Vegetarian Delight Juice Bar, Miramar, FL

I'm solo tonight so I have no one's culinary desires to satisfy but my own and no one to apologize to if the food misses the mark.  I hop in the rental car and off I go to a place with no website and no reviews and no information called Vegetarian Delight and Juice Bar.

I barely see the sign and almost miss the turnoff. This place is definitely a hole in the wall.  The sign isn't lit and looks like it was made in someone's backyard.  I have no fear of gastric rumblings or upset and in I go.

This is what you get.  A counter, some half filled display cases, 2 tables, 8 chairs and amazing food.  Pictures of Marcus Garvey are on the wall and CDs of Rasta music are $2 in a case and $1 without.  Welcome to Jamaica.

Menu board

You never know, the first time you walk into a place that, shall we say, is a bit "non-standard" what the custom is.  Do you sit down, wait for a menu, move the computer aside and sit at the unoccupied table, stand at the counter and wait?  There's just no guidance regarding how to act, what to do and where to go.  So I stand and the young man comes out and I point and ask about the combo meals and Veggie Delight.  They're what they appear to be, 1, 2, 3 or 4 different dishes.  I go for the gusto, well, really for you and less for me but after some non specific conversation I pretty much get the Veggie Delight with 4 dishes and tell the kid to choose for me.  I end up with Brown Stew Chunk, Curry Chunk, Curry Veggie Shrimp and Ital Stew.  My first question was, "Is everything here vegan?" to which the answer was, "Yes."  I'm home free.

While I'm waiting I spy a patty.  I figure two things.  First, I'm starving. Second, well, I'm doing all this research for the public good and furtherance of veganism.  I want it, need it, and get it.

It's a corn dough and soya filling.  The dough is really dried out around the edges, I'm guessing from spending a day under the heat lamps but as I eat from the middle out it's still nice and moist and flakey.  The filling is like a mash but then a bit of spicy pepper heat rises and combines with other rich flavors.  It's delicious.

The crust had more of an orange color than the yellow in the picture.  The filling looked just as dark.

My entree comes and it's packed to the top of the container.  I lift it up to to bring it to the counter so I can ask which of the menu items I had and it must weigh like 3 pounds.

Actually I think this is filled past half way and over the lip.  The dark in the front right is the Brown Stew Chunk and clockwise, Ital Stew, Curry Chunk and Curry Veggie Shrimp.  Cabbage is in the middle.

The whole dish sits on a bed of brown rice.

I ask if the shrimp are made in house but they come from NY.  I once again think of May Wah on Hester Street.  I know there are other places but May Wah is my generic name now.  The shrimp just pop as I bite down on them.  The curry is wonderful and flavorful yet light.  The Brown Stew is a heavy flavor and I'm thinking brown gravy, Kitchen Bouquet, Marmite or some such.  At this time I question whether or not I even have a palate able to discern flavors because as I eat the Ital stew, comprised of carrots, okra, potato and dumplings, (which I didn't think I tasted), in a thicker lighter gravy I can't begin to pull out more than a few flavors.  Curry is predominant but not so much Indian as Caribbean.

I'm not a huge fan of cabbage but this was cooked beyond perfectly.  It was so tender but not overcooked and had a delicious sweetness to it.

The Curry Chunks were a familiar flavor but with the same tvp as in the Brown Chunks.  The brown rice also was cooked to a perfect consistency.

Halfway through and I'm not stopping.

Actually, this is one of the few places I want to go back to.  I'm wondering if they freeze the pattys and how well they'll travel home on Sunday.


NIGHT 2


Well, I did go back and now we actually will see if the patties make it home.  I bought 10 of them, half whole wheat crusts and half the corn flour crusts.  The erase board had almost all new entrees.  I tell you, if I got paid to do this I'd eat here every night.  This was another 4 star home run.

Underneath the ribs in the lower right corner are the darker dumplings and the lighter plaintains.  The dumplings were thick and not very tasty and the plaintains were a little undercooked.

From lower right clockwise, BBQ ribs in a KC sweet sauce, sweet and spicy chicken, chicken strips and the lamb stew.  This was truly another flavor orgy on my plate and palate.

They hadn't redecorated since I was last here a night ago.

By the way, the kids name is Chris.  He's the son of the owner and I apologize for not asking the first time I ate here.