NYC Day 10: Stogo, Souen Noodle Restaurant and Lulas

I am writing this from the plane (although will have to click publish at the hotel) as we fly from New York to San Fran. I have loved New York so much and can't imagine San Fran and then Portland being able to compete. Jess and I keep joking that San Fran is going to suck and that we wish our flight was cancelled but I'm sure it is going to be great. New York really is amazing though. It's crazy I wasn't the biggest fan of London and I really thought New York would be similar but it's not. I can't even fully put my finger on what is different, but there is just this amazing energy in New York, it also doesn't hurt that there are 3 vegan dessert places in New York and vegan food everywhere. I didn't even get to try the gluten free (and vegan) cannelloni at a regular italian restaurant called John's of 12th, plenty of raw desserts and vegan treats. The graffiti, buildings, markets, accents are also super cool and it just kind of feels like anything is possible. Corny, right? It's inspiring and definitely my favourite city so far.

Today on our last day so I went to Stogo and had this piece of heaven, aka chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich with Bourbon ginger ice cream which had a hemp base. Excuse the phone pics!

Chinese medicine says that ice cream (and cold things in general) are bad for colds so I figured that the ginger might kind of counteract it. The woman who I guess runs/owns the place is super friendly and joked with me that I could come back for free sample spoons since it was my last day. I was so so tempted! This little place kind of makes me want to work on starting a similar vegan ice cream place in Melbourne, which won't happen but it's nice to feel inspired.

For lunch, we tried to go to pukk (vegetarian thai place) but the waiter very honestly explained that the only gluten free option would be greens. Atlas was a similar situation. I think New York is super vegan friendly but not quite as gluten free friendly. So we went to Souen Noodle Restaurant. I had the mapo tofu minus the seitan and Toby had the ramen special lunch deal but with rice noodles instead of ramen. The noodles were a bit bland but Toby said that was exactly what he wanted and the mapo tofu was not spicy at all which suited me fine, I felt that it was the perfect healthy dish to sandwich between two ice cream desserts.



As part of the lunch deal, you could choose what side you wanted, toby chose the brown rice ball which was really subtle.

Here are his noodles:

And here is the mapo tofu (brown rice on the side not pictured):

I also managed to fit in one last visit to lulas right before we had to leave. I got a brownie a la mode which basically just means brownie (gf in my case) with one large scoop of ice cream. I had already decided that I was going to have the peanut butter flavour but they didn't had it. Both lulas and stogo seem to rotate flavours. So I settled on mint choc chip which was refreshing. I was pleased that the brownie was soft and gooey and served warm.



Jess and I sat and ate in a community garden near by. I love that there are these tiny little community gardens, all quite different and free and so cool on a hot summers day. This one was one of my favourites, although I have to admit I didn't get to visit quite as many as I wanted to.

Also while on the plane I ate more mini banana choc chip muffins and gluten free brownies from Babycakes. Yes 3 lots of desserts in one day from my 3 fave places in NYC.

10 days was not enough, I think I could have easily spent 3 weeks there, as there still so many places we didn't get to explore/see/eat but it's been a blast NYC!

I am writing this from the plane (although will have to click publish at the hotel) as we fly from New York to San Fran. I have loved New York so much and can't imagine San Fran and then Portland being able to compete. Jess and I keep joking that San Fran is going to suck and that we wish our flight was cancelled but I'm sure it is going to be great. New York really is amazing though. It's crazy I wasn't the biggest fan of London and I really thought New York would be similar but it's not. I can't even fully put my finger on what is different, but there is just this amazing energy in New York, it also doesn't hurt that there are 3 vegan dessert places in New York and vegan food everywhere. I didn't even get to try the gluten free (and vegan) cannelloni at a regular italian restaurant called John's of 12th, plenty of raw desserts and vegan treats. The graffiti, buildings, markets, accents are also super cool and it just kind of feels like anything is possible. Corny, right? It's inspiring and definitely my favourite city so far.

Today on our last day so I went to Stogo and had this piece of heaven, aka chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich with Bourbon ginger ice cream which had a hemp base. Excuse the phone pics!

