Dajen is a groovy little spot to pop in for a casual bite at any time. Or ice cream, which is also a big draw. But today I’m looking for breakfast and I’m eager to try Chef Jenn’s biscuits.
Restaurant: Dajen Eats, Eatonville, Orlando, Florida
Dish: Chick’n Biscuit and an extra Biscuit
Reading: The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal About Us by Jeffrey Kluger
While I had to decide between the vegan Chick’n Biscuit or vegan Biscuits and Gravy, I went with the first one on this visit. You can order your chick’n (vegan vegetable protein made to look and taste like chicken) in one of four flavors: original crispy, buffalo, spicy, or jerk.
Since I don’t like hot spicy food, I ordered the original crispy flavor. You can add cheese for a dollar which I did.
I wasn’t sure if this would be filling enough, but if I also ordered biscuits and gravy I’d be too full. I had not seen that menu item before and can’t wait to try it another time.
Dajen serves tea and coffee but I went with water. There’s a water dispenser at the utensil counter.
This is a very tasty breakfast. It is served hot on a cute little board. And you can smell bread and butter and fried batter, which all smell good.
The biscuit is flaky and flavorful, topped with a brush of vegan butter. Exactly like the kind of Southern buttermilk biscuits my mom and I used to make. But these use vegan ingredients.
The chick’n tastes just like chicken. The original crispy is fried with a crunchy crust over the tender meat inside.
There’s a slightly sweet, slightly tangy remoulade sauce on the sandwich in addition to the cheese. The sauce is not spicy at all, which I like.
The cheese looks and tastes like white American. It is so much like dairy cheese that I had to ask to be sure it’s vegan. And it is.
I was still hungry and wanted mote of the buttery biscuit goodness. So I ordered another plain biscuit with jelly. Good vegan biscuits with a buttery crust are hard to find. The server gave it to me to go.
Happily, Dajen serves single biscuits, too! I ordered one with jam. The jam was raspberry, my favorite. Again, I was transported to my childhood home and the simple pleasure of such a simple treat.
Plant-based? Yes. Vegan? Yes. Everything they serve is.
Can I make this at home? Yes, I can make the biscuits, though I’d probably have to freeze some of them or make a half batch. I’m not sure I can make the fried chick’n at home. The ingredient is not readily available at the local grocery though I might find it at a specialty shop in the area. And then I would need to fry it. So it’s easier to come here.
And if you want to take classes, Chef Jenn will teach you herself!
