Souen. Location: East Village. 6th St. and 2nd Ave. Scene: Quiet. Narrow Dining Room. Food: Japanese. Vegetarian. Tofu. Sushi. Seafood. Seitan Dumplings. Kale Salad. Ramen. Pad Thai. Tofu and Broccoli. Broiled Fish Entrees.

Chek Recs:

1. Organic Edamame Guacamole with Seitan Chips (1st pic)
2. Macro Plate: Steamed Green Kale, Steamed Vegetables, Brown Rice, Beans and Seaweed with Dressing (2nd pic with added Shrimp and Scallops)
3. Squash Tofu: Sauteed Tofu, Squash, Onion, Carrot, Nappa, Green Kale, Broccoli, Cauliflower in a Miso-Tahini Sauce (3rd pic)

This organic, macrobiotic Japanese restaurant may sound a bit intimidating or unappealing to some of you, but this gem is unbelivable and the perfect healthy, natural and flavorful restaurant. The Edamame Guacamole with Seitan Chips is one of the most memorable and distracting dishes I’ve ever had. You won’t believe the taste, smooth texture and the dope seitan is soft like bread even though it looks like melba toast. It makes me want to use these dip scoopers for everything. Souen outshines any stir-fry, Chinese or Thai restaurant because it’s not overly sauced and doesn’t have scraggly “unidentified” meat bites. They don’t use refined, chemicals, preservatives, meat or dairy products, and you can surely tell. There are lots of seafood options and you can add scallops and shrimp to any dish (stick with the shrimp). Other plates include: Plum Shoyu Kuzu Stew, Vegetables and Tofu in a Pesto Sauce, Seitan in Mushroom Gravy, Broiled Salmon and Wild Black Cod entrees. A large selection of Ramen Noodles is also available with vegan, wheat, rice and zucchini noodles and many dishes can be gluten free and soy free. 

Also, the drink menu is pretty large offering fresh-pressed organic vegetable juices such as: carrot, carrot with ginger and kale as well as organic sakes. The restaurant isn’t too crowded and does not have a trendy or overbearing scene in the least. It’s a great option for take-out as you aren’t going to woo anyone by the scene here. However, the jaw-dropping Edamame Guacamole will definitely provide a lasting impression on you or your guest. You could eat here every night probably get something different with all the different combinations and still love it. Souen is your girl when you want reliable, feel-good ingredients.

***Tip: Other locations include SoHo – Prince and 6th Ave. and Union Square – 13th and University.