Chinese medicine says that ice cream (and cold things in general) are bad for colds so I figured that the ginger might kind of counteract it. The woman who I guess runs/owns the place is super friendly and joked with me that I could come back for free sample spoons since it was my last day. I was so so tempted! This little place kind of makes me want to work on starting a similar vegan ice cream place in Melbourne, which won't happen but it's nice to feel inspired.

For lunch, we tried to go to pukk (vegetarian thai place) but the waiter very honestly explained that the only gluten free option would be greens. Atlas was a similar situation. I think New York is super vegan friendly but not quite as gluten free friendly. So we went to Souen Noodle Restaurant. I had the mapo tofu minus the seitan and Toby had the ramen special lunch deal but with rice noodles instead of ramen. The noodles were a bit bland but Toby said that was exactly what he wanted and the mapo tofu was not spicy at all which suited me fine, I felt that it was the perfect healthy dish to sandwich between two ice cream desserts.



As part of the lunch deal, you could choose what side you wanted, toby chose the brown rice ball which was really subtle.

Here are his noodles:

And here is the mapo tofu (brown rice on the side not pictured):

I also managed to fit in one last visit to lulas right before we had to leave. I got a brownie a la mode which basically just means brownie (gf in my case) with one large scoop of ice cream. I had already decided that I was going to have the peanut butter flavour but they didn't had it. Both lulas and stogo seem to rotate flavours. So I settled on mint choc chip which was refreshing. I was pleased that the brownie was soft and gooey and served warm.



Jess and I sat and ate in a community garden near by. I love that there are these tiny little community gardens, all quite different and free and so cool on a hot summers day. This one was one of my favourites, although I have to admit I didn't get to visit quite as many as I wanted to.

Also while on the plane I ate more mini banana choc chip muffins and gluten free brownies from Babycakes. Yes 3 lots of desserts in one day from my 3 fave places in NYC.

10 days was not enough, I think I could have easily spent 3 weeks there, as there still so many places we didn't get to explore/see/eat but it's been a blast NYC!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

NYC Day 9: Brooklyn Flea Market, Cocoa V, Babycakes and Pala

Today was our last full day in nyc, we leave tomorrow afternoon for san fran. We started the day by walking over the brooklyn bridge, which was so pretty, see:


We visited the brooklyn flea market again, on saturdays it is held at fortgreen and sundays it is held in Williamsburg. For details check out here, I preferred the williamsburg sunday one which we visited last week. This one didn't have the blackstrap molasses or the raw vegan stall. So I settled for bean and cheese tacos without cheese which were bland:



Then we went to Cocoa V, an all vegan chocolate and wine bar. I ordered the nut cheese platter for one, which I'm pretty sure is Dr cow cheese bran.

It comes with gluten free crackers, dried figs, apples and regular pretzels.  The flavours of cheese from left to right are: regular, aged cashew and dulse and aged cashew and crystal manna algae cheese. I was skeptical because I vaguely remember Troy and Bec saying that they didn't like it but Toby and I both loved it. Toby loved the algae variety and I liked the regular flavour. The tetxure was excellent too.

 

We also got spiced hot chocolate which had a range of spices including cinnamon and burned my throat a tiny amount as a result of the cayenne pepper in it. It was quite creamy though and I wonder what dairy free milk they use, I'm sure it wasn't soy:

 

I worked up quite an appetite when we wondered around MOMA, so glad I got to visit afterall. We then visited babycakes for the last time, sob sob. I got a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie bite (the sugar variety instead of the agave one). The cookie was crispy and the brownie was more cakey than fudgey but both were so yummy. I also got some treats for the long plane trip tomorrow and choc mint cookie, which was thin chocolate cookie covered in minty icing.

 

 For dinner we went to Pala Pizza again. We shared the spring salad which felt healthy after lots of sugar although not particularly exciting.

And of course I had to get THE PIZZA again. The base wasn't as spectacular as last time, I think because it was slightly undercooked but was still the best pizza i've had. It's called the etna, and it turns out it is super crispy eggplant not caramelised onions.

