Grains - The Neighborhood Cafe
The Bahn Mi Pulled “Pork” Sandwich
Business Member Feature
Grains, a 100% plant-based eatery on the corner of Adams and Mississippi, is owned by siblings Napatr Chayodom (chef), and Katiya Hendricks (manager). According to Chayodom, they started the restaurant to serve “fun and flavorful plant-based food that everyone can enjoy.”
The spirit of Grains Café can perhaps best be understood through one of their most popular menu items, Drunken Angel, a Thai-influenced dish of their own invention, made with angel hair pasta stir-fried with mushrooms, bell peppers, garlic, basil, fried tofu, tomatoes, serrano peppers and krachai or finger root, an earthy Thai herb. Garlicky and slightly smoky, some bites taste almost Italian, others distinctly Thai. Chayodom uses serranos, present in several of their dishes, instead of Thai chilis because they are fresher and easier to get, a playful and practical adaptation to local ingredients.
The Banh Mi, their best seller, is made with San Diego Soy organic tofu that is first sliced and fried, then slow cooked in a spiced broth for several hours. It’s then diced and combined with jackfruit and slow cooked again, a labor-intensive process that Chayodom insists is necessary to get the proper depth of flavor. This concoction is then topped with thinly sliced carrot and daikon pickles, cilantro, peppers, plum sauce, and vegan cheese. Most of the sauces, including the plum sauce, spicy mustard, bbq, and cashew-based ranch, are made in house.
Grains also serves their own versions of American comfort food like crispy garlic potato wedges, breaded Buffalo cauliflower (my son’s favorite), and a Philly cheesesteak, as well as a couple of finely-executed Thai standards: Tom Kha, yellow curry, and a light and bright tofu larb. In addition to takeout, patrons can enjoy their food in a new outdoor seating area in the front, and they will soon have a larger seating area in the back.
Until recently they did not officially serve dessert (only mango sticky rice upon request), but in September they debuted house-made ice cream available in two flavors: a delicate, coconut-based tarot and a coconut sorbet with small, translucent chunks of fruit and a delicious, slightly salty aftertaste.
-Ian Young
Grains will be open on Thanksgiving. Catering trays are available – call 619-269-5999 for more information.
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