it’d be cool if people posted sketches like they do for courtooms.
2 Likes
Pics:
Spaghetti was more like ramen, and the broth was oddly salty (would’ve been great w/ some bread). Passionfruit curd + cilantro sorbet + black sesame cake tasted WAY better than it looked. 
Dropped a spoon accidentally and someone unobtrusively and immediately picked it up b/f I had a chance to even to touch it. That’s classy, and it actually means a lot (to me, at least).
7 Likes
I haven’t been feeling too well the past couple of weeks, so I haven’t really had any memorable meals recently, but I had a spring in my step this morning and decided to pick up lunch from Erven’s to-go counter. They have a lovely display with a small assortment of sandwiches and desserts.
I started off with the kimchi-tomato soup, which as expected was on the sour side, but wonderful with nicely grilled toast. Apologies for the unflattering picture. It’s hard to make a sea of red soup look decent…
The black olives and dukkah were barely detectable, but the crisp sweet potato patty had a pronounced miso flavor. And the radish, fennel, and beet slaw was a perfect earthy foil for this carb-tastic sweet potato sandwich.
This black sesame bundt cake with matcha glaze was squidgy and extremely moreish.
6 Likes
A day late but here’s the downed drink I owe you. Late penalty phase kicks in the lamb lollipop.
Before:
After:
Pardon the water spots on the goblet - I’m such a Luddite - d’oh!
5 Likes
Where is this from??? 
Not the Erven! Apologies for placing a carnivore pic in a vegan thread.
2 Likes
Stopped by Erven today. So sad, I think I’m having one of those “maybe I didn’t order the right things” experiences.
Tomato-kimchi soup
Brilliant soup, so flavorful. I’m wish I had gotten a giant bowl of it, instead of a cup. I didn’t get any griddle bread, though. Maybe it doesn’t come with the smaller portion?
Plate of three “Marketplace” salads ($15, off-menu
Roasted carrots, coconut, crispy lentils, Thai herbs [Thai basil and not-Thai mint], and tamarind siracha. Carrots were undercooked for my taste, siracha overpowered everything but the basil.
Cucumber salad with sesame and chili-ginger vinaigrette . I hate saying this, but I must: I could have made this at home, and better. It was predictable and seasoned very timidly.
Hominy ‘ceviche style’ with cucumber, cilantro and jalapeño. This was good! The white hominy was cooked beautifully- firm, without that chewy texture hominy can get. The dish was fresh and bright with lime and cilantro. I didn’t even mind the red onions, they were obviously prepared to temper the bite of rawness. Thank you, chef.
I will be back to try other things, maybe in the evening.
2 Likes
I need to edit the above. It sounds like I didn’t like the Erven, but I did. Everyone working there was very helpful and genuinely nice.
The space was minimalist, but not hard-edged in any way. Comfortable seating, interesting light fixtures, huge windows that made the space seem larger. It was warm and inviting.
The food, while I didn’t find two of my salads exciting, was very fresh with excellent ingredients. I ate all of the carrot and hominy salads, and most of the cucumber salad. The portions are generous. Even the “cup” of soup is more a small bowl, it was a good size. The sandwiches at the to-go counter looked pretty hearty.
Tuscan bean soup with green harissa
I got a cup of this to go because I love soup, and I’m so glad I did. I’m not sure what green harissa is, but the soup had chick-peas, black-eyed peas, diced carrots, chunks of tomatoes and shreds of chard. Each component was cooked excellently to its proper consistency, but it was the broth that sent this soup over the top. It is SO flavorful. Light, with a rich mouthfeel, but not the least bit greasy or oily, and a touch of tartness. I’m pretty sure it’s a vegetable-based broth, maybe bean broth? I have no idea, but this is one of the best soup broths I’ve had in a long time.
Erven is so very vegetable-based, I love it. A lot of vegetarian places throw a ton of carbs at you to make up for the lack of meat. Erven is all about the vegetables.
Like I said, I will be back.
5 Likes
Sorry to hear that your experience was hit and miss. They definitely forgot to give you the grilled bread. I ordered a small cup of kimchi-tomato soup on Saturday and received bread. I hope that you’ll find other dishes on the menu that you like, @Bookwich.
1 Like
I’m sure I will, the soup alone is worth a visit. Maybe next time I will have a flight of all their soups. And kale salad, of course.
1 Like
No need to apologize if you have a diff experience from other posters! While I greatly enjoyed my visit, there were certain flavors or ingredients (like the super salty spaghetti broth or the odd ingredient in the beet salad that I couldn’t identify) that left me scratching my head a bit. So not every aspect was exceptional.
But, for me, the partial misses were easily forgotten b/c the food was fun and original (IMHO) and b/c the overall taste of the dishes was good to excellent. And b/c waitstaff could explain the food! Even when I was a little confused, I appreciated the chef’s vision. But certainly YMMV validly.
IIRC, the lunch and dinner menu differ significantly (and I think dinner is quite a bit more pricey for hte entrees). I’d prob give the dinner menu a shot. And I’ll let you know what I think of their lunch if/when I can make it out there at that time! 
1 Like
Bad (for me) news. Lunch at Erven is no longer a sit down and be waited upon meal. It’s take a number and order at the counter and they’ll bring your food place. I assume dinner is still sit down. I used to enjoy having lunch coursed out and sharing. Difficult now, but it does look like they are Postmates possible. Prices are down about 2 bucks a dish, on the plus side.
1 Like
Erven not only accepts cash, they give you nearly a quart of amazing Tuscan bean soup for $8. I heart this place.
2 Likes
B. Rod takes down Erven:
Ouch…
She missed, or failed to explain, the point. It is the old Real Food Daily space and the landlord insists on a vegan restaurant - sure, taking the lease was N. Erven’s choice, but serving vegan food, as a kind of gimmick, was not.
I don’t think it is such an “ouch,” she praises most of the food, and she does nail it for a few sub-par dishes (like that stone bowl dish which I thought was not very good).
1 Like
I like Erven a lot, but the menu is so limited and small. I’m already a bit bored with it.
when i ordered three cups of soup the other day, i received no bread.
imho, the soups there are so terrific that the rest of the food has a hard time competing.
1 Like
I love the soup, but I wish they would make different kinds once in a while. I mean, the kimchi-tomato and the Tuscan bean are so amazing, I can’t even imagine what else he could come up with.
I’m sorry about that, @westsidegal… Perhaps they changed their policy on providing bread with their soups.