Araya's Vegetarian Place @ Seattle

The first vegetarian / vegan Thai restaurant that I was introduced to, five years ago, was Araya's. It is still one of my favorites. Fairly large dining space, huge buffet spread, Asian decor, attentive service, fantastic vegetarian food and what have you. One bite of the fresh, crunchy all-you-can-eat spring rolls and I was head over heels in love with it.  Since then, I have been here quite a few times and can't believe I haven't reviewed it yet. We had  lunch at Araya's today and here's a visual treat for all you Thai food lovers.

Located in U-District, it hasn't failed to lure a diverse bunch of people who love vegetarian food. It has its own parking lot. The interior has an ethnic Thai decor. Lots of tables. There has never been a time when we had to wait to be seated (we always go for the lunch buffet). Service is very satisfactory. Plates are cleared promptly and waters refilled when needed.

The best part is the food. First, the Salads. Four different kinds, each one unique and delicious.

And here's my plate :)

Spring rolls. Yummmmm....hot, crunchy and uber delicious. I have at least six of them :) Next to the spring rolls was a rice noodle dish.

I can never have enough of these!

There was a soup and a sticky sweetish fried noodle dish. The soup was made of coconut milk, tofu and mushrooms. It had a fantastic lemon grass flavor and was slightly spicy.

There was a stir-fry of veggies in soy sauce and a fried rice. Sometimes they have pineapple fried rice. The food is very sublime and appealing to the senses.

Phad thai and green curry with fresh veggies and tofu. Sometimes they have the red curry or yellow curry.

Here's my plate again :) They also have a healthy brown rice to eat with the curries.

And then there was a special tossed salad with fried noodles, fried tofu, onions, tomato, cilantro and lemon juice.

The dessert was sticky rice pudding with coconut milk. It was not sweet at all and I don't like the chewy texture. So I usually don't care for the dessert. And, it's always the same. Never changes. *wonders why*

We ordered a not too sweet bubble tea with cream instead of coconut milk. A tall glass and quite tasty.

I managed to get a picture of an old man who's job was to just keep making spring rolls! It was amazing how  he could effortlessly fill, roll and wrap each one of them.

Here's a picture of their dining area.

Can you believe if I told you that all this delicious food costs $8.95? I was stumped. I have been going here for the last five years and the quality of food hasn't changed a bit. It is as good as ever. You could go for the buffet or pick what you like from their extensive menu. I would recommend the buffet. They are doing a great job and I will keep going. Especially for the spring rolls. Ummm!

The Urban Bakery @ Greenlake

Coffee and Cake has become our Saturday afternoon ritual these days. Depending on where we are, we look up the nearest Dessert joint to grab a Latte and some Dolce. It has become my favorite part of the day. After all, life's too short to skip desserts, yes?

On a bright and sunny day while strolling around Greenlake, we chanced upon The Urban Bakery. Unlike other coffee shops sporting a stunning ambiance and plush comfortable couches, this place is old fashioned, casual and very plain. Free Wi-Fi, clean bathrooms and sidewalk seating open on days such as this are what I most like about this local bakery. Other than the most delicious desserts that they whip up, that is. One can get anything from Sandwiches and Desserts to Coffee and Cola. They run out of the baked goodies real fast. We got the Bread pudding with whipped cream on top and a Latte.


Bread Pudding @ The Urban Bakery



Latte and Bread Pudding @ The Urban Bakery

The Bread Pudding was warm, moist, fluffy and sweeeet. I can never have enough of that. Other than the guilt of consuming ten thousand calories, nothing can stop me from biting into one of those again. Of course I have A to split it with; share the sin. The Latte was good too. Piping hot and just right. If am in the area again, I will surely try their other desserts.

Lake City Gyros

I am a sucker for hole in the walls that make fantastic sandwiches for a few pennies. Mainly because the food is fresh, made right is front of you and is all about customizing. Can you make it spicy, please? A little more Tahini would be just perfect. Thank you.

