vegan? No problem. Jain? Sure!
I tried the same dishes I order at every Korean place: tofu soon dobu (tofu stew) and dolsot bibimbap (stone rice bowl). I've tried every Korean dish that can be made vegan and these are my favorites. The dolsot bibimbap was generous with vegetables and had lightly seared cubes of tofu over multi-grain rice. It was heaven. I love purple rice and wished it was more available. The tofu soon dobu was also solid, but I prefer the kimchi over the mushroom tofu stew because of the added flavor. Next time, I'm not ordering two entrees. The dolsot will be plenty- plenty satisfying that is!
What I love most about Myung Ga is that your dietary requests are understood. No dirty looks here. The staff is incredibly hospitable and eager to please.
My non-vegan boyfriend ordrered this massive calamari udon dish that was in a platter the size of a pizza for $16. The prices here are reasonable and the food very plentiful.
When you go vegan, brunch pretty much goes out the window. Let's face it, who wants to eat cereal, oatmeal or fruit when you're out to eat? But, what else is there? I've tried a very hyped vegan brunch place in Philly, and it was utterly disgusting. If you want the name, email me.
Sabrina's is my #1 brunch destination in Philadelphia. It doesn't have many meat-free options, but what it does have is a winner. My ultimate fav is the Grilled Veggie Sandwich on a Sarcone's hoagie roll. I request the sandwich to be made without pesto or cheese. Trust me, you won't miss anything. It comes with a side of sweet potato fries, home fries or regular old french fries. The home fries are delicious and huge with golden crispy edges. I've never tried the french fries...why would I when there is sweet potato? I make sure mine come without the powdered sugar (so unnecessary!) and the fries pictured here were actually very crispy. I avoided the coleslaw completely because the cabbage is always raw and bitter. It's as if I could taste the methane in my mouth. Unfortunately, on this particular day they were out of Sarcone's at the Art Museum location. The sandwich isn't as good on sliced whole grain bread. I have much better luck at the original Sabrina's in the Italian Market, although I frequent both. The 9th Street location is consistent and never fails, while this spot is hit or miss...
I've also tried the tofu scramble which is what you'd expect... kinda bland and kinda soft. I'd rather stick with the perfectly grilled veggies on Sarcone's sesame seed roll. And for the rest of the world that eats everything, there are some amazingly generous and decadent choices like challah french toast, frittatas, breakfast burritos, etc.
Thanks Sabrina's for giving me brunch back! What's even better is that you can order brunch all day long.
Beawon Korean restaurant is in the D&Q Plaza (great bike/ski/swim shop) off Rt. 70 in Cherry Hill. It is my favorite Korean restaurant in the Philly area. Why? Because they understand what vegan means. I've had so many veggie requests in Philly come back with little pieces of beef mixed in or tofu stew with clams or squid sitting at the bottom. Also, the Korean food in Philly is often too sweet or salty. They seem to junk it up like most ethnic cuisine here. No, thank you!
Beawon has a karaoke room in the back and every table can BBQ your own meat if you wish. They changed their menu last year or so which leaves us with fewer vegan options, but there are still two dishes I love.
The Korean waitresses laugh at my face when I order two entrees: as if it's not lady like to eat so much. I can't help it! It's so satisfying, why would I deprive myself? First, I order the tofu soondobu (tofu and cabbage stew) with a vegetarian broth. The waitstaff always look at me with a confused look and say, "kitchen staff don't do that". Stay strong and fight for your veggie broth because they do! They always check with the kitchen and always return with a triumphant, yes. Next, I order the stone bowl bibimbap with egg and beef on the side (for my non-vegan companions). The veggies included are cucumber, carrot, shiitake mushroom, daikon radish, radish, and another kind of mushroom I forgot the name of...
Finally, I add the stew to my bibimbap and voila! A magically delicious combination. The bibimbap is too bland without the soondobu. They instruct you to add this sweet, thick spicy sauce for the rice bowl but as always, it's too sweet, salty and junky for my taste. I prefer adding the stew.
Another bonus is the myriad of little dishes at the beginning of every Korean meal. I only included the vegetables in the photo, there are another 4-5 dishes not pictured. My favorites are the miso soup, watercress and bean sprouts.
After dinner, head to the H-Mart next door for an Asian grocery store that is organized, clean and full of options. You'll see every race in that store buying up Indian spices, Mexican ingredients, and any variety of dumplings you can imagine. Their fruits and veggies are always fresh and cheap to boot. Love it!
There are probably even better Korean places around, but have yet to try. If you know of any please comment! Next on my list is Myung Ga Korean, also in Cherry Hill. This one is slated to be even better... will let you know!
