There are very few places in Miami to grab authentic Indo-Guyanese food, but B&M Market is one of them. B&M Market was opened in by Nafeeza and Sheir Ali in 1980, both from Guyana. While the restaurant specializes in Guyanese roti, you can also find other dishes from the Caribbean. Hence the name, B&M also serves as a marketplace with a plethora of foods from the region.
I visited B&M to try Indo-Guyanese food for the first time and tried roti. Roti is a flatbread dish that originates from India and was brought to the Caribbean in the 19th and 20th centuries by Indian immigrants who moved to places like Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname. These groups created the prominent Indo-Caribbean communities that all over the region. Unlike traditional Indian roti, Indo-Caribbean roti includes filling like chickpeas, pumpkin, other vegetables making it into a street food.
I’ve tried roti before at LC’s Roti Shop, an Indo-Trinidadian located in Miami Gardens, and love is an understatement. Upon trying the roti at B&M, I noticed that the Guyaense roti was on the slimmer side. Very good and spicy! I also tried a spinach patty. While I came mainly for the roti, I have admit the patty was my absolute favorite. I could eat a whole box! B&M was also co-signed by the late chef Anthony Bourdain in 2015 for a CNN special “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” (Season 5, Episode 3).
The service at B&M is superb. Nafeeza and Sheir are present and very warm. Nafeeza cooks the food and Sheir is in the cashier register. Not only would I return here, but I would recommend this place to anyone in or visiting Miami.
There’s a new vegan restaurant on the block in Chicago and I’m so happy about it. For the past couple of years there has been a trend of vegan restaurant closing nationwide. To see a new spot in a major city like Chicago that has a huge vegan community is truly a blessing.
The Green Ape was opened by Chef Bri (Briana) was first opened her first restaurant Tastes of Bri in 2018. She attended Le Cordon Bleu and had used her culinary expertise to create scrumptious plant based meals.
Let’s explore The Green Ape. Located on the busy Milwaukee Street in Wicker Park, you will be greeted with a sign with a green ape holding a green apple. The interior is clean, simple, and gorgeous yet minimalistic with a very spacious layout with an earthy aesthetic.
I started with the Tropical Green Smoothie, a 16oz swirl of spirulina, coconut cream, and fruits like mangoes and pineapples. 10 out of 10. Refreshing and of course fresh as The Green Ape makes all of their smoothies.
For my meal, I ordered the Green Ape Soul Plate which is a rendition of Soul Food, a Black American cuisine, made into a vegan plant based remix. The Soul Plate consists of macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes (aka yams or candied yams), greens and either fried mushrooms or crispy fillet fish made out of heart of palm. I went with the fried mushrooms for the first time.
This plate was phenomenal. The macaroni and cheese tasted just how I make my own, the yams were sweet and delicious, but the star of the show might have been the greens. Never in my life have I tasted such flavorful vegan greens before. They were seasoned to perfection. Everything was seasoned amazingly. I also got a Butterly Pea Flower Tea to go. It was my first time trying this drink and it was sweet, thirst-quenching, and enjoyable.
The Green Ape is on the pricier side with most meals ranging $20+, but well worth it in my opinion. As for the service, it was also standard. Bri herself came out to serve. I am super excited to taste more food from this establishment. No complaints. Check out my video review below:
Happy 2024, everyone! I’m on a mission to check out all the vegan spots in Chicago! On my latest foodventure, I traveled to
The Chicago Diner in the Lakeview/Boystown neighborhood on Halsted street before going to see the long awaited
Black Panther movie ñ
The Chicago Diner has been around since 1983 despite the naysayers informing Mickey Hornick and "Chef Jo" Kaucher that a meat free restaurant would never work. The duo ignored the scoffers and decided to go for a vintage theme mirroring classic diners of past decades and the rest is history. The menu features meatless delights from seitan burgers to vegan pancakes and even has gluten free options on certain dishes.
Upon my visit, the place was packed! Definitely not a slept on restaurant. The wait was about 35 minutes, but honestly the food was definitely worth it (keep in mind this was a fairly warm Saturday night too).
The Truffle Mushroom Lentil Loaf plus a side of Sweet Potato Fries. Great meal and finely seasoned. I'm a big lover of mushrooms and since I've been on my vegetarian turned vegan journey, I've always wanted to have a bite of mushroom loaf in remembrance of my meatloaf eating days.