Having heard a lot about this joint, we decided to stop by for a Falafel Sandwich while driving past, last weekend. It is a tiny joint with a counter / kitchen where the food is prepared and two tables not worth sitting at. It was dark and stuffy inside. Certainly not worth sitting there and biting into the most fabulous Sandwich. The Falafels were fried fresh upon order. The other stuffing included Lettuce, Cucumber, Tomatoes, some Tahini sauce and some other spices. I asked mine to be a little spicy and she added some chili paste. The Pita bread itself was soft and huge. For $3.99, it was a treat!

A great place for a quick craving!

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Papad ki sabzi

I wanted to make something different for dinner today. I was browsing through Showmethecurry and found this Rajasthani dish and very easy to make - Papad ki sabzi.

Here's how you make it-

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, hing, chopped onion, one clove of garlic finely chopped and salt and let it cook until the onions become transparent. Meanwhile, take half a cup of yoghurt in a bowl. Add half a cup of water to it. Add 2 tbsp coriander powder, one tbsp chilli powder, one tsp turmeric powder, salt and mix it well. Microwave or roast some papads. I used jeera papad. When the onions are done, lower the flame and add the yoghurt mixture. Stir it a couple of minutes. Break the papad into pieces (slightly big) and add it to the yoghurt onion mixture. Add a cup of water or enough to cover all the papads. Let it boil for ten minutes. Garnish it with cilantro. If the yoghurt is not sour, add a tbsp of Amchur. Serve it with hot rice. That is some soul food!

Satay @ Seattle

This restaurant is run by some expats and is popular for Malaysian street food. It has rave reviews on Yelp and Seattle Met listed it as one of the best Asian restaurants in the area. So, naturally, I had to check it out.

We got there at noon for lunch. There are just about eight to ten tables. The menu is on the wall, a small one (the menu, not the wall), nothing exotic. You first choose what you want, pay for it and hand over the receipt to the Chef at the open kitchen. When your number is called out, you go collect your lunch. And, you dispose the leftovers and the plates in the bins, yourself. Pretty much a self service eatery.

Menu @ Satay

Satay

We ordered a Roti Canai, Curry Puff and a Tofu satay. We got our waters and hot sauce that they call as Sambal and found a table to sit at. Our number was called out and A swaggered back with the Roti Canai and the Curry Puff. While we were at it, the Chef himself brought the Satay to our table. The Vegetarian food is good, but nothing exceptional. I am not sure how it stands out from the other Malaysian restaurants. (Roti Canai is a type of Malaysian Flatbread, very similar to the parotta you get in South India).The Roti Canai was exactly the same as you get anywhere else. Nothing to write home about.
 

Roti Canai @ Satay

Curry Puff  - a small pie stuffed with potato-onion curry - is one thing I have not had anywhere outside India. It tasted awesome, more like a Samosa and was priced atrociously at $2.95! The food is a little overpriced, I must say.
 

Curry Puff @ Satay

The Tofu Satay plate came with three skewers of tofu, rice and a lemony cole slaw salad. There was peanut sauce as well. Again, nothing exemplary that made me gape, other than the check, that is.

Tofu Satay @ Satay

The other Vegetarian entrees that they have are Mee Goreng and Green Curry. Will I go back again? No, not unless they introduce more veggie options. Is it worth going once? Hmmmm...only if you are desperate to shell $20 bucks and yet remain hungry. Else, you could go Malay Satay Hut. And, how was it listed as one of the best Asian restaurants? I have no clue. May be it is great for meat eaters. Or, whoever wrote that was tanked. As for me, I am not a fan :(

Gorgeous George's @ Seattle

If you have been reading my blog, my love for Middle Eastern food, especially for Mediterranean Kitchen (MK) must be quite evident. But, once in a while, I like to try different Middle Eastern restaurants and compare them to MK. And so, for lunch on Saturday, Yelp reviews were scouted and Gorgeous George's was picked for two reasons. One, the owner / Chef George is Middle Eastern. So, the food must be authentic. And two, the rave reviews about the hospitality made us believe it would be a great dining experience all together. We were not wrong. The food and George, both were gorgeous!

