Culinary Adventure: Jyoti Bihanga

The world of vegetarian cooking is a fairly new concept to me.  Up until a few years ago tofu was just this squishy, white cube of supposed food that would no sooner come near any plate of mine then onions would.  Soy chorizo?  Never heard of it.  Seitan buffalo wings?  What the heck are those?  These foods that are now in regular rotation in my house were completely foreign to me.  But I now love them.  While not a full fledged vegetarian, I am interested in how classic meals are interpreted in a vegetarian style.  So it was with a combination of excitement and fear that I entered Jyoti Bihanga.  The excitement part you probably get, new restaurant experience, eating with friends - totally normal.  But the fear part?  Lets just say that vegetables and I have had a tumultuous relationship that we are only now working on repairing. Even now, several years into my picky eater recovery there are still a multitude of veggies that will not cross my lips.  Bearing in mind that most vegetarian and vegan dishes consist of vegetables mashed up together with some grain product to create something vaguely meat like and you can see where my fear originates.  You just don't know what is in there!  But, having previewed the menu to assure myself that there were at least a few dishes to my liking, I was confident in my abilities to get through the meal without looking like a total vegetarian novice.  (By the way, menu previewing is the main weapon of the picky eater, true foodies go in unarmed.  Check the reviews, leave the menu.  Words to live by.)  And now, let the food adventure begin.

Jyoti Bihanga is a vegetarian restaurant located in the San Diego neighborhood of Normal Heights.  The restaurant has a corner location with only 10-15 tables and it fills up quickly most nights of the week.  The menu consists of vegetarian and vegan versions of your favorite comfort foods.  There are the "chicken" nuggets, neatloaf (they offer both a vegetarian and vegan version without the eggs or cheese) served with mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, and a BBQ Mock Duck Sandwich.  Not surprisingly Jyoti Bihanga also runs a yoga studio down the street.  The vibe is very relaxed, one would say almost zen like.

"Chicken" Nuggets

I started off my meal with the "chicken" nuggets which were served with a homemade BBQ sauce.  Being the chicken connoisseur that I am, you can trust me when I tell you that these were the best "chicken" or chicken nuggets that I have ever tasted.  The texture was so close to being the real thing that I am pretty sure if I put them in front of a strict carnivore they would not be able to tell the difference.  The homemade BBQ sauce was out of this world.  This dish could easily put McDonald's out of the nugget business.

Hummos with Grilled Tortillas

I also tried the homemade vegan hummos  which was served with cucumbers and grilled multi-grain tortillas.  The hummos, clearly made almost immediately before being served was delicious and the tortillas were a perfect compliment.  A nice, light way to start out the meal.

For my main meal I ordered the Vegetarian Reuben.  It was comprised of marinated tempeh, swiss cheese, grilled sauerkraut, red onion, and russian dressing.  Tempeh is a traditional soy product originally from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form, similar to a very firm vegetarian burger patty.  The sandwich was served with a side of mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy.  In the interest of full disclosure I did remove what some may refer to as the key ingredients.  My version had the marinated tempeh with swiss cheese and I added a side of avocado.  I, of course, kept the mashed potatoes and the russian dressing went on the side.  The bread used for this sandwich was a homemade multi-grain that was the most flavorful bread I have had in recent memory.  Despite it being a multi-grain it did not have seedy, dry taste that many associate with this type of carb.  The tempeh was good and paired nicely with the swiss cheese.  I won't go so far as to say that it could be a replacement for corned beef, but if you are a vegetarian and in the mood for a reuben this isn't a bad solution but only if you add back on the other ingredients.  Without them it is just a regular tempeh and swiss sandwich on really good bread.  Sad because I would have really enjoyed finding a good corned beef substitute that could stand on its own.  The mashed potatoes  were an odd pairing with a sandwich but were good none the less.  I'm not sure if my dish was out waiting a bit but by the time it arrived at the table the gravy had congealed a bit but once swirled around was good as new. 

I also sampled the neatloaf.  This was an interesting dish.  The neatloaf was created by combining brown rice, grains, eggs, ricotta cheese, tofu and spices all blended together and baked and topped with a homemade tomato based sauce.  Meatloaf is typically considered to be a heavy meal and this neatloaf is no exception.  While I did not eat a full serving, the bites I did have were very grainy and the neatloaf itself had a very cake-like appearance.  A light snack this dish is not.  Mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy were served on the side.  Two people at my table ordered this entree and neither was able to finish it and the servings were not that large.  Pack your appetite if you are planning to order this one.

A nice cup of Rooibos Madagascar Vanilla Red tea completed my meal.  This tea was light and refreshing with just the right amount of vanilla flavor.  It could be sipped over time without the flavor becoming sickening like some sweet flavored teas.

Overall the meal was quite enjoyable, my favorite part being the "chicken" nuggets; definitely going back for some more of those.  The ambiance is warm, friendly, and relaxing.  You could just as easily come in for a tea and dessert as a full meal and the staff will make you feel welcome regardless of what you order.  Be warned, despite it being a vegetarian restaurant, it will fill you like mom's homecooked comfort food so bring your appetite and your Thanksgiving pants.