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RVA Foodie Spotlight: Lots of Pizza & The Perfect Pear

John Reinhold | December 3, 2020

Topics: Bar Solita, Bocata Arepa Bar, Carmelas, food truck, GOOD EATS RVA, jamaica house, Lillie Pearl, Local, local restaurants, nice pear!, Pizza Beer RVA, Pupatella, Red Salt Chophouse and Sushi, rva food, RVA foodie, rva pizza, RVA Wood Fired Pizza, SBs Lakeside Love Shack, sweets

Back to it here on our weekly RVA Foodie Spotlight. You know it — we love the foods. And of all the dishes in the world, nothing tastes quite as good as the ones made right here in the River City. 

So in the spirit of eating ourselves into food comas in Richmond, we’re spotlighting our favorite local restaurants each week with the best #RVAFoodie finds around town. We’ll be searching weekly for the best of delicious local food porn in our community, from amazing restaurants to chefs, food trucks, pop-ups and more. Here’s a few close-to-home favorites this week to follow on Instagram. This week is quite stacked after the holiday rush.

If you’ve got an awesome restaurant to spotlight, reach out to [email protected]! Support local, RVA! 

#RVAFoodie This Week

@barsolitarva

#HuevosRancheros My love runs deep for Huevos Rancheros. There are few things I enjoy as much as a good Huevos Rancheros in the morning. Bar Solita serves this one up looking so fresh and so clean. YUMM

@bocataarepabar

#Parrilla As Richmond’s first and only Arepa Bar. you can get amazing loaded up corn cakes. So many options for new flavors for your tastebuds.

@lillie.pearl.rva

#FriedOkra Lillie Southern Cuisine with a touch of global influence, feels homemade in the best ways. Kinda food that warms you up.

lilliepearlrva.com

#ChickenCurry Jamaica House Restaurant here in RVA does not have its own Instagram that we could find. BUT plenty of people tag them in their quest for real Jamaican food made from scratch.

Jamaica House Restaurant

@sbslakesideloveshack

#Shackuterie The love shack is a little old place where we can get together. In lakeside this spot gives you all the warm fuzzies, freshly picked food platters daily. Check their Instagram for their fun and delicious daily fare!

sbsloveshack.net

@pupatellarva

#Burrata Cheese me please. Fresh Italian everything here, and certified by Assosialzione Verace Pizza Napoletana. That means it’s serious Italian eats.

pupatellarva.com/menu-and-hours

@pizzabeerrva

#VeganPizza PBR is an amazing hang, and has many delicious pizza creations. Here is an amazing looking pizza for vegetarians and vegans, wood-fired and ready to demolish.

linktr.ee/PBRVA

@rvawoodfiredpizza

#mobilePizza Traveling Pizza Magicians, yes — that sounds good. Keep up with them online for the latest plans. Get to them for some personal wood fire pizzas that will make your tongue slap your brain.

linktr.ee/rivercitywoodfire

@carmelas_rva

#WhitePizza This looks so good. Very nice Authentic Sicilian Pizza and food. Their entire Instagram is full of pizza porn. WANT PIZZA NOW!

carmelasrichmond.com

@redsaltrva

#BaoBuns This Sushi Chophouse is a new one I’m just finding out about. It has two of my favorite things in one spot. It requires a visit for further exploration into the flavors that need to get in my belly.

I also could not help but add this very interesting dessert feature from them below. This is a pear dessert over chocolate that’s Gluten Free and looks amazing. Maybe a wee bit sexual, with the long stare here and all. But I will totally dive in and so lovingly enjoy it.

www.redsaltrva.com

That’s all for this week’s #RVAFoodie. See you next week, Richmond!

If you have ideas or favorite spots please do reach out to [email protected]!

