pukk

pukk
71 1st avenue
new york, ny
(212) 253 2741/2
www.pukknyc.com

type of cuisine: thai
culinary excellence: 6
vegan friendliness: 10

i was trying to think what would be the best vegan place in the east village to take my mom to for our last vacation day together. i figured she would be very confused at caravan of dreams, counter was too expensive after splurging at pure food and wine on monday, she hates indian food and she wasn't in the mood to have an ice cream sundae for dinner, so i decided on pukk, a little all-veg thai place on 1st avenue. i had been there once before with my nyu friends and remembered it to be pretty decent. the space is totally garish looking (all lime green and tiles) and i kept feeling like i was going to break off the table from the wall if i leaned on it, but the food wasn't bad. m started with an all green salad, a generous plate of greens with an assortment of fresh veggies, mandarin oranges, beans and little pieces of fried tofu in a zesty lime peanut dressing. i got an order of spinach toast, which was surprisingly good. i'm not sure what the spinach was wrapped in, but it was delicious. like crispy little savory wantons in a sweet chili broth. for her main course, m ordered the fried rice. i never would have thought to order something so basic in a restaurant that features creative vegetarian fare, but she chose wisely. it was a fantastic mound of multi-grain rice with broccoli, mushrooms, pineapple, cashews and multiple other vegetables. the smoky soy flavor was so amazing that i wondered if there was some form of msg in it that was kicking up the taste. my entree, the black bean ginger chicken, was less impressive. i liked the flavor of the ginger sauce, but the stuff soaking in it was mediocre. the chicken was little soy protein patties in a cupped shape that added nothing to the dish besides a meaty texture. it was also full of these slippery black ear wood mushrooms that kind of creeped me out, plus lots of onions and scallions. i was just happy that m enjoyed her meal, despite initial anxieties about ingredients that our waitress could not allay due to a language barrier. that didn't pose a problem for me since i already knew that none of the dishes were made with fish sauce or other animal products. so much easier to eat at all-veg restaurants!