Category: Restaurant Reviews

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So I heard though the grapevine that there’s a place in Hintonburg that’ll make you a vegan crepe.

It’s called “A Thing For Chocolate”, and Neil and I just went there for brunch.

The atmosphere is cheerful and unpretentious, decorated with framed quotes affirming that chocolate is good for you and you’re probably not getting enough.

There were only a couple of vegan options on the menu and they were pretty plain. When we placed our order, however, we discovered that they also make a savoury vegan crepe. Called “The Vegan,” it’s filled with Daiya, basil leaves, mushrooms and tomatoes.

I was kind of surprised when the crepes arrived, because they were brown. Omar the owner informed us that they’re made of buckwheat. I’m not sure what that’s all about – if it’s a conflation of gluten-free with vegan or if he just thinks vegans like healthy looking brown things. But who cares – they were good, and Omar was such a dear and so eager to bring in more vegan options, I didn’t want to get in his face about the brown crepes.

Speaking of, we told Omar to get Earth Balance, President’s Choice meatless chicken breasts and Tofutti Cream cheese to make his menu more vegan-friendly. I encourage you to contact him if you have any other suggestions. Honestly, I kind of drew a blank when he asked me. Partially out of excitement and partially because it started giving me flashbacks to our ill-fated Restaurant Outreach Program (let us never speak of it again).

So there you go – vegan crepes in Ottawa. In yer face, Toronto.

Addendum: After posting this blog I discovered that everyone except me knows that traditional savoury crepes are always made with buckwheat *looks down in shame for being an uncultured mouth-breather*.

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A new cooperative grocery/cafe/performance space just opened right down the street from me in Hintonburg.

It called the “West End Well,” and I was very excited to head over there this morning to see if Hintonburg had gotten itself yet another vegan destination.

I’ve got to admit I was a bit disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a really nice space. It’s big, beautiful, and has a really nice produce section. It also offers some vegan staples like Tofurky and Field Roast sausages and Daiya.

It’s also got Zengarry nut cheese, Strawberry Blonde Queen Elizabeth cake (bought that!), and the requisite wall full of fair trade organic chocolate. There was a new one there called “chocosol” which declares that it is not chocolate but an invitation to social justice. So of course I bought one because who can refuse an invitation to social justice when it is offered for a mere $5.59? I hope the company puts my contribution towards a better bean grinder because the chocolate was kind of gritty. Though sometimes I wonder if these artisanal companies make their food like that on purpose. You know, they make some perfect, creamy chocolate then say, “Hmmmmm, it doesn’t taste artisanal enough – throw some dirt in!”

When I walked in the door, I was fully prepared to commit to spending the bulk of my grocery budget there if they could provide two things: Silk Soy milk and non-bricklike vegan bread.

They didn’t have the Silk but the person at the counter dutifully wrote down the suggestion. Their regular in-house bread isn’t vegan but the gluten-free stuff is. The staffer was very emphatic that the gluten-free bread is not as gross as she’d expected, and is also the best gluten-free bread she’s ever had. I explained with equal enthusiasm that I might buy a loaf of gluten-free bread for the sheer joy of punting it down the road if I didn’t think I’d break my foot on it.

As for the cafe menu – well, there it is, have a look. Given the relative vegan-friendliness of the grocery section (right on par with Herb & Spice, Rainbow and all that), I was surprised that the cafe so fully embraced the bacon-loving hipster ethic, but there you go.

Despite its, shall we say, “misalignments” with my own ethics, I give the West End Well three and a half lentils out of five. It’s pretty, it’s got a lot of vegan stuff, and it’s closer than Herb and Spice.

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If you have ever spent time on the NCVA Facebook group, you’ll know that NCVA members are incredibly knowledgeable about veg-friendly businesses around Ottawa. And they’re always willing to point people to the best restaurants, bakeries, and specialty stores in their neighbourhoods. Our veg business directory is an attempt to capture that knowledge and make it easily available to Ottawans and visitors alike.

Newly added to the directory this month:

Grow Your Roots is a 100% vegan vendor at the Carp Farmers’ Market. Get there early because their homemade burgers, sausages, and baked treats have been known to sell out fast. GYR’s deep-fried avocados are already famous.

Kothurotti is located just east of the Rideau Centre. Their menu has a whole vegan page with 20 items including appetizers, soups and mains. I admit I have a weakness for the Sri Lankan dish they are named after! Take-out or delivery (minimal seating).

Fiazza has been generating some buzz on the NCVA Facebook group. They will top your pizza with Daiya vegan cheese, and they offer vegan treats from Strawberry Blonde Bakery for dessert.

Rideau Bakery is a kosher bakery, so it’s easy to find dairy-free breads there. Inquire about the egg-free selections. If you’ve ever had spinach dip in a bread bowl at an NCVA event, the pumpernickel bread probably came from Rideau Bakery.

Vegan Cuts is an online marketplace with food, beauty, and lifestyle products, plus subscription boxes of snack and beauty products. Did you know it’s headquartered in Ottawa? Check out this fun article on vegan power couples to meet the founders (you have to scroll about 1/3 of the way down the page).

Since discovering Ceylonta South Indian restaurant a few months ago, it’s become a regular haunt for Neil and me. 

Thank the wonderful food. But even more so, thank the lovely hostess Tamara. She always helps us select vegan-friendly items from the extensive menu.

On the day we took these photos, we had three of our staple dishes: Roti with Coconut Sambal, Kothu Roti, and Vegetarian (vegan) Thali.

We skipped the Dosa that day. Largely because it’s the size and shape of a baseball bat and it wouldn’t fit on our two-person table.

We also skipped the Devilled Potatoes. Because they cause your head to catch on fire and we’d left our motorcycles at home. If I have to tell you that’s a Ghost Rider reference, you need to get out more. Or one of us does.

