Welcome to Beyond the Meal! My name is Vivian and this will detail my experiences exploring locally owned restaurants. I’m especially focusing on lesser known cuisines of the world, additionally learning about the story behind each dish. Trying new foods is something that I have always been passionate about, and with this blog I hope to inspire others to do the same by sharing thoughtful and engaging perspectives on these new meals. I hope you join me on this journey and are able to learn something new and exciting from it.
Unfamiliar foods are often treated with discomfort or mockery, or on the flip side with overwhelming and dishonest positivity. In order to remain as unbiased as I humanly can, I will be going into these meals with minimal preparation, instead choosing what I am interested in at the restaurant and honestly reviewing it. I will also be bringing my good friend Pierce along, in order to maximize the amount of food reviewed by being able to steal from someone else’s plate. Additionally, I hope to go beyond the dish itself, conducting further research on the history and importance of each dish in order to more fully understand the importance of what I am eating.
There are so many meals in the world that get looked over and don’t receive the same attention as others, which I find incredibly unfair. It is an important part of life to step outside your comfort zone, and I am very excited to try new food and document my experience and inspire others to do the same.
Friday, May 15th 2026 – House of Curry
Welcome to the first post of this series! Today I will be detailing my visit to the House of Curry in Rosemount, a Sri Lankan restaurant, and sharing what I learned.
It was a rather long voyage to the restaurant, as there was a crash on the way that led to a twenty two minute delay, adding on to my already thirty minute trek. This was rather upsetting, as by this point in the night I was already starving and began to wish awful things upon those who were holding up the traffic in front of me.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were greeted with one smiling host and zero other guests, giving us the premium experience of a completely silent room. We immediately made a fool of ourselves by discussing obscene topics the second we sat down, that the poor workers surely must’ve heard. Nevertheless, our server came to our table promptly and asked what we wanted. I ordered a chicken coconut curry, mango lassi, and a side of egg roti.
The food came out quickly, and was steaming hot. I waited as long as I possibly could to dig in, and so approximately two minutes later I began absolutely shoveling my face. This did result in a burnt tongue, however I am happy to say the meal was completely worth it.
Curry has a long and vibrant history for Sri Lanka, and is very much a staple dish. The specific kind I had, which was coconut and chicken, is a dish created from mostly local ingredients of the region. Coconut is found all around the country, and makes perfect sense to balance out the spice by adding a creamy and tropical flavor.
Overall, my experience at the House of Curry was overwhelmingly positive, and I enjoyed what I ate. I’ve had many curries before, but this one definitely felt distinct.
Friday May 22nd – Lumi Restaurant
Hello and welcome back to my blog! This week, I once again travelled far and wide, all the way to the distant lands of Minneapolis. I am happy to report that this car ride was far more relaxing than last week’s, as due to my current financial woes I turned this meal into a date, ensuring I wouldn’t have to drive myself or pay for anything.
The destination of choice is called Lumi, a restaurant that offers a few different Mediterranean cuisines. I chose this restaurant specifically for their Turkish food, as according to the reviews on google they have wonderful food. Thankfully, said reviews were entirely accurate, and I enjoyed everything I had while there. I ordered what was called the Lumi Special Kebab, which was beef and chicken wrapped in Lavash with mozzarella. This was a lovely meal, however I definitely overestimated the amount I could eat. It was so filling!
Lavash is a flatbread with an incredible amount of history, with its creation being dated back to around 3,000 years ago. Its origins are credited to Armenia, however it is eaten and baked in countless other middle eastern countries. Traditionally, the process of making this bread involves at least three people, and is usually done with family for special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, or holidays. In Turkey, Lavash will be given to the newly wedded couple’s neighbors as a form of celebration.
To conclude this post, the food was great and so was the atmosphere. The restaurant was beautifully decorated, and had a lot of open space and high ceilings, making it feel luxurious. The service was also super quick, although that could be attributed to our early dining time of 4:30. I would definitely recommend stopping by if you get the chance.
Thursday, May 28th 2026 – Sole Cafe
Hello and thank you for returning to my blog once again! Today’s entry will be detailing my time at the Sole Cafe in St Paul. I have never tried Korean food before, and I was in the mood for some stew, making this the perfect place to visit.
When entering the restaurant, the first thing I noticed was the beautiful atmosphere. It truly feels like stepping into someone’s home, as it was inspired by traditional Korean architecture. The restaurant was pretty busy, however I was given a seat immediately by an incredibly kind host.
The first thing I ordered was Tteokbokki, which is rice cakes stir fried in gochujang and vegetables. The rice cakes were chewy and soft, with the gochujang sauce adding a lovely bit of spice. Tteokbokki originally was a dish for the royal class in Korea, and wasn’t spicy. However, the modern day version has evolved quite a bit. This began in the 1950s, when it was discovered by accident that gochujang pairs well with the rice cakes. After this discovery, Tteokbokki became an incredibly popular street food, and can be found being sold virtually everywhere in the country.
The second dish I ordered was Kimchi Jiggae, a flavorful stew made from aged kimchi and pork. It is a popular dish, usually served at home with family. It is believed to have originated around 400 years ago, in the Joseon Dynasty, as this was when chilli peppers were introduced to the country. Kimchi is a popular fermented Korean dish that came to be 2,000 years ago. Originally, the dish was made for survival, as ancient Koreans preserved vegetables through the winter by salting them and keeping them in jars. After more spices were more introduced, it
shifted into the spicy dish commonly found today.
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the Sole Cafe, and I will definitely be visiting again in the colder months when I need a hearty meal to warm me up. I would endlessly recommend you visit and support this restaurant.
