Taipei, Taiwan: Yu Shan Ge; restaurant review

Yu Shan Ge in Taipei

1F, No. 14, Beiping E Rd, 02-2394-5155. 

Beautifully appointed and decorated, upscale Yu Shan Ge restaurant aims for perfection in serving an accomplished and lovely vegetarian Kaiseki Cuisine.  Dairy and egg products can be eliminated upon request.  Black satin tablecloths and matching bibs are provided, probably because the well-to-do people who come here want to protect their expensive clothes.  Presentations are stellar, with some items being enhanced by flowers, plants, or burl-wood platters.  

ordering from menu at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

In the interest of good health, no alcohol is served.  For my drink, I chose orange juice.

orange juice at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

My set meal, which cost approximately US$65 and included nine courses,

menu at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

began with a finger bowl that looked good enough to eat,

finger bowl at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

and continued with:
1-creamy chestnut and red dates soup with truffle

chestnut-red dates soup at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

chestnut-red dates soup at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

2-elaborate cold appetizer plate decorated with konjac sashimi, yam, perilla, gingko berries, and various vegetable delicacies

appetizer plate at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

3-white sesame cashew balls with crispy lotus root batter

white sesame cashew balls at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

4-stewed green bamboo horn covered in miso sauce and fresh pine nuts

green bamboo horn at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

5-cup of vintage rice drinking vinegar mixed with herbs and red date

rice drinking vinegar at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

6-hericium mushroom filet (grilled, then baked) served with curry sauce, fresh seasonal vegetables, and boiled corn

hericium mushroom filet at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

7-rice ball with red yeast

hericium mushroom filet at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

8-herbal soup broth with fresh mushrooms, bamboo sprouts, and red dates

herbal soup broth at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

9-dessert with fresh fruit

dessert with fresh fruit at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

Someone in my group commented about how we were served too much food.  I felt we were presented just the right amount and was impressed that such a refined vegetarian meal could be so filling, especially with no bread or alcohol.  Overall, this was a divine dinner in lovely surroundings. 

decor at Yu Shan Ge in Taipei, Taiwan

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

NYC: Buddha Bodai One Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant; restaurant review

Buddha Bodai One Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant  

5 Mott St., Chinatown, (212) 566-8388.  Daily 10:00am-9:30pm; $. 

In addition to being kosher and vegetarian, Buddha Bodai One Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant uses no MSG and is very vegan.  It is a small restaurant with a large following, and so usually there is a wait.  I ventured here on Christmas Day, so wait we did.

waiting outside at Buddha Bodai One Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant
in NYC

packed interior at Buddha Bodai One Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant
in NYC

Finally seated, we ordered a head-spinning array of dim sum dishes.  Everything we selected was delicious, and nothing was left over.  Our hands-down favorite was the barbecue pork, which tasted so good and so meaty in texture that I was sure something hard I crunched down on was a bone.  Of course it wasn’t, but I still wonder WHAT was it?  Our tab for four adults and a child came to just over $50; it was so reasonable that we didn’t bother double-checking it, which we usually do.

vegetarian barbecue pork at Buddha Bodai One Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant
in NYC

fried taro custard at Buddha Bodai One Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant in NYC

rice roll at Buddha Bodai One Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant in NYC

sticky rice in bamboo leaves at Buddha Bodai One Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant
in NYC

fried greed peppers stuffed with veggie meat 
at Buddha Bodai One Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant in NYC

chow fun noodles at Buddha Bodai One Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant in NYC

child digs in with chopsticks at
Buddha Bodai One Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant in NYC

And the clientele is almost as wonderful as the food.  A nearby couple who were finished and leaving stopped by our table and offered our group a neck massage with one of those roller massagers.  It was a surprising, fun, and satisfying encounter with “real” New Yorkers.

diners at Buddha Bodai One Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant
in NYC

In fact, everyone in the restaurant rolled into a festive mood once they were fed.  Outside, when leaving, we were approached by another local character who was with a group waiting in line down the street.  He wanted to know what we thought of our dim sum brunch and we were happy to tell him.  He walked off considering jumping ship and bringing his group to Buddha Bodai.  



Dim sum photo gallery.   

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
updated 12-26-20

NYC--Queens--Jackson Heights: Rajbhog; restaurant review

Rajbhog  

72-27 37th Ave., (718) 458-8512.

Rajbhog Indian restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY

This simple spot specializes in gourmet vegetarian-vegan-Jain-kosher dishes and serves up a delicious lunch buffet that is served from behind the counter.

buffet at Rajbhog Indian restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY

At Rajbhog you select several items, which are spooned into individual serving dishes, and then take them on a tray to a table.  Sharing allows tasting many items.  A tasty spiced mango lassi is available, and an exotic Bombay-style vegetable burger is also an option.  My favorites were the samosa and an eggplant dish.  A selection of sweets are available and included with some meal packages.

sweets case at Rajbhog Indian restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY

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images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
updated 7-7-15

NYC--Queens--Flushing: Happy Buddha; restaurant review

Happy Buddha  

135-37 37th Ave., Flushing, (718) 358-0079.  L-D daily; $. 

