As the sun sets on another ‘crazy-busy’ New York day, my stomach nags: “What are we having for dinner?” After chatting with two friendly, green, feminists at Bluestockings and picking up a few used books, I didn’t have to venture far to satisfy my hunger for some good, healthy vegan food. Fortunately, Tiengarden Vegan Restaurant was conveniently-located right next door to Bluestockings Bookstore on the Lower East Side.
In addition to the fact that it was vegan, I was drawn through their doors by their new clean, contemporary, redesigned interior. What a difference good design makes!
Their Slim, Minimalist Menu Proclaims:
Their Vegetarian Cuisine Philosophy is:
“The Original Diet – Eating the Tao WayThe Chinese vegetarian way of eating is based on five-element theory.
The five major grains are not only of vital importance to the human body,
but can also balance the five elements inside the body.”
Their credo reminded me a lot of my macrobiotic days…in fact, I started having flashbacks to those Michio Kushi conferences. (Remind me to dig out my old macro cookbooks for more insights on this topic.)
Tien Organic Plates of Five
The concept sounded intriguing so I had to try the Tien Plates of Five, which are organic and only served for dinner from 5-10pm.
The cost: $15 each.
Not being very adventurous, I opted for the Tien Plate that was closest to my comfort zone:
Simply Green: Stir-fried seasonal organic vegetables and squashes in basil sauce.
When my meal arrived, I was not disappointed. Of course, I enjoyed the simply-prepared, al dente vegetables in a light basil sauce, but the five-grain rice (brown, black and red sweet rice, with wheat, millet, legumes and sorghum) took my enjoyment to the next level. Delicious!
Other ‘more-exotic’ Tien Plates included:
Black Wisdom: Marinated organic black bean tofu, black wood ear, goji berries, with a side of kale>
The Roots: Lotus root, burdock root, daikon and carrots in a ginger brown sauce.
Spicy Fruit: Crispy wheat gluten nugget, red chili, tomato and mango in orange spicy sauce.
Golden White: Special breaded crispy soy cutlet, oyster mushrooms with a side of nappa salad.
What else looks appealing on the menu?
Magic Square of Nine
A bit like tapas, diners can create a meal by choosing from 9 small plates:
1. Black Bean Salad
2. Five Grains with Kale
3. Oriental Salad
4. Sesame Curry Peanut Noodles
5. Burdock Dumplings
6. Soy Cutlet
7. Crispy Oyster Mushroom
8. Ginger Buckwheat Noodles with Goji berries
9. Crispy Gluten Nuggets
The cost: Any one for $5.50; Any two: $10; Any three: $15
Another custom, low-cost option is …
i Dish
For only $11, you can create your own dish with 4 ingredients (from a selection of vegetables, soy cutlets, vegan ham, mushrooms and lotus root) and 1 sauce of your choice–served with 5 grains rice or noodles. The three sauces to choose from are ginger, curry peanut or Szechuan spicy sauce. The sauce makes the meal! I plan to try each of these sauces in the near future.
Plus…
Veggie burgers, organic vegan shakes and hot and cold beverages round out the rest of the menu.
Fresh, grab and go soups, salads, sandwiches, noodles and beverages greet you near the door:
One pleasant surprise–they even offer organic wines by the bottle, oh my!
Needless to say, I left Tiengarden with my belly full, a smile on my face, and a bounce in my step. Then I crossed Houston Street, and headed up Avenue A to join the sea of quirky downtown dwellers, diners, hawkers and gawkers filling the small cafes, coffee shops and hookah bars of the Lower East Side. What’s a hookah bar, you ask? Well, that’s the subject of my next urban adventure. Stay tuned.
The Essentials
Tiengarden Vegan Restaurant
170 Allen Street
New York, NY 10002
212-982-8216; 212-388-1364
Email: vegan@tiengarden.com
Website: www.tiengarden.com
I loved your post.Thanks Again. Really Great.
I (think) similarly to the significant details you provide inside of your article content. I’ll bookmark your blog site and check again here repeatedly.I’m quite sure I will gain knowledge of quite a bit of latest stuff listed here! High-quality!
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. I am glad you gained some knowledge from this post.
Greetings! Very useful advice in this particular article! It’s the little changes that produce the most important changes. Many thanks for sharing!
I similar to the significant details you provide inside of your article content.I’ll bookmark your blog site and check again here repeatedly.I’m quite sure I will gain knowledge of quite a bit of latest stuff best suited listed here! High-quality luck for that upcoming!
wow, awesome blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Awesome.
Have you ever thought about adding a little bit more than just your articles?
I mean, what you say is valuable and all. But just imagine if you
added some great images or video clips to give your posts more,
“pop”! Your content is excellent but with pics and clips, this blog
could undeniably be one of the best in its field. Great blog!
I need to to thank you for this good read!! I absolutely loved every bit of it. I’ve got you book marked to check out new stuff you post…
I simply want to say I am just new to blogging and site-building and truly enjoyed this web page. Likely I’m want to bookmark your website . You absolutely come with beneficial stories. Appreciate it for sharing your webpage.
I am delighted that you shared your thoughts with us. Thanks a lot. I am thrilled that you are bookmarking my site. Let’s stay in touch. Let me know what other topics you would like to see covered here.
I’m really loving the theme/design of your blog.
My brother suggested I might like this website.
He was entirely right. This post actually made my day.
You can not imagine simply how much time I had spent
for this information! Thanks!
Whoa! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a entirely different topic but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Superb choice of colors!
Thanks a lot.
Nice post. It is stimulating to learn content from different writers and observe one thing from their store. I’d like to use some of the content on my blog whether or not you don’t mind. Natually I’ll give you a link in your web blog. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your supportive comments. I am happy that you would like to link some of my blog content with your blog. Please stay in touch. I look forward to visiting your blog as well.
Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board and I find It truly useful & it helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back and help others like you aided me.
There is certainly a lot to find out about this topic. I like all of the points you’ve made.
Hey, thanks for the article. Much thanks again.
Thanks-a-mundo for the article post.Thanks Again. Awesome.
Awesome. Yourinformation is deep.
I loved your post.Thanks Again. Really Great.
Wow, this piece of writing is nice, my younger sister is analyzing such things, thus I am going to tell her.
Hi there it’s me, I am also visiting this site regularly, this website is actually good and the users are in fact sharing pleasant thoughts.
Thanks for your comments. I appreciate them.
Hey there, You have done an excellent job. I will certainly digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I am confident they will be benefited from this site.
Heya i am for the first time here. I came across this board and I find It really useful & it helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back and aid others like you helped me.