Dolce Amore Ice Cream Mafia and Affogato Bar - Vegan Options

One of the first beautiful sunny weekends in Vancouver called out loudly for ice cream! As our Vancouver weekend continued, we knew we were close to Earnest Ice Cream (with good vegan options), but Dolce Amore Ice Cream Mafia and Affogato Bar were just around the corner and have pretty cool names. During our visit, they had at least 6 vegan flavours available!

Located just off Lonsdale on 2nd Street West, to be honest, it was still a little before the sun actually showed up (but it would!) so we really didn't have to wait.

A cone, of course, this was one scoop, believe it or not. They are generous with the servings and will give you two half scoops! So we tried Mango and Lavender Lemonade. Pretty tasty and didn't miss the dairy ice cream.

We also came for the affogato. We knew that the Peanut Butter Paesano would be perfect with a little pour of espresso. This ice cream has a peanut mylk base and is made in-house. It was amazing!

So, we're going to go ahead and call this place pretty impressive. There is seating for just over a dozen but walking and eating ice cream is a socially acceptable activity when the weather is nice. As you can see from the photo, they are prepared for long lines. I'm sure those lineups showed up later in the day when the sun actually showed its face. The staff were impressive and knowledgeable as well. 

Food                                      5 out of 5

Vegan Options Available       3 1/2 out of 5

Comfort                                 4 out of 5

Service                                  4 out of 5

Value                                     4 1/2 out of 5

   

Buddha-Full - Vegan Restaurant

We went to Buddha-Full 6 1/2 years ago during World Vegan Month and have not been back since. That is not a reflection of what we ate there but of the fact that there are so many good vegan restaurants, and restaurants with vegan options, and we have only now made our way back around. This time, we were tempted by "This is Plant Curious," which offered a healthy discount on a bowl or a wrap!

We showed up early enough on Saturday morning to get a choice of seating, but the dining space is smallish (maybe seating for 20?), and they get busy!

At BF, they have savoury bowls and sweet bowls, including Acai. We started with a Cobb Caesar Salad Bowl, which was obviously based on the classic salad. Butler's Soy Curls replace the chicken, and tofu egg replaces the egg. Other than that, this is a good and cruelty-free variation on the original salad. Loved it!

Next up was the Coastal Vibes Bowl, which did not look much like the website photo. This is not a problem. I just don't want you to think that I had completely forgotten what we ate. Brown rice and many roasted vegetables, including kale and sweet potato, with smoked tofu, lentils, peanut sauce and queso made this an amazing bowl. Get this!

Our habit is to over order, and so the wrap went with us. This was the Tuscan Wrap and what really stood out was the very good apple-sage sausage which lent savory and substance to the this. The cheese queso cheese and cashew pesto and spinach, not to mention an amazing side salad made this a meal.

This was an amazing start to our Vancouver weekend of sun and tasty vegan eats that included the Cherry Blossom Festival. Buddha Full is a welcoming place for vegans and non vegans alike. You can drop by for a coffee and vegan baked item or a smoothie. Service was impressive and the staff are friendly enough.

Food                                            4 1/2 out of 5

Vegan Options Available             5 out of 5

Comfort                                       4 out of 5

Service                                        4 out of 5

Value                                           4 1/2 out of 5

Gordon Ramsey Burger - Vegan Option

I can assure you that we did not come here for Gordon Ramsay Burger. We came to see the Crash Test Dummies in the Great Canadian Casino Theatre. 

It was a great show, and they played all those songs from God Shuffled His Feet as well as some other memorable stuff. As part of their encore, they played a song called Heart of Stone which is a little newer but it brought me to blubbering when I realized what it was about. I'll leave it to you to do your own research on that. Anyway, Gordon Ramsey Burger is adjacent to the theatre in the casino and they happened to have a vegan burger.

As the show was at 7 o'clock, and I left it too late, we could not get a reservation other than at 5. Of course, at 5 , we could have just walked in without a reservation but whatever. So we ordered a burger.

So the burger was not cheap, and it was not small either. We paid $3.50 for sweet potato fries instead of the regular ones, and they were quite good. Upon the first bite of the burger, I actually got a little panicky! The beefy taste was something that I did not believe could be provided without killing something. I thought maybe it was a taste picked up from a grill where beef had been cooked, but they assured me that they keep a separate space just for the vegan burger! The burger was quite meaty and good, but to be honest, we have had better, and the $25 price tag is quite daunting. Still, we're at Gordon Ramsey Burger, and everything is pricey. Overall, once I got past my panic, I kind of enjoyed it.

To be honest, I'd never been a big fan of Gordon Ramsey or anyone else who presents an angry, yelling persona on television. I just don't feel like it is necessary, even if it is only for TV. Our server assured us that in person, he was very nice. He actually came to this restaurant and spoke to all the staff and thanked them for their hard work. Also, seeing GR on Becel plant-based butter commercials (as a previously notorious vegan critic) kind of makes it hard for me to be disgusted with him. If he has changed his position on an important life philosophy, then I admire his ability to do that and not just stick with a stupid anti-vegan attitude. In fact, I am impressed with anyone who can change a position when they realize there is better evidence against their previous belief, instead of doubling down on a stupid thing to save face. And that is today's wise thought for the day!

