Welcome to the second stop on the Plant-Based Food Tour of Princeton! While we may not have traveled in a long time, this tour will be taking you around the world over the next couple of weeks. This week we are featuring Asian cuisine in Princeton and how you can eat plant-based at these restaurants. We are going to give you our take on these restaurants and their plant-based dishes, using metrics like price, taste, and creativity. Don’t forget to check in next week for the next part of our international cuisine tour as we explore Mediterranean and Mexican meals!
Chennai Chimney – Best Takeout Experience and Most Creative ‘Doughnut’
Price: $$
Bang For Your Buck: ★★★
Creativity: ★★★
Plant Forward: ★★★★
Taste: ★★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★
On the second stop of my plant-based food tour, I went to Chennai Chimney, an Indian restaurant on Chambers Street. This restaurant has an extensive menu, so I decided to eat vegan (with one exception) to narrow down the choices. I got khadar sabzi for my main, sambhar vada as a side, and non-vegan garlic naan. I really enjoyed my experience, and I recommend the sambhar vada of what I tried.
The khadar sabzi was great. I am not someone who seeks out spice, so I ordered the mild heat, and it was the perfect level of slightly challenging spice. The menu describes this dish as “seasonal vegetables tossed with peppers, onions, tomatoes, [and] crushed coriander,” and that is very accurate. I loved the variety of fruits and vegetables; there were more than I could identify. The dish came with basmati rice that made it a more filling meal. The liquid was a little oily, which I didn’t mind, but others might want to avoid. I also can’t say it had a lot of protein, so try something else if that’s what you’re looking for.
My favorite dish I tried at Chennai Chimney is the sambhar vada, found in the “Chennai Specials” section of the menu. The website described this dish as “South Indian deep-fried lentil doughnut immersed in sambhar, onion, and crisps.” I had never tried sambhar vada before, so I didn’t quite know what to expect, but I was very pleasantly surprised. The doughnuts were very filling and bites of them dipped in the sambhar were delicious. Once again, the spice was perfect for me and you can increase it if you’d like. In the sambhar were peppers which added color and flavor to the dish. It was $6.95 and I recommend it to all eating at Chennai Chimney for their first time.
Lastly, I tried the garlic naan out of the breads section of the menu. The naan was beautifully charred with ample garlic spread on top. I personally would have liked a little more salt, but otherwise it was some good naan. Add this onto your order if you’d like a little more food for just $3.75.
Overall, I was quite impressed with Chennai Chimney. The food tasted great, the takeout was steaming hot after a 15 minute walk from Nassau Street to Whitman, and they didn’t give me any napkins or disposable utensils like I requested. For the most value, get the sambhar vada and experience a whole new meaning of doughnut.
Chennai Chimney offers a 10% discount on both dine-in and takeout for Princeton students. They have indoor seating, takeout, and delivery. The only plastic waste came from the bowls of food and plastic wrap to keep it hot. Find this restaurant across from Milk and Cookies on Chambers Street off of Nassau.
KBG Korean Barbeque and Grill – Most customizable
Price: $$
Bang For Your Buck: ★★★
Creativity: ★★★★
Plant Forward: ★★★
Taste: ★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★
KBG was very easy to make plant-based because they primarily offer build-your-own bowls. They have tofu as a protein option (and shrimp tempura for the pescatarians out there). They have a plethora of veggies to add to your bowl; however, there were not a ton of seasoning differences between the various veggies. I will also say if you prefer a crispy tofu this is not your place. They do have a wide variety of sauces that you can spice things up with! The portion size was pretty big, but the vegetable spring rolls were also a nice addition to the meal.
Nassau Sushi – Most Creative Veggie Sushi
Price: $$
Bang for your Buck: ★★★
Creativity: ★★★★
Plant Forward: ★★★
Taste: ★★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★★★
I loved my experience at Nassau Sushi. A lot of restaurants can be pretty boring with their veggie sushi options, but Nassau Sushi is definitely putting in the effort to be more creative with their vegetarian and vegan-friendly sushi. I tried the oshinko roll and the sweet potato roll; both were delicious. Oshinko is a type of yellow radish and I love the crunch; other veggie sushi I have tried have been kind of soggy so I appreciated the oshinko roll. The sweet potato roll was really fun with both its presentation and flavor, as it featured stingy fried sweet potato. I also thoroughly enjoyed the vegetable tempura and the tofu teriyaki appetizers. You can never go wrong with fried foods! I was definitely expecting the tofu teriyaki to be more firm and even crunchy, but the flavor was unbeatable, I can’t lie. I felt super full after this heavy meal, so I would recommend not doubling up on the fried foods in the future, but it was still a delicious experience! I highly recommend Nassau Sushi, especially in the warmer months, as they have great outdoor seating.
The Mint – Most Menu Options
Price: $$
Bang for your Buck: ★★★
Creativity: ★★★
Plant Forward: ★★★★
Taste: ★★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★★
The Mint is an Indian restaurant with a huge menu, featuring plenty of plant-based options. I tried the vegetable samosa—turnovers stuffed with spiced potatoes and peas—and the palak paneer—cottage cheese in a creamy spinach puree, served with a side of rice. The two samosas were generously sized and stayed nicely crisp on the outside while plush on the inside. I would definitely recommend eating these with the mint and tamarind chutneys that they come with, which balance out the richness of the samosa with notes of freshness and sweetness. I appreciated the creaminess and strong spinach flavor of the palak paneer, although there was far more puree than paneer and I found the cheese to be a bit bland. On the whole, I was really impressed by the extensive number of vegetarian options at The Mint and the overall variety of its menu. There is a special Vegetables section on the menu with 26 items and ingredients including paneer, lentils, and chickpeas. Although vegetarian dishes are far more abundant, there are also seven items marked as vegan. I would definitely recommend exploring the menu at The Mint! With so many options, ranging from entrees to breads to desserts, there’s definitely a way to satisfy your taste buds while eating plant-based as well.
