KingVegan
Google
After enjoying the biggest snowstorm we've had in a decade, the roads were pretty rough. But not wanting to stay cooped up inside, I called a friend and asked if she wanted to go out for a bite to eat. We searched Google to find any places that might be open and luckily, the Reading Terminal – my favorite spot – was open. While only a few vendors were able to make it in, I'd say the market was running at about half capacity. Parking was easy to find and the inside wasn't crowded, so we took our time browsing our options. We decided to try Molly Malloy's, which had a few vegan choices on the menu. It has a nice pub-style vibe and our server was friendly and attentive.
I usually like to do a bit of research before trying a new place, but I didn't in this case. It's possible they were understaffed due to the storm, but regardless, the food was a bit of a letdown. We ordered a vegan tahini Caesar salad and a vegan mushroom french dip with fries. The vegan Caesar salad is something I'm passionate about because it's so easy to make and can taste just as good as a non-vegan version, sometimes even better. This particular salad had kale, romaine, radicchio, crispy chickpeas, croutons, and a lemon tahini dressing. Unfortunately, we both found it to be very bitter and overly dressed with lemon, lacking the tahini flavor. We tried to balance it out with some maple syrup, but it didn't quite work.
As for the mushroom French dip, I had high hopes, but it fell short. The dip – or au jus – was cold and gelatinous, with decent flavor but not the best presentation in a plastic cup. The ciabatta bread was good, the mushrooms were cooked well, but overall it lacked depth in flavor. I think garlic, rosemary maybe a little onion powder would take this to the next level. While we appreciated the vegan options on the menu, we believe that if you're going to offer something, make sure it's the best it can be.