Yesterday I traveled by bus from Boston to New York City. My intention was to visit NYC for the day on a whirlwind culinary adventure! Since the commute was a mere 4 hours one way, that gave me a total of six hours for my itinerary.

I arrived just in time for lunch. By sheer coincidence, the Fung Wah bus I took happened to arrive in NYC’s Chinatown where I had planned to eat lunch anyway! My restaurant of choice was The Vegetarian Dim Sum House on Pell Street. The menu is vegan, it appears. Now I have eaten there a few times in the past. As far as I know, this is the only place in the Northeastern part of the United States where a vegan can have brunch! I decided to take a few photos in this neighborhood. Perpendicular to Pell Street is an alleyway where many action movies are filmed. Diners can select from a lunch menu or the dim sum menu, as this was a Saturday. I decided to have dim sum. I chose monk dumpling, sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves, corn congee soup, and crispy banana rolls. My beverage was a mango juice with tapioca pearls. In the past, I have dined on their lotus root cakes, turnip cakes, and faux shark fin dumplings. The meal was sensational. This was comfort food that is very filling. The price is extremely inexpensive at less than three dollars per item. This restaurant is well worth the one day trip to NYC.

After lunch, it was time for a stroll around Chinatown. I checked out some gift shops, a clothing boutique, and a spice market. Vendors were selling their wares such as jade jewelry, exotic fruits, and New York logo items. I stopped in a reflexology spa to get a foot massage and a Chinese herbal foot soak. While the massage was painful at times, they claim the pressure points actually heal other parts of the body.

As luck would have it, my next destination on my culinary itinerary was just a few blocks away. I arrived at Babycakes Bakery for some vegan treats. I purchased a half dozen vegan cupcakes including red velvet, chocolate, vanilla, banana, and carrot cake. The cupcakes were moist and scrumptious while the frosting was smooth and oh so sweet! I also purchased a cinnamon roll and a scone-like bun filled with strawberry fruit jam. Everything was made with spelt flour. Everything was absolutely delicious!

My next stop was Union Square.
This is in The East Village. I made a stop in Union Square Park. It happened to be World Pillow Fight Day. After watching the participants hit each other with pillows, I headed towards the final stop on my itinerary; the vegan restaurant Angelica’s Kitchen. It is a very earthy place, concerned with health and nutrition. They serve a nice variety of vegan, raw, and macrobiotic items. The beverages run the gamut from living juices to smoothies to herbal teas. I dined on a phyllo pastry filled with butternut squash, lentils, spinach, and peppers covered in a tofu cream, in a sea of red beet sauce. It came with a side of string beans and cauliflower. My beverage was a kukicha root tea. Although I was too stuffed to eat dessert, the menu had a nice selection of desserts including a pumpkin parfait. The dinner was wonderful. In my opinion, this is what true “gourmet” vegan food is. The menu also includes simpler, comfort food items such as an open faced reuben sandwich or a macrobiotic rice, bean, and sea vegetable dish.

My mission was complete. I visited the vegan dim sum place, the vegan bakery, and the vegan restaurant on my NYC itinerary. I could now head home. I got on the bus, content indeed that I visited every place on my itinerary, tried some amazing vegan food, and also had the opportunity to experience life in these New York neighborhoods!