Brittanie H.
Yelp
I've lived in this neighborhood for a while. Before living here, I frequented NoDa a lot. Despite the positive Yelp reviews, I've walked by this place a million times and even donated to their food pantry out front but never ordered from there.
Tonight, in search of a vegan burger, I took to Yelp and perused their online menu. I ordered the King Shaka Burger and the Spicy Pasta Salad. The menu price is $18, but with tax, it came to $25. I don't mind paying for good food, but 38% seems a bit off. I figured there may have been an upcharge for the pasta salad and shrugged it off.
Upon arriving, the woman who had taken my order warmly greeted me. She checked in the back and promptly returned with an ETA. I perused the bakery counter and opted for the maple pecan coffee cake.
As she got the cake boxed, a gentleman called me over to pay. Unfortunately, he was not as pleasant as the other lady and was skeptical about the check-in coupon that popped up on their rewards screen when I entered my phone number. Even after the lady offered her guidance, he still seemed hesitant.
Sensing his skepticism, I told him not to worry about it and offered to pay full price before he agreed to honor it. The bill was an additional $8, but my first-timer coupon brought it down to $6. Out the door, we're looking at $31 in total, which, as I've stated previously, is irrelevant if the food is good.
As you can probably surmise, it wasn't.
The King Shaka Burger is listed as follows on its website:
"Plant-based cheesy bacon burger garnished with crispy lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, cheese, maple bacon, pickles, house-made bliksem sauce served on a Duke's potato bun."
The burger didn't match the description as it had no bacon and was served on a sesame seed bun. The patty was cooked and seasoned well, and the cold toppings were good. However, the onions were simultaneously slimy, undercooked and chopped haphazardly. The bun was soaked with sauce, making the burger a sloppy, soggy mess visually and texturally.
The pasta salad continued to reinforce the theme of poor texture. The noodles were overcooked and mushy, drowned in so much mayo-based sauce that they were inedible. I think the flavor would've been good had it not been for the thick gobs of mayo, but the texture would've suffered for the lack of a nice al dente pasta.
Lastly, the cake. It was thick and dry, with a pronounced floury taste in both the glaze and the cake. The maple didn't really shine through, and the dryness of such a thick slice made it inedible.
I wanted to like this place, but at $31 for such poor execution, I won't be back. The stars given are for the service by the woman at the counter, the burger patty and the fact that they have a food pantry outside for folks to donate to and/or access.