Foodspot: Bangkok 54

The week is already half over, and another weekend is around the corner! Also, DC VegFest is this Saturday, so I'm super excited!! But before we get there, here's the first of many foodspottings I'll be doing of the eateries around this DMV (DC/Maryland/Virginia) area and the vegan options that they have.

So weekends = cheat days when the bf and I usually eat out and treat ourselves after a long work week! Last weekend, we decided to go to a really decent Thai place called Bangkok 54 that we visit often enough to know what to order-- I would say this is one of the better options for Thai food around here, and it's got a solid 4 stars on Yelp to prove for itself. It's sort of got this lounge-y feel with a bar to one side, pretty decor with Thai figurines sitting in various spots throughout the restaurant, dim romantic lighting during dinner time, and most importantly, the seating by the walls have these triangle cushions that really help support your back (I'm getting old, darn these lower back problems!). 

Not surprisingly, this place always seems to be busy... like, the-parking-lot-needs-a-middle-aged-man-to-usher-cars-all-the-time kind of busy! It should be noted that the parking lot is fairly small to begin with, but there's still no denying that this place usually has a good crowd. 

Onward to the food, because that's what's important and why we came here! They asked for the drink order first, and while I haven't gotten any drinks from here before, the bf typically indulges in a glass of Singha beer. We then got appetizers: two for us to share, and a small plate of satay chicken skewers for the bf (not pictured). The two shareables were a pair of crispy vegetable spring rolls dipped in a sweet pineapple chili sauce, and a set of summer rolls (that's right people, get it right, there's a difference between spring rolls and summer rolls!) that came out with a peanut sauce on the side. Both were really good, especially the summer rolls that were packed with fresh cucumber and carrot slices, rice vermicelli noodles, lettuce, avocado, and tofu! Tasty and healthy, it made for a pretty solid start.

For the main dishes, the bf went with Chili Basil Fried Rice with chicken and I got the Spicy Mock Duck dish that I've had before. Wait, "mock duck"? What's that, you say? No worries, it's just seitan sauteed in chili garlic sauce with basil. Back up one more time, what's seitan, you ask?

Seitan is wheat meat, and it is given that name because it is made from gluten, which is the main protein of wheat. Most people don't get how this is a meat alternative-- it can be somewhat deceiving because the texture of seitan is actually quite similar to that of actual meat. That's because it is made by washing wheat flour dough with water until all the unwanted starch and sugars are gone, resulting with the sticky low carb protein-rich gluten, which is then kneaded and cooked to give it that soft chewy texture that closely resembles meat. If you are unfortunate enough to have Celiac disease, then clearly this wouldn't be for you, but seitan is a good option for people who have soy allergies and can't eat tofu or other soy-derived products. In fact, in comparison to tofu, seitan is higher in protein and lower in fat.

Although the word seitan, literally meaning "made from protein", was coined in 1961 by a Japanese advocate of the macrobiotic diet, the history of seitan actually traces back to the Buddhists from 1000+ years ago. Since Buddhists don't eat meat or fish, they searched for a plant-based protein and developed seitan as that very meat alternative. In the present day, seitan is most popular in China, Japan, and many Southeast Asian countries where there is a large presence of Buddhists.

In doing a quick search just now, 93.6% of the Thai population are Buddhists (thanks Wikipedia), so that makes sense why Bangkok 54 is so vegan-friendly! Now that we got the lesson on seitan out of the way, back to my delicious dish! Pictured below is the Spicy Mock Duck that came with a bowl of rice-- it was crispy with the perfect amount of savory spices, and Thai food is not complete without the basil to bring all the flavors together. I should also mention that this place does not mess around with stingy portions, so you get what you're paying for! I felt ambitious, and being quite hungry at the time, I dug in thinking I'd be able to finish but I ended up packing half of it. Leftovers for the win!

The bf, on the other hand, underestimated the spicy level of the Chili Basil Fried Rice so he basically huffed and puffed through his entire meal with multiple gulps of water in between bites... he doesn't do so well with spicy food, to which I say, "you ain't a true Korean!"

All in all, Bangkok 54 is a great place to return to when your Thai cravings hit. We made sure to put out the fire in the bf's mouth with two pints of icecream from the mini-mart next to my apartment: Haagen Dazs Green Tea for the bf and to my greatest delight, Ben & Jerry's Non-Dairy Coffee Caramel Fudge for me!!

My excitement was not just over the fact that I was able to get my paws on an icecream that I can actually eat, but I was also in awe of how quickly these vegan food items are becoming more available! Even just a year ago, I don't think there were as many options as we do today... 2016 truly has been #TheYearOfVegan indeed! To speak on this particular icecream, it's made with almond milk, which is obviously better than regular milk, but don't let that get to your head because calorie-wise, this thing packs just about the same as a regular dairy icecream would. In terms of taste, it was surprisingly not super sweet from what I remember of icecream in general, but no matter because I appreciated every spoonful of the creamy blend of coffee and chocolate chunks, laced with caramel hidden within.... mmmmmm.. so bad for you, but so good... but hey, that's why it's a treat!

Well, that's one foodspot post.. and in re-reading what I wrote just now, I just realized I couldn't sound any more gluttonous. Oh how fortunate and blessed we are to have so many food options around us... Sometimes, when I catch myself in moments like this, I stop and think about people living in parts around the other half of the world where such luxuries like food variety don't exist. As of now, all I can do is share things like this on a blog, but I think eventually some ways down the road, I'd like to be able to bring education on food and nutrition overseas to areas where people really need that kind of help. Just another one of my airy thoughts spiraling off on its own!