This vegan restaurant is located within a very non-descript, sort of dumpy strip mall in Belmar. That was a little surprising but okay. Upon entering the restaurant, the reggae music hits me right away; it's loud, but not unpleasant or blasting, contributing to the relaxing, informal atmosphere. This place sort of tried to create a visually appealing atmosphere but fell short with some pictures on the walls and little else. It does resemble a diner, with wooden booths. It is quite lively though with lots of energy and does get quite crowded at dinner time.
The menu was so extensive that it took me some time to go through it and actually choose something to eat. Lots of Indian and Mexican fare, as well as salads and "fake" meats, like "ribs" and "chicken" nuggets, which I automatically exclude. I don't understand the purpose of offering fake meat (vegan meat) to someone who doesn't eat meat. It's just not appealing to me. Maybe it's good for a "new" vegetarian or if you dine with someone who is not into veggie food. It's not for me, in any event.
The menu is vegan but there are some dairy options if you choose not to eat entirely vegan. I understand they recently changed the menu, too.
I started off with a wild berry (red) ice tea that was unsweetened and nice and refreshing. As a starter, I had the Southern shiitake corn cakes, which were SPICY with black beans, organic greens and seeds (possibly pumpkin, but I really can't remember). I ended up choosing the avocado salad as my meal, which, looking back, was a rather boring choice, but did have lots of avocado chunks. Dessert was the last enormous piece of chocolate cashew fudge cake, which was decadent and all-around excellent and a cup of green tea. I was absolutely stuffed from all that food.
Price-wise, I found it a bit on the pricey side, with NYC prices, which would be okay if the place had more of that NYC atmosphere.
732-280-1141 www.kayaskitchennj.com
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