Chile. This dish broke the mold! When I was a meat eater, I never checked for steak like that, unless it was chopped into a taco. So with that stated, I definitely didn't care for Country Fried Steak. This beautiful dish here is Country Fried Steak made from seitan and my goodness, it was delicious! Drenched in gravy with a side of sauteed veggies and mashed potatoes, this has got to be one of the best vegan dishes (other than my own food!) that I've tasted in months.
I sat at the bar for my dinner, so it definitely gave me a genuine old school feel. Next time, and yes there will be a next time, I definitely want to try some of the desserts!
There are two TCD locations
Rating: 9.5/10
The Chicago Diner is located at 3411 N. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60657 in Lakeview open from 11am-10pm from Mondays to Thursdays, 11am-11pm on Fridays, 10am-11pm on Saturday, and 10am-10pm on Sundays, 773-935-6695
The Chicago Diner is located at 2333 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647 in Logan Square open from 11am-10pm from Mondays to Thursdays, 11am-11pm on Fridays, 10am-11pm on Saturday, and 10am-10pm on Sundays, 773-252-3211
If you ask me about one of my favorite vegan/vegetarian restaurants in Chicago, I would hands down name Majani as one of my top five faves. Majani was founded and owned by husband and wife duo Tsadakeeyah and Nasya Emmanuel and officially opened in their first South Shore location in May 2017. The couple, who are also residents of South Shore, had spent years catering vegetarian food and decided to open up a vegan/vegetarian restaurant in their own backyard. On their website, they stated that they grew tired of having to leave their community in order to enjoy a healthy meal which is why they wanted to open the restaurant in the location.
In an interview with DNA Info, Tsadakeeyah, who grew up in a vegetarian diet based home due to religious beliefs, stated that he had dreams of owning his own restaurant since 2006. He and his wife even hope to expand to Englewood and to the West Side. The food is a mix of soul food, African, and Caribbean influences with a vegan/vegetarian twist and there are even a few gluten free options too. The restaurant still offers their catering services as well.Majani is absolutely lovely inside although the space is a bit small. The place is adorned with modern, industrial design with an exposed brick wall, African printed decoration pieces, including an African print column adjacent to the window, and gorgeous wood tables. There's even a display case full of sweet treats for your post dinner dessert under a chalk board menu.
I started off with a salad (with the restaurant's house made dressing), vegetable soup, and cornbread. And my GAWD. The cornbread was absolutely scrumptious. Since I've gone vegan and gluten free, it's been hard finding soul food style cornbread. It's gluten free and dairy free of course, and tastes just like good ol' Southern hot water cornbread. Honestly, I think this was my absolute favorite dish from the restaurant so far.
For the main course, I feasted on the Eggplant Parmesan dinner (made with cashew cheese if my memory serves me correctly). This meal came with a side of mixed veggies and string beans. On the side. As a side dish, I had the sweet potatoes which came with the restaurant's homemade bbq sauce. A mixture and tangy and sweet and could give Open Pit a run for their money.
The most unique part of the dinner was the vegan hot wings, which is made out of cauliflower. I had always wanted to try these because I've heard many wonderful reviews about this dish. Also smothered in Majani's bbq sauce, I made the decision that this was my next favorite after the cornbread.
It's always a pleasure at Majani. I think Majani is an amazing addition to the South Shore neighborhood so that residents will have better access to healthier options. I'm hoping and praying the couple decides to expand in other underserved areas in the city. Much success and blessings to the Emmanuel family.
Majani is located at 7167 S Exchange Ave, Chicago, IL 60649
One of the best things about being vegan is traveling is hands down trying new restaurants! As a Chicagoan, we are super serious about our food because I mean, we have the best damn cuisine in the country! So it’s always a treat to discover new places and even dishes you’ve never tried before, it’s especially exciting to try these foods in plant based vegan!
On my first trip to Miami I stumbled on a restaurant called SoBe Vegan in Miami Beach. I didn’t get a chance to dine in, only ate via UberEats but I told myself during my next trip to the MIA I would have a sit down and smash. I did exactly that on my most recent trip!
I had a cute brunch from their Breakfast menu, which happens to be an all day thing that I love! I got the Avocado Toast, Bacon Egg & Cheese Sandwich, Tater Tots, and the Chocolate Milkshake. I sat outside at a quaint table with pink pillows that was utterly divine.
Loved everything about SoBe Vegan. Pleasant staff, great location and atmosphere, and delicious food. I miss having a complete breakfast from my pre-vegan days so this was truly a treat. Can’t wait to visit again and try more treats on their menu.
SoBe Vegan is located at 110 Washington Ave # Cu-3, Miami Beach, FL 33139
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