The Yoga Chef - Vegan Options

I admit that the name "Yoga Chef" kind of put me off at the beginning. I know that yoga is a legitimate practice, but it sort of invites woo and I get annoyed when people bring the crazy to veganism. Veganism is an ethical position that objects to the mistreatment of animals to the extent possible. It is not a diet or a health practice and does not promote tumeric or superfoods. The health benefits that do exist are a bonus for a vegan but not the main point. People who eschew animal products for their own health are plant-based and not vegan. But that is why you should not judge a book by its cover (or a restaurant by its name). The Yoga Chef turned out to be a woo free zone and have some of the best and most creative vegan eats that we have had in a while.

Located in an industrial area in Port Coquitlam, on Maclean just off Kingsway Avenue, parking was a bit challenging but not like Richmond strip mall challenging. We squeezed in inside the restaurant although there are a couple of shaded tables outside. It is clearly a popular place and was quite busy on Saturday at mid-afternoon.

When we arrived brunch was still being served (actually maybe they don't have specific hours for brunch) so we couldn't resist ordering the Buddha Benny. Built on a base of their chickpea-kale patties, with tofu, spinach and sauteed mushrooms, this was healthy (bonus) and substantial. The thing that really sold us was the beet hollandaise which was earthy and rich! And look how beautiful! The Garlic Corriander Potatoes on the side were impressive as well!

I am more a fan of house-made burger patties than the commercial faux meat things (Downlow Burgers smash Impossible patty notwithstanding) and YG's Plant Based Burger featured an excellent one. I and not sure of the exact makeup but it very much reminded me of a black bean, mushroom and walnut patty that I made at home recently. Everything about this burger was on point. The vegan Gouda, pretzel bun, avocado, pickles and vegan mayo were all very good. I was concerned about the avocado/pickle interaction as I thought there would be some fight between ingredients but somehow even that worked!

Next up was the Katsu Curry. Again, look at the beautiful plate. The katsu was a vegan chicken thing that was nice and crispy but the curry sauce could have used some punch. It didn't need heat as Japanese curry is not spicy but maybe just some salt and more curry flavour. Still, sauce on rice is a wonderful thing and this was served with some very good greens or salad or whatever you want to call it. Another excellent plate!

The Coconut Thai Green Curry Soup was another home run. Rich and full of flavour. This was part of a combo.

As if we hadn't ordered enough already, we wanted to try the Intention Smoothie. This was carrot, turmeric, mango, banana and orange juice which when all blended together was pretty amazing. It was not as sweet as you might guess but just slightly earthy because of the carrot and turmeric. It was a meal unto itself. Our server initially forgot it and then feeling bad, made us a double order. She didn't have to do that but it was a pretty impressive gesture. 

So we collected all our leftovers and waddled out. The Yoga Chef is not a strictly vegan or vegetarian restaurant but has many vegan options. Our server guessed that 75% of people order vegan so that is impressive. There is so much more here for us to try in the future. Call this a hidden gem, we were more than a little impressed and will definitely be back.

Food                             5 out of 5

Vegan Options             4 1/2 out of 5

Comfort                       4 out of 5

Service                         4 1/2 out of 5

Value                            4 1/2 out of 5