We have been working around the clock twelve to fifteen hours each day since last week. We had our soft open on Wednesday for friends and family. It was nerve wrecking not to have any idea of the menu. We learned as we went along. The next day we were closed and had our one day off. Friday we opened for invited media, instagrammers bloggers etc. and it was a success. A popular vegan food writer came in and gave us a review saying that the food was Michelin star quality and although we were not officially open, it seemed we were opened for years. It certainly didn't feel that way in the kitchen.
One critic said it was one of the best vegan restaurants in the world. We have tried little bites and all of the sauces which are really good. It's a fusion of Japanese and Mexican ending up more Mexican in my opinion, though I am really impressed with the flavors which are well put together by the Mexican chef and also the Mexican owner.
On our one day off last week Marc and I did our usual eating at the park. His parents took a trip to Costco so I quickly whipped up some dips and a salad dressing. Off we went dragging supplies along. We like to enjoy eating without these folks in and out of the kitchen acting stressed out.
For the salad I quickly cooked some rice and cooled it off. I made a peanut dressing to go on the salad.
1/4 cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon minced ginger, 1 teaspoon tamarind paste, 1 teaspoon chili flakes, a small handful of chopped cilantro, 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons tamari, juice of a lime, 2 tablespoons maple syrup. salt to taste.
I saw a nice papaya in the store so from that I decided it would be fruity and nutty salad.
I mixed the rice, papaya, tomato, carrot and onion together with the peanut dressing.
The garden still has some kale in it so I brought that along to add some greens to the salad.
I topped it with nuts and raisins to give it some crunch.
The dips I made at the house were made from chickpeas so I guess you could say they were hummus dips but I didn't call them that since they are very not traditional.
With a can of chickpeas spit in half I first made an herb dip with herbs from the garden, blending it with garlic, lemon juice, sesame paste salt and pepper.
The cherry tomatoes and cucumbers were from the garden so I brought that along.
For the second dip I blended some left over grilled chilies that I had along with the chickpeas, garlic, lime juice, cashews, smoked paprika and salt to taste.
We were in a gluten free mood so we got some rice crackers to add to the dip platters.
Have a good week and thanks for dropping by!