Today was our last full day in nyc, we leave tomorrow afternoon for san fran. We started the day by walking over the brooklyn bridge, which was so pretty, see:


We visited the brooklyn flea market again, on saturdays it is held at fortgreen and sundays it is held in Williamsburg. For details check out here, I preferred the williamsburg sunday one which we visited last week. This one didn't have the blackstrap molasses or the raw vegan stall. So I settled for bean and cheese tacos without cheese which were bland:



Then we went to Cocoa V, an all vegan chocolate and wine bar. I ordered the nut cheese platter for one, which I'm pretty sure is Dr cow cheese bran.

It comes with gluten free crackers, dried figs, apples and regular pretzels.  The flavours of cheese from left to right are: regular, aged cashew and dulse and aged cashew and crystal manna algae cheese. I was skeptical because I vaguely remember Troy and Bec saying that they didn't like it but Toby and I both loved it. Toby loved the algae variety and I liked the regular flavour. The tetxure was excellent too.

 

We also got spiced hot chocolate which had a range of spices including cinnamon and burned my throat a tiny amount as a result of the cayenne pepper in it. It was quite creamy though and I wonder what dairy free milk they use, I'm sure it wasn't soy:

 

I worked up quite an appetite when we wondered around MOMA, so glad I got to visit afterall. We then visited babycakes for the last time, sob sob. I got a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie bite (the sugar variety instead of the agave one). The cookie was crispy and the brownie was more cakey than fudgey but both were so yummy. I also got some treats for the long plane trip tomorrow and choc mint cookie, which was thin chocolate cookie covered in minty icing.

 

 For dinner we went to Pala Pizza again. We shared the spring salad which felt healthy after lots of sugar although not particularly exciting.

And of course I had to get THE PIZZA again. The base wasn't as spectacular as last time, I think because it was slightly undercooked but was still the best pizza i've had. It's called the etna, and it turns out it is super crispy eggplant not caramelised onions.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

NYC Day 8: Chipotle and Souen Noodle Restuarant

I woke up with a cold yesterday morning, so decided to take it easy. We caught the fairy to stanton island and back so we could see the statue of liberty which was suprisingly free.

Then we looked for something close by for lunch and settled on Chipotle (bowling green branch), which SuperVegan describes as 'probably the most ethical mega-chain'. It's an omni mexican or texmex chain. You can choose from tacos, burritos, etc. Toby and I both got the vegetarian black bean soft corn tacos which comes with guacomole, salsa etc. The bill come to $10.75 which was another cheap lunch option. Although next time I might also get some corn chips and guacamole as well since we were still slightly hungry.


By this stage, my cold had taken full form and I was feeling horrible, so I sadly skipped going to MOMA with Matt and Jess and went home to lay down. Toby very kindly got us some take away for dinner from Souen Noodle Restaurant which is a sister store to the souen we previously blogged about. Toby thinks that that they had even more gluten free and vegan options at this branch. He got me the gf pad thai and teriyaki vegetable stir fry with brown rice. Both were delicious, although not quite as large as the dishes we previously had at souen.
 

Fingers crossed my cold goes away soon, it's so frustrating being sick on holiday!

I woke up with a cold yesterday morning, so decided to take it easy. We caught the fairy to stanton island and back so we could see the statue of liberty which was suprisingly free.

Then we looked for something close by for lunch and settled on Chipotle (bowling green branch), which SuperVegan describes as 'probably the most ethical mega-chain'. It's an omni mexican or texmex chain. You can choose from tacos, burritos, etc. Toby and I both got the vegetarian black bean soft corn tacos which comes with guacomole, salsa etc. The bill come to $10.75 which was another cheap lunch option. Although next time I might also get some corn chips and guacamole as well since we were still slightly hungry.


By this stage, my cold had taken full form and I was feeling horrible, so I sadly skipped going to MOMA with Matt and Jess and went home to lay down. Toby very kindly got us some take away for dinner from Souen Noodle Restaurant which is a sister store to the souen we previously blogged about. Toby thinks that that they had even more gluten free and vegan options at this branch. He got me the gf pad thai and teriyaki vegetable stir fry with brown rice. Both were delicious, although not quite as large as the dishes we previously had at souen.
 