This is a very nice space, and the staff are noticeably top-notch. Too bad there aren't even just a couple more vegan options.

Food                                     4 out of 5

Vegan Options Available      2 out of 5

Comfort                                4 out of 5

Service                                 4 1/2 out of 5

Value                                    3 out of 5

Gina's - Vegan Mexican Options and A Safe Place

I only learned about Gina's a minute before we started off on our Vancouver weekend. It only took us another minute to change our dining plans to make sure we included this, "mostly plant-based Mexican restaurant for queers by queers." It puts the focus on Vancouver's queer women and trans community and is billed as a safe place. 

Located in the space previously occupied by Salt on East Pender just east of Main, we showed up unfashionably early on Saturday afternoon. We were seated at their long communal table (there are a few small tables). There is not a lot of signage at Gina's so far, probably because they just opened yesterday, but it is not that hard to find.

The food menu is not long or complicated at Gina's. The emphasis seems to be more on its being a gathering place for people who might otherwise face negativity in a world full of intolerant assholes. We found them to be very welcoming, and the vibe was happy. Still, we're always here for the food!

We started with the Aguachile, mostly because it was something we had never had before. This is a mix of mushrooms, cucumber and onions "cooked " in lime and serrano chile, not unlike seviche (of course, nothing had to die). It was tart and refreshing and came with some crisp tortillas. Nice!

Next up was the Fruta Picada. This was a mix of watermelon, jicama and orange again in a sauce of lime, salt and chamoy. Chamoy is a sweet, tangy, salty, slightly spicy sauce made of dried fruits, chilies, lime juice, etc. It is perfect with jicama.

Next were three tacos. We chose one of each of the three current preparations: Frijoles, Vegan Tingo, and Papitas. The Frijoles are a 'secret family recipe' and were very tasty and smoothly blended.. The tinga were stewed onion and carrot in a chipotle tomato sauce and the papitas were basically mashed potatoes with some chile and onion. All pretty basic but enough to fill that empty tummy. We liked the smoothly blended green salsa that was on the side.

Finally, we tried the Horchata Rice Pudding, which was quite a hit! Rice pudding conjures up thoughts of my childhood, but with the lovely horchata flavour to add some variety!

We were a little confused by the note at the bottom of the menu that states that their Worsestershire, cheese and sour cream are not plant-based. Given that Vegan Supply is right across the road, that certainly doesn't seem like it should be an issue.

We also couldn't figure out Gina's identity. Our server said she was a friend of theirs. A couple of days later I called them and found out there is no Gina, that she is a created character. We sat in front of a poster that quoted some of Gina's wisdom so whether she is a composite of persons or whether their is a deeper personal story that is none of my business, we enjoyed our visit and wish them success!

Food                                          4 out of 5

Vegan Options Available           4 1/2 out of 5

Comfort                                     4 1/2 out of 5

Service                                       4 1/2 out of 5

Value                                          4 out of 5

 

Blossoms After Dark - Vegan Options

It was lovely to see Vancouverites emerge from hiding as soon as the first decent sun of spring revealed itself. Many, like ourselves, made their way to David Lam Park for the Cherry Blossom festivities, including Blossoms After Dark.

There was food, music, dancing and of course, cherry blossoms a plenty to be enjoyed. We especially enjoyed some of the messages that people had hung in the trees. I'm sure this group of trees had a name like, "Wishing Trees" but I don't know what it really was.

I was, however moved by some of the sentiments.

Given the current political situation, It would be nice to see some of these wishes work. Never give up hope!

It was hard to convince myself that I'd taken enough pictures! The blossoms come but once a year and are gone so quickly.

There was music.

And there was enthusiastic dancing. This was some kind of right of spring, I expect.

And of course, there was food. I noticed that several of the food trucks had at least one vegan option. Planted Love, however, is completely vegan with a chef/owner who worked in European Michelin Star restaurants, and this is a labour of love for him!

We had a Deep Fried Oyster Mushroom Sandwich on Challah, which was spectacular and maybe the best thing that we ate all weekend. I asked where they got plant-based challah, which is usually quite eggy. They told me they made it themselves! Of course they did!

The Cotton Candy man had a line a mile long and was working by himself! Time to expand operations!

So we loved Blossoms After Dark even though we didn't even stay until dark! In our defence, we had been walking all day (over 21,000 steps) and were a little on the tuckered-out side.

The cherry blossoms will be around for a while longer. Don't let them go to waste!

Bar Haifa - Vegan Options

Bar Haifi is located on the first floor of the coolest building in Vancouver at the corner of Homer and West Georgia (Sorry. No picture. Go see it!). And how is it that I have never noticed this building? It is fairly new but don't we pass by there from time to time? Anyway, when it opened, I read about Bar Haifa and messaged them to ask if the items on their menu that seemed to be plant-based are really plant-based as they weren't labelled as such? They assured me that they could feed a couple of hungry vegans. So they made it onto my list but we just didn't get there for a while. Then suddenly, "This is Plant Curious" messaged everyone to ask if they would be interested in a deal here. Well, of course!

