Kaya's Kitchen in Belmar

Outside Kaya's Kitchen (Credit: Alex Biese)

For the past four years, Kaya's Kitchen in Belmar has been the top name in vegan and organic cuisine in Monmouth County. However, owner Omer Basatemur recently told Metromix Jersey Shore that he would be happy not to be the only game in town as far as meat-free eateries are concerned.

"Unfortunately, there aren't that may options," he said. "It works out good for me, but I'd like to see some other choices."

Referencing such departed locations as Down to Earth in Red Bank, Basatemur said, "It doesn't seem like anyone's stuck around."

If Basatemur comes across sounding like an authority on vegetarian cuisine in the area, it's because he's been in the business for about a decade now. Before becoming the owner of Kaya's Kitchen, Basatemur spent six years working at the same location in the Belmar Plaza when it was known as Veggie Works.

When he began working at Veggie Works as a busboy, Basatemur said, he wasn't even a vegetarian himself, but he explained that reading up on the subject and working at the establishment "got me more into it, and the food was phenomenal."

Explaining the appeal of Kaya's Kitchen, Basatemur said that through the years local restaurant patrons have become "more and more open-minded" and are interested in "eating healthier, whether they're vegetarians or not." For these folks, Kaya's has the appealing feature of offering vegan cuisine made with only organic ingredients.

Serves meat substitutes

But for people who don't know the difference between tofu and seitan and are simply looking for a good meal, Kaya's is at your service. The restaurant serves dishes Basatemur refers to as "mock meat," including barbecue soy drumsticks and many varieties of vegan burgers.

These meat substitutes, Basatemur said, can make the dining experience at Kaya's easier for people who may be bringing friends or family members to try vegan cuisine for the first time.

"They know they can bring their folks here and get something they're familiar with," he said.

With dinner entrees that hover around $15 per person, Basatemur admits that his restaurant may be out of some folks' price range.

"I know our menu is up there with fine dining restaurants, which is where I like to categorize us. ... It's not a restaurant you can eat at every night," he said.

Open mike, upgraded menu

Along with serving up organic vegan eats, Kaya's also hosts an open mike night about once every month, with the next one set to be held at 10:30 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 29). According Basatemur, the regular event helps fill a void in the local music scene left by the closing of 10^th Avenue coffee house Coffee Blue in 2006, attracting many of that former hot spot's regulars.

"They all just kind of came here," he said.

The restaurant also recently upgraded its menu, bringing a lot of dishes that had previously appeared as specials into full-time rotation. Basatemur also revealed where he gets a lot of his recipe ideas from.

"I've been watching the Food Network a lot," he said, explaining that he takes recipes from the popular channel and develops vegan variations.