RVA Foodie Spotlight: Wham Bam & Hot Pots

John Reinhold | November 20, 2020

Topics: branzino, donut, griilled cheese, Hot Chick, hot pot, italian, juice, rockfish, rva food, RVA foodie, rva restaurants, tacos, vegan

If there’s any activity our RVA Magazine team loves unanimously, it’s eating. And of all the dishes in the world, nothing tastes quite as good as the ones made right here in the River City. 

So in the spirit of eating ourselves into food comas in Richmond, we’re spotlighting our favorite local restaurants each week with the best #RVAFoodie finds around town. We’ll be searching weekly for the best of delicious local food in our community, from amazing restaurants to chefs, food trucks, pop-ups and more. Here’s a few close-to-home favorites this week to follow on Instagram. 

If you’ve got an awesome restaurant to spotlight, reach out to [email protected]! Support local, RVA! 

#RVAFoodie This Week

@chengdurestaurant

#HotPot! Cheng du with the absolute amazing hot pots and schezwan food. I can not get enough hot pot as the weather turns colder..

www.chengduva.com

@pepesva

#VeggieTacos Pepes with some of the best tacos and burritos around. In Midlothian and worth the trip,

www.pepesva.com

@edossquid

#RoastedRockFish One of my favorites in RVA. Been that many years since first hitting up Mama Zu (same owners). They always do Italian right.

edossquidrva.com/menu

@/lowcoeatery

#HotChick Lowcoeatery believes in food porn just like we do. Get your down country and Charleston type flavors. Good home cooking feels ya know.

www.lowcoeatery.com

@cheddarjacksonrva

#GrilledCheese Grilled cheese and super sangwiches, lots of belly pleasing choices with vegan options as well.

@hangspacerva

#BigWhatever Hangspace makes delicious 100% vegan food of all kinds, Wanting a Burger they got it, wanting a hot dog they got it. If you like food you can feel good about stop by for pickup Thursday -Sunday or use one of them delivery services.

hang-space-online-ordering.square.site/s/orde

@Perch RVA

#Bronzino Perch is not messing around with this beautiful Bronzino. Big fan of this Mediterranean Sea Bass – its like Rockfishes yummy cousin.

www.perchrva.com

@peterchang

#DriedCabbage Peter Chang makes the second appearance on this list of shezwan food. Feeling it on the need for some right now. Peter Chang has two locations – this one is from Short Pump. If you have not done Peter Chang’s you should. If you like spice, then move it up further on your list.

peterchangrestaurant.com

@tbtelgallo

#Streetfood Tbt has made this list twice. Check their insta and social media as they are a pop up – that hits quite a few spots in town.

https://store.jasperbarrva.com/

@thebeetboxrva

#Jucie Something new to this list with some fresh juices and healthy bites. Build your own juices and plates with the most fresh ingredients.

https://linktr.ee/beetboxrva

@firststopdonuts

#AppleCiderDonuts Richmond’s very own hot apple cider donut. They are made fresh, right inside the converted school bus named Flubert!! GET TO FLUBER get the donut, trust us.

That’s all for this week’s #RVAFoodie. See you next week, Richmond!

RVA Foodie Spotlight: Mughlai Lamb & Butternut Lasagna

John Reinhold | November 13, 2020

Topics: Deserts, eat and drink, GOOD EATS RVA, Indian food, Itailian, richmond restaurants, rva food, rva foodies, take out, vegetarian food


If there’s any activity our RVA Magazine team loves unanimously, it’s eating. And of all the dishes in the world, nothing tastes quite as good as the ones made right here in the River City. 

So in the spirit of eating ourselves into food comas in Richmond, we’re spotlighting our favorite local restaurants each week with the best #RVAFoodie finds around town. We’ll be searching weekly for the best of delicious local food in our community, from amazing restaurants to chefs, food trucks, pop-ups and more. Here’s a few close-to-home favorites this week to follow on Instagram. 

If you’ve got an awesome restaurant to spotlight, reach out to [email protected]! Support local, RVA! 

