Junnoon

Yesterday we took a trip down the peninsula to meet up with the fam in Palo Alto. Being unfamiliar with the area's restaurants outside of my old fave Zibibbo, I let my sister-in-law pick our dinner destination: Junnoon. I must admit that, after reading through the online menu, I had my concerns about vegan options, but I needn't have worried. Our lovely waitress kindly brought over a menu she personally marked up with all the vegan or veganizable items clearly visible, and there were tons of choices. Being the salad junkie I am, here's where I began:

That is the Water Chestnut and Sweet Potato Salad. So inventive, right? Besides those two unique ingredients, the bowl also included almonds, dried figs, spinach, and a tangy tamarind dressing that was crazy addictive. The only alteration the chef had to make was to remove the drizzle of yogurt that normally sits atop the plate. Really, this was one of the best salads I've had in a while. Soft roasted sweet potatoes and crunchy water chestnuts are best friends. Who knew?

Up next, we shared the Broccoli Shaslik - a dish of broccoli, onions, and peppers cooked with tons of cream cheese. In this case the chef swapped out the cheese for another tamarind preparation, and it was awesome. The broccoli was cooked beautifully and the mint chutney was a great for dipping. Bold flavors here, people, super bold. I loved it!

We also shared the Keema, a more traditional Indian curry (and one of the inherently vegan menu items). However, in a totally untraditional twist, this dish is comprised of soy crumbles and peas. Yes, soy crumbles! Normally this dish is a side order at Junnoon, but we ordered it as an entree and it was so good! It had a rich deep tomato curry flavor and just the right amount of spice. The peas were pop-in-your-mouth perfection. It was perfect with the Roti - their uber-tasty (and warm and chewy and VEGAN!) bread.

Once again I've been impressed by the vegan-awareness at an omni restaurant. Could it be that this vegan thing is really catching on??? Stay tuned for more eats at omni places, and don't forget to check in daily over at Vegan Favorites for our faves of the moment. Have a good week everyone!