Aratham
If the Covid epidemic has taught this vegan anything, it’s that meal delivery can be a (tasty) life saver. And as a self-proclaimed vegan foodie, TVM has a pretty high bar and love for dabbling with new vegan delivery options.
Troy, Michigan, known for its veritable sea of restaurants, has one such new offering! Aratham offers gourmet ready-to-eat organic dishes for delivery and take-away. Its Troy storefront is open Monday – Saturday, but we opted for the convenience of delivery. Ordering was effortless, simply place your online selections by Friday and Aratham will deliver to your house Monday morning.
Its menu offers breakfast eats, entrées, raw juices and changes weekly. There are a few monthly offerings as well. Since we were first timers, we opted for a smattering of all the things (so we didn’t have any problem meeting the $50 minimum for delivery.) Most dishes were $11.99 delivered (shave $1 off if you pick up in-store). The avocado pudding (part of the breakfast offering) was $9.99 and juices are $8.99, delivered.
Our order arrived Monday morning in a cute Aratham-branded reusable refrigerator bag. Note: The exact delivery window is at the restaurant’s discretion, but all typically delivered between 8am-noon. (We also appreciated the reminder text that morning about delivery timing.) We served this organic, colorful buffet that evening for dinner al fresco.
Most dishes were labeled and included simple heating instructions, a welcome convenience. A few were delivered sans label, so we guessed on warming times. After only about 20 minutes, all the dishes were prepared and it was time to enjoy! Here were our impressions:
Korean Lettuce Wraps: Could not get enough of the nut-based meat! We only wish there was more of it. Unfortunately, most of the lettuce pieces were too small to actually use for a wrap, so we ate most of this dish like a salad. The Bibimbap sauce was killer and really made this dish sing. We would have put it on nearly everything if we hadn’t run out!
Buffalo Chickpea Taco Bowl: Served with hummus, avocado, and flour wraps, this bowl was pleasant and enjoyable. We didn’t get an overwhelming buffalo spice, but it still made for a hearty and texture-rich entrée.
Chinese Fried Rice: A mild, not-so-spicy dish. We expected a bit more Chinese-forward flavoring given its billing, but enjoyed the seared broccoli, scallions, and peas that accompanied the rice. Full disclosure, we actually added additional spices (including 5 spice powder and vegan fish sauce) to amp up the flavor profile and spice level of this dish.
Philly Steak Sandwich: We couldn’t wait to dive into this mushroom-based sammie served on an Avalon sub bun! We missed the green peppers which were supposed to adorn the creamy sandwich, but its overall robustness made for a nice complement to the other lighter dishes we sampled. (This was one that didn’t come with instructions, so we warmed in oven until bread was toasty and mushrooms were warmed through, about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.)
Mid-Summer Salad: We are normally huge fans of kale-based salad, but this one was a bit kale-heavy and toppings-light for our taste. The raw kale was difficult to eat as prepared and could have benefited from a light steaming, massaging, or even chopped into smaller bite size pieces. And while the menu mentioned a lemon poppyseed dressing, a tasty balsamic came with. We aren’t complaining, it hit the spot!
Wild Forest Penne: A nice big portion, which could have easily made for two meals. Savory fresh mushrooms headlined this simple pasta, along with well-prepared asparagus. Overall, a simple and satiating main.
Chocolate Avocado Pudding Bowl: We ordered this breakfast item as our dessert and couldn’t get enough of the toppings: shredded coconut flakes, cocao nibs, and granola! The pudding itself was a bit chunky and bland, we prefer a smooth puree with lots of chocolate-forward flavor. Even with the tasty toppings, we would skip this next time.
We chilled our fresh juices and drank as breakfast the following day. These were a big hit! We tried red (beet and apple based) and orange (carrots and oranges); they made for a yummy and nutritious start to the day.
Overall we were pretty pleased with our spread! If you are a busy bee during the work week, Aratham’s Monday morning delivery could be a real asset. Check them out and tell them The Vegan Mary sent you!
