Restaurant Review - Mother of Pearl
Mother of Pearl, what a perfect name for this delightful vegan restaurant and tiki bar in the East Village! As soon as you walk in, especially in the evening, you feel like you are in an underwater world. The tones are sea friendly, there are shell decorations, the flowers that are painted on the walls give the feeling as if they were painted on a sunken ship, and even the slow moving leaf fans feel as if they are moving through water instead of air. The place has character, not all of it makes perfect sense and I feel a little more love could go into the space, but you don’t go there for that.
It is very exciting that there are more and more vegan options popping up around the city, all with their own flair, but Mother of Pearl certainly should be on your list, especially if you are into mixed drinks! Alison, fashion director of Jejune, and I got to enjoy the full experience!
Mother of Pearl just got a new chef, and we were excited to sample from six of her new dishes, all of which were plant-based, healthy, and delicious. But I want to talk about a few that really tintalated our palates. Our all time favorite was the Coconut Jeweled Rice, which was melt-in-your-mouth good. The Lemongrass Bahn Mi was awesome! I don’t eat meat, but Alison said that the way the jackfruit was marinated, she thought she was eating fish. We scarfed down the Winter Rolls, which were solid summer rolls. Finally, the Watermelon Poke, was very interesting. It was savory, but had bites of watermelon it in that confused, but pleased the taste buds.
What is really fun about the food at Mother of Pearl, is that it is ideal for sharing! That is honestly, one of the best parts of going to vegan restaurants for me. I can eat all the things, and I can enjoy them with my friends! Mother of Pearl offers a lot of interesting dishes that are reasonably priced. You wont be able to help yourself in wanting to try as many as you can. The dishes are filling, and if you are pairing them with drinks, getting a dish per person will be enough food.
Now that I have wowed you with the food, let’s talk about the best part: the tiki bar! And to give extra respect, this is coming from a non drinker. Alison and I got to sample two drinks each, mine being virgin isles and her’s having alcohol. As a non drinker, I have to say that it is very refreshing to even have options for fun mixed drinks when I go out (even if they are a little on the pricey side). It is very common that I’m ordering an orange/cranberry/pineapple mix, and I don’t have any other options. However, Mother of Pearl has five virgin drink options! I got to try the Orchard Island and the Eastern Spice. Both were amazing, but my new addition in life is the Orchard Island. It is creamy apple and coconut perfection!
Alison enjoyed sampling her two cocktails, although noted they were strong! The highlight of her cocktails was the Taste The Rainbow, where they set fire to skittles on top of a lime. Nothing better than a lit drink like that!
Mother of Pearl is not just for vegans! Everyone can enjoy their creative food and drinks, and I know a good time will be had by all.
To learn more about Mother of Pearl, please check out their website and social media below: http://www.motherofpearlnyc.com/cocktails/
Instagram: motherofpearlny
Facebook: motherofpearlnyc
Twitter: motherofpearlny
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Written and photos by Kira Bucca, Editor and Chief of Jejune Magazine.