Amazing Thai – Most Unique
Price: $$
Bang For Your Buck: ★★★
Creativity: ★★★★★
Plant Forward: ★★★★
Taste: ★★★★
Ease of Access: ★★
I really went out on a limb with the food that I decided to try at Amazing Thai. They have so many cool options I wanted to try it all. I got their pad thai fried rice (fun, right?!), drunken noodles, and mock duck. The pad thai fried rice was an extremely interesting experience; I think pad thai flavor belongs with noodles, not rice, but it was still such a fun dish to try. The drunken noodles feature wide noodles, similar to pad see ew, which I love so I enjoyed this dish. It wasn’t the most flavorful noodle dish I have had, but it wasn’t bad by any means. The highlight of my experience at Amazing Thai was the mock duck. They did an excellent job replicating duck from the flavor to the texture. I am a huge duck fan and had high expectations and Amazing Thai did not disappoint. I would highly recommend.
Thai Village – Most Consistent
Price: $$
Bang For Your Buck: ★★★★
Creativity: ★★★
Plant Forward: ★★
Taste: ★★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★★
Thai Village offers the option to make most of their entrees with tofu or just vegetables, so it is super easy to get a tasty, plant-based meal. They offer a wide variety of noodles, curry, and rice dishes – plus other creative specials. I had the pad thai with tofu. There was a large amount of tofu and it was well-prepared. Their to-go service is super quick and you get a better deal on prices if you call them and place the order rather than using an online ordering platform. Their to-go packaging is mostly plastic, which is not the most sustainable option, but they did ask if/what utensils I needed in order to minimize excess waste. Thai Village is a little bit of a ways down Nassau, but it is well worth the trip!
Schouse Szechuan Cuisine – Most Creative
Price: $$
Bang For Your Buck: ★★★★
Creativity: ★★★★
Plant Forward: ★
Taste: ★★★
Ease of Access: ★★
While I wouldn’t say that Schouse has a “plant forward” menu, a vegan or vegetarian can definitely easily find something to eat here. The restaurant has a section of their menu which is just vegetables prepared in different ways (probably meant to be sides) which I really appreciate, as often I don’t want anything super fancy; I just want a nicely cooked vegetable! I ordered the eggplant with garlic sauce and the lou mein with vegetables (with no egg!) It was my first time ever trying eggplant so I was definitely hesitant but the dish ended up being super flavorful! If you like eggplant, you would definitely like this dish. The lou mein was solid and plentiful, definitely a go-to if you’re looking for a staple noodle! Overall, though Schouse has a pretty meat-heavy menu, they totally surprised me with their delicious vegan options!
Ajiten – Coziest!
Price: $$
Bang For Your Buck: ★★★
Creativity: ★★
Plant-Forward: ★★
Taste: ★★★
Ease Of Access: ★★★★★
Ajiten, with its unassuming storefront right down the street from Rockefeller College, is a rather quaint Japanese restaurant with a cozy atmosphere. Currently their indoor dining space is open, but somewhat limited; if you’re visiting with more than four people, it’s worth considering ordering takeout instead of dining inside. Their main specialities are ramen and sushi, both of which are unfortunately not vegetarian. While lacking a sizable vegetarian menu, they did have a handful of options; I tried the server’s recommendation of the vegetable croquette curry [$13.00], as well as the cucumber umeboshi (pickled plum) rolls [$7.50]. The curry could have had a bit more substance to it, but the flavors were good, and the vegetable croquette was very light and crispy. As for the rolls, they were somewhat basic, but well-made nonetheless. Ajiten would be a nice excursion with a small group, with its short distance from campus and straightforward menu.
Sakura Express – Most Enticing!
Price: $$
Bang for your Buck: ★★★
Creativity: ★★
Plant Forward: ★★★
Taste: ★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★★
Sakura Express is smack dab in the middle of Princeton, located adjacent to Hinds Plaza on Witherspoon Street. While the menu boasts mostly of seafood or meat options, there are also a number of different vegan/vegetarian options to entice you. I was in the mood for sushi when ordered from Sakura, and I therefore opted for the veggie roll, which comes with 18 pieces of avocado, spinach and cucumber sushi. 18 pieces is more than enough to fill you up but I was also intrigued by the seaweed sushi roll, so I added that and the vegetable gyoza to the cart for good measure. I was blown away by the vegetable gyoza, which honestly forced me to wonder why I had ever ordered meat and seafood versions in the past. I would have loved to see a bit more creativity and flavor flair with all of the veggie sushi options; however, they were definitely worth the money I paid for them. Ultimately, Sakura Express is definitely worth your time, and will fill you with a relatively inexpensive plant-based meal!
*** We are not food critics, but food enthusiasts. This is in no way intended to be a formal critique or review of any restaurant in Princeton, merely a way to encourage students to try more plant-based options when dining out.
This series is also on our Instagram (@tigersgogreen)! To check out the video version of this plant-based food tour, click here.