Dizengoff

Dizengoff (1625 Sansom Street) is a specialty restaurant that offers hummus with a limited selection of toppings. The toppings seasonally change. They have two locations in Philly- one in center city and one in Fairmount at the Whole Foods' food court. Also, the owner is one of the owners of Zahav.

I ordered hummus with baba ganoush. The hummus came with one pita bread and a small side salad. The hummus was delicious. It was creamy, mildly dense, a little tangy, and flavorful. The babaganoush which is pureed eggplant was light and didn't have a strong taste. Its texture went well with the hummus. Also, the parsley sprinkled on top of the hummus added more flavor to the dish.  The bread was fresh, warm, fluffy, soft, and somewhat chewy. The salad was mostly cucumber and tomatoes. It was crunchy and refreshing. Usually, I don't eat hummus as a meal; however, this hummus dish was very satisfying. Although this was pretty pricey for hummus (I paid $11), it was totally worth it and can be considered as a whole meal. I would say my money was well spent and can see myself returning to Dizengoff for more. 

Baba Ganoush over Hummus

Ba Le and Bambi

For breakfast one day, I got a Vegetarian Banh Mi from Ba Le Bakery and the Awesome Trio drink from Bambi. The two establishments are located in the strip center on 6th and Washington. I grew up going to Ba Le Bakery. It was our family's go to banh mi shop. My family usually orders the traditional cold cut banh mi. Bambu is newer to me. I believed it opened a few years ago (maybe in 2014) but I never tried it.

The Vegetarian banh mi was delicious. Since it was made to order, it was very fresh. The Vietnamese hoagie had the traditional cucumber, parsley, pickled carrots and radish, and jalapenos. For the protein, there was tofu even though you can't really see it in the picture but it was there. The tofu was marinated with a sweet and savory sauce. The baguette was lightly toasted. Everything went well together and was very enjoyable. I would definitely be coming back for more.

The Awesome Trio consisted red beans, white beans, mung beans, taro, pandan jelly, and coconut milk. The texture of the beans, taro, and jelly was perfectly cooked. However, the drink was way to sweet for me. It was a struggle for me to drink and I was unable to finish it. I don't think I will be trying anymore of Bambi's drinks for the fear of it being too sweet. If you are someone loves very sweet things and can handle it, I definitely recommend Bambi but it just not for me.

The Awesome Trio drink and Vegetarian Banh Mi

Kung Fu Hoagie

I ran into Kung Fu Hoagie, a vegan food truck that sells vegan banh mi and pho, at a block party. I have read good reviews on yelp and have been meaning to try this place for awhile. They have a calendar on their website to help locate them. Their truck is primarily stationed at West and South Philly; however, they do go to events. Below is what I ordered.

I got the banh mi with the "pork" called Banh Mi Chay in a size small. It came with homemade vegetarian tofu "pork," yams, mung bean noodles, vegan mayonnaise, picked carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and jalapenos. The sandwich was very tasty. The texture of tofu was dry, firm, and semi chewy. Even though I didn't think the tofu tasted like pork, I can see how they tried to imitate pork. The veggies were fresh and complement the tofu. The menu said that there was yam in it but I didn't taste or notice the yam. I did see little shredded bits of mung bean noodles. I don't think traditional banh mi have bits of noodles in it. I think the sandwich would be fine without the noodles. I wonder if they added the noodles for extra protein. The bread was soft and chewy. I think they toasted the bread, but I consumed it an hour after purchasing so the bread soften. This banh mi was filling for a 6 inch sandwich.

In addition, I bought a small bag of vegan jerky. This was my first time trying vegan jerky and oh my goodness it was incredible. It tasted like real beef jerky. It's texture and flavor was very spot on. I let my family try some and they didn't believe me when I told them it was not meat. I was so surprise by the taste. I had to google how vegan jerky was made. It appears that they use either hydrated seitan or coconut meat. Over all I think Kung Fu Hoagie did an awesome job coming up with these delicious recipes. The jerky tasted like jerky.  Although the banh mi did not taste like the original banh mi I was use to as a meat eater, it did have some of the flavors of traditional banh mi but with a twist. It accomplished satisfying my banh mi craving. I look forward to trying the other items on their menu.

Inside Banh Mi Chay and Vegan Jerky

Inside Banh Mi Chay and Vegan Jerky

Mi Lah

When I was looking for vegan and vegetarian restaurants on yelp, I stumble upon Mi Lah (30th Station, 2955 Market Street). Their menu was not extensive so beforehand I was able to decide I wanted to try their Buffalo Hoagie and their Char Siu Bao. Char Siu Bao was one of my favorite foods as a child but once I became a pescartarian, I had never have it again nor have I tried vegetarian or vegan versions of it. Hence, I was really looking forward to experiencing it again. However, when I arrived around noon, all the Char Siu Baos were gone! How could that be?! It was still early and I felt like Char Siu Bao is a lunch item. Needless to say I was disappointed. In addition, Buffalo Hoagie was crossed off on their menu. They stated that they no longer sell it(what?!). I came all the way there to learn they had nothing I wanted. Since I was already there, I decided to give their Vietnam Hoagie a try.

