GRUB 411:

• QUINTESSENCE: 263 East 10th Street, btwn Avenue A & 1st Ave; 646.654.1823
• Website: www.raw-q.com
• TYPE:  raw vegan (yay!)
• PRICE:  $$$
• NOTES:  They accept Cash, Visa or Mastercard only.  (no Amex)
• OVERVIEW:  Not so much a “restaurant” as much as it is a cafe, Quintessence had some really DELICIOUS savory, flavorful dishes.  Though it was only my first time trying, I loved 2 out of my 3 dishes.  Will definitely be back for more tastes!  They also seem to have a good offering of “ethnic” raw vegan dishes!
• SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥¾ / ♥♥♥♥♥

FULL REVIEW:
For being such a culinary playground, NYC doesn’t have that many dedicated raw vegan restaurants.

Quintessence is not so much a restaurant as it is a CAFÉ.  There aren’t too many seats and it’s a very casual setting.  There were mixed reviews on Yelp, so I didn’t rush over there to try it…but this weekend (on my way over to High Vibe), I decided to treat myself to a very hearty lunch there.
Though I wasn’t thrilled with my app (I think it had more to do with my own bad decision-making), my entree and dessert were HEAVENLY.  So much so, that I wanted to order another entree from them TODAY and have it delivered (unfortunately for me, they refused to go the 4 blocks outside their delivery zone to make my raw vegan lunch dreams come true).
Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised with how they created different textures for their dishes, all the while being 100% raw vegan.  Also, their flavors were out of this world — the Mexican seasoning for my entree was incredibly authentic and savory.  I couldn’t stop eating it!
They seemed to offer more ethnic raw vegan options too!  (Indian, Mexican & a dips platter)
I can’t wait to go back and try more items from the menu.  But will definitely take heed to order wisely!

• Brunch Menu
• Super Foods
• Appetizers
• Soups
• Salads
• Entrées
• Pizzas & Sides
• Lunch Combos
• Shakes & Smoothies, Hot Beverages
• Guiltless Dessert

• SPINACH ONION RAVIOLI WITH PESTO SAUCE: a rich, creamy spinach, onion, walnut & pinenut pate folded in paper-thin turnip skins, topped with pesto sauce, finished with a sprinkle of fresh cracked black peppercorn. It’s my own fault for not reading this carefully, but I guess I was expecting…more.  The Pate was underwhelming – it didn’t have any unique flavor other than “pesto” flavor…which was a little redundant with the pesto sauce drizzled on top.  The turnip skins didn’t make for a good “shell”…overall it seemed like a “lazy” rendition of ravioli. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥

• FOFU RANCHEROS: two soft corn tortillas with fofu, “refried beans”, mole salsa, guacamole and sour crème. HOLY DELICIOUSNESS.  I hasten to say that this is one of the best raw vegan dishes I’ve had to date! (gasp!).  Quintessence created this magical thing called “FOFU” (“faux tofu”) by using cashew nut mylk + irish moss powder.  Irish Moss Powder is basically like a raw vegan version of gelatin, so the Fofu has this lovely creamy whipped egg-white consistency.

←look! it’s FOFU!

• The “refried beans” were magical…next time I go back, I’m going to ask them how they made this.  They were beautifully seasoned with Mexican spices, which contrasted nicely with the house-made guacamole (which was tangy and fresh).  The corn tortillas were a bit soggy, but that’s because they were topped off with all that GOODNESS, but who cares?!  Salad was a nice touch, and the dressing was delicious as well. SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥

• CHIA SEED PUDDING: in Vanilla cashew mylk, topped with walnuts, vanilla cream and fresh seasonal berries. This dish is my ideal dessert all in one.  A) it’s raw vegan — WIN! B) it’s a fruit/cream dessert (I’m admittedly not a big chocolate fan, and one of the things you can eat while raw vegan is raw cacao desserts…which is not a selling point for me).  C)  it has Chia Seeds.

• “Now WTF are Chia Seeds?  Chia as Chia Pet?”  Actually, YES!  Chia seeds hold several times their weight in water, and they also are an excellent source of Omega 3-fatty acids.  When soaked, the seeds become like little beads of tapioca pearls (incredible!), as well as take on a gelatinous texture.  This makes the most fabulous pudding consistency!!  This dessert inspired me so much, I went out and bought my own bag of Chia seeds so I could make this dish again at home!!  SEOULDIVA SAYS: ♥♥♥♥♥ / ♥♥♥♥♥