Living in a pandemic means trotting the globe to sample the best street food a city has to offer is not very realistic. Luckily for the locals of Grand Rapids, Mich., an array of global street food can be found all on one menu at Roam.
The ambiance meets in the middle between relaxed and sophisticated. While it's not the ideal street food dining experience of walking through a city and enjoying its cultural cuisine, Roam's dining room does a good job with providing a comfortable and unique space to try new things.
The best part is, the serving sizes for most meals are large enough to bring home leftovers.
Roam's eclectic menu takes a spin on a variety of cultural street foods. Here are some of our favorites:
Vietnam
If you're faced with the dilemma of not knowing if you want to play it safe with a sandwich or take a risk with something new, get the Banh Mi.
All stuffed into a French baguette, the Banh Mi consists of five spiced shredded pork, pate, pickled vegetables, jalapeños, cilantro and kewpie mayo. The ingredients in this dish complement each other well as the seasoned shredded pork and pate are lightened by the freshness of the cilantro and the tang of the pickled vegetables.
China
Once you try one of China's most popular street breakfasts, you might never want to partake in the American tradition of eating scrambled eggs and toast in a diner again.
Jian Bing is a savory crepe filled with braised pork, egg, pickled onion, soy bean paste, sweet chili sauce, crispy wontons, cilantro and scallions.
This mouth watering dish doubles as a hearty breakfast and a flavorful dinner. The bold spices and sauces of this dish are mellowed by the crepe and egg, making it suitable for any time of day.
America
They even found a way to add some flavor to an American classic.
Before you close your mind to putting peanut butter on a burger, stop at Roam for dinner and order the Nolburger. The sauce coats and enriches the flavor of the contents layered in between two soft brioche buns. If you're worried about not liking it, order the peanut butter sauce on the side so you can try it without making a big commitment.
If the allure of a peanut butter burger doesn't have you sold yet, the Nolburger also comes with bacon, fried onion, pickled onion, lettuce and cheddar cheese.
Korea
The Black Bean Bokkeum-Bop infuses spicy, tangy and fresh flavors into a hearty rice bowl. The thoughtful combination of these Korean ingredients forms a powerful flavor experience for anyone looking to step outside of their comfort zone. Plus, the portion of this bowl is easily enough for two meals.
The black bean rice is topped with kimchi, onion, carrot, green pea, fried rice, daikon, chili flakes and green onion. Typically, the dish is served with a sunny-side egg on top.
Italy
Warm up with the a big bowl of Cioppino, a spicy tomato and cod stew. The spices blend gracefully into the tomato based broth as the cod breaks up the heat of the stew. Pair with a slice of sourdough bread for dipping.
Make sure to only order this dish if you're confident you can handle the spice.
Another Italian dish served at Roam is the Affogato. A scoop of vanilla Palazzolo Gelato is drowned in a shot of espresso, melting into to a creamy and caffeinated dessert.
If you like coffee and you like gelato, you will love the Affogato.
Thailand
Iced coffee is just as popular in Thailand as it is in America, but they typically don't just settle for a black coffee with a spash of cream.
Roam uses cardamom infused dark roast coffee for their Thai iced coffee, sweetened with almond syrup and condensed milk. Even if the unlikely happened and the coffee sat long enough for the ice to melt, it still wouldn't be watered down because they use coffee ice cubes to keep it cold.