#RVAFoodie This Week

@namaonbroad

@LambCurry Nama serves up some very flavorful curries, this week started the Diwali celebration with 11 new curry’s. Make sure and check out the new menu, and all the tasty Indian creations they make.

www.namarva.com

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@hobnobrva

#ButternutLasagna Hobnob with a very festive creation that is perfect for any vegetarian. Make sure and check their page for some amazing pies weekly you will want to try.

www.hobnobrva.com

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@surroundingcounties

#DeviledEgg Is this a perfect looking Deviled Egg or what? I mean its just so perfect in its little dish. Surrounding Counties serves up Specialty Coffee and International Foods. Create your own perfect breakfast at this stop.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_2992-1-660x1024.jpg

@cancanbrasserie

@EggsBenedict Can Can in Carytown is always a classic stop, quite known for its amazing brunches. Here we have a favorite of mine, an Eggs Benedict with a twist. Super down for this in every way.

ordercancanbrasserie.com

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@izzys.kitchenrva

@SuperItalian Izzy’s in the Museum district brings you fresh local sourced food with Italian flare. You can find speciality foods that have been brined, cured, smoked, and of course roasted.

www.izzyskitchenrva.com

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@Lulusrva

@CornedBeef Lulus has your dinner fare directly in RVA Bottom open for Brunch. They have it set up with really nice Patio seating and social distancing.

www.lulusrichmond.com

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_2981-606x1024.jpg

@sabairva

@Noodles Sabai Dragon Noodle shrimp perfection. I want this right now. I look at this and I can taste it. Get in my belly.

www.sabairva.com/online-ordering

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@Alamorva

@BBQCuban Alamo has dank BBQ thats just the facts. The Alamo Cuban has been a good friend to me many times. This and the Train wreck. Get to Churchill and get some Alamo, its that simple.

www.alamobbq.com

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_2982-674x1024.jpg

@thelibertyrva

@BreakfastBurrito Liberty Public House in Churchill with a big ass burrito here for you. They have some outdoor seating and a banging take out online menu

thelibertyrva.com

@arley.cakes

@Pies Arley makes pies and special desserts to order. Check in on the Instagram page to see what special creations will be available.

@sugarandsaltrva

@MiniCakes Looks like sushi doesn’t it? These are some fun little cakes. Sugar and Salt have a nice bakery that makes creations like this daily. Check in and get yummy desserts to take home.

sugarandsaltrva.com

That’s all for this week’s #RVAFoodie. See you next week, Richmond!

.

RVA Foodie Spotlight: Reuben & Mushroom Ramen

John Reinhold | November 6, 2020

Topics: #eatdrink, #rvafoodie, desserts, eats, Richmond Vegetarian Festival, rva food, rva foodies, sticky rice, sushi, vegan


If there’s any activity our RVA Magazine team loves unanimously, it’s eating. And of all the dishes in the world, nothing tastes quite as good as the ones made right here in the River City. 

So in the spirit of eating ourselves into food comas in Richmond, we’re spotlighting our favorite local restaurants each week with the best #RVAFoodie finds around town. We’ll be searching weekly for the best of delicious local food in our community, from amazing restaurants to chefs, food trucks, pop-ups and more. Here’s a few close-to-home favorites this week to follow on Instagram. 

If you’ve got an awesome restaurant to spotlight, reach out to [email protected]! Support local, RVA! 

#RVAFoodie This Week

@perlysrichmond

#REUBENME So happy the Perlys is open again! Comfort food from there can make anyones day better. Need to stop in to get my LOX fix.

@blueatlasrva

#MUSHROOM RAMEN Blue Atlas serves up fresh inspired seasonal fare that you can get both in the restaurant and through their market.

@yayasinshortpump

#SASHIMIBUCKET YaYas is a new find that looks to bring amazing sushi and drink creations in a hip fun setting. Check out what else we found below – had to include this classic smoke drink!

@theanswerva

#RAMENCHICKEN The Answer Brewpub is a home away from home type of spot for us. They of course have some of the best and most creative beers. Don’t miss our on the amazing food either, get a wake and bacon for the win.

