“That’s not real meat!” Heidi exclaimed on one of my facebook photos. How she was able to tell from a poorly lit picture of two mock cockfish cakes is beyond my comprehension, but she was right. Maybe she’s a loyal Red Bamboo fan as I’m about to become.
I’ve been here once before with Lisa, who at first pinched her nose at the thought of “fake” meat. Well with the rave reviews this place seems to be getting, it’s no surprise that she quickly changed her mind. Suki felt the same way after lunch there the other week.
The place opens at 12:30pm for lunch but even after 10 minutes of opening, the place quickly started filling up. They have some spectacular lunch specials, all within a $8.89 to $11.95 range. I ended getting the “codfish” cakes, served with a mango chutney sauce and a side salad. Suki got the Tandoori chicken and that came with a soup.
The codfish were surprisingly real tasting even though they’re actually made of soy and stuffed with red/green pepers, oregano, and cilantro. The outside was crispy, but my only complaint was that after awhile (as in when I started on the second codfish cake), the insides start getting really mushy and it just tasted a bit strange. Other than that, the cakes were bursting with these wild flavors that were just plainly delightful. I really like how the mango chutney wasn’t too sweet, but rather tangy, which went really well. Suki said that hers was yummy, but I think that she enjoyed the soup the most above all.
I’d definitely come back to this place again. It’s vegan and cheap. The portion sizes were just right- actually they were a little big, but at least I felt really healthy walking out of that place.
MENU
140 W. 4th St.
New York, NY 10012
Near Sixth Ave. See Map | Subway Directions 
212-260-1212
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- Delivery Available
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- Delivery Payment: $10 minimum
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- Delivery Hours: Mon-Fri, 12:30pm-10:45pm; Sat-Sun, noon-10:45pm
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- Delivery Area: Spring St. to 14th St., Third Ave. to West Side Hwy.
You should also check out:
- La Paella
- Peanut Butter & Company
- The Republic
- Sammy’s Noodle Shop & Grill for a cold wintry day
- Dosas at Hampton Chutney
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I knew because I had just eaten there last summer, and it indeed…was not real meat. I personally was not a fan of the “chicken” I ordered, the texture of which was more like mozzarella sticks than anything else.