Fingers crossed my cold goes away soon, it's so frustrating being sick on holiday!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

NYC Day 7: Tribecca Taco Truck, Babycakes and Candle 79

We have been spenting a fair amount of money here, more than we anticipated, so it was time to start looking at cheaper options, particuarly since we had a fancy dinner booked last night. We have started eating cereal at home and yesterday we decided to try tacos from the Tribecca Taco truck. The truck moves around a little but we found it on broadway near prince st. You can always check their twitter page for info. Matt and Jess had already tried the meat tacos and said that they were good. We weren't sure if they could be made vegan or gluten free but lined up and asked. The guy was really nice and explained that the beans, tofu, catcus options, avocado crema were all vegan but they they use the same grill to cook the meat as they do the tofu and he agreed to quickly clean it for us. So honest and generous given the large line. Toby got a wheaty burrito with tofu and avocady crema and I got two tacos, one with catcus filling and one with chipotle marinated tofu. I chose two sauces: the avocado crema and salsa verde. The filling was wrapped around two soft corn taco shells, which seems to be a common thing here. I think it helped prevent breaking to have 2 instead of 1. The fillings and sauces were great and for $3 per taco so Toby and I have decided we will try to go back.

We also visited babycakes again and this time I got some inside shots for Jo and anyone else who is interested, the white writing means gluten free:

 This time I got the chocolate crumb cake and maple glazed donut. I've never had a maple glazed donut before so have nothing to compare it to, but maple glaze and donuts are made for each other. I loved the donut but found that once again I could barely finish the chocolate cake. It was too sweet particularly after eating a donut. The texture was a bit like a brownie. I've been surprised by babycakes, i've heard mixed reviews but have really enjoyed everything I have tasted, it's just been a case of not being able to finish too many sugary things. I also got an agave lemonade which was refreshing



For dinner, we had booked to go to pure food and wine but arrived at the time of our booking and discovered that they had been closed down by the health department 40 minutes prior to our booking:

So we booked to go to candle 79. I discovered when we arrived that they have a gluten free menu, i've noticed a few places here that do that instead of marking what is gluten free they have a separate menu:

We were served some complimentary sushi:

 We got to sit in booths which was pretty cool and comforting after another day of walking around:

For entree: I ordered the smoked hummus with gluten free crackers, olives and roasted garlic. I have to admit that I chose this because I felt myself getting sick and thought the garlic might help but it was actually really really delicious. I've tried to make smoked dips before they have never come close to tasting as good as this. The garlic, dip and roasted pepper paired so well together too.


Toby ordered the tempeh tamale which comes with watermelon salsa and rice. Toby thought this was a bit underwhelming and was disappointed that it was a rice dish instead of corn based.

I ordered the bail pinenut tofu which was served with lentils, and quinoa-vegetables. The basil pineut pesto was amazing and I really loved my dish.

Toby was a bit disappointed that we paid so much money and there was a few issues with the service, he ordered chai and they didn't bring out any sweetener or soymilk, and so he had to try to grab the waiters attention and then he did bring it out but they forgot to bring a teaspoon. Toby gave up and ended up using the back of the fork to stir it. It was a shame because the rest of the service was excellent.

We have been spenting a fair amount of money here, more than we anticipated, so it was time to start looking at cheaper options, particuarly since we had a fancy dinner booked last night. We have started eating cereal at home and yesterday we decided to try tacos from the Tribecca Taco truck. The truck moves around a little but we found it on broadway near prince st. You can always check their twitter page for info. Matt and Jess had already tried the meat tacos and said that they were good. We weren't sure if they could be made vegan or gluten free but lined up and asked. The guy was really nice and explained that the beans, tofu, catcus options, avocado crema were all vegan but they they use the same grill to cook the meat as they do the tofu and he agreed to quickly clean it for us. So honest and generous given the large line. Toby got a wheaty burrito with tofu and avocady crema and I got two tacos, one with catcus filling and one with chipotle marinated tofu. I chose two sauces: the avocado crema and salsa verde. The filling was wrapped around two soft corn taco shells, which seems to be a common thing here. I think it helped prevent breaking to have 2 instead of 1. The fillings and sauces were great and for $3 per taco so Toby and I have decided we will try to go back.