So, we got there with rumbling stomachs, at 11:30 am on Saturday, to find the restaurant closed. George came to the door to tell that lunch was from noon to 2:30 pm. Oh boy. We had half an hour to kill. It was raining, so walking up and down Greenwood Ave was not a very pleasing idea. On top that, we had got a good parking spot which we would lose if we drove around and came back later. So we chose to remain in the car.

We went back again at noon and they were open. The waitress showed us to a table by the window, brought our menus and water. The water had a slice of cucumber floating it in, making it very refreshing. I have had water with the standard lemon wedge that usually makes me gag, but this was much better! It just shows that they care about every little thing. The restaurant is fairly small, not more than 25 people can dine at one time. There was the usual "Habibi..." song playing in the background and I could even hear George singing along, in the kitchen.


Gorgeous George's

The waitress brought a complimentary plate of their famous Hummus. I am not sure if it is complimentary at all times; I think they gave it out of courtesy because we had to wait for thirty minutes. Whatever, the Hummus was so beautifully plated that I didn't want to ruin it by digging into it. It was shaped like a volcano with a crater in the middle, filled with olive oil and drizzled with sumac and other herbs.


Hummus @ Gorgeous George's

It was not as garlicky as the MK's Hummus. In fact, it was not as lemony as well. But, it was of a kind and was delicious. May be that's how they make it in Palestine, which is where George is from. The pita bread was fatter than the the usual ones I have had. It was more like Naan, again, may be specific to the Palestinian region. I tore the pita, scooped some hummus and shamelessly licked the Olive oil dripping from my fingers. It was sooo good!!


Hummus and Pita @ Gorgeous George's

George came out to take our orders. A asked him if he could make a Veggie Shawarma, but he said, "I have only one veggie - Falafel". Oh well, we'll have the Falafel, we said, a tad disappointed. We also asked for Zahara, the appetizer. The Zahara and the Falafel were brought out at the same time. One look at the food and we knew it was going to be awesome.

Zahara (Fried Cauliflower Topped with a Light Tahini Sauce)  was good. The cauliflower was brown and crispy, it lacked a little salt, but we sprinkled some from the salt and pepper shaker kept on our table. The tahini sauce was sparingly used.  Despite the qualms, it was still dellicious. MK gives a bigger portion of Zahara for the same cost, doesn't need any salt and is smothered lavishly in Tanihi sauce. There, I said it.


Zahra @ Gorgeous George's

Next, the Falafel episode. The Falafel (Vegetarian balls made of Chickpeas and Veggies Fried until Golden Brown Topped off with Tahini Sauce) plate came with four pieces of Falafel balls, a salad with a mint basil dressing with mango and papaya, that tasted fantastic (Note, MK doesn't make this ;-) ), basmati rice cooked with peas and a cup of Labnie. We suddenly remembered that the platter comes with the choice of a soup or salad. But he didn't ask us what we wanted. Usually the soup or salad is served first and then the platter is brought out. But we didn't get any, so assumed that George had forgotten about it. We asked him if it came with a soup and he said yes, he would bring it right away. In two minutes, he came with a bowl of steaming hot lentil soup, that was thick and delicious.

Lentil Soup @ Gorgeous George's

He also mentioned that he was giving us the soup on top of the salad. It then hit us that he was talking about the salad in the Falafel platter. But, we never asked for the salad. Am not sure how he decided to serve the salad over the soup, without asking our preference.