@rootsnk (in Charlottesville)

#TOFUSALAD Empowering people through food! Root natural kitchen has a great mission along with great foods. Make sure and check out daily plans, and throw some support their way.

@Stickyricerva

#SUSHI We have missed Sticky Rice. Need our sushi fix badly, and need my tots and sauce while I m at it.

@beauvineburger

#CLASSICBURGER Beauvine makes a really good handcrafted burger. Its a classic with amazing fries to boot.

@pearlsbakeshoppe

#PEANUTBUTTERPIE Pearls makes some of the best cakes and desserts around Richmond. They can also deal with all allergies and needs when making something special. You can also just go in and see whats in the case daily. Never disappoints.

@nightingaleicecream

#ICECREAMSANDWICH Chances are you have had one of their dank creations. This little lover above has chocolate and coffee, its cute and packs a punch.

That’s all for this week’s #RVAFoodie. See you next week, Richmond!

Indian Street Food Restaurant & Pop-Up Bar Come to Richmond

Amy David | September 20, 2018

Topics: Belle, Curry Craft, Good Eats, Indian food, Indian restaurant, Jesse Smith, Kabana Rooftop, Loose Screw Tattoo, Nama, pop-up bar, RVA dine, rva food, Switch

The crew behind downtown Richmond’s Kabana Rooftop and Belle have joined forces with a well-known restaurateur and a major R&B singer to bring two concepts to life in the fall.

Neal Patel and Kunal Shah have leased two adjoining spaces on West Broad Street to open Nama, an Indian restaurant with Chef Mel Oza serving at the helm, along with a pop-up bar called Switch that will feature rotating themes every few months.

Nama will offer family-style shared plates ranging from $11-20 to give patrons the opportunity to experience more than just one entree per person.

“When we say shared plates, people generally think of really small portions, like tapas, which is not what we’re trying to do. There are many dishes from India that make kind of mini meals for an individual or are good to share with people,” said Oza. “Sharing is a big part of Indian culture, it’s actually considered rude to order something and not share it with others at the table in most dining situations.”

While curries and tandoori will make their appearance at Nama, Oza said the restaurant will instead focus on a variety of street foods and delicacies from different regions of India.

“Street food in India used to be very risqué in terms of hygiene. A lot of progress has been made in recent times as the lifestyles are getting busier and people need to eat out more,” Oza said. “What we are trying to do at Nama is similar to what people would generally enjoy eating out. The full-on meals that involve the works are reserved for certain occasions or settings. An average person would rather have chaats, pav bhajis, street side kababs or pulaos [rice dish]. These kinds of dishes serve the purpose of stimulating your taste buds and yet comfortably satiating you. Restaurants offering similar cuisine are becoming really popular in the UK and big cities in the western world.”

Patrons can expect to find dishes from western and northeast India including pav bhaji, a spiced vegetable mash, goat meat Mamna which are roasted meatballs, quail eggs, chaat, and a fermented lentils rice cake in additional to more common staples like Indian fritters, kebab dishes, curries, and hot and cold chaat.

Oza has been cooking since the late 90s in the UK and later in the US. He served as the chef for contemporary Indian restaurant, Copper, in Charlotte, North Carolina before coming to Richmond in 2009 to pursue other restaurant ventures, including Carytown’s Curry Craft, which sold two years ago after four years in business.

Patel and Shah have wanted to bring an Indian concept to Richmond for quite some time, aiming to offer something a little different than other Indian restaurants that are currently in the market.

“We want people to have the option of coming to an Indian restaurant and not getting filled up by a single curry dish,” Patel said. “If you want to come in and have some craft cocktails or great wine or beer and try a few different plates off the menu, our goal is to create a little bit of a fun and lighter atmosphere. With most concepts we want to introduce, it is all about creating a fun social dining experience.”

After meeting Oza, the group worked on the idea for two years before leasing the space at 15 W. Broad St.

