Vegan Rob's

As you likely know, I love my snacks.  I'm an avid snacker.  I have my favorites of course, but I love trying new products.  Which brought me to discover Vegan Rob's, even though I am not vegan.

"Take a deep breath, exhale, focus on the moment and what you are doing for yourself. Feed your inner soul by reducing stress and anxiety with the crunch! Vegan Rob’s® puffs are made with organic sorghum, an environmentally friendly, drought resistant crop. eating our plant- based snacks is better for everyone and supports your compassion for all life."

Vegan Rob's, as you can guess from the name, obviously makes vegan products.  Their goods are also gluten-free, non-GMO, organic, etc.

So what does Vegan Rob's actually make? A not necessarily enticing sounding product line of whole grain sorghum puffs.  They are available in 5 flavors, starting with simple cauliflower or cheddar flavors, and livening up a bit with beet, "dragon", and Bombay flavors.  All use the same base.  I've tried all but the beet and Bombay puffs. 

Cauliflower Puffs (2021).

"Vegan Rob’s® Cauliflower Puffs are delicious, crunchy and so yum!! They are a good source of Vitamin C and an Excellent Source of Thiamin and Riboflavin. Just one bite and you will fall in love!"

The first I tried were the simple cauliflower puffs, a few years ago.  They were actually pretty good.  

Puffy, great crunch. Don't taste odd from sorghum.  Good flavors from onion and garlic seasoning, and some nutritional yeast to make a bit "cheesy".  A nice savory crispy snack.  I found them very munchable, which is important in a snack.

They do not taste like cauliflower however, as the cauliflower is just a powder, so if you wanted something very cauliflower-y, these would not impress.

***, I don't go for r snacks like this often, but they were good for what they were.

Cauliflower Puffs (2024).

I didn't realize I had tasted these before, and tried them again 3 years later, without seeing my notes.  Very interesting to see how differently I felt about them this time.

Well ... um ... these taste healthy.  Perhaps a bit too healthy.  I really do like the puff form factor, and they are crazy crispy, but, the flavor is not one that makes you feel the tiniest bit indulgent (they aren't actually all that healthy, a bag is still 170 calories and 9 grams of fat, so not really any different from actual normal cheese puffs ...).

They taste strongly of what I suppose is sorghum, and are quite savory, with dominant nutritional yeast and garlic/onion/pepper/salt along with the cauliflower powder.  A touch too bitter for me.  They remind me of Hippeas (similar concept, chickpea based, review coming soon), although I like these considerably more.

But if you want to snack and feel a bit healthier, and want something a bit generically savory and a bit bland, they aren't bad tasting.  ***.

Dragon Puffs.

"Vegan Rob’s® Dragon Puffs are so delicious, they will change your life forever! These puffs are made with the finest ingredients including serrano peppers from Mexico. They go from smoky, to spicy, then cool and satisfy that spicy and crunchy desire to feed your inner soul. You're going to wonder how it all happened!"

Next up, take the same puffs, but make them ... DRAGON!  E.g. add some heat!  The puffs looked the same in terms of shape and size, and had the same base savory coating of onion/garlic/salt/nutritional yeast, but, yes, were a brilliant fire-y orange/red (from paprika).  The serrano chili pepper powder did the job well, these had a pretty great kick.

So, great form factor, and hit of intense flavor?  Now we are talking.  While they still do have a somewhat healthy taste to them, these I really do enjoy.  ****.

Update Review: I've found myself reaching for these more and more, and they've really grown on me.  Love the kick and the form factor.

Brussel Sprout Puffs (Discontinued).

A few years ago I also had the brussels sprouts puffs.  They have since been discontinued, which I fully support.

They basically look and taste the same as the others, but even more bitter and healthy. I'm not into nutritional yeast flavor on these.  **.

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Pinklady Cheese Tart

New York City is a great place for many reasons.  The vibe, the culture, etc, etc.  But for me, a big draw is the food.  And in particular, if you know me well, you know desserts factor highly into all decision making for me.  I love plotting out my dessert adventures in general, but in particular when I'm in a city like NY with so many incredible offerings.

My research lead me to discover Pinklady Cheese Tart, a fairly young business, about 4 years old (yup, a pandemic born success story).  The baker started by making just the namesake cheese tarts, but has expanded to include other items like macarons and even yogurt drinks (although you won't find these mentioned on the website).  Reviews are good, and it just kept popping up in my searches, due to also offering basque cheesecake, which I was craving and searching fo.

When I saw the flavor lineup at Pinklady Cheese Tart featured ube in several dishes, it was easy to move it to the top of my priority list of places to try.  I ordered for delivery from DoorDash, which went smoothly.

