Sun Bo Kong - Vegetarian Restaurant

Aside from dumplings, we don't do as much vegan dim sum as we would like, or as much as we did in our pre-vegan days. When This is Plant Curious posted a deal for Sun Bo Kong, we were all in.

SBK is in what we call a vegan restaurant zone on Kingsway, in the block west of Knight Street. We have been there before for dim sum and loved the place.

The deal is great (I think it ends at the end of June). Order Bean Curd Skin Roll with Black Bean Sauce and get a choice of one of several other dishes free. This was a tremendous dish (and evidently their most popular) that we loved. The sauce was rich and dark, and the bean curd had a very nice texture and a bit of chew. Excellent!

As our free dish, we chose Stir-Fried Shredded Vegetables with Noodles and Homemade Sauce, which translates roughly to Chow Mein in Canadian. This was the good kind of chow mein. It was the kind I always want when I actually order chow mein with chewy noodles, lots of veggies and some soy and sesame oil flavour. 

Despite having enough for lunch with just these two dishes, we proceeded to order way too much more, starting with siu mai. This was so fresh or so hot out of the steamer that it would barely stay together as we tried to lift it. Still, it was tasty and comforting.

Next up was a Barbeque "Pork" Pastry. It could have used a little more filling but was flaky and enjoyable just the same.

Mharie wanted to try the wings. These were quite good and very similar to the wings we have had from the Veg Out Food Truck. I feel like they could be cooked just a little more, just like the Veg Out wings but at least undercooked tofu won't make you sick. Crispy and hot!

Vegan Crispy Seaweed Eel seemed at least a little on the exotic side so we decided to try it. It lived up to the crispy part for sure, and featured a bit of ocean flavour thanks to the nori wrapping. I was not an expert on eel so I couldn't say if it was spot on but it was pleasant and came in a generous portion.

We chose a sweet dim sum to finish. This was a Steamed Charcoal Bun with Taro Paste. Of course, the charcoal provided mainly just colour, and the taro paste was nicely sweet. They have a nice selection of desserts at SBK, which is often lacking on vegan menus.

The menu is vegetarian here, but we advised our server that we were vegan, and he ensured that all was well. I really didn't see anything on the menu that was obviously not vegan, but it's good to be sure. Apparently, the Dalai Lama has been here, but I haven't read his review. Like a typical Chinese restaurant, the menus are long with so many choices, but this time without animal products! 

Food                                         4 1/2 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 1/2 out of 5

Crow and Gate Pub - Nanaimo - Vegan Options

This was more about my boss getting antsy to fly his helicopter on a beautiful day than it is about a pub with one vegan item on the menu (although to be fair, a couple of their salads could be veganized).

The whole estimating department (4 of us) set out one beautiful afternoon last week from Aldergrove, across the Strait to Nanaimo and then back via West Vancouver.

My scenery pics leave a little to be desired, as pictures through the window of a helicopter always seem to be less than perfect.

Still, random islands and the wealthy folks who live on them are fascinating and beautiful (at least the islands are...not sure about the folks). It's good to be reminded about how amazing this place where we live really is.

I know very little about the Crow and Gate other than there is room to land a helicopter, and on a nice day, the gardens and outside tables are delightful. It's about a 15-minute drive south of Duke Point Ferry Terminal, for you folks tethered to the earth.

I am a big fan of the British style, heavy wood and clutter decor. If the weather sucked, then the inside dining would be cozy and warm.

I had the Buffalo Chick Pea Falafel Wrap, which is actually labelled as vegan on the menu. I would definitely order it again as it was quite satisfying with a nice side salad.

But folks don't just come for the food. Dining outside in the gardens on a sunny day is a nice relaxing experience.

But duty calls, and back to the office we went. The estimating department has to do our bit to keep the work coming in and to keep things rolling.

Food                                     3 1/2 out of 5

Vegan Options Available      2 1/2 out of 5

Comfort                                5 out of 5

Service                                 4 out of 5

Value                                    4 out of 5

Eternal Abundance - Vegan Restaurant

Eternal Abundance is another OG of the vegan / vegetarian restaurants in Metro Vancouver, having been around since I am not sure when even though I could have just asked. Mharie and I were there once in 2018. That was as part of Vanfoodster's Plant-Based Bowl Challenge, and they impressed us at the time. They impressed us again now in 2025.

Located on Commercial Drive just a block and a half north of Grandview Park. Mharie and I chose to walk from Broadway Station since it was a beautiful day. It's a decent 20-minute walk, which helped us get our steps!

EA leans towards the raw end of the spectrum and they are all in on the organics. I am little impressed with such things because, you know...but I certainly have an open mind. We tried their Miso-Walnut-Roll which was raw. The pate is walnut, sunflower seed, miso and smoked paprika and could have used a little more texture. The nori was a little too chewy so the experience was not perfect but tasty overall especially when the Asian style dipping sauce was applied. Healthy af!

