Detroit Shipping Company
Tucked into Detroit’s Cass Corridor neighborhood, this premiere food hall features quality food-truck style eateries designed to please palates of all sorts. Not to mention two full bars servicing both the inside and courtyard eating areas. Aptly named for its unique structure (yup, refurbished shipping containers), this virtual fun house is home to much more than killer food and drink. Detroit’s Shipping Company houses an art gallery, pop-up retail space, podcasting studio, and even a performance stage.
We love the restaurant collective idea for several reasons. First, you don’t have to commit to one type of cuisine. Feeling like dabbling in eats from across the globe? No problem. How about sushi and a good burger? Done. There’s no reason to overthink your dinner, food halls have these all (and more) under one roof! Second, dining with friends has never been easier. Especially when your friends have a rainbow of dietary preferences like mine. A good collective can effortlessly please pescatarian, gluten-free, keto, halal, and yes – vegan diets!
Naturally, we were chomping at the bit to hit this hotspot and curate a vegan culinary experience for the ages. With Beyonce tracks streaming in the background, we honed in quickly on the most vegan-friendly restaurants; namely Bangkok 96 Street Food and Momo Cha.
Considering this vegan’s undying affection for all things Thai flavored, Bangkok 96 was a no-brainer. Ever tried a ‘Pad Thai Roll’? We hadn’t ever even heard of this clever combo of Thai flavors tucked in a flour tortilla, served like sushi. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s like the food gods took good ol’ tofu pad Thai and combined it with a classic burrito to create a whole new version of (amazingly large) sushi. Imagine rich, spicy Thai stir-fried rice noodles stuffed into a flour wrap and baked to perfection, then smothered in a zesty Thai sauce and chopped peanuts. We are in love. Praise to the food gods for this one, indeed.
Our other to-die-for Thai app? Fresh Papaya Salad: a little tangy, a little sweet, all fresh and flavor-forward. Made from shredded unripe papaya, this cold salad served as a perfect pairing to our spicy Pad Thai Roll. (Just order sans fish sauce to make it vegan. Trust us, this salad doesn’t miss a beat without this sauce.) A must try!
Momo Cha, just steps away from Bangkok 96, serves homestyle Nepalese fare. The featured dish - momos (Nepalese dumplings) - were a natural choice for this hungry vegan. Their veggie mix filling contained a most sumptuous combination of cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, ginger, garlic, and magical masala spices. We opted for pan fried, as it seemed a somewhat healthier choice than deep fried and a little more sinful than steamed. The accompanying sauces, tomato cilantro and soybean sesame, helped make this appetizer a masterpiece for the mouth. The dumplings were warm and tender, with complex Asian flavors, make sure you get a large order; they go fast!
A few Samosas, a classic south Asian dish, rounded out our Momo Cha spread. These conveniently vegan pastries were stuffed with peas and potatoes and further complemented by warm spices like garam masala. This scrumptious combo made each bite reminiscent of a homecoming: welcoming and cozy. These modest samosas does not disappoint!
Eat well, culinary travelers!
