The rise and fall of famed restaurant establishments is something that has been well documented over the years. Who can forget the former world's best restaurant El Bulli with a dining experience once touted as the Last Supper but eventually closed shop? Good food and service are not enough to sustain a restaurant business. Then we see the likes of P.S. Kitchen, which recently opened in the Theater District in New York imbibing the modern restaurant interior trends of neon lights and marbled tables, pledging to give 100% of its profits to charitable causes.
Yes, you read that right. 100%! Ambitious at it may seem considering that, on average, many new restaurant businesses do not start to turn a profit until the second year of operation. Whether you are ready or not to eat good, feel good and do good altogether, P.S. Kitchen welcomes you with open arms.
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| Are you born ready? |
Ready, Set, Go
P.S. Kitchen burst out of the scene when the Impossible Burger, which is made out of soy, was all the rave. To set itself apart, this establishment serves a vegan burger that is made out of healthier pea protein aptly named as the P.S. Beyond Burger. The Beyond is a home run hit, especially for those craving a taste of meat. Even the non-red meat eater in me is impressed of how much the texture, taste, and smell reflected that of a real corn beef.
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| The Beyond Burger. How I wished the internet and social media would evolve into a medium with smell and taste. A deconstructed photo of this doesn't give it any justice. Just try it for yourself! |
P.S. No juicy blood comes out of the Beyond Burger.
The common ingredients, such as the maitake and seitan, on their lunch menu makes you feel like you're in an Asian restaurant, but these are what makes vegan restaurants tasty and great. The maitake is a type of mushroom commonly found in Japan and provides a full-bodied, meaty texture when chewed on, while seitan is synonymous for wheat gluten.
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| Maitake steam bao. This bao might not have the crispiness of a fried chicken bao, but it has cancer-fighting mushrooms that are dosed with flavorful kimchi, onions and radish. Simple but so delectable. This vegan bao itself could give my favorite, SF-based food truck turned retail cafe, Chairman Bao, a run for its money. |
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| All around the table. Who knew that vegan sandwiches can be so delectable. My favorite among our loot is the Maple Roasted Honeynut Squash Sandwich (on bottom left corner) that is slathered with almond herbed ricotta, pesto and sherry vinaigrette. |
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| This salad might not look as foodtogenic as it seems, but it is not called the Greek Goddess salad for nothing. What makes this bed of kale and arugula special are the crunchy, candied nuts and apples, and herb dressing topped with pickled vegetables. Sweet and savory combined. |
A perfect lunch pick-me-up will not be complete without carefully, crafted cocktails and desserts. If I had more time to spend at P.S. Kitchen, I would have ordered a few more cocktails with intriguing ingredients, such as kalamansi (Filipino lime) and Korean chili. Alas, timelessness is not something I get when in New York, but the Thymeless cocktail surely didn't disappoint. Infused with pomegranate juice and lime, it is the perfect palette cleanser after a round of Truffle fries, sandwiches, burgers and baos.
I didn't want to leave P.S. Kitchen without even trying their dessert. Thus after a cup of matcha latte steamed with soy milk, the deconstructed strawberry shortcake put a big smile on my already-stuffed face.
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| The name "Thymeless" captured my attention and thirsty glands. Gin, pomegranate juice, apple cider, lime, pink peppercorn with fresh thyme. |
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| One cannot go wrong with truffle fries. Photobombed with The Bengal cocktail - noir rum, mango, assam and Jasmine tea, turmeric, orange and Korean chili. |
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| Even though we were running late for another appointment, we still ordered a strawberry shortcake as a dessert. It came surprisingly 'deconstructed', but the punch of fresh strawberries was a good way to end the meal at P.S. Kitchen. |
Disclaimer: The Dot & Pin influencer dream team and I received a complimentary tasting at P.S. Kitchen in exchange for an honest review.