We also visited babycakes again and this time I got some inside shots for Jo and anyone else who is interested, the white writing means gluten free:

 This time I got the chocolate crumb cake and maple glazed donut. I've never had a maple glazed donut before so have nothing to compare it to, but maple glaze and donuts are made for each other. I loved the donut but found that once again I could barely finish the chocolate cake. It was too sweet particularly after eating a donut. The texture was a bit like a brownie. I've been surprised by babycakes, i've heard mixed reviews but have really enjoyed everything I have tasted, it's just been a case of not being able to finish too many sugary things. I also got an agave lemonade which was refreshing



For dinner, we had booked to go to pure food and wine but arrived at the time of our booking and discovered that they had been closed down by the health department 40 minutes prior to our booking:

So we booked to go to candle 79. I discovered when we arrived that they have a gluten free menu, i've noticed a few places here that do that instead of marking what is gluten free they have a separate menu:

We were served some complimentary sushi:

 We got to sit in booths which was pretty cool and comforting after another day of walking around:

For entree: I ordered the smoked hummus with gluten free crackers, olives and roasted garlic. I have to admit that I chose this because I felt myself getting sick and thought the garlic might help but it was actually really really delicious. I've tried to make smoked dips before they have never come close to tasting as good as this. The garlic, dip and roasted pepper paired so well together too.


Toby ordered the tempeh tamale which comes with watermelon salsa and rice. Toby thought this was a bit underwhelming and was disappointed that it was a rice dish instead of corn based.

I ordered the bail pinenut tofu which was served with lentils, and quinoa-vegetables. The basil pineut pesto was amazing and I really loved my dish.

Toby was a bit disappointed that we paid so much money and there was a few issues with the service, he ordered chai and they didn't bring out any sweetener or soymilk, and so he had to try to grab the waiters attention and then he did bring it out but they forgot to bring a teaspoon. Toby gave up and ended up using the back of the fork to stir it. It was a shame because the rest of the service was excellent.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

NYC Day 6: Souen and Hangawi

K and I decided to eat heathier for a change yesterday so we went to Souen in SOHO.  Souen is a vegan-friendly omni macrobiotic traditional resturant.  The waitress was very helpful and explained which vegan dishes can be made gluten-free.  

We have Hoso Maki Vegetarian Sushi ($4.5, we chose baked tofu and burdock for filling) and Summer Rolls (carrot, cucumber, burdock, mint and basil in rice paper, $6.5) as starters.  The sushi was very nice, K loved it even she isn't a big fan of Sushi. The summer Rolls were pretty good too. We both loved the tamari seasame dipping sauce.

 

For main, I ordered a traditional soup noodle and K ordered Tofu Steak with Teriyaki Sauce (12.00).  It was a generous size and was pretty yummy and healthy too!

K, myself and the gang went to Broadway to see the Tony Award winning musical The Book Of Moron, bought to you by the creator of South Park and Avenue Q, it was hilarious!

After broadway, we went to the  top of the Empire State Building.The security process was a lot like going on an international flight and there was quite a long wait to get up there but it was worth it for the magnificant views:

So we decided to go to somewhere close by.  We took a certain ex-vegan New York girl's advice and went to HanGawi for dinner.  HanGawi is a Vegetarian Korean resturant and they have a gluten-free menu. Make sure your feet are not smelly because you will need to take off your shoes!

We started with black seasame porriage ($5) and Sweet and Sour Tofu Balls ($12). I highly recommend the porriage and we both loved the Tofu Balls skewers. 

We had the Kale pancake ($15) and the avocado stone bowl rice ($20) for main.  K was very happy with the gluten-free vegan Korean Pancake.  The stone bowl rice was sensational.  I loved the gluten-free miso sauce a lot.

Souen Soho

210 Sixth Ave at Prince St
New York, NY 10014

HanGawi
12 East 32nd Street
New York, NY 10016

K and I decided to eat heathier for a change yesterday so we went to Souen in SOHO.  Souen is a vegan-friendly omni macrobiotic traditional resturant.  The waitress was very helpful and explained which vegan dishes can be made gluten-free.  

