It has been almost a year now since I started to move into a vegetarian lifestyle. To be clear and upfront, I am not 100% vegetarian as you can read from my past articles. I do however allow myself to indulge once a week because for me I can never fully give up fajitas and fried chicken. When I first decided to make this transition into plant based foods, I was not very optimistic. My narrow minded way of thinking could only imagine a life full of salads. I mean was I going to be the guy who comes home after a night at the bar to stuff my face with carrots and celery in hopes of preventing a hangover? Thanks to YouTube and Pinterest, I got creative and started makinge some amazing meals at home as well as searching out vegan, vegetarian and plant based restaurants in town. It is then that I stumbled upon Korny Vibes, a little place off Westheimer and Taft that would completely change my perception of vegan food.
Korny Vibes is bringing you all of your favorite gluttonous comfort foods in vegan form. Burgers, fried chicken and tacos oh my! For those who are skeptical about vegan food, Korny Vibes will change your tune. Two of my personal favorite foods are tacos and fried chicken so when I saw that Korny Vibes had them on the menu, I had to try it out. There are quite a bit options here from Beyond Beef burgers, Chickn sandwiches, Mexican dishes and desserts. On the weekends they also have a brunch menu with decadent pancakes, crossandwiches (Croissant Sandwiches) and platters to indulge on while downing mimosas. After drooling over all of the menu options, I went with the Al Pastor tacos ($12.50) and the Vegan Fried Chickn Box ($15). I’m a tacoholic and very critical about tacos, especially Al Pastor. There is nothing more beautiful than seeing traditional Al Pastor being licked by a flame on a turning spit but how can you recreate those wonderful flavors in vegan form? The Al Pastor tacos come five to a plate with a generous offering of onions and cilantro to dress to your liking along with lime and salsa verde. I really don’t know what magic they are working in the Korny Vibes kitchen but they managed to deliver a delicious spin on vegan Al Pastor. I will be honest that it does not have that fire charred flavor and I can tell that I am not eating meat but it’s delicious. The soy based meat substitute that more resembles ground beef is seasoned well to give you the distinct flavor profile you’re looking for in a good taco without the meat. The corn tortillas a grilled nicely and are filled to maximum capacity with Al Pastor. These five street style tacos are feeling so you will definitely be satisfied. The Vegan Fried Chickn box is where things really changed for me. This basket came loaded with four large pieces of their vegan chickn and two huge sides, the inner child in me went for their Mac and Mash & Gravy. The Chickn is a mixture of soy and seitan (wheat gluten) that is season and battered before being fried to golden perfection. The Mash & Gravy are dense and hearty with a thick cream vegan gravy that instantly hugs your soul. The Mac is where you will notice a slight difference, the noodles are nicely al dente and tossed in a vegan creamy cheesy-like sauce to make this comfort meal complete. The Vegan Fried Chickn is crunchy on the outside with a juicy interior that in all honesty actually tastes like chicken. It has a slight spongey texture but it is not as noticeable due to the fried crunchy exterior. The portion is huge so will definitely get your money’s worth and your taste buds will be comforted.
I went into this with very little expectations but left happily stuffed and excited to come back for more. Luckily, Houston has so many options and there are so many inviting vegan and vegetarian restaurants that are waiting for you to discover their exquisite flavors. Keep in mind, just because it is vegan doesn’t mean it’s healthy. You might not be consuming meat but indulge on enough vegan fried chickn, vegan shakes and desserts and you will be upping your pant size in no time. As the fall brings cooler weather, I look forward to calming my comfort food cravings at Korny Vibes. I challenge anyone to stop in and not be amazed by these comfort food substitutes, you might just ditch the meat all together. Be sure to check out Korny Vibes here and you can thank me later.