With a simple, clean interior, and an all-vegetarian and kosher menu, pleasant Happy Buddha pleases with an amazing dim sum menu and extensive general menu.  We tried almost half the dim sum offerings, and there wasn’t a dud in the bunch.  Our list included:

hot & sour soup at Happy Buddha in Flushing, Queens, New York

Indian Bread with curry potato sauce at Happy Buddha
in Flushing, Queens, New York

steamed sicky rice Shiu Mai at Happy Buddha in Flushing, Queens, New York

sweet tapioca dumplings at Happy Buddha in Flushing, Queens, New York

fried taro custard at Happy Buddha in Flushing, Queens, New York

sesame rice roll at Happy Buddha in Flushing, Queens, New York

vege roast pork bun at Happy Buddha in Flushing, Queens, New York

spinach rice roll at Happy Buddha in Flushing, Queens, New York

I can’t wait to return.




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image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

NYC--Queens--Jackson Heights: Dosa Delight; restaurant review

Dosa Delight  

35-66 73rd St., Jackson Heights, (718) 397-1000.  L-D daily; $. 

mysore dosa at Dosa Delight in Jackson Heights, Queens, NYC

Catering to vegetarian, vegan, and kosher diets, this clean, bright spot serves up some exotic delights.  The mysore dosa at Dosa Delight is folded into a triangle and layered with hot chutney then stuffed with a tasty potato mix.  If you want less spicy, get a masala dosa.  I particularly like the spicy Pondicherry dosa stuffed with spicy potato mix that is served cut in three pieces, and many other varieties are on the menu.  Dosas come with a cup of sambar soup and a really good coconut chutney.  More items I especially like include chole puri (two small, deep-fried puffy breads along with garbanzo bean stew) and deep-fried samosas stuffed with a spicy potato and green pea mix.




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image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Eastern Galilee, Israel: breakfast buffet at Hotel Mitzpe HaYamim, Israel; hotel review

Hotel Mitzpe HaYamim  

In Rosh Pina, (+) 972-4-6994555. 99 rooms. No children under 10. Indoor pool; outdoor & indoor hot tub; fitness room; dry & wet sauna; health spa; 1 tennis court. 

breakfast buffet at Hotel Mitzpe HaYamim in Eastern Galilee, Israel

In the Upper Galilee at the foot of Mount Canaan, near the artist village Rosh Pina and the Kabbalah city of Sefad (and rumored to have hosted celebrity Madonna), the romantic Hotel Mitzpe HaYamim resort/health retreat is spread over 37 acres. It opened in 1968, when this property was mostly barren, hot, and dry desert, but is now lush, like an oasis, and features fragrant gardens, walking paths, and ponds. It is well-known for its organic fruit and vegetable gardens as well as an organic dairy farm with herds of sheep, goats, cows, and chickens. Because the soil is considered sacred, no one poisons it with pesticides. Rock mounds in the vegetable garden attract and protect insect eaters. The 30-acre organic farm grows 100 different vegetables and 70 kinds of fruit, and in spring there is an amazing bloom of wild flowers. The owner works twice a day in the fields just because he enjoys doing so.

Each guest room here has a unique decor, heavy on English style. Mine had a large bathroom with vintage white marble floors, a pull-chain toilet and pedestal sink, and an oversize whirlpool tub with separate glass-walled shower. Furniture included a desk and armoire, and the bed faced an upper wall of windows that looked out into trees and over a duck-pond below. Guest rooms are spread between the main building and four other stone buildings. Oriental rugs and charm reign throughout, and a central atrium holds a 7-story-tall Washington palm tree that hugs the ceiling (it is NOT dead). One person I chatted with said, “I come for the silence.” 

The freezer-less Vegetarian Restaurant serves everything fresh, including fish from the Sea of Galilee, while Muscat Restaurant offers refined dining and menu items such as beetroot ravioli filled with goat cheese and hazel nut oil, and organic duck with pomegranate-caramel sauce with five passion spices and organic vegetables. The morning breakfast buffet is beautiful, bountiful, and an organic delight. A daily activity program includes classes and tours—perhaps bread making and a healing workshop or a guided tour of the farm. In addition to hundreds of cows, the hotel has 200 goats and 100 sheep. View my video of the baby goats:

The hotel has been leading the trend of ecotourism and sustainability here for almost 40 years. A house bakery makes everything fresh daily, and the dairy provides all the organic dairy foods and some meats.




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image and videos c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Santa Monica, California: Real Food Daily (CLOSED); restaurant review

Real Food Daily  

CLOSED AT THIS LOCATION  514 Santa Monica Blvd./5th St., (310) 451-7544. L-D daily, SunBr; $$.

The all-organic vegan menu here features items made from fresh vegetables, whole grains, and soy products. Cooking is done in stainless steel with filtered water. Opt for a familiar salad, or venture into the section of the menu offering Salisbury seitan and a tempeh Reuben sandwich. Create-your-own-bowls--with choice of veggies, beans and grains, and plant proteins—are also a good bet. And keep your eyes open for celebs; many are vegans.


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NYC: Yonah Schimmel; restaurant review

Yonah Schimmel

137 E. Houston St./Eldridge St., Lower East Side, (212) 477-2858.

Yonah Schimmel knish shop hasn’t changed a bit since it opened in 1910--the knishes were sold from a push cart from 1890 to 1910--except maybe for a few newfangled electric appliances. The shop even has its original dumb waiter. All of the heavy, hearty, baseball-size knishes are vegetarian (the traditional potato is a personal favorite) and are still made by hand and baked (never fried) downstairs, as they have been for generations. Consider washing one down with a fizzy cherry-lime Ricky, orange cream, or egg cream made--all with authentic old-time soda water. This delish knish shop is in a scene in the Woody Allen movie, “Whatever Works.”

   
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image c2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers