Eat Café

The Center for Hunger-Free Community is an community outreach program associated with Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health. They partner with universities, public and private organizations, and the community to find sustainable solutions to poverty and hunger. In collaboration with The Center of Hospitality and Sport Management at Drexel University, Vetri Community Partnership, and The Greater West Philadelphia Community, the center recently opened Eat Café  (3820 Lancaster Ave), a nonprofit restaurant that embraces the pay what you can concept. The establishment offers nutritional and seasonal rotating three course meal with the suggested price of $15. I believe the restaurant is anticipating that people of higher economic status will pay or pay more to offset what the lower social economic patrons might not be able to contribute. Or maybe they hope that whatever the less fortunate can afford although less than the suggested price will still keep operation going. This pay as what you can is indeed an interesting idea and experiment. Currently, the restaurant is open during 4pm-8pm Wednesday through Friday.  I am curious to see how this will all pan out. I do wish the pay what you can prove to be sustainable and the organization will be able to open more restaurants or invest in other programs to help the community.

Inside the restaurant, I would estimate that there was a total of 10 tables, ranging from 2 to 6 people seatings. Since the tables are fairly close together and the staff was friendly, it had a warm and homey ambiance. There was also an open kitchen in the back. The night that we went, the place was packed. We were a party of 6 so it was going to be a challenge to seat us. Fortunately, the reservation for the large back table cancelled at the last minute. Hence, we got their table...Yay for people who don't show up.

The first course was between milestone soup or a caprese salad. I chose the soup. The soup was still hot upon arrival. There were beans, carrots, pasta, and tomato in the soup. The soup was not heavy and very tasty. It was great to start the night.

Milestone Soup

For my entree, I ordered the only vegetarian option that evening- Veggie Pesto Lasagna. This dish also came out very hot which I preferred. The portion side was on point for me. It wasn't too little or too much. The lasagna was layers of tendered seasonal vegetables and pasta topped with melted cheese and pesto sauce. The cheese was chewy and went well with the layers. The pesto sauce was a little oily but I didn't mind it. It was a light kind of oil and also the kind that probably kept the meal hot longer. It also added flavor to the overall dish. As sides to share among the table were roasted vegetables and spaghetti. The vegetables were fresh and the right amount of tenderness. The tomato sauce was simple and rich in tomato flavor. I feel that sometimes sauces can be over powdered by spices used in them but it wasn't like that here. It was purely tomatoey and tasted homemade.

Veggie Pesto Lasagna

Roasted Vegetables and Spaghetti

I got the Lemon Sorbet for dessert. It came with a maraschino cherry on top. It was very refreshing but just a little more on the sour side. For the most part, I enjoyed my experience. The food was fresh and good. The only thing was it took a while for our foods to come out; however, that could be because we had a large party. They waited for all the foods to finish cooking before serving. I would like to return and try something else when their menu changes.

Lemon Sorbert

Sumo Sushi

One day when I didn't bring lunch, I decided to order sushi from Sumo Sushi (337-41 S. Broad Street) with my coworker. They had lunch specials. I loooooove discounts so yay. It was also very easy to order online for this restaurant. Online ordering was available on their website as well as grubhub and yelp. 

We ordered the 3 roll lunch special for $10.95. We got the shrimp tempura, yellowtail crunch, and spicy tuna rolls. The crunch for the yellowtail came from the apples which was new for me. I think they might have been granny smith apples and the slices weren't real crisp. It was my first time having apple in my sushi. It was just okay. Overall, I thought the yellowtail and spicy tuna sushi were mediocre. They were a little mushier than I would like them to be. I had better and firmer yellowtail and tuna sushi before. The shrimp tempura roll had avocado and cucumber in it. It was my favorite of them all. Fried things are always yummy. Having it paired with avocado, cucumber, rice, and seaweed was just the icing on top. 

Shrimp Tempura, Spicy Tuna, and Yellowtail Crunch Rolls

In addition to the sushi, we got something new to both of us- Tuna Pumpkins. They were lobster salad wrapped with a thin layer of tuna, creating the shape of pumpkins, and topped with mosago, which were roe from a small fish called capelin. Below I have pictures of the pumpkins and the inside of the so call pumpkin. The lobster salad inside had a creamy texture with tiny bits of lobster in it and was very tasty. The combination of the lobster salad and tuna complement each other well and kind of melts in your mouth. I ate my share slowly, savoring over the novel taste and sensation in my mouth. I highly recommend the Tuna Pumpkins in addition to the Shrimp Tempura Roll.

Tuna Pumpkins

Lobster salad inside the Tuna Pumpkins

Real Food Eatery

Real Food Eatery (207 S. 16th Street) as its name suggests offers real whole nature foods.  For their Real Plate options, you choose an entree (protein), a base (spring mix, kale, brown rice, or white rice), and 2 sides. In additions, they had salads and bowls. Everything was made to order. The ordering process was easily. You come in and order at the counter closest to the door. Then you pay and pick up your meal at the other end. 

I ordered the Veggie Bowl (rice, shredded carrot, roasted mushrooms, and greens) with sesame dressing on the side. The bowl was presented in a bibimbap style with the rice on the bottom and the other ingredients on top. To eat, you mix all the components together and pour the sauce over it. The brown rice was a good texture- not hard and not soft. The mushroom and greens were tendered and tasty. The carrots tasted like any other raw shredded carrot would taste like. The sesame sauce was rich in sesame flavor and very creamy. Everything went well together. The portion size was also huge. I ate half and saved the rest for later. It was a healthy, simple, and satisfying meal. I should really try to prepare meals like these at home...maybe one day. It didn't seem like it would be hard to make.

Veggie Bowl