We explored the vegan scene in New York City with stops at Franchia Vegan Cafe for stone bowls, Korean donuts at Grace Street, and a walk by the NYC library.
One day while we were in New York, David and I met up with the team behind Kale Crusaders, Meredith and Adam.
Meredith and I have been blogging buddies for a long while but only met in person back in May at Vida Vegan Con. This was my first time meeting Adam, who is such a sweet guy and greeted us with a hug saying, “I feel like I already know you!”
Meredith and Adam recently moved to New York from Boston and were more than happy to play tourists with us for the day.
We all convened at Franchia Vegan Café in Midtown. Meredith and Adam had been there before and loved the place, but this was David and my first time.
The interior was minimalist and airy with an almost spa-like feel.
Steamed buns are always my favorite part of a dim sum spread. So I couldn’t resist starting with Peking buns with mock duck and scallions. (Shown above)
The dough was light and bouncy and the vegan meat inside had a nice savory chew to it. They had a little bit of sweetness along with crisp cucumber and carrot inside.
Before I went to Franchia, I had asked several people for recommendations. The stone bowls got mention after mention.
Bibimbap is a Korean rice dish that comes with various toppings and a choice of sauces. For a dollar more, the dish is served in a piping hot stone bowl.
The bowl continues cooking the rice and makes the rice crusty on the outside. The trick is in the timing. You want to let the rice touch the bowl long enough for it to get a crisp, toasty exterior, but not so long that it becomes burnt.
Any food that touches the edges of the bowl sizzles with heat. It turns the meal into an interactive sport.
David and I both ordered a stone bowl.
I had the Hainan seitan chicken atop brown rice with ginger and pandan leaves. It was served with thinly sliced raw cucumber and carrots along with steamed spinach.
Each bite was a different combination of crunchy, chewy, and soft textures along with a mixture of raw and cooked. It was pretty much my dream bowl.
David had the curry soy chicken with brown rice, carrots, celery, and potato. The full-bodied curry sauce was deliciously creamy.
I have nowhere near tried every vegan restaurant in New York City, but I would say if you only have time for two restaurants – go to Candle 79 and Franchia. (Update: Sadly, Candle 79 has closed.)
Franchia also has a high-end sister restaurant, Hangawi, that I would love to try in the future.
The experience at Franchia has me wanting to learn more about Korean cuisine. This weekend I picked up a container of gochujang (a Korean fermented red pepper paste) at a local market and was delighted to see that they sell stone bowls too. I foresee much food exploration in my future!
After lunch, Adam suggested a place not too far away in Koreatown with Korean donuts called ho-dduk. Obviously, he had to say nothing more than “donuts,” and the answer was an enthusiastic “yes, please.”
Grace Street is a coffee and tea shop with a small menu of desserts. The restaurant itself isn’t a vegan restaurant. But they do offer soy milk for their coffee drinks. And the ho-dduk just so happen to be vegan (as long as you order them without ice cream).
The yeasty donuts are empty inside and filled with molten hot brown sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts. The gooey cinnamon sauce floats inside of it like sticky sweet lava.
The paper packaging warns to be careful. And they aren’t kidding. Some of it dripped onto David’s thumb. And he actually got a blister from it. So tread carefully. Bite off a portion to let it vent and try to be patient (or pour some of the liquid into the little sleeve like I did).
At any rate, this tasty treat is not to be missed if you love hot donuts as much as I do.
We walked around Koreatown afterwards, including a quick whirl around H Mart to do some grocery store exploration. Then we set off for some sightseeing – including the outside of the New York City library, Union Station, and Times Square.
We said our goodbyes to Meredith and Adam and thanked them for a really fun day. There’s nothing like traveling to make you feel that the world is a small place, and there are friends everywhere.
David and I capped the evening with a long walk through Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they were letting out for the night. We planned to spend the next day there.
More on that in the next post, which will be my final one on our trip to New York City! To read about our last day in NYC, check out this post on Peacefood Cafe & Candle Cafe West.
Laura VZ
Thanks for the tip on the Korean donuts! I’m definitely tracking those down next time I’m there. I didn’t know H Marts were in NYC, too. My mom will take a weekend trip to Chicago for the sole (Seoul? haha) purpose of shopping at H Mart. 🙂
Cadry
Oh, how fun! That sounds like a great road trip.
The H-Mart is directly across the street from Grace Street. So you can hit it all in one shot.
lysette
I had an amazing dinner at Franchia back in June. We were soaked from a rain storm walking there but got cozy in the upstairs seating. Ordered the set menu, great way to try various things, the menu is a little overwhelming they offer so much! Did you see the VivaVegie Society pamphlets at the front desk? Super cool! I really enjoyed Sacred Chow and Peacefood on the upper west side as well.
Cadry
I agree! The menu is overwhelming with so many options, especially for someone who comes from a place where vegan restaurants are rare. A set menu is a wise choice for sampling a variety of things. I’ll be writing about Peacefood in my next post! 🙂
Little Vegan Bear
How funny – a vegan men’s uniform 😀 I have had a vegan bibimbap in a stone bowl – it is a lovely experience. I love the look of the little buns especially – I’m a bit obsessed with the soft, pillowy dough.
Cadry
Me too! I saw that there’s a bao recipe in Vegan Eats World, and I’m tempted to overcome my fear of bread-making to try it out!
Veganopoulous
oh wow– I’m also way more interested in Korean food now than I was pre-vegan. We have quite a few places in Melbourne but they don’t seem to have vegan options (surely there’s someone somewhere here)!
Cadry
I hear you! I checked out our local Korean options too, and they don’t look particularly inspiring for vegans, unfortunately. I might give them a call at some point to see what they could do, but for now, I’m going to see what I can manage with cookbooks instead.
Sara Hohn
What a yummy post and trip! You’re hitting all the great spots. I love Franchia. And how have I not been to Grace Street?!? Hodduks here I come!
Cadry
Yes, there was no end of delicious food! I can’t wait to go back to Franchia again someday. Enjoy your hot donuts! 😀
Shell
The stone bowls sound like so much fun! I love how you found time for so many fun things during your trip!
Cadry
The stone bowls really did make the meal more fun and interactive. I’m so tempted to go purchase a set of my own!
Bianca
Oh gosh, I love bibimbap! Love it keeps cooking while you’re eating. We have a great divey bibimbap spot in Memphis called Kwik Chek (sounds like a gas station, but it’s more of a counter service food place with some convenience store items). So good!
Cadry
Oh, you’re lucky to have access to bibimbap! Since I’ve returned from vacation, I’ve found one place locally that sells it, but it’s in a mall and the menu doesn’t look totally inspiring from a vegan perspective. I need to research it some more, though. Maybe they could hook me up.
zsu dever
I love your trip! Helps me to plan mine, if/when I get to go. ALL that food looks so awesome!
Zsu @ Zsu’s Vegan Pantry
Cadry
Thanks, Zsu! I hope you’re able to get there sometime soon. It’s such a wonderful city.
Chris J.
So pleased you made it to Franchia. Went there when we visited form the UK last Easter, and was knocked out by the quality of the food. Only sorry I forgot to tell you about it last year! Sorry!!