Review of Vegetarian Rice Roll (齋腸粉(素)) at Joe's Steam Rice Roll by kyu
My friends and I spent the mid-morning exploring various markets around the West Side and Lower Manhattan; we had reached the trendy stalls of Canal Street Market’s retail space when we started to feel a bit hungry. In the adjacent food hall, a variety of vendors were cooking up lunch, with cafeteria-style seating toward the back. Most stands serve Asian cuisine (and you can see the AAPI Heritage Month decals still on the tables from May;) unfortunately, I didn’t evaluate the vegan-friendliness of the other food offerings. Freshly steamed #rice rolls beckoned, drawing our group immediately over to the ordering kiosks.
My order was incredibly straightforward; there was only one vegan option. Although it’s listed as vegetarian, this #cantonese rice roll is described online as being “made without animal products.” You can add any three of the following: corn, lettuce, bean sprouts, scallions, and cilantro. I picked the first three, but I wouldn’t have minded some scallions as well. #betterwithoutcoriander, obviously.
The rice roll was soft and supple, slippery and slurp-able. I thought some pieces were a bit thin, though — more vegetables are always welcome! Apparently the rice is stone-ground daily; it did taste very fresh. The steamed roll came from the kitchen plain and lucent white, so the chili oil and soy sauce were my own additions after the fact. Rice rolls are all about the texture for me, but they’re usually a bit bland on their own; I highly recommend dressing things up with the provided condiments. Not hugely filling, but delicious and affordable at a little more than $5 for a full plate.
