Raw Bento

I’m so used to preparing my own raw food that when someone else does it for me (even when I have to pay them), I feel like a lazy dog lying in warm sunshine on a patio.

On my first day in Manhattan, the non-raw boyfriend and I had brunch at Whole Foods at Union Square on 14th Street.

I had a medley of vegan salads — high raw and very yummy. I can only remember a few of the many I put into my recycled paper bowl: beets and quinoa, sesame seeds and seaweed in Asian dressing, marinated kale salad, vegan ravioli (it was very good) and a bunch of other raw salads. The salad bar in Whole Foods is just a veggie lover’s paradise.

I don’t think this juice is raw but I couldn’t find any so I made do. I read that the Green Machine by Naked Juice is a whopping 280 calories. It was no surprise as there was a long list of sweet fruit, but the spirulina won me over.

My first NYC raw dinner was at Caravan of Dreams because it was round the corner from where I am putting up in the East Village.

I was disappointed that I forgot my camera and my iPhone couldn’t capture good photos in the dimly lit vegan joint. I read excellent reviews of this place but I wasn’t overly impressed with their raw offerings.

The raw root veggie soup was too cold and a tad too sweet for a cold autumn night and their flax crackers were paper thin and tasteless. Though the flavour of their raw spinach quiche was tasty, I felt the mushy at-home type of presentation was disappointing and that went for all of what we ordered — my non-raw companions weren’t too eager when the food arrived.

I ordered the Live Sandwich but it came as an open-faced one and placed slanted on a bed of salad leaves. I expected it to be more sandwich-like: two pieces of flax raw bread with filling and sauce in between. The banana almond butter pie was scrummy but I was so full by then that I couldn’t really enjoy it. In all, I still think the flavours were delicious but the presentation lacked oomph.

Would I go back? Yes, I would because it has a huge cooked and raw vegan menu and the service was great. I must add that their Super Shelley Shake (avocado, spirulina, and other fruit) was extremely mouth-watering and I sucked it down in no time at all. The non-raw boyfriend had a cooked veggie burger and he was surprised at how delish it was.

In the afternoon before dinner while I was wandering up to Madison Square Park, I stopped by One Lucky Duck to grab some raw supplies and the much revered Mallomar. God, it was 5 seconds of raw heaven.

On the next day, I traipsed down to Bonobo’s. It’s a casual deli-style raw takeout place with mainly salads, shakes, and juices. They have a few more “complex” raw items, too, like raw burgers and lasagna. They also have a spacious eat-in area but you have to serve yourself and clear your own tray.

I had to have their Durian Lovers Shake, and my oh my, my tastebuds were ecstatic. You see, being Singaporean, I know the durian very well and pride myself with a discerning palate for exotic fruit from Southeast Asia. Even with such high standards, I was blown away by the high quality of durian used for the shake. It was blended with coconut juice and I could have had two for lunch.

I wish I did because the nori rolls with curry sunflower pate and veggies were a sorry meal. It was dry and the nori chewy. Actually the nori didn’t taste of anything so that was fine but I couldn’t get over how it all felt like saw dust in my mouth. Thank goodness for the durian shake. Am thinking I should drop by at least one more time to savour this rare treat.