The Vietnamese Hoagie came with marinated tofu, cucumber, shredded carrots, veganaise, and cilantro. I was not a big fan of this hoagie. I thought the tofu had a funky smell. It was salty. It tasted like they use alot of soy sauce in the marinate and the soy sauce did not got well with the tofu and the other spices they used or the tofu was marinated a very long time creating this weird salty taste and smell. The texture of the tofu was interesting, though. It reminded me of Vietnamese pork rolls (Cha Luo) which I didn't mind. It was flavors that I did not like. The carrots were also not pickled. In other banh mi I had before the carrots were pickled. The cucumber and cilantro were fresh, but I wouldn't say it complement this meal because I thought the tofu marinate was overpowering. I don't think they toasted my bread. It didn't taste toasted. It tasted average and was mildly chewy Although Mi Lah got good reviews on yelp, I was highly disappointed especially since I paid $8 for this hoagie.  Not sure if I have a different taste bud than everyone else but I did not like this Vietnamese hoagies at Mi Lah. I felt like Ba Le Bakery and Kung Fu Hoagies have way better vegetarian vietnamese hoagies. I will be reviewing the two places mentioned in the latter in future posts. 

Vietnamese Hoagie

First Time at Red Lobster

One of friends wanted to go to Red Lobster (1 Baltimore Pike, Springfield PA 19064) for her birthday. Considering that I have never been to Red Lobster, I was all for it. The only thing I really know about Red Lobster is that they offer these awesome unlimited cheddar bay biscuit. I yelped the place before we went and based on the poor service and subpar food reviews, I did not have any high bar for this place. On the other hand, the place when beyond my expectation. Contrary to the reviews, we experienced awesome customer service. Our waitress was super nice and kept bringing us extra biscuit. Our waitress and her colleagues even sang happy birthday to my friend. In addition, the food was really okay. 

I ordered from the lunch menu. With lunch, you get a salad- a choice of Caesar or garden salad. I actually wanted the garden salad but I told the waitress I will have want my friend was having without realizing she actually got the Caesar salad. That was totally my fault and I didn't want to have to send it back. The Caesar salad was actually really good. It was cool which made it feel refreshing and appetizing. The lettuce was crisp and fresh. The sauce was creamy and cheesy with the added fresh parmesan cheese. The croutons were crunchy. I had the salad with their famous cheddar bay biscuit. The biscuit was warm, soft, and very tasty.  I had not complaints with the salad and biscuit. 

Caesar Salad and Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit

For my entree, I got the Sailor's Platter which came with garlic shrimp, broiled flounder, and battered fried shrimp. For my side, I picked broccoli. The portion side was good. The broiled flounder was mediocre and bland. There wasn't much seasoning. The garlic shrimp was soft and very oily. The taste of oil overpowered the taste of garlic. I would say both the flounder and shrimp were not fresh but frozen. The battered fried shrimp was crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. It was good. You can't really good wrong with fried foods. The cocktail sauce for the fried shrimp was delicious. It was cold and refreshing savory and mildly sweet concoction. I forgot how much I like cocktail sauce. The broccoli was very tender. I think it was steamed or boiled and seasoned with salt. Overall, the meal was okay. I wouldn't say it was one of the best foods I ever had but I would say it was acceptable. 

Sailor's Platter with Broccoli

Ramayana- Indonesian Food

My friend recommended this Indonesian restaurant name Ramayana (1740 S. 11th St.)  that is conveniently located in my neighborhood. I visited the establishment with my friend on a Saturday. Although on the door it says that it opens at 12 PM, it was not; however, my friend and I heard the vents running. Hoping that they will eventually open soon, we went to get coffee first and plan to come back later. When we came back around at 1PM, they were still not open. We waited a little outside and then eventually decided to leave. As we walked toward the end of the block, we heard the rolling shutter going up. Ramayana finally opened after one and a half hour later than when they were suppose to. Lesson learned here is don't try to go here at the supposed open time. Come a hour or 2 later!

The place was small with a total of 10 seats. It was buffet style. You can either order 2 or 3 sides with rice. The sides that my pescatarian self could eat were kale, young jackfruit, egg foo young, tofu, and salmon. I decided to get kale, tofu, and salmon. It came with a side of what I believe is Sambel. I never had Sambel but it tasted like the garlic chili paste/sauce that you can get at the Asian Supermarket. Overall, the food was tasty, but I don't think it was spectacular. The kale and tofu were good. I think the salmon was either not fresh or they fried it too long because it was a little harder than I would want it to be. In addition, the salmon was mostly salmon stomach which I was little disappointed about. My friend did mention the rendang was awesome. If I have to compare this place to Sky Cafe, I would choose Sky Cafe. Although both are reasonably priced, I felt the food at Sky Cafe were fresher and space was cleaner and nicer. 

Rice with Kale, Tofu, Salmon, and Sambel

Fergie's Pub

My friends and I headed to Fergie's Pub (1214 Samson Street) during an unsuccessful Center City Sips. Center City Sips is an event were establishments participate in discounted drinks and food every Wednesdays from 5pm-7pm during the summer. It is really just basically happy hour but by naming and marketing it as Center City Sips makes it a really great gimmick. Places always end up being crowded on Wednesdays. I am not sure why we even decided to meet up on a Wednesday after work. The initial location we choose for center city sips was very crowded and loud so we left and tried another bar in the area but that spot ended up being crowded too. We wind up at Fergie's Pub. Luckily, there was a table for our party and the place was not loud or crowded. Fergie's actually had a good amount of vegan and vegetarian options on their menu that were not just salads so I was glad we went there. 

I ordered the Veggie burger. It came with cheese, some kind of creamy dressing (aioli?), spinach, and pub fries. The burger was delicious. I am not 100% sure what it is made up of but it appears to be bean based. It was very tasty with the cheese and dressing. I devour the burger pretty fast. That's how you know it's good. The fries were crispy on the outside and tender inside. On the menu, it says that the Pub Fries are award winning, hand cut fries. Not sure, if they declared that title themselves or some organization gave it to them. Nonetheless, they were enjoyable but I wouldn't say they were the best fries I ever had. I would come back to try their other vegetarian options. 

Veggie Burger with Fries