Altruistic Monkey: Gobo Restaurant NYC

My friends decided to take me to Gobo in NYC being the token vegetarian around. They'd gone before and really enjoyed it so it was high time I tried it out too. Many years ago, we'd also gone to Angelica Kitchen, but not all of them liked it. I liked it and other friends I dragged there did too but of course it's not for everyone. Ultimately, you can't really compare Gobo and Angelica as they're just completely different takes on vegan/vegetarian food, both of which I enjoy. =9~

Gobo though appeals to more people because it is based around the fake meat idea, but done really well. Over the years, I'd tired of the fake meat products out there whether in the supermarket or in restaurants. The soy protein products out there were just getting worse and worse, saltier and just plain unhealthy for anyone. Even TVP was never my favorite, but it was easy and convenient. I've always preferred seitan which Asians in general have eaten for a long time so it's not concocted in a lab. I've made it at home before!

Anyhow, Gobo was very tasty and the chef balanced the flavors really well to create dishes that never seemed to be "missing" meat. Texture-wise, there was none of that rubbery soy protein stuff either which is supposed to mimic meat. I don't know about you, but I've never eaten rubbery shrimp. Gobo enhances the experience of dining on dishes where vegetables shine like this Salt & Pepper King Oyster Mushroom Fritter. Mushrooms never tasted so good and different!

My impression is that the chef purposely stayed away from soy protein because of many reasons including those I mention above. I don't recall seeing it on the menu. The use of seitan though is far wiser as it is versatile and easily flavored for different dishes. It also does not have that rubbery texture of TVP variants which I think made it easier for the chef to work with for the textural component. I enjoyed everything we ordered except dessert. I think 98% of the menu is vegan while all the desserts are vegan. Because the owner is Taiwanese, many of the dishes have an Asian touch to them. Here is what we dined on: