Tastee Vegan Sampler

Fusia

2008-01-16T07:23:00.001-08:00

Fusia is an Asian fusion restaurant that is fancy yet cozy. The services here is terrific. It all beginnings when you enter the doors they greet you with a smile and ask how many. Then they sit you at a table and the waiters are really nice.

After looking at the drink menu for a while I ask them about their coconut and tapioca drink. They say it is sweet and refreshing and I must agree. As soon as I tasted it I decided it would be my dessert. Even now just writing about it I crave to be drinking it. I also had another drink there a short while ago, it was called fusion drink. It had tropical fruits such as pineapple, mango blended with ice and coconut milk. It also tasted good but I recommend the coconut drink.

I ordered mushroom dumplings as my appetizer. I did not like them one bit. They tasted funny and were dry. the dipping sauce they came with tasted yummy. I just wish I had something to put it on.

My entree was chinese mixed vegetables and tofu. It had a large mix of vegetables but it had celery which is one of the vegetables that I don't really like. The tofu was fried but it wasn't oily and absorbed the flavors of the sauce really well. The dish itself wasn't that special but it tasted good. I liked the way they presented their rice in a tall cone shape.

My meal was not something extraordinary but I really loved the drink. The service is friendly and open. And the place itself is beautiful and warm. Over all this is a good restaurant I think I just have to find the right entree to make it sparkle.

Fusia
972 2nd Ave,
New York 10022 (Btwn 51st & 52nd St)

restaurants that will be missed (part 2)

2007-12-29T05:51:00.000-08:00

I have you ever been to a restaurant that is run by a family where the food is home cooked and the atmosphere is cozy and not fancy. Little Bangkok was one of those restaurants. There was no decoration just wood panels and tables all over. Yet I have to say it was a special place.
It didn't have a lot of vegan food thai food but the food that it did have was pretty delicious. It had simple meals like vegetables and tofu with peanut sauce and a vegetable tofu soup that sooth the stomach. I can't say that it was the best thai food I ever ate but it was home made. You know it was fresh because depending on the amount of people that were there it took them longer to get your order. Just thinking about the restuarant now it makes me sad to know that i won't ever be able to go back to this wonderful basement floor thai restaurant. It is a shamed that over night it just closed down.

Restaurants that will be missed (Part 1)...

2007-12-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

There was a great restaurant called Monsoon. It was a unique, fine and exotic restaurant. I never knew what happened to it, all I know was that one day I went to eat there and it was closed. I had thought maybe it was just a temporary closing but (I kept checking and) it never came back again. In its honor I will share what was so great about it and why it is missed.

Monsoon was a vietnamese restaurant that had the best dim sum ever. It was a cozy restaurant that had a large wood element to try to invoke vietnam. They had a ginger lemon grass tea that was sweet, gingery and very green. I always ordered the vegetarian (vegan) dimsum which made of vegetables and clear rice dough with two dipping sauces one peanut and the other a soy and rice vingegar sauce.

They also made a great grilled tofu with lemongrass which was delicate (not too lemongrassy) and slightly smokey. They did a really cool thing with the tofu they would thinly slice it and stuff it with a mixture of lemongrass, ginger, red pepper and soy sauce and then they would grill it. It was the first time I ever saw and tasted a tofu prepared this way. I have attempted to make this tofu at home but have yet to master their unique technique. I would go back to try to find their secret but they are gone forever, or so it seems.

If you got to eat at Monsoon you were a lucky person. For all that didn't don't worry I will try as many vietnamese restuarants as I can till I find one that is as good or even better, till then keep tasting =)

Otto

2007-12-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

When I was vegetarian I used to love eating pizza. I would enjoy trying new and varied toppings. But when I became vegan pizza became more bland. I love going to Viva Pizza but sometimes i like to go to a fancier more hip place and that is Otto Pizzeria.
As soon as you walk in to the Pizzeria you feel the energy. It is usually very busy and full of people. When you ask for a table if you have to wait they give you a ticket with an Italian region's name then you look at a train station board. It is a funky touch.
You get seated in a low dimmed room. The decor is pretty common but it still creates a warm feel.
I recommend that you order the vegetable antipasti. My favorites are Eggplant Caponatina, Cauliflower "alla Siciliana", Brussels Sprouts & Vin Cotto eat a little bit but not all because they are your pizza toppings. The only vegan pizza is the marinara but with all the antipasti toppings it is like you have a bunch of different pizzas. Of course eating the plain pizza marinara is delicious itself. It has a simple and clean taste with a kick in the end from the chiles.
To end this delicious meal you have to eat the lemon sorbet which is the best lemon sorbet that I have ever had. It is sour, sweet and a little salty and ever so refreshing.

Otto
1 5th. Avenue
New York, NY 10003

Aki, on the west

2007-12-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

I wasn't very big on Japanese food because when I went to a sushi place all I would get was the avocado roll. Don't get me wrong I love avocado rolls but they are sort of the norm. Of course all of this was before Aki, now there is Japanese restaurant. The place is small and intimate with a chic and modern decor but the food is art.

I began my culinary adventure by ordering a yuzu* citron ginger tea. This elixir was sweet and very refreshing. I first tasted a citrus flavor followed by a soft and slightly spicy ginger flavor. I usually drink my drinks quickly but this time I wanted to savour each sip.

I ordered Nasu-Dengaku, fried eggplant with miso sauce. Normally when I order this dish I get an oily and mushy limp eggplant and a very salty miso sauce. At Aki, however, I got an eggplant that was very well composed visually and tasting wise. On top of the eggplant there were two sauces one mustard colored and the other a dark brown. When I took a bite of the eggplant it melted in my mouth. It was very balanced not salty and not too sweet. It was one of the best eggplants I have ever had.

After the appetizer my main dish came. I had ordered the Aki vegetable sushi. I was expecting the run of the mill sushi rolls. Boy was I surprised. There was only one roll in the middle the, spicy veggie roll but it wasn't like a regular roll . It had a delicious spicy sauce that complemented the softness of the avocado. It also had borduck which gave it a crunch and spinach which is just healthy. Surrounding this wonderful roll were different pieces of vegetable sushi. Each piece was a master piece in there own right. The avocado was beautifully fanned out over the sushi rice. The shiitake mushroom piece was a gentle shiitake mushroom and rice wrapped with a thin piece of nori. The heart of palm was an interesting invention.

I couldn't help but order the tofu panna cotta. It was different yet I really liked it. It was soothing to the stomach and very refreshing. It wasn't as visually stunning as the rest of the meal though but it was the perfect way to end a meal.

Notes: If you go to Aki it is helpful to make reservations. Also know that the portion size is more on the small side. When going to a non-vegan restaurant always ask what ingredients the items have in them and also where they are cooked.

Aki
181 W 4th St - Btwn 6th & 7th Ave
New York, NY 10014
212 989-5440