Planta Queen
Planta Queen is the second outpost of the chic plant-based restaurant in Yorkville.
Like its original location, this Planta offers a menu of purely vegan eats, meaning meat- and dairy-free dishes—but with an Asian flair.
Geared more toward the Queen West crowd with a darker, more sultry interior than its airy counterpart, this Planta takes over the old digs of Nota Bene, another project from Chef David Lee.
Lantern-like lighting fixtures, dragon motifs, custom wallpaper from Candice Kaye and fake Japanese maples lend to the restaurant’s Asian-inspired feel.The menu is comprised of "izakaya-style" dining, meaning smaller, refined shareables, as per Planta’s usual style. You can pair your food with some cocktails, or if you’re feeling health conscious, kombucha via Tonica or juice from Village Juicery.
Ahi watermelon plays a big part in this menu: Lee’s dehydrated versions of this usually sweet fruit makes an interesting tasting vegan substitute for sashimi that’s pretty convincing visually.
You’ll find it in nigiri form, which comes in an order of two for $5.25. There’s also mushroom truffle soya nigiri and unagi eggplant nigiri, which comes with lemon and pomegranate.
You’ll also find spicy ahi watermelon in the order of crispy rice ($14.25): chewy bite with shiso and avocado.
Nori cracklings for $7.25 per order are super crispy pieces of rice dredge and sesame.
Bang Bang broccoli ($13.75) are really tasty with a gochujang and peanut butter sauce.
Shanghai noodles ($17.25) are delicious, and pretty well-portioned, with a mix of delicious veggies like shiitake, burdock root and cabbage, plus noodles via Famiglia Baldassare.
The Shanghai slaw ($14.75) makes a great herb-y accompaniment with green papaya, cabbage, lemongrass, and shaved fried onion.
A quartet of dumplings include potato truffle dumplings ($14.75) with cabbage, coconut milk and lemongrass broth.
As for desserts, Halo Halo ($12) comes with a dollop of matcha gelato, purple potato, grassy jelly, condensed coconut milk, and fruits.
As usual Planta delivers in terms of presentation for plant-based eats in a chic environment, this time in the heart of Queen West.
Hector Vasquez