Their special of the day was a Spicy Black Bean Yam Burger Platter. I would never order a burger "low  carb" style but since Mharie is allergic to flax seeds (in the bun), we went with the lettuce wrap. It was slippery as hell and I might as well have just plunged my face into the plate rather than try to pick it up. The patty was a little dry but tasty enough and the condiments including pickles, tomatoes, relish and what not rounded it out nicely. The roasted potatoes and house made ketchup were pretty good. The side salad was also nice but the croutons where soft and not impressive. I think they have traded white bread crunchy croutons for whole grain and healthier but on the mediocre side.

Next up was the Incredi-bowl and our favourite. We chose quinoa as the base for lots of good stuff including avocado, a seed blend including pumpkin, salad stuff, sprouts, hummus and a ginger-miso dressing. Very good. It may be years since I ate so many alfalfa sprouts!

We didn't get the "scoop of the daily stew" that we ordered so the manager gave us to-go larger than regular serving of their Tofu Green Thai Curry. We heated it up at home but weren't knocked out. Of course, green is our least favourite of the Thai Curry colours. Healthy again though.

This is a nice homey place and they have a little section selling organic produce and cookbooks, too many of which are about raw food. The folks running the place are very nice. We saw all manner of humanity and not just tie-die t-shirts. The food was healthy and substantial and they even have vegan ice cream although we did not get that far.

Food                                              3 out of 5

Vegan Options Available               5 out of 5

Comfort                                         3 1/2 out of 5

Service                                          4 out of 5

Value                                             4 out of 5

Little Donkey Food & Drink - Vegan Options

We were here 7 years ago in the pre-pandemic era, and for me, pre-vegan world. We liked this place then, and we like it now. I know it's just burritos and not brain surgery, but a healthy, tasty, and not too expensive meal is always welcome. Of course,  you have to find a place to park in Fort Langley, which is no small deal if the sun is shining.

Little Donkey, get it? Burrito! We ended up parking at the Fort, where I did not see any signs saying that parking was for guests of the Fort. On the other hand, park there at your own risk and do not blame me, but this town is miserable for parking.

Busy on a sunny Saturday afternoon? Of course! But there was still a place to sit down, and these folks can crank out burritos with fairly impressive quickness. We ordered the two vegan burritos available on their menu.

I made a mess, sure, but that didn't render it any less tasty. On both our last visit and this time, we ordered the Currito Burrito. As a base, it had curried chickpeas and brown rice. There were some more veggies and vegan chipotle crema. Healthy and substantial, this is a decent meal.

I did a little better photographing this one, but not much better! Dragon Race is the name of the second burrito that can be served vegan. This one features corn, yam, pico and cabbage in addition to the rice and beans. More Chipotle and some avocado make it seem more Mexican-leaning compared to a Dragon, which makes me think Asian. Still, it was again tasty and filling.

So these are burritos and not a white tablecloth place, but it's nice to know there is something simple and vegan available in the middle of this little tourist-overrun village. There are a few tables inside and outside as well. The folks working here are sociable, and they get your order up pretty fast.

Food                                      4 out of 5

Vegan Options Available       3 out of 5

Comfort                                 3 1/2 out of 5

Service                                  4 out of 5

Value                                     4 out of 5

Big Way Hot Pot - Vegan Options

OK, so I kind of fluked across this place too. I was looking on Google Maps for a place that had just opened in Richmond when I noticed that Big Way Hot Pot was nearby. I decided to review their menu to see if they offered vegan hot pot options. Typically, all you need is vegan broth, and then you add veggies, tofu, noodles, etc., which are available for everyone anyway, to cook in the said vegan broth. And there you have vegan got pot. While browsing their website, I noticed the soft opening of a new BWHP in Langley! How convenient!

We just showed up that first Sunday. Inside the front door is a screen where you can put your name on a waitlist. It tells you where you are in the line. There were 90 people ahead of us (or 90 parties, I assume), so we decided to leave and plan our visit for another day. On the second day, we showed up at opening time (11:00 am) and stood in line for a mere few minutes. By the time we were finished, the waitlist had grown to 46 parties! They will phone you if you decide to go shopping at Best Buy in the meantime.

They gave us a big brass (?) bowl and tongs, which are quite nice btw, and we lined up to choose from the grocery shelves of ingredients. There is a lot more meat and seafood, but fear not, as you eventually get to greens, veggies, tofu, and noodles. They told me which of the noodles are egg-free, and I took them at their word. I tried messaging them to confirm this for this post but they are not really good at responding. Anyway, they weigh your ingredients (mine came to around $17.50),  you choose your broth (there are two vegan broths), and they go ahead and prepare your soup and then deliver it to your table!

I should have taken a before picture, but here is the after. Full of interesting mushrooms and noodles and tofu with tomato broth and some vegan kimchee! Delicious!