Tarts

"Our oozy cheese mousse is made with three types of rich cheese and cream with a perfect balance of saltiness and sweetness. As for our crusts, we use double baked method in order to create crispy delicious tartlets."

Pinklady Cheese Tart is known primarily for the cheese tarts.  They are a Japanese style, so quite light, and not super sweet.  They are available in a slew of flavors: original cheese, fruity (blueberry, lemon, strawberry), black sesame, ube cheese, matcha cheese, and chocolate cheese.  

I tried two flavors, and would gladly have either again, but also would love to try more varieties.

2 Tarts. $8.
Black Sesame, Ube.

"Try it when its warm, cold or room temperature for different texture and experience!"

I narrowed my choices down to the my top two picks, which I could get as a pair for $8 (so, $4 each).  You can get 6 for $22 to save a little if you want more.  $4 each seemed quite reasonable.

All use the same style tart shell, a double baked butter shortbread.  It was a sweeter style than I was expecting, definitely sweeter than standard tarts.  Hard style, not a flaky style, not crumbly, quite crisp. It was almost like a sweet sugar cookie (I think this is pâte sucrée?).  It was better than most tart shells (which, you may know, I generally dislike and discard), but I did find it almost too sweet.  *** shell.

I found it interesting that they recommend trying them at 3 different temperatures (chilled from fridge, room temp, or lightly warmed), and of course I wanted to try all the ways.  Chilled from the fridge, the result was like a fluffy cheesecake soufflé if that makes sense, lighter and not dense like traditional cheesecake.  Warm, the filling turned oozing and nearly liquid, a delight in another way entirely.  Room temp was somewhere in-between.  I truly don't know which way I preferred.

Ube.

The ube tart was a stunning (likely unnatural) purple color.  It looked fantastic, both due to the vibrant hue, and the fluffy loft to it.

It was as tasty as it looked.  The filling was light, fluffy, and somewhat oozy (in a good way!), and intensely ube flavored, with a backdrop of the sweet cheese flavor.  Sweet but restrained.  Fantastic texture, fantastic flavor.  As I mentioned above, when chilled, it was more like a very light cheesecake, when room temp it was like a soufflé, and when warm it was akin to a molten lava cake.  

I really enjoyed this filling, and would get it again, but I liked the next one even more.  High ****.

Black Sesame.

The black sesame shared the same pedigree, same textural difference at each temperature, etc.  But the overall experience of eating it was entirely different, as it was less sweet, and very nutty.  The black sesame flavor was really quite intense.  I loved it even more than the ube.  ****+.

I'd like to try pairing one of these side-by-side with the fruity blueberry or strawberry flavors, to create pb&j vibes. 

Basque Burnt Cheesecake

More recently, Pinklady expanded to include cheesecake, if you want something bigger than a tart.  But not just cheesecake, Basque style cheesecake (and interesting choice rather than staying in the Japanese style of a fluffy bouncy cheesecake, or NY-style given the location).  Basque style is more on-trend this year, so, likely a great call, and one I was thrilled to see.  I've been really enjoying Basque cheesecake lately, even the version from Cheesecake Factory truly isn't bad (it is far better than their regular cheesecakes ...). 

Pinklady offers traditional vanilla or ube, both in 4" or 7" varieties.

Ube. 4". $13.50.

"Four inches ube flavor cheesecake. Caramelized burnt top with buttery crust and creamy cheesy center. Serve 2-3 people."

I obviously went for the ube.  I'll admit it didn't look great visually, but, this is to be expected.  It *should* have a dark top, it *should* be sorta sunken, and, since I picked ube, it should have the purple hue that, when dark, yes, looks like this.  I didn't care that looked a bit ugly.  That said, this wasn't a legit traditional Basque cheesecake as it has a crust, which gave me a moment of pause.  True Basque cheesecake doesn't have a crust ...

The size was perfect for sharing, 2 people could feel satisfied given the richness, three I think would only want to share if they also each had a tart (which, is what I'd recommend).  The cheesecakes are also available in a larger size to serve 6-8 people for $39.95.

Ube Cross Section.

I'll start with the only negative aspect: the crust.  Perhaps I was just feeling grumpy about the inclusion of the crust in the first place, and the fact that it made it harder to cut, but, I didn't care for the crust.  It was dry, seemed too dark/burnt on the bottom, and was just not a style that added anything to the dessert.  I felt it really detracted.  Boo to the crust, but, it was easy to avoid.

