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• The Same Analogs Restaurants Serve, But Cheaper

If you are in NYC, whether living here or visiting, and you are vegetarian or vegan, you owe it to yourself to visit this market. It is the mother lode of vegan meat analogs, and pretty much every type of Asian mock meat can be found here, everything from mock beef, chicken and fish to more off-beat offerings like mock lobster, crab and even salmon. I have been shopping here for years and have grown very fond of certain products more than others. The Citrus Spare Ribs and Lemon Chicken are highly addictive, whereas the vegan fish sticks, while a nice try, pale in comparison to the Gardein Golden Fishes Filets, in my opinion. A few caveats: although the package labeling has gotten much better over the years, the preparation directions are still somewhat vague, so my suggestion would be to prepare many of the products as you would their regular meat counterparts. Some of the products are delicious on their own, heated up right from the package, while others could use some veggies or a simple black bean sauce, or some other type of sauce. One word of caution: a few of the offerings have egg (or at least did have egg), but everything is very clearly marked, so you shouldn't have a difficult time finding vegan offerings, since almost everything in the store is vegan. Aside from the frozen and refrigerated selections, they also carry vegan Asian condiments and sauces, vegan Ramen noodles (I know, not very good for you, but still nice once in a while) and lots of vegan noodles and other Asian staples. All in all, if you're looking for mock meats, most of the same ones the Asian restaurants serve in Chinatown and all over the city, there is where should should go. You'll save a lot of money, the staff are very friendly, and you'll be able to cook some of these same restaurant dishes at home.