Detroit Vegan Soul
Price: $$
Address: 8029 Agnes St, Detroit, MI 48214
Phone: (313) 649-2759
Hours: Tuesday — Saturday, 12pm — 8pm
Now that January is finally over, it's time to check in with your resolutions to see if they are still going strong. For those of you who transitioned over into the vegan life, I know it's been hard to find foods that fit into the vegan category when dining out. Detroit Vegan Soul is one of the few vegan restaurants in the Detroit area and if being vegan didn't make them stand out already, they specialize in soul food. I know. Vegan soul food sounds like a complete oxymoron but its definitely worth a shot. Here is what Detroit Vegan Soul is trying to accomplish:
"At Detroit Vegan Soul, you can enjoy your favorite comfort foods with confidence that the ingredients are fresh, mostly organic, and completely plant-based. We have several soy free and gluten-free options. Our menu is prepared without GMOs, additives, preservatives, refined flours, sugars, dairy, eggs or animal by products and with LOTS OF LOVE!"
There are two locations and I checked out the West location for dinner on a weeknight. The place was small and cozy like a little coffee shop. I felt good about myself knowing I was going to eat a vegan dinner and the fresh coffee shop vibes lifted my mood. After taking a look at the menu we decided to order an appetizer, the black-eyed peas hummus. It was accompanied with a plate of veggies, carrots, cucumbers, pickled veggies, olives and pita bread. I am a fan of hummus, especially roasted red pepper hummus. This hummus was a little thicker than normal hummus and more flavorful. The pita bread was crispy and the vegetables were fresh. There was definitely enough for two to share. I was thinking like okay vegan, eating vegetables, this makes sense but the entrees made me think of vegan in a whole new light.
For entrees we ordered the "Catfish" Tofu and the Soul Food Platter. The entrees are available at both locations. The Soul Food Platter included black-eyed peas and rice, yams with pecans and raisins, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, and a cornbread muffin. I was looking forward to the black-eyed peas because I can remember as a kid having to sort through them the night before when my mom wanted to cook them. The time it takes to prepare the beans doesn't fit into my schedule and I haven't had them in forever because of that. The meal was kind of dense. There were beans, rice, noodles, bread and potatoes. The yams were had raisins and pecans that added texture to them. The greens were great. I usually add smoked turkey to my greens but there were mushrooms inside that added a "meaty" element and fresh tomatoes and onions on top.
I was sort of nervous about trying the mac and cheese. If you didn't already know, I'm Black and Black people take mac and cheese seriously. Macaroni and cheese is one of those dishes where you only like it prepared by one person (your mom, grandma, or aunt). In the Black community there is a designated person that brings mac and cheese to the function and if anybody outside of that brings it everybody questions who made it?
I tasted the mac and cheese knowing it wasn't cheese at all. It resembled regular mac and cheese. The noodles were cooked well and the cheese sauce was proportioned well and distributed through the scoop. It was quite strange though. Like it wasn't bad......but it wasn't good either. It was just not my mama's mac and cheese #kanyeshrug.
We were feeling adventurous and order the "Catfish" Tofu! Tofu has a bad rep all together and fried catfish is a staple in soul food so I was really hesitant about trying this. The entree was accompanied by roasted red potatoes and a corn/broccoli vegetable medley.
This is how I approached the "catfish".
When I bit into a very tiny piece I was confused and surprised like "how does this taste like catfish?!" My mind was blown. The tofu was cut into triangles and breaded with a seasoned cornmeal mixture. The texture was reminiscent of catfish; crispy on the outside and soft and "flaky" on the inside. I was impressed because I didn't think that I would like the taste of this but Detroit Vegan Soul managed to transform tofu into something great! It was very delicious and delicious isn't a word I would ever use to describe tofu.
All in all, I enjoyed my meal. I was super surprised by some of the flavors that were accomplished. Detroit Vegan Soul has really changed my opinion on vegan food and I'm looking forward to checking out some more vegan dishes! I also love that Detroit Vegan Soul is located in the community and not in the downtown area. One of their goals is "to make good, healthy food accessible to everyone, and to break the cycle of diet related diseases in our families and community" and I think they are truly accomplishing that. Great job, Detroi Vegan Soul!