“We had a lot of variations and ideas for what we wanted to do, and my sister actually drafted the initial conceptual menu.  Since partnering with Mel that initial vision has morphed into something much greater than we ever expected from a culinary perspective,” Patel said of Nama.

Rounding out the initial investors in Nama, is R&B artist, Jay Sean. The singer knew Shah threw his early promoter days and according to Patel, was enthusiastic about becoming involved in the early stages of development.

“Jay has a great relationship with Kunal. Early in Kunal’s professional career he owned a production company that managed Jay Sean in the US, and they have maintained their friendship for 10 plus years since then,” he said.

Their second concept, Switch, if the name didn’t give it away, will be a pop-up bar with a rotating theme every three, six, or nine months. Patel said the group wanted to bring the concept to Richmond after seeing it take off in bigger markets, citing DC’s wildly popular and seasonal Cherry Blossom pop-up bar as inspiration.

“Pop up bars have been growing in popularity, especially in Chicago, DC, LA, New York,” he said. “Kunal and I have experience in the DC market, and so, we had always been looking for a space to give Richmond what we consider to be its first true pop-up bar.”

The bar, located next to Nama at 13 W. Broad St., will serve cocktails and small bites which, along with the decor, will play off of each theme. As far as themes for the pop-ups, Patel mentioned Halloween or Christmas as potential options, but didn’t want to reveal any details just yet.

“Probably in the next month or two, we’ll start dripping teasers out,” he said. The restaurant and events group also plans to incorporate a second theme into the downstairs portion of Switch to host two separate concepts at the same time. To execute their vision for each theme, Patel and Shah have recruited Richmond interior design firm Lost Art Studios and commissioned local artists for the design and decor.

“Richmond is known for its artistry, and that strong local art scene we have, so we want to partner with a lot of local artists whether it’s for murals or design pieces that are featured in Switch, because when you think about these pop-ups, you’ve got to be able to shut it down and open it back up in a couple weeks with a brand new theme,” Patel said.

Jesse Smith of Loose Screw Tattoo was tapped for a mural for the first theme, which Patel is keeping under wraps for now, but be on the lookout in the coming weeks for hints on their social media.

The group hopes to have both Nama and Switch open by November.

A Taste of New Orleans Rolls Into Northside

Amy David | August 6, 2018

Topics: banh mi, Big Easy, Cajun food, chicken wings, food truck, fried chicken, fried rice, Good Eats, gumbo, Manchu, New Orleans, Northside, RVA dine, rva food, shrimp po boys, Vietnamese, yakamein

If you frequent any of the breweries in town, it’s likely you’ve seen a royal purple truck with a feisty chicken emblazoned on the side serving wings and other Cajun-inspired dishes. And this summer, that truck will settle in with a place of its own in Northside.  

Manchu has only been slinging wings, fried rice, fries, shrimp po’ boys, banh mi, and gumbo in Richmond for a year, but its history goes back more than three decades with a family business that originated in New Orleans.

This article originally appeared in RVA #33 Summer 2018, you can check out the issue here, or pick it up around Richmond now. 

Although a staple in the Big Easy and highly popular with the locals, there are no frills about Manchu, just a simple corner store near the French Quarter that has served up wings, po’ boys, fried fish, and yakamein for 35 years.

“We’re one of the few corner stores that’s still around,” said Manchu food truck owner Marvin Nguyen, of his family’s business.  

Nguyen’s cousin Tommy and his wife Yen Pham, along with his father Kevin, founded the original Manchu, and while Nguyen moved out of New Orleans when he was 10, he returns every year to visit the store and family. His passion for cooking, however, wouldn’t come until years later.  

His parents, originally from Vietnam, moved them to North Carolina, then Martinsville, Va. where he grew up. The food truck operator finally planted roots in Richmond in 2005 after transferring from UVA to J. Sarge in 2005 to study biology of all things.

When not in school, Nguyen spent his time working odd office jobs before realizing that wasn’t his true calling.