We have Hoso Maki Vegetarian Sushi ($4.5, we chose baked tofu and burdock for filling) and Summer Rolls (carrot, cucumber, burdock, mint and basil in rice paper, $6.5) as starters.  The sushi was very nice, K loved it even she isn't a big fan of Sushi. The summer Rolls were pretty good too. We both loved the tamari seasame dipping sauce.

 

For main, I ordered a traditional soup noodle and K ordered Tofu Steak with Teriyaki Sauce (12.00).  It was a generous size and was pretty yummy and healthy too!

K, myself and the gang went to Broadway to see the Tony Award winning musical The Book Of Moron, bought to you by the creator of South Park and Avenue Q, it was hilarious!

After broadway, we went to the  top of the Empire State Building.The security process was a lot like going on an international flight and there was quite a long wait to get up there but it was worth it for the magnificant views:

So we decided to go to somewhere close by.  We took a certain ex-vegan New York girl's advice and went to HanGawi for dinner.  HanGawi is a Vegetarian Korean resturant and they have a gluten-free menu. Make sure your feet are not smelly because you will need to take off your shoes!

We started with black seasame porriage ($5) and Sweet and Sour Tofu Balls ($12). I highly recommend the porriage and we both loved the Tofu Balls skewers. 

We had the Kale pancake ($15) and the avocado stone bowl rice ($20) for main.  K was very happy with the gluten-free vegan Korean Pancake.  The stone bowl rice was sensational.  I loved the gluten-free miso sauce a lot.

Souen Soho

210 Sixth Ave at Prince St
New York, NY 10014

HanGawi
12 East 32nd Street
New York, NY 10016

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

NYC Day 5: Roots, Cowgirl's Baking, Stogo and Pala Pizza

Toby insisted on taking the hip hop hour walking tour in Harlem and despite not being into hip hop I went along with him. It was surprisingly interesting, particularly the graffiti and seeing the gorgeous old buildings in Harlem which really surprised me.

Afterwards we went to Strictly Roots- a small vegetarian restaurant in Harlem, you could order off the menu or make up a meal from the ready made dishes for $5.95, we chose to do this. Unfortunately we didn't realise that it cost more if you could more than 4 dishes, so it ended up costing us $27 between the two of us. The woman was quite knowledgeable about gf stuff and informed me that the plantains were cooked in the same oil as the fried tofu which was coated in flour so I shouldn't order them. Here is my meal plate which included beans and rice, greens, BBQ mock chicken, scrambled tofu and pumpkin. I loved the BBQ mock chicken and the scrambled tofu. I also got some yummy blueberry ice cream for $2.50.


On the way to stogo, we come across a small vegan bakery called Cowgirl's Baking and discovered that it was vegan. We went in and they explained that a few varieties of gluten free cupcakes but only had one gf cupcake left so I had to order it. It was also Taco Tuesday so Tacos were $2 each so we also got one each. I got a bean taco (the only gf variety) and  Toby got a chorizo one. The bean one was fine but I think i'm starting to dislike daiya cheese, it's got a bit of weird butter type flavour which is too strong in my opinion. The vanilla cupcake had a great texture and taste, but I think it had too much frosting which I think is an American thing.


I was still curious about Stogo, so we walked the short distance just to look at the store but then I went in and asked about their gf flavours of ice cream and they explained that the whole store is gf and vegan!!!! Stogo is an ice cream store which also sells some baked goods from baby cakes and some raw chocolates. I couldn't resist ordering their choc chip cookie flavour ice cream and their chocolate brownie flavour ice cream and Toby agreed to share it with me since I was quite full by this stage. Both flavours were perfect, the choc brownie was rich and I loved the bits of cookie dough in the other flavour. Toby asked which store I preferred between Stogo and Lulas and I explained that they were both equally awesome. But since Stogo also offers ice cream sandwiches with baby cakes cookies, it means that I don't need to decide whether I want baked goods or ice cream because I can have both.