We actually made a reservation pre-hockey game as given the location, we knew this would be a perfect place to eat before a game. Sure enough, they were very busy. We sat at the bar right in front of the chefs which was fun as they spent a lot of time torching various preparations!

We started with their Seasonal Hummus and this is a bowl that I ran my finger around (licking is frowned upon in polite company) at the end to get every bit. It was spectacular, in short. Creamy and delicious with pistacio and duqquah (their spelling) and crispy Brussels sprouts. Also served with the best grilled pita ever!

Is it possible that I've never had Jerusalem artichoke (aka sunchoke)? I must have at some point, but this was Kaarage Jerusalem Artichoke served with miso sumac mayo. Essentially a root vegetable but not as dense as sweet potato, the texture was pleasantly on the soft side, maybe like very well cooked beet. All that and crispy on the outside!  Can't quite nail the description, but we enjoyed this as well.

The Loaded Eggplant was a thing of beauty. Stuffed with farro in a tomatoey sauce, this was the "This is the Plant Curious" deal feature, and we were not sorry.

I had to bust it open to take another photo as how do you stuff an eggplant? The layers of flavour were what really made this thing spot on. In addition to the farro, there were pine nuts, chilis and tahini. Delicious! I looked at a lot of stuffed eggplant recipes later, but this one was unique and evidently the result of the kitchen's creativity.

The people working here were lovely and helpful. I will say that the bar stools were decidedly uncomfortable, but it was partly due to my own awkwardness. It was still cool to sit at the bar and watch the cooks, but try to get a table reservation if you are over 50!. Other than that, we would like to try a few more items on the menu and will be back!

Food                                        4 1/2 out of 5

Vegan Options Available         3 out of 5

Comfort                                   3 out of 5

Service                                    4 1/2 out of 5

Value                                       4 out of 5

Sweet Cherubim Restaurant - Vegan/Vegetarian Menu

One of the OGs of Vancouver vegan/vegetarian restaurants, Sweet Cherubim has been a part of the Commercial Drive scene (near Napier Street) since 1980. With their grocery store adjacent and leaning organic and fair trade, they certainly have filled a niche, while not being ethically vegan.

As soon as we stepped in the door, we were  met by the heavy and dark wood vibe that screamed vegetarian from the 60s (although 1980s in this case) just like The Naam. We like it and feel like we should bring it back.

Ordering was easy but also confusing as most of the foods are prepared and on display, but you can order plates or individual items or combos. We ended up with a taste of a few things but one could visit often and enjoy a continual variety.

We started with a Rice and Tofu Samosa. The menu here is heavily South Asian but incorporates some healthy variety. For instance, they offer many types of samosas. Some, like this one, are baked instead of deep-fried and with nontraditional ingredients. Almost a meal unto themselves, you can order them in combination with soup or salad, and they all come with a choice of chutney. Frankly, this samosa is a unique and delicious idea!

I meant to order Moussaka but asked for Spanakopita. Either way, I was not expecting Greek dishes but this was pretty good and served with Tamarind Chutney again which was fine as tamarind chutney goes with everything There are quite a few non South Asian but vegan standby dishes!

Mharie likes a good smoothie and this one had raw chocolate (whatever that means) with almonds etc. With that unique rich but not too sweet flavour, this also could also be a quick meal all by itself. Ingredients on the smoothie menu include carob which would be familiar to anyone who was already vegan in the 1960s!

The star of the show was the Indian Thali which we ordered with dal, kofta and brown rice. It came with an amazing quinoa salad (which isn't listed as part of the thali), as well as raita and mango chutney. The mango chutney was fairly amazing. It was a smooth sauce and more on the sweet side than savoury. The papadum and chappati were also landmark tasty and nothing on this platter was wasted.

We could not pass on the baked goods and got a couple of things to go. We tried 2 of their cheesecakes namely mango and blueberry. These were creamy and sweet and although small, they were rich enough that we were not left feeling unsatisfied.

I have felt nostalgic from time to time for bird's nest cookies (something my mother used to bake) and this one was very good. The well for the jam was deep enough that there was jam in every bite. The big cookie was peanut butter forward with chocolate chips. Also very enjoyable.

There is probably seating for about 20 in the dining room in addition to tables outside (today not being the day for that).

The grocery next door is basic vegetarian but stretches into all the crazy assed stuff you could want if you happen to read Prevention magazine and need organic horsetail. That's not really our scene but it was interesting to look at. We noticed that prices were not unreasonable on the things we were familiar with like the frozen Gardein products.

Overall, fairly friendly people and decent service but the food was great. As I mentioned, the variety in the restaurant is wonderful!

Food                                     4 out of 5

Vegan Options Available      5 out of 5

Comfort                                4 out of 5

Service                                  4 out of 5

Value                                    4 out of 5