Falafel Platter @ Gorgeous George's

 Anyway, the Falafels were good too. Crunchy on the outside and soft inside. The dressing on the salad was out of this world. But here's the other qualm. There is a split charge of $3.95, which is not justified. You share an entree with someone else and you have to pay for it? Why? They don't give a bigger helping just because you are sharing. It is the same sized entree. I know MK at Bellevue charges a splitting cost, but that is justified. They give two soups, unlimited pita bread and the garlic dip. Gorgeous George's doesn't give any of this, yet doesn't fail to charge the splitting cost. Um hm...not very happy about that.

In the end, we ordered the Pistachio Walnut Baklava, that sure looked and tasted absolutely toothsome.

Baklava @ Gorgeous George's

We walked out of GG feeling content. The great food and amazing service made it a helluva dining experience. George is a very gracious host and was frequently checking on us, asking us if everything was OK. It was only when we started comparing it with MK did we realize that MK is more value for money. MK gives bigger portions for the same price, service is good, uses more garlic, uses sauces generously, justifies the split charge by giving unlimited pita and garlic sauce and an extra bowl of soup. And, they make Veggie Shawarma, though it is not listed on the menu.

So, yes MK is still at the top of the list.

NOTE :- This review is specific to Vegetarian Entrees only.

Cha-Ya Japanese @ San Francisco

We knew two things about Cha-Ya before we went for dinner, two things that were obvious from looking at their menu.

One. The food is vegetarian or vegan.
Two. It is a $$$ restaurant.

A $$$ restaurant that doesn't have a Website. Call it comical, but it baffles me as to why they don't have a Website showcasing all the funky Japanese food, along the lines of Dengaku, Hangetsu, Tonchi Nasu and many more. Located in JapanTown on Valencia, Cha-Ya is small and kind of cramped, when you pull a chair, watch out, because you could literally be sitting on some one's back. The maximum seating capacity is 25-30.

At 8:45 pm, we weren't the first people there -or the last. They close at 9:30 pm. The restaurant was almost full. The lady who was our waitress/hostess/busser, showed us to a small table in the corner, at the back. Not a problem, I like a room that's buzzing with people.

The waitress brought our menus and water. One flip through the menu and we were overwhelmed. We knew we were getting the Sushi (Hell, which one?), but that still left a whole lot of menu to cover. Cha-Ya offers a variety of Soups, salads, sushi, rolls, entrees, combination dinners, noodles and desserts. The downside of being petite and lacking a monstrous appetite is that you can only order so much. We got the Soba Sushi ( Buckwheat Noodle Sushi) - Instead of sushi rice, the roll contains buckwheat noodles, along with spinach, atsuage tofu, asparagus, cucumber, pickled burdock, and seasoned kampyo gourd and shitake. Served with a soba dipping sauce.
Kanpyo is a shredded and dried long strip of gourd. Cooked kampyo seasoned with shoyu and mirin is an indispensable ingredient in traditional Sushi preparations. Making Sushi is an art and making one with noodles instead of rice, must be the toughest of them all. How in God's name do they stack the thin stick like noodles and roll it? Am better off just enjoying the fruits of labor.



The Uramaki Roll - Avocado Tempura Roll. The was my favorite of the day. Every time I bit into the sushi, the crisp tempura and the soft avocado dipped in the pungent wasabi-soy sauce mix, blew my mind!

The last one was Tonchi Nasu ( Stuffed Eggplant) Eggplant stuffed with satsuma potato, corn, hijiki, carrots, and soy beans. Lightly battered and deep-fried. Served with a special ginger sauce.



For a person who's knowledge of Japanese cuisine is restricted to Sushis, Sakes, Yakisoba Noodles, Tempuras and Miso Soup, this was a shocking revelation. An eye-opener. It was fantastic and exotic.

The one thing that we were not aware of is that this ludicrous $$$ restaurant accepts only cash. After emptying our pockets to the last of the dimes and pennies, we walked out of there, vowing to go back once more before getting back to Seattle, but it never happened.

If you are a vegetarian and haven't had the chance to explore Japanese food, you know where to go! They also have a branch in Berkeley.