After both desserts, I commented on facebook that NY had so many amazing desserts but the savoury gf options appeared to be a bit average but that all changed at dinner time when I returned to pala pizza. Here is a picture inside as promised:

For entree we had the crostini, which consisted of gf toast covered in tomatoes, daiya cheese, bechamel sauce and herbs. It was pretty damn tasty.


But this pizza was definitely the star of the show, I forgot the name of the pizza but the toppings were cherry tomatoes, basil, follow your heart cheese, and carmelised onions on their gf pizza base. The base was so so so so so wonderful, it was slightly crunchy at the crust and spongy throughout the rest, it was so fantastic that I had to check with the waiter that it was gf and it was. I declared to Toby that it was by far the best gf pizza I have ever had but was also quite possibly the best pizza (gluteny, non vegan etc) I have ever had. Unlike daiya follow your heart had a much more subtle flavour which I prefer too. I still can't believe that a regular pizza places does such amazing gf and vegan pizzas, Pala I frigging love you!

Toby insisted on taking the hip hop hour walking tour in Harlem and despite not being into hip hop I went along with him. It was surprisingly interesting, particularly the graffiti and seeing the gorgeous old buildings in Harlem which really surprised me.

Afterwards we went to Strictly Roots- a small vegetarian restaurant in Harlem, you could order off the menu or make up a meal from the ready made dishes for $5.95, we chose to do this. Unfortunately we didn't realise that it cost more if you could more than 4 dishes, so it ended up costing us $27 between the two of us. The woman was quite knowledgeable about gf stuff and informed me that the plantains were cooked in the same oil as the fried tofu which was coated in flour so I shouldn't order them. Here is my meal plate which included beans and rice, greens, BBQ mock chicken, scrambled tofu and pumpkin. I loved the BBQ mock chicken and the scrambled tofu. I also got some yummy blueberry ice cream for $2.50.


On the way to stogo, we come across a small vegan bakery called Cowgirl's Baking and discovered that it was vegan. We went in and they explained that a few varieties of gluten free cupcakes but only had one gf cupcake left so I had to order it. It was also Taco Tuesday so Tacos were $2 each so we also got one each. I got a bean taco (the only gf variety) and  Toby got a chorizo one. The bean one was fine but I think i'm starting to dislike daiya cheese, it's got a bit of weird butter type flavour which is too strong in my opinion. The vanilla cupcake had a great texture and taste, but I think it had too much frosting which I think is an American thing.


I was still curious about Stogo, so we walked the short distance just to look at the store but then I went in and asked about their gf flavours of ice cream and they explained that the whole store is gf and vegan!!!! Stogo is an ice cream store which also sells some baked goods from baby cakes and some raw chocolates. I couldn't resist ordering their choc chip cookie flavour ice cream and their chocolate brownie flavour ice cream and Toby agreed to share it with me since I was quite full by this stage. Both flavours were perfect, the choc brownie was rich and I loved the bits of cookie dough in the other flavour. Toby asked which store I preferred between Stogo and Lulas and I explained that they were both equally awesome. But since Stogo also offers ice cream sandwiches with baby cakes cookies, it means that I don't need to decide whether I want baked goods or ice cream because I can have both.




After both desserts, I commented on facebook that NY had so many amazing desserts but the savoury gf options appeared to be a bit average but that all changed at dinner time when I returned to pala pizza. Here is a picture inside as promised:

For entree we had the crostini, which consisted of gf toast covered in tomatoes, daiya cheese, bechamel sauce and herbs. It was pretty damn tasty.


But this pizza was definitely the star of the show, I forgot the name of the pizza but the toppings were cherry tomatoes, basil, follow your heart cheese, and carmelised onions on their gf pizza base. The base was so so so so so wonderful, it was slightly crunchy at the crust and spongy throughout the rest, it was so fantastic that I had to check with the waiter that it was gf and it was. I declared to Toby that it was by far the best gf pizza I have ever had but was also quite possibly the best pizza (gluteny, non vegan etc) I have ever had. Unlike daiya follow your heart had a much more subtle flavour which I prefer too. I still can't believe that a regular pizza places does such amazing gf and vegan pizzas, Pala I frigging love you!

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