“I was like, ‘this is not me,’” he said. “All these office jobs I’m getting, I’m helping a lot of people, but I’m not helping myself, it’s not that fun,” he said. After that, he left school and tried out a career as a DJ in Richmond and Washington, DC for 10 years before finally deciding to take up the family business.

“I’ve always liked to cook at home or for my friends, so I thought why not open a food truck. I’ve always talked about it, but never pulled through.”

Nguyen often urged his family during his yearly trips to visit to expand the restaurant up north, and while they were content where they were, Nguyen took the leap to take on the venture himself.

From January to April 2017, he studied under the tutelage of his cousin and dad learning the inner-workings of Manchu. And his time may have been brief, but it was no easy task.

“I went down there and studied for like four months and did everything from the kitchen work, the recipes, the cooking of the fried rice, the chicken, and marinating,” he said.

In 2016, he bought his food truck and the following year, Manchu was up and running in Richmond, starting out in Ashland serving employees at Owens & Minor and Amazon, followed by weekly trips to SunTrust, and growing to regular gigs at local breweries like Ardent Craft Ales, The Veil Brewing Co., Hardywood, and Isley.

Richmond’s Manchu food truck is similar to the NOLA corner store, but with Nguyen ‘s spin on it. The truck sells traditional BBQ, sticky garlic, and ghost pepper wings, which he uses ghost pepper powder to make. “It’s not one of those that things really spicy, but you can taste the ghost pepper.”

As for the recipe for the wings, Nguyen is keeping most of that under his hat, only divulging that it is dry-rubbed and brined for 24 hours. And while the success this year-old food truck has received from the locals has been great for Nguyen, he said expanding with a store of his own was always in the cards.

“The plan was to get people to know who Manchu is, and why we’re here. I wanted to open a store in the first place, but we wanted something that was mobile,” he said.

Image may contain: food

His new North Avenue restaurant, which he leased in January, will be takeout only, and while he eyed bustling neighborhoods like Scott’s Addition, he said after serving the Northside community, he knew it was the perfect place to set up shop.

“I felt like to be at home, just like our store down in New Orleans, we wanted to find a spot that caters mostly to the kind of people that fit our demographic, and Northside has been such a blast for us,” he said. “We park our food truck out there every now and then, its right next to a library, we made a huge impact in that area.”

All the residents that live there and the heavy foot traffic were another reason he wanted to open his takeout restaurant there.

“I like how people just walk around, that reminds me of home in New Orleans,” he said. “Just outside hanging out. We want to make that impact in that community.”

Since opening the food truck, Nguyen has used a commercial kitchen on West Broad Street, but will move operations to the new shop when it opens. And with only four employees, the roving truck will come home to roost for a bit while the takeout spot gets off the ground, but keep an eye out, as it could pop up at an event here and there.

Image may contain: food

With the new takeout spot, Manchu will still serve up its signature wings and po’ boys, but Nguyen also plans to experiment with some new recipes and expand the menu.

“We’re going to have some specials too. We have a recipe for crawfish boils and daily specials such as Pho Boys, so basically all the ingredients of Pho, but you eat it like a French dip,” he said. “We do want to create a Mambo sauce, we’ve made it before, but we still want to play with it, it goes on the wings and the rice.”

Image may contain: food
Manchu Pho Boy

His mother, who also worked on the food truck, has come aboard to be the chef for the restaurant. Nguyen handles all the seasonings and prep for the wings, and his mother makes the gumbo and roasted chicken for the business.

The New Orleans Manchu, which was once a Chinese restaurant, doesn’t have a logo, and is just labeled as Manchu Food Store. Nguyen plans to model his Richmond takeout restaurant after the flagship store with a mural of the NOLA sign, along with his unmistakable chicken logo, of course.

“I just want to make sure we are the staple wing place to go to in Richmond, that’s my goal, I’m just going to work my butt off to make that happen.” Manchu will be open sometime in August six days a week from 10 am to 8 pm.

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