And part of the appeal of hot pot is the dipping sauce bar. You can follow their directions and assemble sauces by recipe, or just go crazy like I did. I am such a sucker for sesame paste so there was a lot of that.

This is a large restaurant with plenty of staff who do a good job at making sure you have what you need. It was kind of fun, and I think it's pretty reasonably priced if you stay away from the heavy stuff like the meat dumplings and things that are soaking in water (at least that is the advice I got from the professionals in line ahead of us). The tables for 2 are a little cramped once you have all your food and close together but not everyone is trying to take pictures either.

Food                                      4 out of 5

Vegan Options Available       4 out of 5

Comfort                                 3 1/2 out of 5

Service                                  4 1/2 out of 5

Value                                     4 out of 5

Pizzeria Ludica - Vegan Options

I recently stated that I wouldn't be chasing all over Metro Vancouver for vegan pizza, as there are at least four places in Aldergrove (population approximately 15,500) that now serve vegan pizza. In other words, we would let the pies come to us! We have been walking past PL in Chinatown for a decade (?) and did not realize that there were vegan options and so we had to stop by their newer New Westminster location to see what was up.

Located at the corner of 6th and Carnarvon, parking was not a problem (at least early on Saturday evening) plus we were not to far from a nice walk on the New West waterfront after dinner.

PL actually has a separate vegan pizza menu, which indicates to me that they are serious about having the option available. We decided to order 3 and expected to take some home for Sunday lunch. The first that we ordered was The Everdell. Plant-based mozza, sausage and artichokes make up the most of the toppings. The crust is definitely special! Nice bits of charring (leoparding) and chew, and even the tomato sauce was above average.

For my wife, the closest we could come to Hawaiian was the Helios Pizza. This one comes with Cashew Mozza instead of the other plant-based (so you have a choice), which was also good. With some sun-dried tomato and Sriracha in addition to the pineapple, they definitely have a sweet and hot thing going on here. It was also very good!

Finally, we ordered the Stone Age. Balsamic caramelized onions and arugula were the highlight here. Another excellent crust, which is definitely their strength and more cashew mozzarella to complete another delicious pie.

Another feature at PL is the games! They have a whole wall of board games, and my wife and I quizzed each other using the millennial version of Trivial Pursuit. I asked our server about people staying all day and just playing games, and she said there is a time limit during busy times, but when it's quiet, players can go crazy. This is a nice big comfortable space with friendly, helpful staff and really good vegan pizza!

Food                                     4 out of 5

Vegan Options Available      4 out of 5

Comfort                                4 out of 5

Service                                 4 out of 5

Value                                    4 out of 5

Banana Leaf South Surrey - Vegan Options

Banana Leaf has been around for years, but the White Rock (or maybe they call it South Surrey) store has opened only relatively recently. We knew they had some vegan options on the menu (thanks, Vegan Twosome!), but we were more motivated to get there once this closer-to-home location opened. We stupidly rolled up on a Saturday evening but were told that no tables were available for over an hour. That might be the first time in years that we haven't just walked in and gotten a table owing to our non-traditional dining times (i.e. we show up whenever). So this time, we had to make a reservation for another day.

Reservation in hand, we showed up at Southpoint Exchange Shopping Centre and squeezed into the parking lot (wow! Popular mall!). As usual, we ordered too much and ended up with leftovers, but we don't consider that to be a problem.

We started off with a bit of a miss. The Eggplant Fries are an inspired idea, but they showed up a little soft in the execution phase. They were nicely curry-spiced and delicious, but eggplant is not a cooperative vegetable if you are thinking of something crispy. In the end, we took some of them home and tried the airfryer and that worked not too badly.

We also had the Tofu Goreng and this was a hit. The tofu was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. With sweet chilli sauce, peanuts, sprouts, cucumber and sesame seeds, it had a lot of flavour.

More tofu, but this was a main course and unfortunately, another miss. The Assam Curry Tofu and Vegetables brought a different set of flavours to the table. This curry started with a tamarind sauce which was very good. Unfortunately, the okra was tough and stringy. I'm not sure where they got it or what they did to it but certainly no one tasted it before serving it.

The Kung Pao Cauliflower was our favourite dish. Not sure why you would even need meat for this as the sauce is the feature. Very good!

Another really interesting dish was the Turmeric Coconut Spinach. The coconut definitely took the edge of the cooked spinach and the crispy shallots on top added some interesting texture. We would order this again.

They offer some of these dishes in small or larger portions. We ordered a couple of small and one large, but I can't remember which was which. We also ordered rice, which was a must for these dishes.

This is a very nice space with lots of light. Despite the fact that they were very busy, the serving staff did a good job keeping up! Despite the couple of misses, we enjoyed our visit to Banana Leaf.

Food                                    3 1/2 out of 5

Vegan Options Available     3 1/2 out of 5

Comfort                               3 1/2 out of 5

Service                                 4 out of 5

Value                                    4 out of 5