This past weekend I went back to LA to visit my family. It was good timing because I was in NYC for business on Wednesday, and I just went to LA straight from NYC. That was a huge relief going frpm NYC to LA because if I flew from the nearest airport of where I live, I will always have to connect flights somewhere. A 4.5-hour trip always ends up to be around 8 hours. So I was in NYC for the first time since I graduated from the Natural Kitchen Cooking School in May as a Certified Natural Chef, and there was only one thing on my mind when I got there --- EAT!
So this entry is going to be a dish-by-dish outline of my trip in NYC and LA. I have never eaten so much and shopped so much all within a 5-day period. Did I feel guilty for committing gluttony? A little bit. Did I regret it for even a tiny bit? HELL NO! I savored every bite. (When you live in a town with no vegetarian restaurants, going to a vegan cafe is almost as orgasmic as going to a Paul McCartney concert.)
Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera with me on this trip, so I can't show you pictures of what I ate, but I'm going to do my best at explaining everything and hopefully it'll at least get a little salivation out of you.
New York City
Wednesday, 7/22, Lunch
Gobo - The first thing I did when I got off the train in NYC, I headed to Washington Square Park (next to NYU) to look for the Dosa Man. I found out about the Dosa Man from an episode of Delicious TV. Basically, it's this Sri Lanka man that cooks vegan Indian food from a cart in Washington Square Park. I've been wanting to go forever, but I was always only in NYC during the weekends when the Dosa Man doesn't work. This was my first time in NYC on a weekday since I found out about him, so I dashed to the Park with my roller luggage, determined to have the much-appraised vegan Indian food that is both unbelievably delicious and affordable. Of course I didn't find him. I rolled my luggage with me around the entire park and loitered for about 45 minutes. I abandoned my dream figuring it was because it was rainy that day.
Thankfully, my favorite NYC vegan restaurant was only 3 blocks away, so I trekked over to Gobo for some decent vegan lunch. I ordered the pan seared vegetable dumplings and green tea noodle miso soup with soy filé, which, I'm disappointed to say, were unmemorable. The dumplings really didn't have any noticeable vegetables, but only some seemingly soy filling, which wasn't savory at all. The noodle soup had these green fettuccine-like noodles that just didn't seem fitting for a noodle soup. The content of the soup also lacked interesting fresh vegetables, and I don't even want to go into the lackluster broth. All in all, I left with a dissatisfied tummy and a lighter wallet. So much for my favorite vegan restaurant in NYC... (although I have to just mention that Gobo did give me one of my most memorable eating experiences when I went there for the first time and took a bite of the organic king oyster mushroom in sizzling basil black bean sauce; it was nothing short of divine).Wednesday, 7/22, Dinner
Caravan of Dreams - I've been wanting to go here for awhile, but I always dismissed it thinking that it is too "hippie." Well, I'm really glad that I got over that and finally made me way down there because the food was surprisingly satisfying. I ordered the Goji-Coconut-Almond shake and their Ravioli of the Day, which was mushroom, covered in a light almond creme-pesto-alfredo sauce. The shake was decent (not mind-blowing), but the ravioli was delicious, especially as the meal progressed. I always like some fresh veggies when I eat, so having sauteed garlic kale as part of the ravioli dish was definitely a bonus. All in all, I would not hesitate to visit again, especially with Max next time. Two other bonuses: plenty of raw items on the menu and 3 kinds of organic beer on tap.
Lula's Sweet Apothecary - It is not an overstatement to say that this place is most likely what anyone with a sweet tooth would imagine heaven to be like. This tiny shop is perfectly located only a block from Caravan of Dreams, so I had no excuse not to go (even though I was totally stuffed from the ravioli). Although small, this shop has everything an old-school ice cream parlor should have, from 10 flavors of ice cream to more than 20 toppings, sundae, banana split, whipped cream, and soft serve. The best part? EVERYTHING IS VEGAN!!! Just amazing. I was so overwhelmed by the huge number of selection that I normally don't have that I pretty much just stood there with my eyes wide open for like 5 minutes. Still overwhelmed (and full) I chose to go with a twist of the soft serve which were cake batter flavor and chocolate flavor, served on an old-school cone, of course.Thursday, 7/23, Dinner
Franchia - The next day right after work and before my flight to LA, I went to Franchia for dinner. It is a vegan Asian fusion place. It is owned by the same people as HanGawi, the super fancy and super expensive vegan Korean restaurant in NYC. I studied the menu before I went to the restaurant so I won't get caught off guard again with an abundance of choices. The menu is quite extensive for such a little tea house. I ordered the Spicy Kimchi Dumplings, the Spicy Shrimp Roll, and the Penang Stir Fried Rice Noodles. The dumplings were delicious, perfectly seasoned and stuffed with fresh kimchi. The sushi roll was interesting simply because I've never had vegan sushi with imitation meat, but once the novelty wore off, it was just really spicy rice with a dime-size vegetarian shrimp. All I can say about the rice noodles was that I was so disappointed by the lack of vegetables that I vowed to never order noodle dishes at these Asian fusion restaurants again. I will definitely go back for the delectable appetizers that this cute tea house offers, but I'll most likely save my appetite for a more satisfying meal somewhere else.Preview for next entry: I went to at least 4 vegan restaurants and several Chinese vegetarian restaurants in LA. One of the most notable dish --- soy-free vegan quesadilla... ahhh... I'm salivating just thinking about it.
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