The body of the cheesecake though was glorious.  As you can see, it was fairly textbook in the nearly liquid oozing center, yet light and fluffy all around it.  Like the tart, it had a strong ube flavor, was sweet but not too sweet, with a strong cheesy backdrop.  The top was dark but didn't really give the caramelized taste I have experienced in other Basque cheesecakes, but that was fine, I'm not sure it would have matched as well with the ube flavor.  **** filling.

Overall, definitely good, and well baked.  I'd like to try the vanilla version too, but do wish it had no crust.  Lower **** because the crust brought it down a bit.

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Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya, NYC

I'm the type of person who always does bring home my leftovers from restaurants.  I actually love repurposing leftovers to create meals that I love at home later.  This applies even when I travel, and hotels by now know that I like to have at least one extra mini fridge and microwave in my room.  I travel with a personal panini press/grill or travel oven.  I'm that kind of person.

So this summer, when I was in New York for a month, I found myself with a bunch of side dish leftover, but no main protein.  Sushi seemed like just the answer: small quantity, just protein, and I could use up the other stuff I had around. 

I have my old favorites for sushi in New York, including Sushi Seki and Nobu if I'm being splurgy, but this time I was looking for somewhere open at lunchtime on a weekend, and neither of those were.  My research lead me to the well regarded Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya (which is not to be confused with Blue Ribbon Sushi - Soho, just a few blocks away, nor Blue Ribbon Brasserie, Blue Ribbon Chicken, Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar, Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill, or others in the same restaurant group).  The group also has location is Miami, LA, Boston, Las Vegas, Nashville, Philly. So, somewhat of a chain, but, not one that felt like it.  They do also have packages available on GoldBelly, which I'll admit was a slight detractment.

I was drawn in by the positive reviews of course, but also the really large assortment of options available for nigiri/sashimi.  They had a large daily specials list with unique items I don't see as often.  And better yet, the prices were quite reasonable (and even more with a $5 off discount on DoorDash).

I ordered on DoorDash for delivery, and my order arrived quickly.  It was well packaged, accurate, and included everything I needed (chopsticks, soy sauce, etc).  I'd gladly order from them again.

3 Pieces Sashimi. $26.73 (including delivery).

I went for a bunch of favorites: uni, crab, and the less common eel, anago.  I opted for sashimi for all, as I'm not really one for rice (yes, this is a very similar trio to my order from Sushi Seki last time I was in NY, with uni, anago, and lobster, just swapping out crab for lobster this time).  I appreciated that I could order each individually, and the prices were really quite reasonable.

The uni and crab came in cucumber cups, the anago just as a slice over some shredded diakon.  Standard ginger and wasabi were plated alongside as well.

California Uni (Sashimi). $11.

To satisfy my uni cravings, I went for the California uni.  Sashimi style, because all I wanted was the uni, no need for rice.  They also offer Hokkaido uni for $18.50.

The uni may have suffered a tiny bit in transit, as the top lobe was a bit no longer intact, but it was still delicious. For nigiri, it is a cucumber cup that is lined with a shiso leaf. I loved the shiso, it went very well with the uni. The uni itself was good, a more mild flavor uni, minimal funk. The portion was really remarkable for the price, I think there might have been five pieces? I'd be curious to do a side-by-side with the more pricey Japanese one, but I was very pleased with this. ****.

Anago (Young Sea Eel) Sashimi $8.

When I was first introduced to sushi I ate a fair amount of unagi, as it was a bit of an easier segue into sushi being fully cooked and covered in bbq sauce.  I still like unagi, but in more recent years, I've definitely become a much bigger fan of anago. I see it rarely on menus, so I was very happy they had it.  I think the last time I had it was about a year prior, from Sushi Seki (where it was excellent).

This piece was ok.  Not very memorable nor flavorful.  A decent sized piece.  I'd probably skip it in the future.  ***.

Kani (Blue Crab) Sashimi. $7.50.

I don't think I've ever seen blue crab on a sushi menu before, so I was very interested to see how they would serve it as nigiri. It was cooked and placed into a cucumber cup, and was a bit of a shredded style, compared to when you get king crab nigiri for example that comes as a solid chunk, which I assume is simply due to the considerably smaller size of the crabs.

It too was just ok, but not particularly flavorful nor memorable.  I have not had all that much blue crab in my life, so maybe that is just how blue crab is?  I live on the West coast, so local dungeness is my common crab, or of course Alaskan king crab if I'm splurging.  I added a little okinomiyaki sauce I had left over which helped, the creaminess from the mayo really added something to it, as it was just pretty bland otherwise.  Another one I'd skip in the future. ***.

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