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

Yamitsuki Ramen

We grabbed an earlier dinner at Yamitsuki Ramen (1028 Arch Street) based on a recommendation of a friend. When we went on a Friday, it was pretty empty. Maybe because it was still early for dinner. We were seated in the front of the restaurant where the high tables were. The place was clean. It had a nice modern hip vibe. Below is what I ordered. 

I got the Vegetarian Japanese Curry Yasai Ramen with an egg. It came with spring mix, Inari tofu, menma bamboo, bean sprout and my added egg. I would like my noodle soup to be very hot when it comes out. I would like my noodles to slowly cool down as I blow onto it and eat it. I didn't get this here. I thought the broth was not hot enough for me. It was more on the lukewarm side. Maybe all the ingredients were cold so when you pour the broth over it it significantly cools down the whole dish. My friends thought it was fine even though it that wasn't really hot. I have not been to many ramen places but do ramen usually come out not very hot? Overall, I thought the ramen was okay. The broth is more on the bland side which I didn't mind. I didn't think the toppings were very fresh. The noodle did taste better than the instant noodles. It was a little firmer and chewier than instant ramen noodles. Overall, I thought the dish was okay. Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough for me to be wanting more or coming back for more. 

Vegetarian Japanese Curry Ramen

The dessert we ordered was the Matcha Snow Ice. This on the other hand was life. It was topped with herbal jelly, fried mocha, red beans, and condensed milk. I can say this is the best matcha snow ice I have ever had. It also looked very different from the other snow ice I have ever order before (see below). I am not sure if making it as layers of web shape contributed to this awesome texture or not. It's like semi creamy and melts in your mouth. It was not overly too sweet.  The herbal jelly, red beans, and fried mocha enhanced the experience. I would admit I was very doubtful of the fried mocha at first, but was very pleasantly surprise. It was one of the best things I have tasted even though it was not crispy like you expect fried foods to be. It was softer and more gooey than regular mocha and had a hint of sweetness. I enjoyed this dessert very much and this is something I would come back for. It was phenomenal in my opinion. 

Matcha Snow Ice

CoZara

CoZara (3200 Chestnut Street) is a relatively new Japanese Tapa style restaurant in University City on Drexel's campus. My friends and I went there for happy hour for my birthday last month even though I didn't order from the happy hour menu. I am a pescarterian; however that day I was eating a vegan diet. I actually decided in advance on this restaurant for my birthday happy based on a friend's recommendation. I didn't want to change the restaurant at the last minute and there were vegan options on the menu that I can eat. Below you will see how I wished I had changed the location.

For my first dish, I ordered a vegan roll- Veggie Deluxe Roll (crispy shallot, asparagus, carrot, shiso, wasabi stem dressing, micro greens, and ginger dressing. So when they say tapa style, they really meant it. The rolls were super tiny and there wasn't much of it- only 6 rolls!  I felt like the diameter is just a little bigger than a quarter. The ingredients were fresh and tasted alright. They was nothing special about it, though. It was basically all the ingredients rolled up together and the sauce wasn't unique or anything. These days a lot of place offer sushi made with fresh ingredients. I could have gotten a good amount of better quality specialty vegan sushi for a better price elsewhere. One place I can think of off on the top of my head is BubbleFish in Chinatown. Their Green Peace vegan roll is the bomb dot com. It's cheaper. They give you more rolls and they are much thicker rolls. In addition, their sauce for their sushi is awesome. 

Veggie Deluxe

Lastly, I got the Vegetarian Mazemen. Based on the menu there were supposedly going to be arugula, pickled red cabbage, and miso in it. I beg the differ. It was basically ramen noodles with mix greens not arugula (I feel like when menus say arugula they give you arugula not mixed greens with arugula with other greens in it, no?), fried shallots, alfalfa sprouts, pickled red ginger not pickled cabbage, and sesame oil not miso. I didn't really taste the miso. I just tasted sesame oil with the noodles. I let my friend try it and she agreed with me. At the bottom once I finished eating the noodles, there was more of a tangy flavor like vinegary maybe that was the miso or where the miso was.  I felt like I could have easily made this at home. I already have ramen noodles, fried shallots, and sesame oil at home. I just needed to get some pickled ginger, alfalfa sprout, and mixed greens from the supermarket which I can do so for cheap. This was not worth $10. The amount was little and this just simply was not an exceptional quality dish in my eyes. As I mentioned, I could have assembled this entree myself. 

Vegetarian Mazeman

Not sure, if I didn't order the right things.  Maybe my standards are too high. Maybe they placed more focus on other dishes. My friends who ordered the fish and meat dishes seem to enjoy them. I, on the other hand if you can't tell already, was highly disappointed at this restaurant. I don't think I have ever been so disappointed at a restaurant before. Even though the food was fresh, the quantity was small (okay that was probably given because it was tapa) and it was expensive for not very unique food. I guess with all the competition out there and for them to be tapa style,  I just expected alot more. I would think the establishment would want to differentiate itself with their offerings or their taste of the food but I didn't find this here. I will not be returning and I would not be recommending this place to anyone. There are far too many better restaurants in this city of Brotherly Love.