Grilled Soy Gouda: Cheesy Sunday Goodness.

I’ve been dying to try Liquiteria’s Grilled Soy Gouda sandwich for a while now. My usual Papaya Paradise with Spirulina smoothie needed a side sandwich. And what better day for a grilled cheese sandwich than a hot sunny Sunday afternoon? Liquiteria’s menu calls this sandwich “NY’s best kept secret”. So does it live up to the cheesy hype? My Soy Gouda taste test…

7/20 UPDATE: There is some controversy about whether or not the Soy Gouda contains casein. I called Liquiteria and they confirmed that it IS vegan and casein free. SuperVegan.com review says it is not vegan. Hmmm.. who to believe?! I hope it is vegan. Any info guys? I’ll keep you updated on this…

Simple Vegan Sandwich’s in NYC. There are a few must-have to-go foods that I must have in my neighborhood. A few good smoothie shops with vegan smoothies. A fab vegan burrito place. And a few cafes or coffee shops that make must-eat vegan sandwiches to-go. Luckily, I have found two that I love thus far: Think Coffee with its Vegan Sandwich (yes, that’s what they simply call it) and Cafe Angelique in SoHo with their delicious Vegan Angelique. It is so good. And now finally, I decided to try Liquiteria’s Soy Gouda sandwich. Did it taste yummy enough to get added to my to-go sandwich rotation?

Grilled Soy Gouda. Here is the menu description: “GRILLED SOY GOUDA (NY’S best kept secret) smoked soy Gouda cheese, plum tomatoes, avocado, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt on organic whole wheat bun.”

My Review: Grilled Soy Gouda
from Liquiteria, NYC

Shelf Appeal: Small, wrapped in foil. Very nicely grilled. Crisp ridges in the thin bun. Looks simple, almost unassuming. But slice it open and that gooey soy cheese comes flowing out of the toasted bun, and I can’t wait to dive in.

Label Check: No calories or fat content on the menu. Darn. But this sandwich is pretty small, so I’m not too worried about the calories. It has a whole wheat ‘bun’. The bun is super thin, so it’s probably only 100-120 calories for the bun. Then there are a few slices of healthy fat avocado. Plus a tiny drizzle of healthy fat olive oil, some pepper and tomatoes, sea salt and of course the star of the sandwich: soy Gouda. Passes my ‘healthy’ test. Plus, I split it with my husband and had a smoothie on the side-so this was quite a perfect Sunday lunch.

Taste Test: Smoky smell to the creamy Gouda. This is soy cheese? Awesome. The sandwich flavors are very simple and even the bite is very one-layered: soft. But still, I like it a lot. Usually I like a lot of big crunchy items like lettuce, raw onion or other thick veggies in a sandwich, but this tiny hot grilled panini goes perfectly with a frosty cold smoothie. So, it works-deliciously. The sea salt, pepper and olive oil are really all the seasoning this panini bite needs.

Price Check: $5.99. Honestly, it seems a bit steep for this tiny sandwich, but it’s still worth it. The soy Gouda seems very high quality-I can’t find this in Whole Foods. And they do use the panini press, which I also don’t have at home. And I know they use high quality ingredients and in a super-clean environment-Liquiteria style. I’m getting my $6 worth.

Last Word: I will indeed get this again. Preferably to split with my husband on a sunny day, with a side of smoothies in our hands. Yum. I love Liquiteria.

www.liquiteria.com