Anyway, here are some pics of the feast.

I highly recommend everyone check the place out. The Roti alone is worth the trip. In fact, if you got nothing but several orders of Roti and Coconut Sambal, I would applaud your wisdom and commitment to getting fat.

And I encourage everyone to ask for Tamara’s help picking your vegan dishes. She’s been there every time we’ve gone and is loveliness and helpfulness personified. And I honestly don’t know if the dishes were already vegan or if she had the chef veganize them for us – so better to be safe than sorry!

So Monday was my birthday, and while it was filled with gifts and cookie-encrusted birthday cake, the official birthday dinner was put off until Tuesday.

ZenKitchen is closed on Mondays, you see, and every Ottawegan (Ottawa vegan) knows that when serious celebration is in order, ZenKitchen is where you go.

The meal began with Art-Is-In bread, Ethiopian-inspired lentil spread and a glass of rich Okanagan red. Next came the ‘gift from the kitchen’ : medjool dates stuffed with a savoury ‘cream cheese’.

Picking the appetizer was a no-brainer for me:  Of all the things I’ve missed most since going vegan 20 years ago, my grandma’s sauerkraut pierogies have to be number one.

Given that birthday = guiltless decadence, our main course selections were also obvious: Neil and I opted to share one order of Sopé and one of Panko-crusted Seitan.

Now, I’ve been going to ZenKitchen for a long time, and have written more than one review. But it wasn’t until last night that I could really articulate what makes this restaurant so special.

ZenKitchen is “food for thought”. On the one hand, it is food for thoughtful consumers. Owners Caroline Ishii and Dave Loan have gone to great lengths to ensure that their ingredients are ethically and transparently sourced.

On the other hand, the food itself makes you think. It is clear that each subtle nuance of flavour has been introduced very deliberately, but always with the goal of creating a coherent, pleasing dish.

One thing about Caroline Ishii’s cooking is that the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. I learned quickly that everything on the plate is there for a reason. When you take a bite of Sopé, you have to top it with the mushrooms and the salsa and the guacamole and the sour cream. If there’s a lemon wedge on your plate, use it. Last night’s lemon wedge, for example, added a lovely brightness to my Alfredo sauce. I was rather proud, thinking of how a less experienced ZenKitchen-goer might have dismissed the lemon as decoration and missed out on my awesome sauce experience.

Another thing you’ll notice when you’re at ZenKitchen is that the food is all anyone is talking about. Remarks like “So what is this, thyme?” “Where’s the hotness coming from?” and “So there’s seriously no dairy in this?” are typical, as are appeals to servers to answer questions and settle disputes. When Neil and I left last night, we found a trio in the parking lot still debating the cashew cream.

Given I’ve already yammered on quite a lot, I won’t do a detailed description of each of last night’s selections. Suffice it to say that they were all lovely, all interesting, and all cooked to absolute perfection – that’s one more thing to note about ZK: whether you happen to like a specific flavour combination or not, every dish is perfectly executed. No limp veggies. No under- or overcooked pasta. Ever.

So if you haven’t tried ZenKitchen yet, go. There’s a reason they’ve risen so quickly to become an Ottawa institution and were named Ottawa’s “Top Choice” restaurant by Lonely Planet.

When you find yourself still wondering, a week later, what was the spice in that chocolate sauce, you’ll know what I mean.

I apologize in advance if this blog post is a bit boring – but I wanted to get it out before Wednesday.

Why? Because Mambo features its new vegetarian/vegan menu on Wednesdays, and I want everyone to have advance notice in case they want to go.

So here’s the scoop…

Mambo is a Latin-fusion restaurant in the Byward Market. With its duskily romantic atmosphere, it’s probably the last place on earth where I’d expect to find vegan poutine.

But there is was: item #7 on Mambo’s new vegetarian/vegan menu. The NCVA had been invited to sample said menu, and I, as the organization’s restaurant outreach coordinator and avid fan of free food, finally made it out last Wednesday.

Upon arrival, I was equally enthused by the rooftop patio as by the words “vegan menu” smiling up from Mambo’s sandwich board. We were greeted by Claira, Mambo’s promotions manager, who had arranged for us to sample four of their vegan appetizers.

 As we waited for them to arrive, we chatted with Claira about Mambo’s new menu over cold beer and a pleasantly surprising bowl of kettle-cooked popcorn. Mambo’s sister restaurant, Kinki, has offered veg fare on Wednesdays for more than two years, and they are hoping to repeat that success at Mambo.

The first dish to arrive was the salad. I was very pleased to find it heaping with candied nuts and a massive poached pear whose taste prompted me to issue a short prayer to God explaining that this is what fruit is supposed to taste like, and that if he’d just make it like that right out of the box, people would eat it more.

 Next came the “Gringos” tacos, a tasty and unique sautéed veggie and pineapple mixture atop home-made taco shells.
Hard on their heels came an explosively colorful plate of nachos. Sprinkled with vegan cheese, amped up by a riotous pico de gallo and washed down with a sip of draft, they were pretty much heaven. And if they could have talked, they’d have insisted on being eaten on the patio, snow be damned.

But of course the star of the night was the vegan poutine. The mushroom gravy was second-to-none and the potatoes – roasted , I think, rather than fried – were, were….well, description is failing me- but they were gone really fast, which pretty much says it all.

The only flaw in Mambo’s veggie/vegan menu was that it’s not altogether obvious what’s veggie, what’s vegan, and what’s veggie but can be made vegan on request. So be prepared for a minor Q&A session when you order. On the plus side, I called the issue to Claira’s attention and she’s going to try to figure out a more explicit labeling system.

So there you have it. Vegan Wednesdays at Mambo. Off you go.