New York City is bustling with the plant-based movement, and Beyond Sushi is truly spearheading much of it. It took me one visit to see for myself exactly why that is the case.
This beautiful, modern twist on sustainable comfort food is just a 5 minute stroll from NYC’s Pennsylvania Station, and 7 minutes on foot to Bryant Park, which is known as “Manhattan’s Town Square”.
While spending an adventurous afternoon in NYC on a cloudy Sunday in July a week or so ago, I knew that the highest priority on my must-do list was exploring vegan restaurants. After some researching, I landed on Beyond Sushi, seeing its sparkling reviews and a menu I drooled over, stuffed with divine dishes.
Our appetizer of Ginger “Beef” Dumplings was truly one of the best starter plates to grace my taste buds. The “beef” was the incredible Impossible Meat, my favorite beef substitute in the market today, not only for its irresistible uncanny-to-beef flavor, but the way it is packed with nutrition. The ginger flavor did not overtake the entire dish, rather, it was a delicate hint. The dumplings were a soft, melt-in-mouth moment that tickled my taste buds with ten different flavors in unison. Powerful, tangy chili oil glazed the dumplings, crisp scallions introduced a cool, fresh relief, sesame seeds made for a creative addition, and of course garlic topped off the delectable dish.
Moving down the menu, the Fried Chick’n Bao features a buttermilk fried chick’n patty tucked into a soft white bun, covered daintily with finely chopped scallions, purple onions, and a fiery red chili. Sweetness served as the base flavor, infused with mouth-watering chili spice, and the bite was perfectly tamed by the doughy bread and buttermilk plant-meat.
The Glazed Impossible Meatballs were a mega favorite. These 100% vegan meatballs made with Impossible Meat sat on a fluffy bed of sushi rice. Powerful sensations of sweet, spicy, and tangy complimented each other harmoniously, and the dish was drizzled with soy sauce, then sprinkled with sesame seeds, crushed red chili, and fresh scallions. It made for a mesmerizing and very fulfilling experience that I wish I could hit the ‘do-over’ button on.
Up next: Beyond Sushi featured my most favorite buffalo cauliflower wings yet! You have the choice of either Sriracha Buffalo or Sweet Chili sauce to dress your wings. Though it was a tough choice, I went classic with the Sriracha Buffalo sauce. The crispy cauliflower was perfectly fried and the addition of sesame seeds (seeming to be a classic topping for this innovative sushi-and-more stop) made these ‘beyond’ wings for sure.
Much of the “fish” on their menu was made with various colorful fruits! For instance, jackfruit made for an incredible substitute for spicy crab. Tofu is also seen as a meat-subber in rolls like the Mighty Mushroom, under ‘Signature Rolls’.
Beyond Sushi put an ingenious spin on my most favorite foods and I’m grateful a bite or two (or thirty) from there was how I began my day in the City. It feels refreshing to see more fully vegan restaurants like this one pop up here and there. I love getting to see people’s surprised faces when they taste how incredible food can still be if you skip out on the cruelty and relish in the flavor.
